Food safety and labeling

New mouse study finds level of liver toxicity for CBD

24-May-2019 By Hank Schultz

A study published recently has found a level of liver toxicity for CBD, putting up a big caveat to the notion within the hemp/CBD world that its products have nothing in the way of safety concerns.

Better-for-you frozen food brand Luvo pushes forward the idea of food as medicine with new bundles

16-May-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

With the addition of an advisory board member who is a certified physician and chef, the better-for-you frozen meal company Luvo is creating new products that it hopes will help lay a foundation for packaged food to one day be considered a health management...

Investing in the Future of Food: RangeMe helps startups become shelf ready & business savvy

15-May-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

Under pressure to beat the competition or secure returns for investors, most startups want to get on store shelf as fast as possible, but first they must checkoff a litany of minimum requirements that can turn into unexpected roadblocks if they don’t...

A La Mode follows ‘customer-oriented approach’ to create allergy-friendly, all natural ice cream

19-Apr-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

Operating on the premise that the best way to get ahead in today’s competitive to market is to “utilize a customer-oriented approach,” the founders A La Mode are tweaking their allergy friendly ice cream and packaging to meet the growing demand for all...

Investing in the Future of Food: Effective branding challenges the competition – not the consumer

17-Apr-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

One of the main goals of effective branding and packaging is to set a product apart from the competition, but how this is achieved is fundamental to whether a product will be embraced or shunned by consumers.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: What will it take to create a sustainable food system to feed 10 billion people?

12-Apr-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

By 2050, the Earth’s population is predicted to reach upwards of 10 billion people who will require significantly more food than is produced today, which many predict is not feasible without drastic changes in the way food is produced, transported and...

FDA’s Nutrition Innovation Strategy pushes forward with updates to labeling, standards of identity

05-Apr-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

FDA will push forward with its Nutrition Innovation Strategy despite the departure this month of FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb who championed the initiative as a way to reduce the burden of chronic disease through improved nutrition, according to an...

Impossible Foods issues voluntary recall as it gears up for launch at 570 Red Robin locations

27-Mar-2019 By Elaine Watson

Plant-based meat start-up Impossible Foods has issued a voluntary recall of a single lot number of its product after a restaurant in California discovered a “food-safe, sealed, one-inch plastic object in a case of Impossible Burger bulk product.”

Natural and clean label trends 101: From malic acid and glyphosate residues to ‘clean protein’

22-Mar-2019 By Elaine Watson

Consumers want more natural, less processed, ‘clean’ foods. But do they give certain brands – and categories – a pass? And what cues are they looking for? Checkout what our consumer and legal experts had to say in the opening session of our Natural and...

Cancer institute head named acting FDA chief

12-Mar-2019 By Hank Schultz

Dr Ned Sharpless, MD, who is the current head of the National Cancer Institute, will be the interim head of the Food and Drug Administration when Dr Scott Gottlieb, MD, leaves next month.

The downside of exclusion diets: Survey shows consumers perceive dieting as a strain on their wallet and social life

12-Mar-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Over half (61%) of Americans following an exclusion diet (e.g. vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, keto) believe that following a restrictive diet means having to pay more for food and nearly half (47%) say that it takes a toll on their social life, according...

Natural and clean label trends 2019: Have you registered yet?

11-Mar-2019 By Elaine Watson

We clocked a number of brands using terms from 'clean candy' to 'clean protein' on the showfloor at Expo West, but what does 'clean eating' mean, is 'clean' a term that brands should use on product labels, and where...

NEWS IN BRIEF

Stress-blocking plant technology receives green light in California

05-Mar-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Plants undergo a lot of early environmental stressors pre- and post-harvest and a solution by AgroFresh can block the elements that take a toll on plants.

Class action litigation vs food & beverage brands ‘continued unabated’ in 2018, says Perkins Coie

05-Mar-2019 By Elaine Watson

The number of class action filings against food and beverage companies rose 9% to 158 in 2018, with firms vulnerable to legal action on a host of fronts, from slack fill to natural claims, says law firm Perkins Coie.

How to define clean label? 'There isn’t any one singular definition,' says Hartman Group

28-Feb-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

The moving target of what qualifies as 'clean label' among consumers can throw food marketers for a dizzying loop, however there are a few general constants food brands and manufacturers can follow to appeal to consumers' clean label ideal....

Investing in the Future of Food: Unique technology can offer startups protection from competitors

27-Feb-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

As recently as a few years ago, the words food and tech were incongruous together, but today they signal a booming industry that is ripe for innovation, and according to the VP of business development at the Israel-based incubator The Kitchen, the combination...

Soup-to-Nuts Podcast: Demand for clean labels, increased sustainability are influencing package design

15-Feb-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

For many food and beverage brands, their product packaging is their first – if not only – touchpoint with consumers, and yet all too often companies treat it as an afterthought or as little more than a protective exterior for what is inside.

Investing in the Future of Food: Offering a solution to a problem – not just a product – can drive success

13-Feb-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

When seeking investor support or trying to woo customers, companies not only need to describe their product, but they also need to explain the problem that the product or brand solves, according to the CEO of SmartCatch.

Soup-to-Nuts podcast: Campbell & Land O’ Lakes share strategies for meeting sustainability demands

08-Feb-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

Shoppers increasingly are making purchasing decisions based on how sustainable they perceive a product, brand or manufacturer to be, but as recently published research from Nielsen notes the consumers’ definition of sustainability is amorphous – making...

Investing in the Future of Food: Farmer’s Fridge CEO shares strategies for successfully raising funds

06-Feb-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

Fundraising is different for every company, every time they do it, but according to Luke Saunders, the CEO and founder of Farmer’s Fridge, which recently closed a series C round, there are two common denominators that entrepreneurs must understand in...

Kroger CEO on the future of retail: 'People will always eat, but the way people will eat will always change'

16-Jan-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Kroger is shifting from a "grocery company to a growth company" (referred to as its 'Restock Kroger' initiative), CEO Rodney McMullen told delegates at the NRF show in New York this week, noting that it embarked on the move well before...

Capital raise helps Rollin Greens give American comfort foods & the freezer aisle ‘a healthy twist’

03-Jan-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

An ongoing capital raise of $500,000 is helping Boulder, Colo.-based Rollin Greens “take on the freezer category” and give American comfort foods “a healthy twist,” by helping it expand its distribution, revamp its packaging to appeal to more mainstream...

Final GMO labeling rule does not require labeling of highly refined ingredients from GM crops, if no modified genetic material is detectable

20-Dec-2018 By Elaine Watson

In its final GMO labeling rule - released this morning - the USDA says it will not mandate the labeling of highly refined ingredients from GM crops if no ‘modified genetic material’ is detectable, but it will allow manufacturers to make voluntary disclosures...

Nestlé Waters North America Director of Sustainability on reducing PET waste: ‘It’s not just a lofty ambition’

14-Dec-2018 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Nestlé Waters North America has been working for the past seven years to increase the amount of recycled PET plastic in its bottled water, and according to director of sustainability, Valeria Orozco, it's confident it will achieve 25% recycled plastic...

Investing in the Future of Food: Chobani helps startups navigate food safety, picking partners and more

12-Dec-2018 By Elizabeth Crawford

Earlier this week, Chobani put out an open call for “big-hearted food and beverage startups” that make delicious, nutritious, natural and affordable food to help it “take on the broken food system” by participating in the fifth cohort of its highly competitive...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: How consumer confidence in the economy will shape retail in 2019

30-Nov-2018 By Elizabeth Crawford

It has been ten years since the last recession first shook Americans’ confidence and caused them to pull their purse strings tighter, but according to industry insiders, consumers finally are feeling more comfortable spending again – which is good news...

Freedom Foods taps RDs to spread the word about prebiotics

18-Nov-2018 By Elizabeth Crawford

By tapping registered dietitians at retailers and in local communities, Freedom Foods has magnified the impact and reach of its recent launch in more than 2,000 stores in the US of nutritional bars and cereals featuring BarleyMax – a unique grain packed...

From 7 days to 2 seconds: Blockchain can help speed trace-back, improve food safety & reduce waste

06-Nov-2018 By Elizabeth Crawford

Once the “biggest skeptic” of how blockchain technology could benefit the food and beverage industry, Frank Yiannas, the VP of food safety for Walmart, says he experienced a near “religious conversion” after working with IBM to digitize the food supply...

Emerging food tribes represent a small but highly influential market segment

30-Oct-2018 By Elizabeth Crawford

Consumers’ approach to what they eat is changing from “monolithic meat, potatoes and veggies,” to increasingly “heterogeneous” diets that go beyond sustenance to represent values and lifestyles – a shift that is translating to big business for companies...

Coca-Cola to FDA: Update your policies to allow firms to fortify healthy carbonated beverages

24-Oct-2018 By Elaine Watson

Under the so-called ‘jelly bean rule,’ firms are discouraged from adding vitamins to foods of minimal nutritional value so that marketers cannot present junk foods as healthy options. But the policy should be updated when it comes to carbonated beverages,...

Startups at FoodBytes! showcase food waste, AI and plant-based solutions

21-Oct-2018 By Elizabeth Crawford

Food and agriculture startups focused on reducing waste, using artificial intelligence to deliver higher food, and offering more sustainable and plant-based options, took center stage at Rabobank's FoodBytes! pitch competition and networking event...

Waste reduction and 5 more trends Kroger is tracking at its grocery stores

15-Oct-2018 By Elizabeth Crawford

Appalled at the amount of produce wasted every year while many people struggle with food insecurity, Kroger will launch a new brand that prizes oddly shaped and discolored fruits and vegetables that previously would have been rejected by the retail chain.

Study: Virtual reality provides immersive environment for food testing

01-Oct-2018 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Food sensory judgements – taste, texture, and aroma perception – can be influenced by the surrounding environment, and virtual reality (VR) technology can be an effective and affordable way of replicating various environments when conducting consumer...

Dutch cell-based meat start up Meatable emerges from stealth mode: 'We think we have a big advantage over the other players'

28-Sep-2018 By Elaine Watson

A new player in the burgeoning cell-based meat field that has developed a production process which its founders claim will give it a competitive advantage over rivals, has emerged from stealth mode after raising $3.5m to help scale its slaughter-free...

FDA ups ante in plant ‘milk’ debate: ‘We’re on a fast track to take a fresh look at labeling'

27-Sep-2018 By Elaine Watson

The FDA has upped the ante in the ongoing debate over the use of terms such as ‘almondmilk’ and ‘vegan cheese,’ with a public request for information to help inform the development of draft guidance to “provide greater clarity on appropriate labeling...

US food facilities have until end of year to renew FDA registrations or risk cancellation

17-Sep-2018 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Any facility that markets food for consumption in the US has between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, 2018, to renew its U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) registration, a biennial requirement that is distinct from updating registration, said Registrar Corp,...

FDA will not require ‘added sugars’ call-out on pure honey, maple syrup

07-Sep-2018 By Elizabeth Crawford

After industry slammed FDA for proposing pure maple syrup and jars of honey list ‘added sugars’ on their updated Nutrition Facts panel, the agency has done an about face and will no longer the controversial declaration on the products when ‘packaged as...

USDA pushes to bring broadband to rural areas so more farmers, ranchers can use precision ag tech

04-Sep-2018 By Elizabeth Crawford

In the coming months, the US Department of Agriculture will nearly double its current annual investment in rural telecommunications infrastructure to bring reliable, affordable high-speed Internet to underserved areas, including farmland and ranches,...

Amended Prop 65 regulations likely to prompt a significant uptick in litigation, predict attorneys

01-Sep-2018 By Elaine Watson

Amendments to Prop 65 – which requires firms selling products in California to provide warnings if their products expose consumers to 900+ chemicals linked to cancer or reproductive toxicity – will likely trigger a sharp rise in litigation as manufacturers...

Listening to parents helped Raised Real rapidly scale up its subscription meal kits for ‘tiny humans’

23-Aug-2018 By Elizabeth Crawford

One of the secrets to the rapid growth of Raised Real’s subscription home delivery meal kits for “tiny humans” is asking its members what they need – and actually listening to their answers, according to the company’s CEO Santiago Merea.

And now the food lawsuits… General Mills sued over glyphosate residue post Monsanto $289m verdict

21-Aug-2018 By Elaine Watson

Monsanto has just been ordered to pay $289m in damages to a man who alleged its glyphosate-based herbicide caused his cancer (a ruling it is appealing). But what, if anything, does this verdict mean for food companies manufacturing products containing...

Impossible Foods: 'Our goal is to beat burgers made from cows decisively in blind taste tests by the end of 2018'

08-Aug-2018 By Elaine Watson

Impossible Foods is gearing up to start a second shift at its Oakland production facility that will double production of its plant-based Impossible Burger by the year-end, and is planning a second factory at an undisclosed location as it seeks to “not...

The NPD Group: Every consumer has one problem right now, and that is ‘what’s for dinner?’

31-Jul-2018 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Americans are preparing and eating more meals at home (four out of five meals) than they did a decade ago, according to The NPD Group. To capture these at-home eaters, the food industry should focus less on where consumers are eating and more on what...

FDA has no further questions over the safety of Impossible Foods' star ingredient

24-Jul-2018 By Elaine Watson

Plant-based meat specialist Impossible Foods has received a letter from the FDA confirming the agency has no additional questions that challenge the company’s determination that its star ingredient – soy leghemoglobin (‘heme’) – is generally recognized...

Chef’d shutdown does not signal downfall of entire meal kit category, says former SVP

20-Jul-2018 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Earlier this week meal kit company Chef’d announced that it had ceased all operations and issued layoff notices to its employees, citing "unexpected circumstances with the funding for the business." While there is still speculation over what...

New Sustainable Food Policy Alliance aims to improve nutrition labeling, environmental impact of food production

12-Jul-2018 By Elizabeth Crawford

A new association created by four of the nation's largest food companies wants to redirect industry’s approach to nutrition, transparency and the environmental impact of food production, in a move the CSPI says "further marginalizes" the...

If shoppers don’t trust bioengineered labels, GMO labeling will be a huge waste of time and money, say CPG brands

06-Jul-2018 By Elaine Watson

Public comments on USDA’s GMO labeling rule have exposed sharp divisions about whether it should include refined ingredients from GM crops, or foods produced via modern gene-editing techniques such as CRISPR. But they have also raised questions about...

Excluding refined ingredients from GMO labeling rule would confuse consumers and erode trust in brands, warns the GMA

03-Jul-2018 By Elaine Watson

Consumers will lose trust in the food industry if USDA does not mandate that refined ingredients such as oils and sugars derived from bioengineered crops are subject to GMO labeling, says the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA).

Hershey, Unilever: GMO labeling should apply to highly refined oils, sweeteners

30-Jun-2018 By Elaine Watson

If consumers are to believe that the food industry is serious about transparency, highly refined ingredients derived from GM crops must be included in the definition of 'bioengineered' enshrined in federal GMO labeling legislation, even if they...

GOOD FOOD FINANCING & INNOVATION CONFERENCE

Where food investments are going, according to investors

25-Jun-2018 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Investors in early stage food companies are constantly searching for the ‘what’s next?’ in food, and many fundamentally agree that the ideas and people worth investing in are the ones that are fulfilling an unmet consumer need in a "unique way that...