Proteins

Nurture Life shakes up brand image to connect directly with kids and spark conversation around food

28-Feb-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Nurture Life is shaking off its past utilitarian appearance and adopting a bold, vibrant brand identity that speaks directly to kids, said co-founder of the Chicago-based kids meal delivery service, Jennifer Chow.

WATCH Beanfields CEO: ‘‘There’s a lot of crunch, a lot of noise, then big bold flavor as you bite through’

28-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

With the term ‘bean chips’ now dropped from its logo, the Beanfields brand could expand into multiple areas of the snacks aisle – and even beyond – says CEO Arnulfo Ventura, who caught up with FoodNavigator-USA at last month’s Winter Fancy Food Show....

Beyond Meat to go on the offensive in wake of attacks on 'ultra-processed' plant-based meat: 'We're proud of our ingredients and process'

28-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

While its CEO says engaging in an increasingly heated debate over the merits of plant- vs animal-based meat can be a “zero sum” game, Beyond Meat plans to go on the offensive this year with digital and media campaigns that celebrate its ingredients and...

Country Archer answers ‘call to arms’ by biltong makers with launch of Zero Sugar Beef Jerky, new look

27-Feb-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

With a subtle name change from Country Archer Jerky Co. to Country Archer Provisions, the meat snack brand is opening the door for expansion into new categories, while at the same time reinforcing its stronghold in jerky with the introduction of a new...

WATCH: Bright Foods moves into refrigerated protein bar category

27-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

Bright Foods – best known for its fruit- and veggie-packed whole food bars - is moving into new territory with the launch of ‘clean protein’ bars.

BlueNalu raises $20m, gears up for small-scale launch of cell-based seafood in late 2021

26-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

BlueNalu, a startup hoping to make a splash in the cell-based seafood market, has raised $20m in a Series A round that will help fund a pilot production facility in San Diego to produce small quantities of product for commercial launch in late 2021.

Investing in the Future of Food: YoFiit teams with Food-X to find white space in non-dairy milk

26-Feb-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

As consumer demand for and sales of non-dairy milk alternatives continue to climb, so too are the number of players and variety of products in the space – making it more difficult for newcomers to standout unless, like Canadian-based YoFiit, they offer...

Motif FoodWorks: ‘High impact’ ingredients at very low inclusion rates could significantly improve the texture of plant-based meat

25-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

Do plant-based meats and cheeses deliver the texture consumers crave? Food Navigator-USA caught up with Dr. Mike Leonard, CTO at Motif FoodWorks, which is developing ‘high impact’ ingredients that could be added to existing formulations in small quantities...

Ellenos primed to disrupt stagnating yogurt segment with $18m investment by KIND Snacks’ founder

25-Feb-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

KIND Snacks’ founder and executive chairman Daniel Lubetzky is betting that the Seattle-based Greek yogurt brand Ellenos can do for the maturing yogurt category what he did for the snack bar category when he first introduced his fruit and nut bars in...

Cargill expands into plant-based sector with new soy and pea protein range

24-Feb-2020 By Aidan Fortune

Cargill has launched a new range of plant-based patty and ground products for the foodservice and retail sectors.

Kellogg is back in the cereal game and is “playing to win” with aggressive advertising, innovation

21-Feb-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

After temporarily pulling back commercial support for cereal last year to offset other investments in the category, Kellogg Co. is going all in on the segment with ramped up advertising and innovative new launches planned across multiple iconic brands....

REGISTER FOR OUR FREE 60-MINUTE WEBINAR

Beverage Trends Webinar: A deep dive into the market of functional, better-for-you beverages

20-Feb-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

From plant-based dairy alternatives and the rise of oatmilk, to CBD-infused beverages and clean energy sources… what are the most bankable, and drinkable, beverage trends impacting the market?

General Mills is banking on a new box of $13 cereal & other innovations in yogurt, bars to buoy sales

19-Feb-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

General Mills’ strategy to accelerate top line growth by investing heavily in categories that have been declining, slowing or becoming increasingly crowded may seem counter-intuitive, but according to CEO Jeff Harmening, it is working.

GUEST ARTICLE: Lessons that novel proteins should learn from biofuels

18-Feb-2020 By Mark Warner, founder, Warner Advisors LLC

Can 60% of current meat consumption be replaced by novel vegan meat replacements and cultured meat in the next 20 years? That is what AT Kearney has recently projected, but the analysis does not outline a path for achieving the forecast. Is reaching...

Dang Foods rebrands as ‘Asian-American’ snack brand, posts 54% surge in revenues in 2019

18-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

Dang Foods – the snack brand behind the #1 selling nutrition bar in Whole Foods in 2019 – has unveiled new packaging, a new logo and marketing initiatives positioning itself as an ‘Asian-American snack brand.’

Launch of Eat Beyond Global investment fund opens doors for retail investors in plant-based segment

18-Feb-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Drawn to the rapid sales growth and widespread consumer interest in plant-based alternatives to animal products, a team of investors and industry experts has launched the Eat Beyond Global Investment Fund to connect retail investors with potentially fast-growing...

Country Archer to again double production capacity with $12m boost

18-Feb-2020 By Gill Hyslop

Country Archer Jerky Co. is moving to a new meat snack facility to more than double its production capacity for the second time in less than two years to keep pace with its explosive growth.

Keto diet best in small doses, suggests mouse study

17-Feb-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Touted as an effective weight loss regimen, the keto diet has gone from niche to mainstream, with CPG products clamoring to align themselves with the trend. But are its immediate results outweighed by longer-term negative effects?

WATCH: Nuttin Ordinary seeks new investment to take plant-based cheese brand nationwide

14-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

Made with five ingredients: cashews, water, Himalayan pink salt, nutritional yeast, and cultures, Nuttin Ordinary is seeking to stand out in the burgeoning plant-based cheese category with a short, clean ingredients list and a product that doesn’t try...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Consumers’ definition of ‘clean label’ is becoming more sophisticated, complex

14-Feb-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

When demand for “clean label” first burst on the scene several years ago, it was all about removing “chemical-sounding,” “unnatural” and unnecessary ingredients from products, but as shoppers learn more about food, how it is made and its impact on their...

Don Lee Farms files 3rd amended complaint vs Beyond Meat, seeks damages

12-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

Don Lee Farms has filed a 3rd amended complaint vs Beyond Meat, accusing it of doctoring a food safety consultant’s report and sharing trade secrets with Don Lee's rivals to help them “actively solicit” to replace Don Lee as Beyond Meat’s co-manufacturer...

Investing in the Future of Food: Have better-for-you, meat alternatives & CBD jumped the shark?

12-Feb-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

As the number of food accelerators and incubators has increased in recent years, the barrier for entry into the market has decreased – and while this makes launching a new product or company easier, it has made cutting through the competition and finding...

Blue Apron taps into meal prep 'movement' with 8-serving menu offering

11-Feb-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Blue Apron has added more flexibility to its meal kit plans with the introduction of a meal prep offering, which provides consumers with eight servings of food for an entire week, all made in one prep session.

Cell-based meat in focus: In conversation with Meatable, Finless Foods, New Age Meats

11-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

While a new cell-based meat company emerges from stealth mode almost every month, the amount of money invested in the embryonic sector to date pales in comparison to the megabucks poured into plant-based meat over the past couple of years. So is slaughter-free...

Alpha Foods raises $28m to fuel growth of plant-based food empire

11-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

Plant-based food brand Alpha Foods has raised $28m in a funding round led by VC fund AccelFoods and supported by New Crop Capital, Green Monday and Blue Horizon, bringing its total funding to around $40m.

Displaying entire nutrition profile of animal protein could protect sales from plant-based competition

11-Feb-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

So far, the health halo surrounding plant-based products has led many consumers to overlook characteristics of newer versions of meatless products that might be a turnoff in other food categories, including longer-ingredient lists and less favorable nutritional...

KIND steps into frozen, refrigerated, and new snacking categories

10-Feb-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Best known for its nut-based snack bars, KIND Healthy Snacks has made its biggest portfolio expansion yet – launching frozen bars, snacking bark, chilled nut protein butters, and grain-free snack clusters.

GFI unveils 3rd restaurant scorecard: ‘Plant-based is definitely becoming bigger than burgers’

06-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

While 42 out of the top 100 US restaurant chains still don’t offer a plant-based entrée, new data from NPD Group commissioned by the Good Food Institute (GFI) shows US shipments of plant-based meat from major broadline foodservice distributors to restaurant...

Noblegen unveils vegan whole egg replacement featuring protein from ‘ancient micro-organism’ Euglena gracilis

05-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

Canadian startup Noblegen has unveiled ‘the egg’ - its first consumer product under the eunite brand showcasing the ‘ancient microorganism’ euglena gracilis, which it claims can produce proteins with exciting functional and nutritional characteristics......

Icelandic Provisions’ first national ad campaign seeks to set skyr apart from its ‘cousin’ yogurt

05-Feb-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

With the launch of a multi-media national advertising campaign today, Icelandic Provisions is ready to bring its traditional Nordic-style skyr out from the long shadow of its “cousin” yogurt, where the brand has steadily grown over the past four years,...

FDA, FTC and healthcare professionals should discourage toddler milk consumption, research suggests

04-Feb-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Researchers with the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity are calling on US regulators to severely restrict advertising for toddler milks and strengthen labeling requirements for the products after long-term market analysis revealed a significant...

Beyond Meat hits back at former co-manufacturer as shareholders file lawsuit: ‘We simply couldn’t get Don Lee Farms to meet our standards’

03-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

Beyond Meat has hit back at former co-manufacturer Don Lee Farms after experiencing further setbacks in its legal dispute with the firm, which alleges it wrongfully terminated a supply contract, telling reporters that, “We simply couldn’t get Don Lee...

Heart-healthy walnuts could be the next big meat alternative as campaigns build on plant-based trend

03-Feb-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Hoping to exponentially increase consumers’ already growing interest in walnuts, the California Walnut Board today is launching a two-prong marketing effort that will promote the nut’s health benefits and versatility.

Violife makes US (re)debut into plant-based cheese category

30-Jan-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Popular among vegan circles, plant-based cheese brand Violife is breaking into mainstream US grocery channels where it can go head to head with the likes of Daiya Foods and Kite Hill.

Cool Beans targets shoppers seeking plant-based whole foods, not 'processed' meat analogs

28-Jan-2020 By Elaine Watson

The quest to precisely mimic the taste and texture of meat and dairy is driving innovation in the next generation of ‘plant-based’ foods. But there is also growing demand for less ‘processed’ products made from whole foods, says the CEO of Cool Beans.

An egg a day not associated with heart disease and high cholesterol, finds new study

28-Jan-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Consuming one egg a day is not tied to higher blood cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease, even for individuals with a history of such conditions, an analysis of three global studies by researchers at Population Health Research Institute (PHRI)...

WATCH: Factor_ meal delivery service makes healthy eating simple

27-Jan-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Factor_, a fully-prepared meal delivery service based in the Chicago area, believes the way to get consumers to eat more healthily on a consistent basis is to remove the time and mental barriers around cooking.

Premier Protein taps ‘super fans’ to position the brand as more approachable than competitors

27-Jan-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

After Post Holdings successfully spun off its fast-growing Active Nutrition segment late last year, the newly named BellRing Brands is ready to “significantly invest” in its iconic Premier Protein line with the launch of a 360-degree marketing campaign.

WATCH: Field Trip moves into new territory with nut-free chickpea butter… ‘It tastes just like a peanut butter’

24-Jan-2020 By Elaine Watson

PB&J is an all-American classic… but what about CB&J? If you combine roasted chickpeas and sunflower seeds with olive oil and a dash of coconut sugar and sea salt, the net result (‘chickpea butter’) is remarkably similar to peanut butter, minus...

WATCH: Califia Farms CEO… ‘The market still needs mid-size companies like ours’

24-Jan-2020 By Elaine Watson

With a portfolio spanning everything from refrigerated plant-based yogurt drinks to shelf-stable cans of cold brew coffee and oatmilk, Califia Farms has raised a jaw-dropping $340m+ over four funding rounds to build its plant-based empire over the past...

KeHE debuts KeHE elevate program to support and break down retail barriers for emerging brands

24-Jan-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

KeHE has launched an emerging brands program called KeHE elevate to help emerging brands navigate the competitive and constantly-evolving food and beverage market.

Nestlé and Merit Functional Foods enter joint development agreement to scale pea and canola proteins supply

24-Jan-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Under a new joint development agreement, Nestlé will help Merit Functional Foods and its technology partner, Burcon NutraScience, scale and commercialize its portfolio of plant proteins with the goal of using the startup's novel ingredients in foods...

Where next for plant-based in 2020? ADM shares top trend predictions for the category

23-Jan-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

The total retail market for plant-based foods in the US was worth nearly $4.5bn* in 2019 with dollar sales growing at 31% over the past two years compared to 4% for US retail total dollar food sales. And according to global ingredients supplier ADM, 2020...

Gardein launches new version of Ultimate Plant-Based Burger, swapping out soy for pea protein

23-Jan-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Gardein, the second largest brand in the meat-alternatives space, has upped its plant-based burger game with the launch of the Ultimate Plant-Based Burger, which the brand says provides consumers with a craveworthy burger experience.

Memphis Meats raises $161m to build its cell-based meat platform: 'We have a pretty clear path to bringing prices down to cost parity'

22-Jan-2020 By Elaine Watson

Giving the first clear signal that cell-based meat is moving out of the laboratory and into the market, Memphis Meats has unveiled plans to build a pilot production facility after raising $161m – a sum greater than the amount invested to date in all of...

Folded, frozen, and faster: JUST Egg is now more convenient, and cheaper, to enjoy

22-Jan-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Eat JUST, Inc, known for its JUST Egg liquid plant-based egg replacement made from the mung bean, has debuted a folded product that requires novice culinary skills to make, said co-founder and CEO Josh Tetrick, whose preferred method of preparation is...

Fresh Bowl healthy vending brand raises $2.1m, achieves 85% return rate on reusable glass jars

21-Jan-2020 By Elaine Watson

Fresh Bowl – a startup supplying fresh salads, breakfasts and snacks from hi-tech vending machines in re-usable glass jars – has raised $2.1m in a seed round co-led by Betaworks Ventures and New Ground Ventures, with participation from Tuesday and Mana...

Stryve aims to double retail sales in 2020 as biltong gains on traditional jerky

20-Jan-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Stryve, the largest producer of biltong in the US, is entering 2020 with a new look and branding campaign intended to teach more US consumers about the South African air-dried meat snack.

Public health advocates push back against USDA proposals to ‘simplify’ school meal standards

20-Jan-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Two proposals characterized by the US Department of Agriculture as giving schools “additional flexibilities” around the food they serve students and as a solution to food waste in cafeterias are, according to public health advocates, “a step in the wrong...

Don’t have $6m+ for a Super Bowl ad? Don’t worry – other marketing strategies work just as well

20-Jan-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

For many Americans watching the Super Bowl Feb. 2, what food and beverages are served is just as important, if not more so, than who wins the Big Game – making the sporting event a pivotal marketing moment for brands across categories to lift sales and...