Dairy-based ingredients

Atkins’ expands beyond dieters to fitness enthusiasts with launch of Lift bars, drinks

07-Jun-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Iconic low-carb diet brand manufacturer Atkins Nutritionals is expanding beyond its core weight loss and management consumer to reach the growing number of fitness enthusiasts and “protein-seekers” with the launch of Lift protein bars and drinks. 

FoodNavigator-USA's Soup to Nuts Podcast

Soup-to-Nuts Podcast: What is driving the booming sales growth of plant-based products?

03-Jun-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Sales of plant-based alternatives to animal products are booming, thanks in large part to improved sensory qualities, expanded availability and increased consumer access to information about their health and environmental impacts, according to category...

Stakeholders laud FDA’s potentially life-saving draft voluntary sodium reduction guidance

01-Jun-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

In an effort to prevent upwards of 500,000 premature deaths from heart attacks and strokes in the next 10 years, FDA has set ambitious sodium reduction targets for food manufacturers and restaurants across nearly 150 food categories to be met in the next...

Yogurt market can hit $1bn by 2021 in India: Report

25-May-2016 By Jim Cornall

International dairy companies can tap in to a growing demand for yogurt in India, according to a recently-published report by TechSci Research.

Dannon grows as it fulfills promise to improve its products’ nutrition, fund healthy eating research

25-May-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

As The Dannon Company nears the finish line for fulfilling its promise to improve the nutrition of its products that it made three years ago to the Partnership for a Healthier America, the company also is demonstrating that what is good for Americans’...

Which dairy companies make their mark in Kantar’s global top 50 brand rankings?

24-May-2016 By Jim Cornall

Kantar Worldpanel has published its 2016 rankings of the world’s most popular 50 brands, with Danone, Yili and Yakult among those making this year’s report.

US specialty and natural cheese market booming, hitting $17.4bn in 2015

19-May-2016 By Mary Ellen Shoup

A report by Packaged Facts estimates the total US retail sales of the natural and specialty cheese market at $17.4bn, growing at CAGR of 4.1% since 2011, largely driven by lower prices and the consumer snacking trend. 

US organic food & beverage sales rose 10.6% to $39.8bn in 2015, says OTA

19-May-2016 By Elaine Watson

US sales of organic food and drink surged 10.6% to $39.8bn in 2015, significantly ahead of the 3% growth in the overall food market, with some segments up more than 30% year-on-year, according to the Organic Trade Association (OTA).

Improve organic product assortment, integration in stores to reach beyond core natural shoppers

12-May-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Natural and organic are gaining momentum and driving sales across retail channels, but to capitalize fully on their potential stores and manufactures must work together to improve product assortment and integration throughout the store, according to an...

Dean Foods scoops up Friendly's ice cream retail and manufacturing business

10-May-2016 By Jim Cornall

Texas-based Dean Foods has announced that it has agreed to acquire the manufacturing and retail ice cream business of Friendly's Ice Cream.

GUEST ARTICLE: Fruit of the poisonous tree… How far down do GMO roots extend?

10-May-2016 By Kristen E. Polovoy, Esquire, of counsel, Montgomery McCracken

‘Fat-free,’ ‘non-dairy,’ ‘all-natural’, ‘sugar-free’, ‘gluten-free’ . . . are all in recent history’s hit parade of terms perceived by many consumers as a sign that that a product is somehow ‘better’ or ‘healthier.’  The most recent term to join this...

The Chaat Co.’s savory yogurts expand the dairy category to new eating occasions

28-Apr-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Tapping into America’s growing obsession with snacking, sugar reduction and desire for global flavors, New York startup The Chaat Co.’s new line of savory yogurts with spicy mix-ins aims to revolutionize the US yogurt category, which until now has focused...

Addition of peanut flour to some Kellogg’s snacks “outrages” consumers, prompts petition

28-Apr-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Kellogg’s efforts to appease consumers who asked it not to add peanut flour to several previously allergy-safe snacks has backfired on the manufacturer – further aggravating parents of children who are allergic to the ground nut and tarnishing the brand’s...

Dannon to transition to non-GMO feed for milk in flagship brands over three years

27-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

Dannon says it will begin to use non-GMO ingredients in some of its products within three 3 flagship brands - Dannon, Oikos and Danimals - beginning summer 2016 (when Vermont's new GMO labeling law comes into effect), but has also pledged to transition...

WHERE NEXT FOR ORGANICS?

From croplands to chicken coops, organic manufacturers get their hands dirty to anticipate looming shortage

27-Apr-2016 By Adi Menayang

Companies from Chipotle to Costco are creatively coming up with ways to keep their organic supplies steady, but mid-sized, natural category veterans are concerned about the big fish jumping into a small and shrinking pond.

GRAS process for evaluating ingredient safety threatens FDA’s mission, Sen. Markey argues

27-Apr-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

The “loose structure” and voluntary process for companies to self-determine if new ingredients are “generally recognized as safe” without required input from FDA undermines the agency’s ability to ensure the US food supply is safe and should be strengthened,...

Mom Made Foods: Everyone wants to feed their kids nutritous meals, but not everyone has time to cook them every night

27-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

If you visited Expo West, you probably noticed that a large number of the exhibitors were touting snacks or beverages. Frozen meals? Not so much. But while the world probably doesn’t need another nutrition bar or cold pressed juice brand, busy parents...

Nearly three-quarters of families make an effort to buy organic food, OTA survey reveals

25-Apr-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Buying organic is a top priority for many American parents, especially when it comes to the food they feed their children, according to new research form the Organic Trade Association. 

What would a reasonable consumer define as 'non-GMO'?

Non-GMO claims on foods containing dairy or meat are fertile ground for false ad lawsuits, warn attorneys

22-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

An order from a Florida judge in a lawsuit vs Chipotle should serve a warning to all food marketers that they could be sued if they make non-GMO claims about foods containing dairy or meat from animals fed GE feed, legal experts have warned.

1000 Holland & Barrett franchise stores to open in India

21-Apr-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Health and nutrition retailer Holland & Barrett has secured a £20m (€25.44m) deal with Indian hospital chain Apollo Hospitals, an agreement which will see 1000 franchise stores open across India over the next five years.

Digestive issues attributed to lactose intolerance may be caused by A1 beta-casein protein, suggests study funded by a2 Milk

20-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

New clinical research – funded by the a2 Milk Company – lends credence to its claims that many consumers who believe they can’t tolerate lactose (milk sugar) should really be blaming their digestive discomfort on the A1 beta casein protein in milk products...

Chobani unveils limited batch yogurts in advance of Rio Olympics

18-Apr-2016 By Elaine WATSON

Chobani – which sponsored US athletes in the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games - is releasing three limited batch flavors ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Almond milk sales continue to surge, as dairy milk contracts, Nielsen data shows

15-Apr-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

With plant-based diets all the rage in the US currently, milk alternatives – and particularly those from almonds – are seeing strong sales growth and increased innovation, while sales of dairy milk are contracting. 

More plant-based products are needed to fuel a “market-revolution” away from animals, expert says

15-Apr-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

America is on the “cusp of a market-revolution” to replace animal products with plant-based alternatives, but consumers need more choices that are convenient, affordable and tasty in order for long-term diet changes to take root, according to an expert...

11th hour reprieve from the courts or from Congress increasingly unlikely

Bounty hunters could come after you from day one if you are not compliant with Vermont GMO labeling law, warns attorney

15-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

Private litigants, or so-called ‘bounty hunters’, may start targeting food manufacturers over alleged violations of Vermont’s new GMO labeling law from day one (July 1), lawyers at Hogan Lovells have warned.

Many toddlers eat as much sodium, added sugar as recommended limit for adults, research shows

14-Apr-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Parents’ lack of knowledge about how much and what to feed children as they transition from baby food to more solid foods means most toddlers in America eat too much sugar and sodium and not enough whole grains and vegetables, new research reveals. 

Which high-protein ready to drink beverages taste the best?

14-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

New research from DuPont Nutrition & Health exploring what drives liking in ready to drink high-protein beverages – a $2.7bn category in the US – revealed that products combining dairy and soy protein performed the best on taste, while 25g of protein...

Physician develops pasteurized probiotic cheese, available in US market

12-Apr-2016 By Mary Ellen Shoup

New Hampshire physician Mark R. Windt, M.D., decided to combine his passion for cheese and medical expertise by developing a pasteurized, probiotic cheese that is also lactose- and sugar-free. 

Chr. Hansen’s new culture helps manufacturers offer premium cheese on a budget

12-Apr-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Today’s shoppers are demanding higher quality cheeses with new flavors and convenient formats, but often are unwilling to pay the higher prices necessary to cover the added cost of innovation – placing manufacturers between a rock and a hard place. 

Marketing children’s products without advertising to kids takes finesse & balancing parents’ desires

07-Apr-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Anyone who has shopped with children knows they heavily influence grocery purchases, but with advertising directly to kids frowned upon by many adults, children’s food and beverage manufacturers must embrace less direct strategies that balance what parents...

Walmart & Otis Spunkmeyer join cage-free egg movement in the US

06-Apr-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Retail giant Walmart and baked sweets manufacturer Otis Spunkmeyer join the swelling ranks of companies switching to cage-free eggs, but both are doing so cautiously with long timelines that likely take into account concerns about potential supply shortages...

Arla and DFA to create New York State cheese plant

23-Mar-2016 By Jim Cornall

Arla and Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) have agreed to enter into a joint venture that includes the construction of a small dairy plant in Linwood, New York, for cheddar cheese production.

Amazon for ingredients: New e-commerce platform rolls out with transparency and factory-direct pricing

23-Mar-2016 By Stephen Daniells

Ingredientsonline.com is promising to change the industry by allowing manufacturers in the US to purchase raw materials directly from overseas factories, providing considerable cost and time savings.

CFSAF: 'Gen Mills was forced to make decision because of Senate’s failure to act'

General Mills and Mars to roll out GMO labeling nationwide as Vermont deadline looms: 'We can’t label our products for only one state'

21-Mar-2016 By Elaine Watson

It was prompted by pragmatism, rather than an ideological shift, but General Mills and Mars have resolved to roll out GMO labeling nationwide as Congress has proved unable to hammer out a federal solution that all stakeholders can get behind before new...

Expo West 2016

YouBar platform makes mass customization a reality, says CEO: 'We have no minimum order quantities'

18-Mar-2016 By Elaine Watson

Whether it’s a mug with your beloved pet’s picture on it, or a bespoke set of placeholders for a party you’ve ordered online, consumers love to design their own products these days. But how can mass customization work in the food industry, where minimum...

Whey, pea protein suppliers team up for line of functional proteins aimed at sports nutrition

17-Mar-2016 By Hank Schultz

For sports nutrition blending proteins to achieve customized delivery profiles is the big trend, and two companies, one from the plant world and the other from the animal kingdom, have joined forces to bring new ingredients to market.

GUEST ARTICLE: What’s in your Parmesan, (wood) pulp fiction or fact?

16-Mar-2016 By Jacob Harper, attorney, TroyGould PC, Los Angeles

Eating Parmesan is not going to leave you swallowing splinters.  But you’d never know it after reading articles such as, ‘The Parmesan You Sprinkle on Your Penne Could be Wood,’ ‘FDA Warns the Parmesan You Eat May Be Wood Pulp,’ and ‘Yes, Parmesan Cheese...

Terra's Kitchen cuts through the meal kit competition by cutting waste

14-Mar-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

The top complaint of most consumers of the increasingly popular meal kits is the extensive individual containers needed for each prepared ingredient and the waste generated by packaging for doorstep delivery, but Terra's Kitchen has a solution. 

ELEMENT Snacks aims to “reinvent” rice cakes with help from $2 million in Series Seed funds

03-Mar-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

An injection of $2 million in Series Seed funds will help startup ELEMENT Snacks “reinvent rice cakes into fun snacks” by enabling it to expand distribution and roll out new packaging and branding, the company announced March 3. 

Americans’ demand for protein is evolving towards plant-based options, Packaged Facts finds

03-Mar-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

American’s demand for protein shows no sign of slowing in 2016, but it is evolving to focus more on plant-based options, according to a new report from Packaged Facts. 

Chobani teams up with McDonald's to offer Greek yogurt-fueled smoothies and parfaits in SoCal

01-Mar-2016 By Elaine Watson

Fruit ‘n yogurt parfaits and McCafé smoothies at 800 McDonald’s restaurants in Southern California now feature Chobani’s Greek yogurt in as it continues to expand its presence in the foodservice market.

California judge tosses Chipotle GMO labeling lawsuit

What does non-GMO mean? It depends on the consumer, says judge in Chipotle lawsuit

29-Feb-2016 By Elaine Watson

A California federal court has dismissed a high-profile lawsuit alleging Chipotle falsely advertised its food as non-GMO. And while it has given the plaintiff leave to amend her suit, it has made it clear she will have to come up with a stronger argument...

LaLoo’s Goat Milk Ice Cream wants consumers to “move their hooves” & be more social

29-Feb-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

LaLoo’s Goat Milk Ice Cream may be healthier for people and planet than more traditional cow milk varieties, but it is still an indulgence, which is why the brand’s new marketing campaign encourages consumers “to get out and move their hooves,” the company’s...

Dieting is out – find out what is “in” at our Weight Management forum March 16

25-Feb-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Normally about this time of year the airwaves and social media begin to buzz with messages about getting ready for bikini season or offers to help consumers shed the last few stubborn holiday pounds with special diet foods – but increasingly these types...

Our Paleo ancestors were more active than us, but did they really have an optimal diet?

25-Feb-2016 By Elaine Watson

Supporters of the 'Paleo' diet (a hunter/gatherer-style approach to eating) urge us to eschew grains, dairy and legumes - among other things. But any diet that eliminates major food groups should be treated with caution, argue two high-profile...

Top pizza trends place pepperoni on top, thin crust on the bottom and a beer on the side

24-Feb-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Vegetarian diets may be gaining traction in general in the US, but when it comes to pizza meat toppings still reign supreme, according to a Harris Poll released Feb. 23.

Milk volumes decline but profits up at Dean Foods

23-Feb-2016 By Jim Cornall

US company Dean Foods, which covers more than 50 local and regional dairy brands, has released its fourth quarter and annual results for 2015.

Parents’ anxiety, depression correlates with fussy eating in kids, study finds

23-Feb-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Putting on a happy face could help children have happy plates, suggests new research that links parents’ anxiety and depression with an increased risk of children becoming “fussy eaters.”

USDA expands insurance for farmers transitioning to organic production

19-Feb-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

The financially daunting three-year transition to certified organic production just became a little less risky for farmers thanks the USDA expanding crop insurance to better reflect the product’s actual value.

Consumers more likely to trust iconic brands, but are open to innovative startups, survey shows

19-Feb-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Consumers are more likely to trust iconic brands from large corporations with long track records of consistent performance, but younger, smaller companies can edge out Big Food with meaningful innovation and positive, direct consumer engagement online,...