Lisa Rowland Brasher will become the fifth generation of the Goeltiz Rowland family to lead Jelly Belly as president Bob Simpson announces his retirement.
The meat snacks market has become considerably more dynamic lately, with new entrants piling in and existing players revamping their offer, but there’s still room for new players that can bring a fresh twist to the category, says the boss of a brand that...
Insights from the 13th Global Food Technology & Innovation Summit
Food and beverage manufacturers must focus research and development activities on creating more nutritious and sustainable food solutions, says Nestlé’s head of global R&D.
North Carolina-based brand Dick Stevens is looking for a slice of the action in the burgeoning high-protein-snacks market with a novel ‘jerky mix’ product combining meat, nuts and fruits in a paleo-friendly grab & go product that creates a new sub-sector...
While the healthy beverages aisle is littered with the corpses of exciting - but ultimately unsuccessful - products, Genius Juice co-founder & CEO Alex Bayer is confident his HPP-treated organic coconut smoothies bring something fresh and different...
Banana flour is gluten-free, grain-free and rich in potassium and resistant starch
Banana flour –dried unripe banana milled into powder – is still a novel concept for American consumers, but the Utah-based entrepreneur behind WEDO (which claims to be the only banana flour company in the US) reckons 2015 could be the year it hits the...
Beyond Meat - the California-based firm that claims to have unlocked the secret to making ‘near-perfect’ replicas of meat from plants – says that in future, meat-free products won’t be confined to a ‘vegetarian’ section, but just part of the broader ‘protein’...
If sales of cold cereal are not setting the world on fire, the hot cereal market is faring much better, say the founders of super-premium oatmeal cup brand Umpqua Oats, who notched up revenues of $10m+ in 2014 and hope to grow by 25% this year on the...
Meat-free brand Lightlife Foods is getting an image overhaul this spring with new packaging, a new logo, new products and a commitment to engaging with a growing number of consumers that are reducing their meat consumption, says CEO Roy Lubetkin.
From Filipino flavors to ancient grains, Campbell’s Culinary & Baking Institute (CCBI), a global network of chefs, bakers and culinary professionals, has released its second annual Culinary TrendScape report tracking the top 10 influential food themes...
While anti-GMO activists warn that the technology behind non-browning ‘Arctic apples’ is untested, unnecessary, and "dangerously imprecise", the grower behind them says he’s confident that the food industry and the American public will come...
Meet the CEOs of KRAVE, Health Warrior, Fruigees, HUMAN and Barnana
With the percentage of energy derived from snacks in the American diet doubling since the late 1970s, the pressure is on to make those snacking calories count. But what is a healthy snack, and are the boundaries between snacks and meals blurring as consumers...
Being part of a multinational company will enable Enjoy Life Foods to significantly boost its distribution and accelerate the innovation process, chief marketing officer Joel Warady told FoodNavigator-USA after the allergen-friendly firm announced that...
Kara Goldin: Consumers have evolved faster than the beverage category has
While gaining significant distribution in the beverages market can be tough if you don’t have the might of a Coke or Pepsi behind you, Hint Inc CEO Kara Goldin is “not losing sleep at night wondering when they will call me”, she tells FoodNavigator-USA....
From the steady decline of carbonates to the dramatic rise of energy, the prospects for Keurig Cold and how 7-Eleven evaluates new products, our beverage trend-watching panel debate covered a lot of ground. Here are some of the highlights from the 40-minute...
Hear from the CEOs of Mamma Chia, HonestTea, KeVita, KonaRed, Vertical Water, and Reed's
From the impact of the Safeway Albertsons deal to dubious alcohol levels in kombucha, the CEOs in our beverage entrepreneurs debate on Feb 4 did not hold back. Here are some of the highlights from our 60-minute session, which is now available on demand as...
Food blogger Vani Hari (a,k.a. the ‘Food Babe’) claimed victory on Wednesday after Kellogg said it was “actively testing natural alternatives” to the antioxidant BHT in cereal packaging liners and General Mills said it was “already well down the path...
From the GMO labeling debate and food litigation trends to new strategies to revitalize the Greek yogurt category, FoodNavigator-USA’s 2015/16 editorial calendar of special editions (once a month), online forums/events (once every two months) and face-to-face...
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed media rumours that Dr Margaret Hamburg is stepping down from her role as Commissioner at the end of March, with Stephen Ostroff, MD, the FDA's chief scientist, serving as acting Commissioner.
While it might not have been a classic Eureka! moment, watching his fellow medical students squeezing baby food into their mouths during lectures was certainly a defining moment in the genesis of LA-based fruit snacks sensation Fruigees and the life of CEO...
Tea - both the loose leaf and ready-to-drink variety - is bang on trend right now, but would you mix it with tequila or vodka? Why not, says the founder and CEO of Owl’s Brew, which unveiled its tea-based cocktail mixers in 132 BevMo stores in October...
Jon Sebastiani: 'It was always going to be a bittersweet moment'
The day when any entrepreneur decides to sell his business is “always bittersweet” KRAVE jerky founder Jon Sebastiani tells FoodNavigator-USA. But joining a company with the horsepower of Hershey will enable it to lead, rather than follow, the renaissance...
You can make money out of online grocery shopping if you have a scalable business model, a targeted range of high quality fresh foods, and the tools to help you build meaningful relationships with consumers, says Door to Door Organics, which has proved...
Hershey has moved into the premium end of the meat snacking market with the acquisition of Sonoma, CA-based gourmet jerky maker KRAVE Pure Foods for an undisclosed sum.
Will Pepsi True & Coca-Cola Life revitalize the cola market, or are today’s more demanding and sophisticated consumers looking for more than refreshment and ‘no-artificial’ claims from their beverage calories these days?
Latest trends on beverages, gluten-free, clean-label, snacks
From the perils of putting ‘all-natural’ on your label to what beverage execs really think about plummeting sales of diet soda, FoodNavigator-USA’s online discussion forums and face to face events tackle some of the hottest topics in food and beverage,...
Business plays a crucial role in meeting sustainable development goals – but it should not lead the social agenda, according to Nestlé CEO Paul Bulcke, speaking at the World Economic Forum’s meeting in Davos.
There is room for new players in the burgeoning super-premium juice category, but the barriers to entry are pretty high, says San Diego-based Suja Juice, which exploded onto the scene in 2012, generated revenues of $18m in 2013, $45m in 2014 and is forecasting...
With buyers from Whole Foods, Kroger, KeHE, Compass Group, Dean & DeLuca and hundreds of other retailers and foodservice chains walking the floor looking for innovative new products, the Winter Fancy Food Show has helped to launch scores of high-profile...
What are the hottest trends in snacks? Sprouted grains? Baked popcorn? Gourmet jerky? Join Elaine Watson from FoodNavigator-USA on a snacking odyssey at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco to find out more about...
What’s the first thing you notice about Dust Cutter lemonade? Chances are, it’s the packaging. Unlike its rivals in the premium lemonade arena (Hubert’s, Cabana Natural, Calypso), Dust Cutter comes in an aluminum bottle, which has been pivotal to its...
Peeled Snacks: If you don’t take time to understand retail buyers, why should they take time to understand you?
Which retail channel is right for your brand? Natural? Club? Convenience? And once you’ve jumped through all the buyers’ hoops, will you still be able to make any money? It all depends on whether you’ve done your homework, one snacking sales expert told...
There was bad news for employees of two multinational food & beverage giants today as Coca-Cola confirmed plans to cut up to 1,800 jobs worldwide, and General Mills said it would close plants in Ontario, Canada and New Albany, Indiana, with the loss...
“Some people say maple water has been overhyped,” says DRINKmaple co-founder Kate Weiler. “And it’s not that I’m sitting here drinking my own Kool Aid, but based on the overwhelming reception we’ve had, I just feel the outlook is really bright, and that...
This merges soup and beverages; we’re creating a new category...
While some retailers didn’t know quite what to make of his ‘chilled soup in a bottle’ when he first started pitching the concept last year, around 75% “just got it immediately”, says Tio Gazpacho founder Austin Allan. “And then they would say: How come...
'Consumers are willing to pay more for better quality as long as that quality is tangible'
Not so long ago, “people would have said that any drink that’s above three bucks is crazy,” says the co-founder of organic and ‘raw’ coconut water pioneer Harmless Harvest, Justin Guilbert. “Well we came to the market with a 16oz bottle that retailed...
Chobani has confirmed that it has been looking for a new CEO for some time, but says the process was set in motion by its current CEO, founder and chairman Hamdi Ulukaya, so “to imply that he is being pushed out by the board is completely ridiculous”.
Diet soda is in a funk, while 'real sugar' is back in vogue. Energy is hot, but caffeine is still controversial. Maple water is bang-on-trend, but will it really become the next coconut water?
Unilever has withdrawn its false advertising lawsuit against plant-based foods pioneer Hampton Creek Foods and issued a statement applauding its commitment to innovation and noting that it shares the company's "vision of a more sustainable world".
Kraft Foods Group chairman John Cahill will also take on the role of CEO at the end of this year following the retirement of current CEO Tony Vernon on December 27.
Food-X - a new food business accelerator program backed by venture capital firm SOSventures that runs twice a year - is seeking the ‘best and brightest disruptors in the food space’ to join its second accelerator program starting in New York in early...
A high-profile lawsuit* filed by Unilever accusing Hampton Creek Foods of falsely advertising its flagship product ‘Just Mayo’ has not, it seems, dented Silicon Valley’s enthusiasm for the plant-based foods pioneer, which has just raised another $90m...
Genetically engineered crops are not a magic bullet and some weeds have become resistant to the herbicide glyphosate (RoundUp) used with selected GM crops, said Monsanto’s chief technology officer Dr Robert Fraley in a debate on Wednesday. But that doesn’t...
Does selling up mean selling out? Not if you go in with your eyes open, says the boss of Talenti, who has just jumped into bed with Unilever, but says the premium gelato brand will retain its autonomy, its integrity, and its management team, post the...
Shopping for coffee and chocolate is becoming almost as interesting - and at times as intimidating - as buying wine. So why not inject some of that excitement into the tea category, says Toronto-based start-up Tea of the People, which has just launched...
