Big Interview
How Kraft Heinz’s ‘keeper of the tomatoes’ is keeping the business in sauce
Tomato is king at Kraft Heinz, so it’s little wonder the blue chip has an army of people dedicated to ensuring its annual supply of 600m bottles of ketchup
People
Startup Spotlight
Tips to secure deals in writing: ‘A verbal commitment means almost nothing’
Long gone are the days when a deal was sealed with a handshake and verbal commitment, which is why the co-founder of veggie snack startup Theo’s advises entrepreneurs to be persistent – but not annoying – about securing commitments in writing before acting.
Building a net zero, water secure future in food & beverage
Water stewardship rises amid scarcity concerns, consumer interest in conservation
Increasing water scarcity is prompting stakeholders across the food industry to rethink and reup their stewardship practices, and in doing so they not only are reinforcing supply chains and the health of the planet, but market research suggest they could...
ADM on the farm: Building regenerative agriculture builds business opportunities
Regenerative agriculture is emerging as a powerful marketing concept with recent research by ingredient supplier ADM revealing most consumers familiar with the tenets are more likely to trust and buy from brands that support the practice.
Unilever scrambles to reinforce its ice cream business ahead of separation by 2025
Despite a disappointing start to seasonal ice cream sales in Europe and China, Unilever expects the business to improve sequentially each quarter as it strategically improves “essentially … every metric” of the business ahead of a planned separation by...
Startup Spotlight
Functional beverage startup Yesly’s viral social media posts underscore big ad budgets are not necessary for big impact
Big advertising budgets are not a requirement for big sales or an indicator of how successful a marketing campaign will be as illustrated by a viral video on social media by functional beverage newcomer Yesly, which generated more than 16 million views...
Mars could acquire Kellanova as part of portfolio overhaul, potentially signaling larger industry rebound in M&A activity
Family-held candy maker Mars Inc. could acquire snack giant Kellanova, according to media reports over the weekend, which, if accurate, could signal the beginning of a long-awaited return to M&A activity in the food and beverage industry following a...
Startup Spotlight
Sugar Bliss CEO: Cutting short pitch meetings could pave the way for long partnerships
Given how little time entrepreneurs have during most pitches, intentionally ending the meeting a few minutes early may sound counterintuitive, but the founder of the bakery and packaged cookie company Sugar Bliss says this gives potential buyers or...
Future Food Tech Alternative Proteins
3 strategies to increase consumer acceptance, adoption of plant-based, novel proteins
While most Americans are willing to swap meat for plant-based products and have done so at least once – only a quarter have done so repeatedly, according to industry research – begging the question: Why are more consumers not coming back?
Soup-to-Nuts Podcast: Widespread dehydration in US points to ‘opportunities for customization, variety & healthier options’ within functional beverages
Mega-viral social media trends promoting water “recipes” and consumption, including #watertok, #beveragegoblin and #sexywater, alongside surging demand for hard-to-find Stanley cups may lead one to believe that Americans are sufficiently hydrated – but a...
IFT FIRST
University students offer sneak peek into the future of food at IFT FIRST competitions
To foster the next generation of food scientists, technologists and innovators, the Institute of Food Technologists Student Association will host a series of competitions at the upcoming IFT FIRST: Annual Event and Expo in which college students will...
Summer Fancy Food Show
Soup-to-Nuts Podcast: Bold flavors, complementary pairings and easy customization emerge as top trends at the Summer Fancy Food Show
At the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City last week, health claims were downplayed and flavor came first – for real – followed by personalization with more brands offering consumers ways to dial up or down the heat, tang, funk and other...
Summer Fancy Food Show
Vêsucré’s recipe for creamy, clean-label vegan desserts: neurodivergent employees + simple ingredients
Crafted by a neurodivergent team with special skills for consumers with special diets in a facility where nothing goes to waste, startup Vêsucré is bringing to market decadent vegan desserts that are free from soy, gluten and refined sugar.
Startup Spotlight
Crunchy Hydration finds sweet success by skipping sugar and its low-, no-calorie counterparts, underscoring consumer demand for flavorful but not sweet options
The early retail success of functional beverage startup Crunchy Hydration shows sugar – or its low- and no-calorie counterparts – are not a necessary ingredient for success in a category that is laden with sweeteners used to mask the sometimes bitter or...
Summer Fancy Food Show
Startup CPG offers entrepreneurs essential tools for building a packaged food business
Building a packaged food or beverage business from scratch can be expensive and overwhelming for entrepreneurs, but Startup CPG is making it a little easier with a suite of free tools, extensive networking opportunities and a safe space for founders to...
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: How is the M&A landscape evolving for food & beverage?
An end may be in sight for the capital crunch that has slowed innovation, growth and M&A activity in the food and beverage space in recent years, according to one investment insider, but she warns the timeline is longer for closing deals and the bar is...
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: If social media is not the ‘be all end all’ in marketing – what is?
As the media landscape has become more fragmented in the past ten years, social media has emerged as one of the most influential sources of information on the consumer path to purchase and many companies are shifting advertising dollars accordingly – but...
FoodNavigator-USA takes home gold, bronze in 2024 regional Azbee journalism awards
FoodNavigator-USA won two distinctions for exceptional reporting in business-to-business journalism in the 2024 Azbee Awards of Excellence, hosted by the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE).
Winter Fancy Food Show
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Sustainability takes center stage in storytelling
Sustainability may not be as highly prioritized as taste or price in purchase decisions for food and beverage, but research suggests it is increasingly important to consumers -- especially younger shoppers who are coming into their buying power.
Startup Spotlight
Rotten’s ‘gross-out’ culture branding expands appeal of better-for-you candy to consumers often overlooked by health brands
Better-for-you confection newcomer Rotten’s early distribution gains since it launched in September underscores an unmet consumer desire for candy that cuts back on sugar and artificial ingredients, but not the fun.
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Alibaba explores how AI can level playing field for SMEs
With the recent launch of an AI-powered Smart Assistant, leading business-to-business e-commerce platform Alibaba.com wants to help level the playing field and increase the odds of success for small and medium enterprises and solopreneurs by simplifying...
Startup Spotlight
Harken Sweets reimagines ‘what a candy bar can be using the power of date fruit’
The founder of startup Harken Sweets, which launched earlier this month, wants to “nutritionally overhaul” the candy bar category by using “the power of the date fruit,” like how she helped Caulipower reinvigorate the pizza category with the “power of...
Winter Fancy Food Show
Gâteaux's petit frozen, ready-to-bake cakes offer clean-label, elevated convenience
The frozen dessert aisle may feel frozen in another time to some consumers who are looking for clean labels but who are often confronted by long ingredient lists with preservatives, additives, processing aids and emulsifiers that are unfamiliar and may...
Winter Fancy Food Show
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Trendspotting at the Winter Fancy Food Show reveals ‘better’ breakfasts, snacks, flavors and more
A resounding theme of “better” emerged at the Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas last week, where more than 1,200 specialty food companies came together to showcase the latest innovations in cheese, condiments, baked goods, snacks and more.
Mentorship
NCA announces its 2024 Future Leaders class
The National Confectioners Association (NCA) has announced the eight confectionery industry professionals selected for its 2024 Future Leadership Programme.
OTA embraces ‘magical’ co-CEO model to ‘take advantage of all the opportunities available to organic’
To expand organic’s market potential, reach and positive impact in the face of increased competition, consumer confusion and political pushback, the Organic Trade Association welcomes industry veteran Matt Dillon to its leadership team as co-CEO with Tom...
Danone, JM Smucker divestments & Cal-Maine acquisition reflect push to reshape, rebuild portfolios as industry stocks struggle
A trio of acquisitions and divestments in the packaged food industry at the turn of the new year suggest companies are taking a proactive and aggressive approach to rebuilding their businesses by reshaping their portfolios after industry stocks overall...
2024 trends to watch: From functional foods and clean label to value-hunting and increased use of AI to drive promotions and efficiencies
The New Year will bring a renewed focus on clean-label and better-for-you products, including a desire or the “best of both worlds” as consumers gravitate towards indulgent products making functional health claims, as well as products that are better for...
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Perdue Farms’ embraces transparency to improve animal welfare
After Perdue Farms received unsolicited but ultimately what it characterized as “fair” criticism for its approach to animal care years ago, the protein producer began inviting annually animal welfare advocates, farmers, academics and stakeholders from...
JM Smucker bucks market trend with higher volumes despite price increases in select categories
Higher prices are not stopping consumers from buying JM Smucker’s iconic coffee, spreads and snack brands, unlike with many competitors that have struggled with sliding volumes in direct proportion to inflation-related price increases.
Tyson Foods opens high-tech chicken facility to accelerate growth, boost efficiency
Tyson Foods celebrated the much-anticipated grand opening of a new 325,000-square-foot fully-cooked food production facility in Danville, Va., last week – marking a significant milestone in its “bold,” multi-point plan to improve its performance, which...
FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Woodcock’s successor Bumpus will help reorganize Human Foods Program
Just over a year after joining FDA as the agency’s top scientist, Namandjé Bumpus will rise to second in command as principal deputy commissioner early next year – replacing Janet Woodcock who, after nearly 40 years as a leader within the agency,...
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Winners of Real California Milk Excelerator Open Innovation competition shines light on dairy’s growth potential
Nearly 150 dairy industry stakeholders, including producers, entrepreneurs and investors, gathered at a winery in idyllic Livermore, Cali., earlier this month to celebrate the winners of the 5th Real California Milk Excelerator competition, which scoured...
Post Holdings CEO steps back to undergo cancer treatment, underscores ‘total confidence’ in company’s leadership, structure
Post Holdings will remain under the leadership of interim CEO Jeff Zadoks for the foreseeable future as CEO Robert Vitale undergoes radiation and chemotherapy for a recently discovered and removed malignant tumor.
Futureproofing The Food System
Watch on demand: What will it take to win over prescribers, insurers to food-as-medicine movement?
As the concept of “food as medicine” gains traction, doctors, dietitians and insurers already active in the space are keen to distinguish the difference between “better-for-you” products and those proven to effect a health change and therefore worthy of...
FDA Deputy Commissioner of proposed Human Foods Program moves forward with aggressive agenda while waiting for reorg finalization targeted for June
FDA’s massive reorganization to create a proposed unified Human Foods Program under one leader who will report directly to the agency’s commissioner may not be finalized until next June, but the program’s first Deputy Commissioner James ‘Jim’ Jones isn’t...
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: How plant-based players can ensure steady, long-term growth
Contrary to high-profile headlines about sliding sales of meat alternatives, consumer demand for plant-based products across categories continues to climb, but for the segment to reach its full potential – and continue expanding its consumer base – new...
Futureproofing the Food System
Watch this week: FoodNavigator-USA’s digital summit explores trends in food-tech, food as medicine and the circular economy
This week, join FoodNavigator-USA and stakeholders across the supply chain, including Eat Just, The Hartman Group, Oishii, NotCo, Instacart, NIQ, Consumer Brands Association, FMI – The Food Industry Association, Cargill and more for our three-day...
Danone, Keurig Dr Pepper tell FDA that sugar reduction requires a different playbook from sodium reduction
Research showing consumer preferences for sweetness intensity may not be as easy to reduce as their preferences for sodium suggests a “stealth health” approach of slowly lowering added sugar across the food supply may not be an effective strategy for...
Rockefeller Foundation, American Heart Association, Instacart and Recipe4Health explore strategies for equitable access to nutrition, food as medicine
The potential for food as medicine to prevent, manage and treat diet-related diseases is tremendous, but consumer awareness of and access to it are still limited – prompting public health advocates, government leaders and stakeholders across the food...
Don DiMasi joins Yali Bio, focuses on scaling up designer fat ingredients
As designer fat supplier Yali Bio's first senior vice president of engineering and biomanufacturing, Don DiMasi will focus on expanding the company's biomanufacturing capacity and developing new processes to economically scale up fermentation processes...
Innovating for women’s health: An unmet need with opportunities across categories and life stages
Women’s diverse nutritional needs have long been overlooked or pigeonholed to focus primarily on appearance, but a new class of products made by women, for women across life stages are on the rise as is research to support the development of sex-specific...
Burlap & Barrel’s direct sourcing model, single origin spices offer unexpected and regional twists on familiar flavors that appeal to new & established home cooks
While Burlap & Barrel’s farm to kitchen model for its single origin spices may appear simple compared to traditional spice supply chains that are peppered with middlemen zig-zagging across regions and cultures, the process of establishing a direct...
Launch of Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University signals turning point for health and nutrition collaborations
Last week’s launch of the Food is Medicine Institute at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University marks an inflection point for food-based health care interventions, which have steadily grown from small community-driven and...
Futureproofing the Food System: Discover how regulators, litigators & consumers evaluate sustainability claims
Food and beverage companies adopting more sustainable business practices, including more environmentally-friendly packaging and reducing emissions across their supply chain, are eager to share successes with consumers – but doing so can, and has, landed...
Natural Products Expo East
Equii expands line of high-protein bread to meet demand for better-for-you products that are better for the planet
When most people think about protein, they think about meat, dairy – maybe legumes – but food-tech newcomer Equii wants them to also think about bread, including its portfolio of soft, sliced white and multi-grain loaves that are packed with 8 to 10...
Futureproofing the Food System: What will it take to deliver on the promise of alternative proteins?
Between FDA and USDA greenlighting the sale of cultivated chicken in the US, the ground-breaking of a large-scale precision fermentation facilities and advances in molecular farming, 2023 has been a banner year for novel protein production. But the path...
VWS Pathfinder 2023 pitch competition announces top 10 finalists
The virtual pitch competition on Nov. 1, 2023 is an opportunity for women founders in the plant-based and animal-free industries to gain more visibility and funding.
Planet FWD launches AI-Powered Decarbonization platform to help reach Scope 3 goals
With the launch of a new AI-powered data engine, pioneering decarbonization emissions platform Planet FWD continues to accelerate CPG companies ability to evaluate and neutralize their environmental impact, including stubborn and hard-to-mange Scope 3...
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: What does it take to raise money in the current environment?
Startups with little more than an idea and a compelling founder’s story may no longer be able to secure wild valuations or enough funding to blow millions a month proving a concept, but companies that have product-market fit in competitive categories and...