Dairy-based ingredients

Happy Family Organics' new campaign reassures parents that ‘messy’ is normal & can be joyful

21-Oct-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

Recognizing people increasingly value authenticity and meaningful relationships over material possessions or a façade of perfection, Happy Family Organics unapologetically shows – and prizes – the messy, chaotic process of parenting in a new marketing...

WATCH: FoodBytes! Chicago winner Capro-X tackles acid whey

14-Oct-2019 By Elaine Watson

Capro-X - a spin-off from Cornell University - uses microbes to convert the organic compounds in acid whey into high-value flavor and fragrance ingredients such as caproic acid and caprylic acid, which are currently sourced from palm oil.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Mercato introduces free, unlimited, same-day grocery delivery from independent and specialty grocery stores

10-Oct-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Mercato is carving out a niche spot in the e-commerce grocery market by offering same-day, unlimited, and free delivery from local grocers for its members.

Got (collagen-laced) milk? California dairy startup competition promotes novel applications for dairy

10-Oct-2019 By Elaine Watson

Nine dairy startups promoting everything from whey protein-packed probiotic drinks to indulgent dessert-inspired dairy beverages will square up in San Francisco on November 7 in a competition designed to identify novel applications for fluid milk with...

VMG Partners acquires popchips to anchor new branded snacking platform

09-Oct-2019 By Elaine Watson

Private equity firm VMG Partners is betting big on the snacks category with the formation of a new division – Velocity Snack Brands (VSB) – set up to buy, incubate and grow snack brands, beginning with the acquisition of the popchips* brand from majority...

news in brief

Nestlé gears up for 2020 launch of the ‘PB triple play,’ a 'no-compromise plant-based bacon cheeseburger'

09-Oct-2019 By Elaine Watson

In 2020, diners ordering Nestlé's plant-based Awesome Burger (in the US) or Incredible Burger (in Europe) will be able to pair it with plant-based cheese and bacon via the 'PB triple play’: a "no-compromise plant-based bacon cheeseburger."

Peet's launches an elevated version of the RTD 'Frappuccino': 'We've been eyeing this segment for a while'

08-Oct-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

As a specialty, responsibly-sourced national coffee brand, Peet's is launching four blended, shelf-stable RTD coffee products intended for unabashed indulgence, said Peet's senior director of marketing & innovation, Gretchen Koch.

Imperfect Produce becomes Imperfect Foods as it expands offerings across categories & distribution

07-Oct-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

After almost five years of rescuing so-called ‘ugly’ produce from being wasted and instead selling it at a steep discount to consumers in a conveniently delivered subscription box, Imperfect Produce is ready to level up and sell a wider variety of food...

Breastfeeding is better for infants, but is it also better for the environment? Yes, researchers argue

03-Oct-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

Exclusively breastfeeding children for the first six months of their lives has long been recognized as a gold standard for improving infant health, but new research suggests it also could dramatically benefit the health of the planet as well – reinforcing...

Low FODMAP food for kids? Study demonstrates diet's effectiveness

01-Oct-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Low FODMAP, a diet low in carbohydrates that trigger digestive discomfort and stomach pain, could be a useful treatment for children and adolescents with gastrointestinal issues, say researchers from the University of Otago in Australia.

Soup-to-Nuts Podcast: 6 trends spotted at Expo East from cauliflower & hemp to ‘going digital’

27-Sep-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

Hemp and CBD continued to reign as one of the top food and beverage trends at Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore last week, just as they did at the event’s counterpart Expo West last March – but also just like at West they were far from the only...

NEWS IN BRIEF

Bulletproof names new CEO furthering its mission of becoming a household name

27-Sep-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Bulletproof 360 Inc., maker of Bulletproof Coffee, has appointed Larry Bodner as its new CEO, who will be focused on running the day-to-day business and growing the company's omnichannel retail presence.

Are all Non GMO claims the same? Judge allows lawsuit vs Nestlé USA to proceed

27-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

A lawsuit alleging that Nestlé USA is misleading shoppers with its ‘No GMO Ingredients’ seal has been allowed to proceed, although legal experts stress that this doesn’t mean that the plaintiffs will ultimately prevail.

Herbalife Nutrition: 'We’ve gotten to the point where we’ve demonized carbohydrates without adequate education'

26-Sep-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

You don’t need to be an elite athlete to benefit from the basic principles of sports nutrition, says Dr Dana Ryan, Herbalife Nutrition’s director of sports performance and education.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Arla Food Ingredients offers premium boost for protein bar manufacturers

24-Sep-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Standing out in the protein bar category is tough with many brands all vying for shelf space and consumer attention, which is why Arla Food Ingredients is offering a new premium protein solution using a blend of whey protein isolate and casein to help...

LocalCoho, Tia Lupita Foods, and Capro-X take top prizes at FoodBytes! Chicago 2019

20-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

LocalCoho, Tia Lupita Foods, and Capro-X scooped the top prizes at FoodBytes! Chicago, a live pitch competition and business mentorship platform for food and ag startups developed by Rabobank, the world’s largest food and agriculture bank.

Medical and nutritional organizations weigh in on what children should drink in first five years

18-Sep-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

Children under the age of 5 years should skip flavored-, toddler- and plant-based milks as well as caffeinated beverages, and instead stick to breast milk, infant formula, water and plain milk depending on their age, according to a joint recommendation...

Atlas Bar cuts through the clutter of the protein bar category, readies for launch into brick-and-mortar

16-Sep-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Building off its success as a direct-to-consumer business, emerging brand Atlas Bar will soon enter brick-and-mortar retailers nationwide, carving out a space in the competitive protein bar category with its low-carb, keto-friendly bars.

Expo East trendspotting: From all things keto and jackfruit to new uses for eggs, bison & more

13-Sep-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

More than 29,000 members of the natural and organic food and beverage industry descended on Baltimore last week to showcase and scout products at the forefront of the health and wellness trend at Natural Products Expo East. Among the products exhibited...

Moms Across America launches 'gold standard' certification for food and beverages to give parents 'peace of mind'

12-Sep-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Moms Across America, a national non-profit whose mission is to ensure a safe food supply with an emphasis on eliminating GMOs and glyphosate, has launched a three-tier 'gold standard' seal for products that have achieved specific levels of organic...

Brainiac Kids rolls out nationwide: 'We think this company is going to be huge...'

09-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

Brainiac Kids – a new brand focused on delivering 'brainfood' for children – has secured nationwide distribution for its whole milk yogurts and yogurt drinks, picking up business with a flurry of leading retailers including Whole Foods, Hy-Vee,...

Whole Foods survey insights: 'Millennials don’t settle for just any food in their shopping carts'

09-Sep-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Quality is driving millennial food shopping more than ever with nearly 70% of respondents to a national online survey by Whole Foods stating that they are willing to spend more on "high quality food items" that are responsibly sourced and have...

a2 Milk Company CEO on US market growth: 'It’s similar to what we saw in Australia'

09-Sep-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

The a2 Milk Company's performance in the US, while still in its early stages, resembles what the company has experienced in Australia where a2 Milk is the No. 1 premium milk brand holding an 11.2% share of the total packaged milk market, says CEO...

Do food standards of identity need refreshing? FDA to hold public meeting

02-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

The FDA will hold a public meeting on September 27 on modernizing food standards of identity, which some stakeholders believe are out of date and may impede innovation.

Chobani restructures for a more ‘nimble, team-centric’ approach with McGuinness as president

28-Aug-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

Once again Chobani is throwing out the old playbook that many food and beverage companies have followed for decades by ditching the traditional organizational divisions in favor of a more “nimble, team-centric” approach that it believes will foster innovation...

PureCircle launches branded line of stevia-sweetened ice cream, tapping into light ice cream trend

20-Aug-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Global stevia supplier PureCircle has launched a branded gourmet ice cream line sweetened with its next generation stevia sweeteners, which will initially be sold from food trucks throughout Chicago.

As plant-based alternative sales soar, brands & retailers must address challenges facing sector

20-Aug-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

Americans’ love affair with plant-based meat likely will continue to heat up in the coming year with the vast majority of consumers who have tried them reporting that they intend to continue to buy them, even though many prefer eating animal-based meat,...

Tillamook presents deceptive image of milk sourcing strategy, alleges lawsuit; Tillamook 'adamantly disagrees'

20-Aug-2019 By Elaine Watson

Tillamook presents a bucolic image of a dairy brand sourcing milk from cows grazing on local small farms, when in fact most of its milk comes from industrial scale factory farms, alleges a lawsuit accusing the firm of deceptive practices.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Health conscious frozen desserts breathe new life into a stagnant category

16-Aug-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

As the dog days of summer drag on, people nationwide are reaching for frozen desserts to help stay cool, but unlike in the past when the promise of providing a moment’s respite from the heat in the form of a sweet treat was enough to land a product in...

Increased ‘health claims’ on children’s food belies products’ poor nutritional quality, study reveals

15-Aug-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

The percentage of children’s products making front-of-pack nutritional and ‘better-for-you’ claims has increased significantly in the past decade, as has the use of ‘fun appeals,’ but the nutritional quality has not, according to a recent study that prompted...

Dairy milk + plant-based milk: A winning combination? Live Real Farms taps into 'blended' trend

15-Aug-2019 By Elaine Watson

The ‘blended trend’ is emerging in the meat aisle as leading brands launch burgers and nuggets combining animal- and plant-based protein. But will it work in the dairy aisle?

A developing ‘train-the-trainer’ program supported by OTA offers farmers help transitioning to organic

13-Aug-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

Farmers trying to transition to organic but in need of more personalized agronomic and technical support than available soon could have another resource with the expansion of a new train-the-trainer program supported by the Organic Trade Association.

The Bubbies mochi brand is on fire, says CEO: ‘This year our business will be 4x larger than when we acquired the company two years ago’

08-Aug-2019 By Elaine Watson

If growth in the frozen novelties category has not set the world on fire in recent years, one shiny bright spot in the market has been mochi: portable ice cream bites encased in chewy sweet rice dough that are lighting up retailers’ freezer cabinets,...

60-second interview: NSF International updates Non-GMO certification program

05-Aug-2019 By Elaine Watson

NSF International has just updated its Non-GMO certification scheme and logo. FoodNavigator-USA (FNU) caught up with Sarah Krol (SK), global managing director of food safety product certification to find out what this means... and whether firms are ready...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: What should the 2020 dietary guidelines for children under 2 years include?

02-Aug-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

The US Dietary Guidelines, which are updated every five years, were created more than 40 years ago as a way to help all Americans eat healthier based on current scientific data, but since its inception a large and vulnerable group has been left out –...

Better-for-you brands need to coax consumers to make healthier choices via incremental changes, says Honest Tea co-founder

01-Aug-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

Better-for-you brands and policy makers who want to redirect mainstream Americans to healthier food and beverage choices likely will be more successful if they meet the consumer first where they are and then guide them through change incrementally, according...

News in brief

McCormick & Co. predicts consumers drink icy mocktails and eat “creamy creations” to beat heat

25-Jul-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

As temperatures rise around the US, flavor and spice giant McCormick & Company is predicting that more people will reach for icy mocktails made with “bold, concentrated flavors,” creamy frozen drinks heralding from subtropical regions and “nourishing...

Chobani unveils new nut butter line as US yogurt category edges back into growth

15-Jul-2019 By Elaine Watson

Chobani has unveiled a new nut-butter-infused line of yogurts it claims will add incremental growth to the sluggish US yogurt category, which edged back into positive territory in the latest four weeks (to June 29) after a dismal few years.

Perfect Day gives fans first taste of animal-free dairy with limited edition ice cream release

11-Jul-2019 By Elaine Watson

Perfect Day, a start-up producing whey and casein via microbial fermentation (minus the cows) is giving fans a first taste of its animal-free proteins via a limited edition release of ice cream sold directly to consumers via its website.

Investing in the Future of Food: Successful leaders balance ‘speed, agility, courage & collaboration’

10-Jul-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

When you think of a successful leader, who do you envision? Someone experienced? Someone with a wide support network? Someone whose mettle has been tested and proven?

Siggi's ramps up product innovation with new and improved launches

09-Jul-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Icelandic skyr company Siggi's is introducing a slew of new products this month including a coffee skyr with 4% milkfat, lactose-free offerings, 4-count multi-pack options, and a relaunch of its Simple Sides with 2% milkfat.

‘No longer does the mass channel have to be the last piece of the puzzle,’ vendor rep says

08-Jul-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

As consumers increasingly demand natural, organic and innovative products across all retail channels, emerging brands are no longer restricted to the classic route to market that began with independent, natural retailers and slowly expanded to conventional...

Chobani collaborates with Fair Trade USA to explore new standard and certification for dairy

02-Jul-2019 By Elaine Watson

Chobani has teamed up with Fair Trade USA to explore developing the first Fairtrade standard and certification for the dairy industry as part of its ‘Milk Matters’ program addressing the environmental, economic, and social impacts of its #1 ingredient:...

‘Chaos’ looms if olive oil, cheese, hit with retaliatory tariffs over Airbus dispute, warn US importers

01-Jul-2019 By Elaine Watson

As a 15-year-long dispute between the US and the EU over subsidies paid to European aircraft suppliers comes to a head, importers warn retaliatory tariffs on a host of products from the EU could wreak havoc on the specialty foods market, potentially doubling...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Emerging flavors at IFT range from banana to breakfast cereal to vinegar & botanicals

28-Jun-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

At IFT earlier this month, banana fosters flavor was everywhere – on popcorn, in cookies, even in coffee – but according to the ingredient company Virginia Dare its star power status at the show wasn’t just because it is a traditional dish of the conference’s...

Fairlife fallout… attorneys weigh in as the lawsuits pile up

26-Jun-2019 By Elaine Watson

Four class action lawsuits have already been filed against high-protein milk brand fairlife, its founders, and JV partner Coca-Cola over alleged animal abuse at its flagship dairy farm in Indiana, but this could be just the beginning of the company’s...

‘Real’ cheese… without cows? New Culture makes mozzarella with milk proteins via microbial fermentation

24-Jun-2019 By Elaine Watson

Startup New Culture is seeking to raise $2.8m to develop ‘real’ cheese with casein proteins made from microbial fermentation (instead of cow’s milk) that its founder claims can deliver taste, functionality and nutrition that plant-based cheeses simply...

Most consumers want and will pay more for ‘sustainable’ options, but struggle to easily find them

24-Jun-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

Consumers increasingly want products that are better for them, but also better for the planet – unfortunately, it is not always easy to tell which products are healthy or sustainable, which is why it is important to use claims that resonate with shoppers...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: How ingredient suppliers and distributors are stepping up to fill an innovation void

21-Jun-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

When large food companies began cutting back on in-house R&D in favor of investing in startups’ with promising ideas, some either didn’t factor in or miscalculated the resources and time needed to scale-up their acquisitions before seeing returns...

Fairlife, Coca-Cola, hit with second wave of lawsuits over animal abuse allegations

20-Jun-2019 By Elaine Watson

High-protein milk brand Fairlife has been hit with a second wave of proposed class action lawsuits – one of which names JV partner Coca-Cola as a defendant - following the release of videos showing animal abuse at Fair Oaks Farms in northwest Indiana,...