Dairy-based ingredients

Good Culture lands $64m Series C funding: 'Many nutrient dense, cultured food categories are on the table for innovation'

23-Feb-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Good Culture, best-known for disrupting the cottage cheese category with its clean label formulation, has just secured $64m in Series C funding to drive continued expansion of its healing cultured foods platform.

General Mills adopts 'always on' acquisition approach as ‘ongoing part of our accelerate strategy’

23-Feb-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

General Mills continues to hunt aggressively for acquisitions to build out its five core platforms, including cereal, ice cream, snack bars, Mexican food and pet food, and to consider strategic divestitures as part of a broader strategy to reshape its...

Ignoring price-sensitive shoppers could cost grocers even though they are only 1/3 of consumers

22-Feb-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Price sensitive consumers may be on the decline and make up only a third of all grocery shoppers, but they appear to have an outsized impact on select categories as rising inflation prompts them to rein in spending, according to new research by Symphony...

Soup-To-Nuts podcast: Mondelēz reveals pandemic’s long-term impact on snacking trends

21-Feb-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Nearly nine in ten consumers snack daily, but according to new research from Mondelēz International, what they reach for and when has evolved significantly during the pandemic – requiring brands to rethink their product offerings, marketing strategies...

Kodiak Cakes taps into pro-athlete circle with new investment

17-Feb-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Kodiak Cakes, best known for its protein-packed pancakes and waffles products, has received an investment from Patricof Co (P/Co), a specialized private investment platform for professional athletes, to fuel the brand's continued expansion and leadership...

Animal-free dairy heats up as Change Foods collaborates with Sigma and Violife owner Upfield, raises $12m

15-Feb-2022 By Elaine Watson

Silicon Valley-based Change Foods – one of a new breed of startups making 'animal-free' dairy ingredients using microbes instead of cows – has closed an oversubscribed $12m seed extension round, and signed collaboration agreements with two leading...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Race to create next gen infant formula heats up with Helaina fundraise

14-Feb-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Originally designed to help babies grow, but not much else, traditional infant formula often falls far short of delivering the same benefits as breast milk, which also boosts immunity, contributes to cognitive development, is more easily digested, and...

Coca-Cola-owned fairlife hits $1bn in retail sales driving new growth to fluid milk category

11-Feb-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Value-added milk brand fairlife LLC, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola, has surpassed $1bn in retail sales, breathing new life into the sluggish fluid milk category.

The big business of breakfast: IRI spotlights pockets of growth in the category

03-Feb-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

With 95% of consumers reporting to eat during the morning an average of six times a week, the breakfast occasion is a big business with several consumer trends shaping the future of the category, reports IRI.

Lactose-free a bright spot in declining fluid milk market, oatmilk driving growth in sluggish plant-based segment

03-Feb-2022 By Elaine Watson

Once a niche part of the market, lactose-free/reduced milk now accounts for 5.8% of volumes and 10.4% of dollar sales at US retail, with volumes up 10.1% vs 2020, while total dairy milk volumes in tracked retail outlets (MULO +C) continued to decline,...

Chobani expands into ultra-filtered milks, reinforces coffee play with new half & half as part of its ongoing “upgrade” of refrigerated aisle

03-Feb-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Chobani continues to expand beyond its yogurt stronghold with today’s dual launch of ultra-filtered milks, which takes it into an increasingly competitive and sub-segmented category, and half & half, which reinforces its burgeoning position in the...

Plant-based Babybel debuts as part of dairy-free line-up to help Bel Brands reach more consumers

01-Feb-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

For cheesemaker Bel Brands USA, the fast-growing plant-based movement is not a threat to the “natural dairy goodness … at the heart of our cheeses,” but an opportunity to better live its motto – “for all for good” – by dramatically expanding its non-dairy...

Whisps taps Applegate president as new CEO to unleash next wave of growth

31-Jan-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Fast-growing cheese snacks brand Whisps appoints John Ghingo, former president at Applegate, as its new CEO to lead the brand's next chapter of growth and tap into consumers' growing appetite for cheese snacks.

Icon Foods’ sweetness modulators ‘bury’ off-notes of sugar alternatives for more appealing flavor profiles

27-Jan-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Two new sweetness modulators from Icon Foods promise to smooth out the flavor profiles of popular sugar substitutes that, despite significant advancements, continue to fall short of recreating the flavor of processed sugar – either because they come on...

Cleaning up infant formula: Bobbie sets new standard for the category

25-Jan-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Bobbie, a direct-to-consumer organic infant formula brand that has taken off like a rocket ship in its first year on the market, is raising the bar for the category after receiving the Clean Label Purity Award as well as certification as a Pesticide-Free...

Soup-To-Nut Podcast: Building a new category requires a new playbook, NightFood founder says

24-Jan-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

When it comes to building a new category, the founder of the better-for-you, late-night snacking company NightFood found after years of struggling to explain his value proposition to consumers that a new playbook was in order – one that focuses more on...

The Spare Food Co. transforms yogurt byproduct into sparkling tonic

19-Jan-2022 By Asia Sherman

The Spare Food Co. is rescuing watery whey from the yogurt production process and infusing it into effervescent elixirs in the hopes of fixing a broken food system and reversing climate change.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Brick Meets Click: US online grocery sales hit nearly $100bn in 2021 becoming a 'pickup-dominant market'

18-Jan-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Total US online grocery sales for 2021 reached $97.7bn as more than 70% of US households (93 million households) shopped online at least once during the year, heavily preferring pickup services to delivery and ship-to-home, reported Brick Meets Click.

Veganuary gains traction in US – shining a spotlight on areas ripe for plant-based innovation

18-Jan-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Nearly a third of Americans plan to drop or reduce animal-based products in their diet this month in favor of vegan options as part of Veganuary – a well-established global movement that may still be relatively new in the US, but which still is shining...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Innovations in upcycling open door to reach sustainability goals, boost profits

17-Jan-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Innovation within the nascent upcycled food and beverage industry is exploding as manufacturers and ingredient suppliers large and small are drawn to the promise of potentially higher profits, a viable path to ambitious sustainability goals and a consumer-friendly...

'Real dairy, no cows': Remilk scales up animal-free dairy production

14-Jan-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Fresh off of closing a $120m Series B funding round, Remilk is scaling the production and availability of its dairy-identical milk protein (minus the cows) while engaging with high-profile CPG brands looking to develop alternatives to conventional dairy...

Rising food prices slow for now, but additional hikes by manufacturers, retailers on horizon as overall inflation surges to 7%

13-Jan-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Counter to claims (or hopes) by The White House and others that rising US prices are “transitory,” inflation continues to rise – cresting 7% for all items in December year-over-year, marking the fastest increase since 1982 and the third straight month...

KeHE predicts: Nuts and grains to watch in the dairy aisle

12-Jan-2022 By Asia Sherman

Oats continue to experience year-over-year gains in the non-dairy revolution, but expect other nuts and grains to push for space in the dairy aisle this year.

Walmart expands in-home delivery as part of retailer's last-mile delivery strategy

06-Jan-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Walmart is scaling up the availability of its InHome delivery service from 6 million to 30 million US households by the end of 2022 in response to the large swath of online shoppers who prefer the convenience of the service without having to be present...

Panel finding Canada violated USMC trade agreement could open door for more US dairy exports north

06-Jan-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

American dairy farmers could realize more than $200m in annual sales to Canada following a landmark decision earlier this week that found it violated the US Mexico Canada trade agreement by reserving preferential dairy tariff-rate quotas for Canadian...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: 4 ways to tap into the full potential of regenerative agriculture’s benefits

03-Jan-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

When most people hear ‘regenerative agriculture’ they either have no idea what it means or they think about it as a strategy to rebuild soil health or reverse the negative environmental impact of farming – but according to the international sustainability...

'We’ve become the big fish in the small pond': Violife leads US plant-based cheese category

22-Dec-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Violife has shot to the #1 position by market share of the rapidly growing US plant-based cheese category, aiming to reach the same level of household penetration and consumer acceptance as plant-based milk alternatives, said the company's general...

Fairtrade America: Brands must 'make good' on sustainability and human rights claims

21-Dec-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Heading into 2022, consumers are demanding that brands prioritize sustainability, workers' rights, and other human advocacy causes, according to independent third-party certification organization Fairtrade America in its biennial Consumer Insights...

Study highlights 'promising' method of combining dairy and plant protein in milk applications

16-Dec-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Researchers have unlocked a new opportunity to encapsulate dairy (casein) and pea protein together into one stable molecule to create "highly-nutritious" hybrid dairy products.

Plant-based yogurt investment: Oddlygood raises $28m to fuel international growth

16-Dec-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Oddlygood, a plant-based dairy and cheese brand spinoff of Valio, raised $28m in its first funding round, fueling its international expansion -- including a US production run of the brand's plant-based yogurts slated for early 2022.

From comforting to escapism and healthy to indulgent, the pandemic continues to influence flavors

16-Dec-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Fear and frustration related to the ongoing pandemic will continue to shape flavor preferences in 2022 with consumers gravitating to taste profiles that signal health benefits, hint at escape to far away lands, offer comfort or promise something new,...

Genetically modified cow-free casein developed in Europe: ‘Being GM makes it functional and affordable’

10-Dec-2021 By Flora Southey

Dutch ingredients maker Fooditive Group is fermenting DNA-modified yeast to create casein proteins, but without the cow. Founder and CEO Moayad Abushokhedim tells FoodNavigator he hopes the ingredient will help reduce dependence on animal agriculture.

Two Good Greek low-sugar yogurt brand is on fire, says Danone North America

10-Dec-2021 By Elaine Watson

Two Good Greek yogurt has become a $200m+ brand, and the #2 contributor to dollar growth in the total yogurt category, in its third year on the market, claims Danone North America.

‘There is still a lot of unresponsiveness or vague statements…’ Supply chain woes add to compliance challenge with bioengineered food disclosure standard

09-Dec-2021 By Elaine Watson

With the Jan. 1, 2022 deadline for compliance with the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) fast approaching, many companies are still struggling with compliance, even at this incredibly late stage, say industry sources.

Investing in the Future of Food: Dessert boards rise as top trend with ‘unlimited marketing potential’

08-Dec-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

With the holiday season in full swing, Americans who are looking for safe ways to celebrate with friends and family increasingly are turning to dessert boards – a flexible, emerging trend that Dawn Foods says meets evolving consumer demands, has ‘unlimited...

Animal-free dairy a ‘massive opportunity’ says General Mills, which is in 'test and learn' mode with new brand Bold Cultr

06-Dec-2021 By Elaine Watson

While some recent foodtech innovations could be described as solutions in search of a problem, ‘animal-free’ dairy products featuring real whey and casein made without cows, give consumers – most of whom are unwilling to compromise at all, especially...

General Mills takes full ownership of Canadian Yoplait business after sale of European operations

01-Dec-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

General Mills has completed the sale of its 51% controlling interest in its Yoplait S.A.S European operations to French dairy cooperative Sodiaal in exchange for full ownership of the Canadian Yoplait business and a reduced royalty rate for use of the...

Maple Hill Creamery answers ‘desperate’ call for sugar-free dairy milk, gains incremental sales

01-Dec-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

For the three-quarters of dairy milk drinkers who are actively reducing sugar in their diets, the three teaspoons that naturally occur in a serving of the beverage no longer need to be a stumbling block to their goals, says Maple Hill Creamery.

Aussie Bubs expands in US with clean-label toddler milks as purity of domestic baby food is scrutinized

01-Dec-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

The fast-growing Australian children’s food and formula brand Bubs is bringing two of its clean-label toddler formulas to the US at a time when fears about heavy metals in baby food are pushing some consumers to reevaluate their loyalty to established...

Arla milk fractionation breakthrough promises ‘infinite innovation possibilities’

25-Nov-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Dairy supplier Arla claims ‘revolutionary’ new technology to separate milk into its different protein components opens the door to ‘infinite innovation possibilities’.

Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream CEO on the rise and rise of frozen novelties: ‘Retailers are asking for more products on sticks’

24-Nov-2021 By Elaine Watson

Retail ice cream sales surged in the early weeks of the pandemic as consumers turned to comfort foods during the lockdown, but the runaway success story in the category has been frozen novelties, which have emerged as a go-to portion-controlled snack...

New Culture raises $25m as 'animal-free dairy' space heats up

22-Nov-2021 By Elaine Watson

New Culture – one of a cluster of startups in the emerging ‘animal-free’ dairy space genetically engineering microbes to produce dairy milk proteins, without cows – has raised $25m in an oversubscribed series A round led by Ahren Innovation Capital and...

Gerber finds treasure map for product innovation in Dietary Guidelines for children under 2 years

17-Nov-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Baby and toddler food and beverage manufacturers looking for innovation inspiration will find a treasure map for new product ideas in the recommendations for children under two years included, for the first time, in the current Dietary Guidelines for...

Dairy... the next generation? General Mills unveils animal-free cream cheese alternative: Bold Cultr

16-Nov-2021 By Elaine Watson

General Mills moves into the emerging ‘animal-free’ dairy category with a brand called Bold Cultr – a lactose-free cream cheese alternative utilizing dairy proteins from Perfect Day made via microbial fermentation (without cows).

'It's time for a new shakeup': GOODLES seeks to disrupt mac and cheese category

16-Nov-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Currently dominated by the duopoly of Kraft and Annie's, the macaroni and cheese category is in need for disruption, say the founders of GOODLES, a new 'adultified', better-for-you mac and cheese brand that gives adults the permission to...

DSM: ‘Adding fortification to food changes how open moms are to serving packaged’ baby, toddler food

15-Nov-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Packaged baby and toddler food manufacturers may have a better chance of winning over new mothers – many of whom prefer feeding their children fresh, natural homemade food – if they fortify their products and clearly communicate the benefits of added...

Study: Diet rich in fermented foods can increase gut microbiome diversity and immune response

15-Nov-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

A diet rich in fermented foods such as kimchi, cottage cheese, and kefir can enhance the diversity of gut microbes and reduce molecur signs of inflammation, say researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine.

Comfort with a twist: Specialty Food Association spotlights 5 food trends for 2022

09-Nov-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Consumers' pursuit of comforting foods with a slight twist in flavor, ingredients, and nutritional benefits will drive the majority growth of the $170.4bn specialty food industry in 2022, according to the Specialty Food Association (SFA) Trendspotter...

WATCH TODAY: Our Food For Kids Summit explores the challenges & opportunities of early childhood nutrition

09-Nov-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Parents and caregivers crave information about how best to feed their children, and while they have a lot of resources available via the Internet, health care providers, peer groups and brand marketing – they aren’t always sure what to trust or where...

Holiday shortages push consumers to shop earlier, explore alternative stores, categories

04-Nov-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Despite recent warnings that key holiday foods may be out-of-stock or more expensive than previous years due to ongoing supply chain challenges, consumer concern about obtaining food and the impact of inflation hasn’t changed much compared to August,...