Cereals and bakery preparations

Post Holdings: ‘We’re beginning to see a future that looks fairly close to the pre-pandemic past’

08-May-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Cereal giant Post Holding’s better-than-expected second quarter in which net sales and margins increased significantly reflects higher prices, a near-return to pre-pandemic market performance and an aggressive M&A strategy that expands the company’s...

Kellogg embraces new era of innovation, marketing to lift sales: ‘It’s not 1987 anymore’

05-May-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Kellogg’s “stronger than anticipated” first quarter in which the company saw double-digit organic net sales and adjusted operating profit growth not only places the company in the “enviable position” of raising its full year guidance, but suggests it...

Better-for-you Hero Bread lands $15m in series B round by ‘going from pitching a dream to pitching a business’

03-May-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

A “massive” repeat purchase rate of 74% direct-to-consumer and 54% at retail combined with healthy margins and strong “no f***ing way” factor helped food-tech startup Hero Bread secure $15m in series B funding despite the challenging economic environment.

Discount retailers benefit from consumer shift as grocery prices rise

02-May-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Discount stores need to keep a close eye on pricing strategies to remain competitive and balance affordability with product displays and differentiation, advises one industry insider.

Mondelez raises guidance after ‘best quarter ever,’ successful price hikes

28-Apr-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Biscuit and chocolate giant Mondelez International nearly doubled its outlook for fiscal 2023 after delivering its “best quarter ever” with organic revenue growth up 19.4% to $1.5bn over the same period last year and “significantly ahead of [an] already...

Kellogg on track to achieve equal gender parity at the management level by the end of 2025

24-Apr-2023 By Deniz Ataman

As of the end of 2022, the company reported an increase in female and racially underrepresented talent across all employee categories.

SweetLeaf and American Diabetes Association sweeten up another partnership through events and resources to promote diabetes awareness

20-Apr-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Similar to previous partnerships between SweetLeaf and the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the collaboration intends to bring more visibility towards diabetes risk and management and provide actionable ways for people with diabetes to improve their...

KIND Snacks uses digital activations to boost consumer loyalty as it ramps up sustainability

19-Apr-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Through a suite of virtual and augmented reality activations launched this week, KIND Snacks is breaking down for mainstream Americans the complicated concept of regenerative agriculture and the real-world environmental impact of its latest sustainability...

Modern data platform, Crstl, facilitates B2B e-commerce between CPG brands and retailers

17-Apr-2023 By Deniz Ataman

The no-code electronic data integration software offers automatic compliance testing, certification services and onboarding amenities to connect food and beverage brands with a network of trading partners.

Blast from the past: Nostalgia drives food and beverage brands back to the present (and future)

14-Apr-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Bringing back a nostalgic food and beverage brand "is about relaunching smartly," explained Purvi Shah, assistant professor of marketing, Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Wheat Foods Councils ramps up its ‘all things wheat’ message

14-Apr-2023 By Gill Hyslop

Did you know there are six official classes of wheat? That each tiny wheat berry seed (the kernel) contains three distinct parts that are separated during the milling process to produce flour? That wheat made into fortified flour is subjected up to 21...

Hello Alice’s Business Health Score helps small CPG companies access capital

13-Apr-2023 By Deniz Ataman

The fintech platform, along with the Global Entrepreneurship Network, intends to help small to medium-sized businesses access capital with the launch of the Equitable Access Program and its first product, the Business Health Score.

News In Brief

Grocery prices drop for the first time in 2.5 years, but shoppers remain hesitant

13-Apr-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Grocery prices may finally be falling after stubbornly going up for more than two and a half years even as annual inflation across other categories and overall have dropped in recent months, according to the most recent data from the Labor Department....

Investing in sales and marketing may help CPG CEOs navigate economic downturn, survey reveals

11-Apr-2023 By Deniz Ataman

C-suite leadership should focus on sales and marketing in a value-driven market, rather than remain overly-focused on operations, according to Chief Outsiders' recent survey.

Frito-Lay, Quaker open greenhouse to speed up sustainable packaging innovation

10-Apr-2023 By Ryan Daily

PepsiCo is speeding up innovation in sustainable packaging with a new greenhouse learning center for Frito-Lay and Quaker Oats located in Plano, Texas, as the company looks to progress initiatives outlined in its pep+ program.

Conagra Brands' focus on margin expansion, innovation and brand building pays off

06-Apr-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Conagra Brands solid growth and margin recovery in its third quarter reflects its strategic success of “moving past discrete supply chain disruptions and prioritizing productivity and value over volume,” CEO Sean Connelly said during the company's...

Natural Products Expo West

Upcycling food ‘is really one of the biggest opportunities facing the food industry’

04-Apr-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Upcycling food, or turning would-be wasted byproducts from one product into something delicious and nutritious for people, has emerged as one of the hottest trends in food and beverage in recent years with the market projected to grow at a compound annual...

Natural Products Expo West

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Innovations meet rapidly rising demand for prebiotics, probiotics and gut health+

03-Apr-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

At Natural Products Expo West this year, walking down an aisle without seeing a callout for prebiotics or probiotics was nearly impossible as more players race to meet consumer demand for each, which research from Coefficient Capital shows is climbing...

What is behind rising food prices and when will they come back down?

31-Mar-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Rapidly rising food prices are expected to slow in 2023 after supply chain challenges, geo-political strife, climate change and agricultural policy changes contributed to record inflation in 2022 and prompted government action, according to federal agencies....

Hershey: ‘The salty business … is now $1.2b in sales, and it is in a moment of scale’

31-Mar-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Hershey plans to aggressively scale its salty snack business with ambitious goals to take SkinnyPop popcorn and Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels from second and third place respectively to first in their categories “in the next couple of years” by building brand...

Low dose resistant potato starch shows prebiotic effects in new study

30-Mar-2023 By Olivia Haslam

A new clinical trial has concluded that Solnul, a resistant potato starch (RPS), has prebiotic effects at low dosages, stimulating increases in beneficial health-associated bacteria and reducing diarrhoea and constipation when compared to a placebo group.

Natural Products Expo West

Simple Mills is creating market demand for biodiverse crops, pushing for equity

28-Mar-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Better for you snack brand Simple Mills is taking is mission and products beyond its initial “free from” roots to embrace a “for more” approach that not only skips artificial ingredients that consumers are avoiding but gives them more of what they want...

Hershey reimagines manufacturing to navigate lingering supply chain challenges

28-Mar-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Hershey is making more of the sweets and snacks consumers want with less and overcoming extreme supply chain challenges by replacing and repurposing underutilized manufacturing capacity, ditching conventional lines in favor of more efficient modular operations...

General Mills boosts marketing, innovation to engage consumers in tough economy

24-Mar-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

General Mills is bracing for double digit inflation in the back half of the year, but rather than automatically raise prices again – although that remains an option – the CPG giant plans to work with suppliers to find mutually beneficial solutions.

Mondelez sees payoff from focus on chocolate, biscuits and baked snacks categories

14-Mar-2023 By Lauren Nardella

Consumer demand for snacks continues to increase, and Mondelez International sees itself as well-positioned to not only meet those needs but increase its market share in the process.

Natural Products Expo West

Inflation slows, doesn’t stop natural & organic sales growth

13-Mar-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Rising inflation is taking a toll on natural and organic sales in the US, the growth of which slowed dramatically in 2022 and will likely continue to drop in the coming year before rebounding slightly in 2024, according to data presented at Natural Products...

Expo West Trendspotting: From beverages bursting with boba to munchable mochi and plant-based beyond meat and dairy

13-Mar-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Emerging and maturing trends revealed at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim last week ranged from dips delivering delightful dinners, mochi moving into multiple day parts, plant-based expanding beyond analogues, and beverages brimming with better-for-you...

Patagonia acquires like-minded climate smart cracker start-up

09-Mar-2023 By Gill Hyslop

The Californian apparel company’s new F&B division, Patagonia Provisions, has snapped up Moonshot Snacks, a San Francisco-based startup known for its climate-friendly practices.

FDA preps for enforcement against baby, toddler food contaminated with lead

08-Mar-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

FDA could seek disciplinary action against baby and toddler food manufacturers for lead and other contaminates even before it finalizes recently proposed draft guidance to limit lead concentrations in packaged food for young children, agency officials...

Soup-To-Nut Podcast: Regenerative organic certification helps Lundberg Family Farms tap into rising demand for sustainability, clarify difference from organic

06-Mar-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Organic rice grower Lundberg Family Farms is on a mission to certify all of its organic rice as regenerative organic by 2027 to better meet growing consumer demand for sustainable food and to “leave the land better.”

Hostess Brands: Indulgent, better-for-you snacks are additive, not competitive as consumers adopt ‘this and that’ stance

03-Mar-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Sales of indulgent snacks are growing 20% faster than healthy options as consumers take a “balance sheet approach” when deciding what to eat, despite the current zeitgeist’s focus on better-for-you products that deliver more functional benefits with fewer...

Puratos ups the ante on its carbon-neutral promise with sustainable packaging

02-Mar-2023 By Gill Hyslop

The global provider of bakery, patisserie and chocolate ingredients is dedicated to moving to a healthier planet and is making major strides towards improving the sustainability of its packaging.

Exclusive: Frozen Chinese food brand XCJ rebrands as MiLa as it expands its portfolio, distribution

23-Feb-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Xiao Chi Jie (XCJ), the modern Chinese food brand that helped put authentic soup dumplings on the US map by cultivating a cult-like direct-to-consumer following during the pandemic is ready to expand into brick and mortar stores this April with a new...

Wheat germ concentrate gives bakery and snacks the power to fight ageing

21-Feb-2023 By Gill Hyslop

SpermidineEvo from GoodMills Innovation promotes cell health and wellbeing into later life and can be added to granola and protein bars, breakfast cereals and bread.

Post launches the first-ever cereal designed to promote sleep

21-Feb-2023 By Gill Hyslop

Sweet Dreams contains specially curated ingredients to help consumers get a healthy night’s sleep.

Europe’s first gene-edited wheat trial produces up to 45% less acrylamide

14-Feb-2023 By Oliver Morrison

The results of Europe’s first ever field trial of a gene edited (GE) variety of wheat have shown a significant reduction of the potential carcinogen acrylamide when the flour is baked.

Sweet but healthy? Cargill finds unmet demand for healthier sweet baked goods

13-Feb-2023 By Ryan Daily

While consumers often look to the sweet bakery category for sugary fixes and chocolatey crunches, CPG companies might have an opportunity to innovate a new — healthier — path forward for the space, according to a recent survey and analysis from food ingredient...

FDA will not object to limited health claims regarding cocoa flavanols and cardiovascular disease

06-Feb-2023 By Lauren Nardella

FDA will allow a very narrow set of claims linking cocoa flavanols in high flavanol cocoa powder and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease following a petition from Switzerland-based chocolate and cocoa product manufacturer Barry Callebaut AG.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Step One Foods directs consumers, healthcare professionals down food as medicine path

06-Feb-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Most Americans think about food in terms of servings, but Johns Hopkins-trained cardiologist Elizabeth Klodas talks about the snack bars, pancake mix, granola-like sprinkles and packets of oatmeal she offers under her brand Step One Foods’ in terms of...

Stricter school meal standards could require reformulation to lower sodium, fat and sugar

03-Feb-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Research shows school meals are the healthiest source of nutrition for most students in the US, but the US Department of Agriculture thinks they can be healthier, which is why it is proposing stricter standards that would reduce added sugars, fat and...

‘Chocolate and salty snacks rank a two of the top three resilient treats that consumers are not willing to forgo’

Hershey doubles down on advertising to offset impact from price hikes, reinforce consumer connection

03-Feb-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Sweets and snacks giant Hershey will double down on advertising and production capacity for its fastest growing brands, including Reese’s and Skinny Pop, in the coming year to help offset price elasticity and meet consumer demand, which executives say...

US Snack Index reveals consumers' fear of running out of snacks during the Super Bowl

03-Feb-2023 By Gill Hyslop

Shockingly – in the run up to the country’s biggest watched sporting event – Frito-Lay’s latest Snack Index found that almost half the country’s Super Bowl fans would rather see their team lose than have to sit through the game without snacks.

Magic Spoon scoops up Albertsons, Kroger, Walmart shelf space

02-Feb-2023 By Ryan Daily

Kety-friendly cereal brand Magic Spoon continues to expand beyond its direct-to-consumer roots with the addition of shelf space at Albertsons, Kroger and Walmart, bringing its total retail stores to more than 6,800.

Mondelez holds off on promotions, price roll-backs despite retailer pressure as inflation remains high

01-Feb-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Mondelez executives see no reason to lower prices or increase promotions for their iconic sweets and snacks despite reported retailer requests that brands across the board do so as some consumers begin pulling back on spending in the face of ongoing inflation.

Schwan’s embraces omnichannel ‘in a retail everywhere world,’ launches DTC frozen pizza offering

27-Jan-2023 By Ryan Daily

Following a successful direct-to-consumer (DTC) pilot program, Schwan’s Company is officially launching two DTC pizza offerings, which will allow consumers to order gluten-free Fresechetta or artisanal Hearth & Fire pizzas from the comfort of their...

FDA proposes lead limits in baby food – but do they go far enough and are they achievable?

25-Jan-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

FDA’s long-awaited guidance for limiting lead concentrations in packaged food for babies and toddlers published yesterday estimates a reduced exposure risk upwards of 27%, but according to some stakeholders this isn’t high enough.

What the cost-of-living crisis is doing to the sweet bakery category

24-Jan-2023 By Gill Hyslop

The latest report from Baker & Baker indicates it can no longer be business as usual for bakeries, food service operators and retailers.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Emerging demand for positive nutrition must balance functional benefits, taste, sustainability and convenience

23-Jan-2023 By Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Emerging demand for positive nutrition must balance functional benefits, taste, sustainability and convenience

Born out of the pandemic when product availability was unpredictable or limited and when a premium was placed on immunity-boosting, consumers in 2023 increasingly are seeking positive nutrition – both for themselves but also for the planet and workers...

Could reframing ‘shrinkflation’ as portion-control boost sales?

16-Jan-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Many packaged food and beverage manufacturers that have trimmed serving sizes without lowering cost in recent years to mitigate inflation have tried to do so in stealth mode for fear of losing value-seeking shoppers, but new research suggests if they...

Unilever drives market share up 10pp by pruning innovation pipeline, product portfolio to do more with less

13-Jan-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Unilever is steadily gaining market share, boosting sales in fast-growing categories, lowering the cost of experimentation and improving its consumer engagement by doing more with less, CEO Alan Jope touted during the company’s investor day last month....