Proteins

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...

Nielsen: Is the fresh department the 'last stronghold for brick-and-mortar'?

27-Sep-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

As more category sales continue to shift online, the fresh department remains a strong source of foot traffic for brick-and-mortar retailers and will serve as a key way to lure more consumers into stores, says Nielsen in a new report.

New look and new products for Peatos: ‘We’re one of the fastest growing snack brands in the market’

27-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

Snack brand Peatos has unveiled a new look, a new product (crunchy onion rings), and new distribution deals with Kroger, Safeway, Sprouts and Whole Foods, taking its store count to around 6,200 stores by early 2020: a 50% increase on its current footprint.

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.

McDonald's to test plant-based Beyond Meat patties in 28 stores in Canada: 'It’s how we look– before we leap'

26-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

Beyond Meat has struck a deal with McDonald’s to test its plant-based patties in a 12-week trial in 28 restaurants in Ontario, Canada, starting September 30.

WATCH: Hybrid products could capture a significant chunk of the protein market, predicts The Better Meat Co

26-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

From Perdue’s Chicken Plus nuggets combining chicken, plant proteins and veggies, to Tyson’s Raised & Rooted burgers combining regular and plant-based beef, a new wave of ‘hybrid’ or ‘blended’ products is hitting the meat case. But are these the meaty...

Bulletproof’s ‘biohacking’ innovations promise to help people become better, faster & stronger

26-Sep-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

To meet the demands of today’s fast-paced, high-pressure world, consumers everywhere are looking for shortcuts to be better, faster and stronger – fueling the emergence of so-called biohacking, a term coined by the CEO of Bulletproof and made easier by...

News in brief

Impossible Foods makes East Coast retail debut at Wegmans, Fairway Market

25-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

After a successful launch in 27 Gelson’s stores in southern California, the Impossible Burger is making its East Coast grocery-store debut at all 100 Wegmans grocery stores in seven states and at two Manhattan locations of Fairway Market (MSRP $8.99/12oz...

Noblegen gears up for launch of complete protein from a Non GMO source that can go 'head to head' with animal protein

25-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

Noblegen is gearing up to enter the burgeoning alternative protein space in October with a complete protein derived from a microorganism that it can coax into producing multiple high-value ingredients via a proprietary technique called ‘facilitated expression’...

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.

Little Pickins creates a market for nutritious, ‘gummable’ toddler finger foods

20-Sep-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Boston-based Little Pickins is targeting an under-developed space in the baby food market with its frozen ready-made and veggie-packed finger foods for toddlers ages 10 months and up.

What’s next beyond soy, pea, and wheat for plant-based meat? In conversation with ADM

19-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

Soy, wheat, and peas currently dominate the plant-based meat market, but what’s next? FoodNavigator-USA caught up with Ana Ferrell (AF), VP of marketing, and Kurt Long (KL), commercial director of protein specialties and flexitarian solutions at ADM,...

Should babies eat meat? Serenity Kids’ says yes, points to nutrient density of its meat & veggie pouches

18-Sep-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

While many parents eat meat, poultry and fish, the idea of feeding these foods to babies might sound strange to them based on the majority of baby foods currently marketed, but startup Serenity Kids is turning this preconception on its head with its line...

Cerebelly: ‘when neuroscience meets nutrition science’

Brain food for babies? Cerebelly launches ‘veggie-first’ line nationwide at Whole Foods

17-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

While most responsible baby food brands work with pediatric dietitians to ensure their products meet babies’ nutritional needs, Cerebelly – the brainchild of Canadian neurosurgeon Teresa Purzner, MD, PhD - takes this to the next level with a granular...

‘By 2030, the US dairy and cattle industry will have collapsed,’ as microbial protein factories take over, predicts think tank

17-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

“By 2030, the US dairy and cattle industry will have collapsed,” as ‘precision fermentation’ – producing animal proteins more efficiently via microbes – disrupts food production as we know it, predicts think tank RethinkX, which critics argue is living...

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.

Mary’s Gone Crackers highlights nutritional, environmental benefits with new packaging

16-Sep-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

At Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore last week, organic and gluten-free front-runner Mary’s Gone Crackers unveiled new packaging designed to clarify consumer confusion around its name, better stand out on shelf and highlight both its nutritional...

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...

Ripple Foods launches ‘superfood’ milks, relaunches yogurts (‘we messed up’), explores new low-cost plant protein sources

13-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

Ripple Foods has debuted a new, improved line of creamy plant-based yogurt alternatives (following an abortive launch of a Greek-style product last year); unveiled a new line of ‘superfood’ plant milks infused with matcha, turmeric and acai; and built...

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...

Barb Stuckey: 'When you talk about cells, you leave the realm of deliciousness...”

‘Cultivated’ meat could be the most-consumer-friendly term for cell-cultured meat, suggests Mattson/GFI research

12-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

The term ‘clean meat’ is confusing (and carries the tacit implication that regular meat is 'dirty’), while ‘cell-based meat’ – a more neutral term favored by some startups – doesn’t poll well with shoppers. ‘Lab-grown’ is a food marketer’s nightmare....

Keto-friendly cereal Magic Spoon raises $5.5m in seed funding

12-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

Direct to consumer cereal brand Magic Spoon has raised $5.5m in a seed funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners as it seeks to take its keto-friendly wares to a wider audience.

Sustainable Bioproducts gears up for 2020 launch of consumer brand built around new-to-the-world protein source

11-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

Sustainable Bioproducts - which is developing new-to-the-world protein-packed whole food ingredients from microbes - plans to launch a consumer brand to help familiarize Americans with a new fungal food source that could be used in everything from meat...

Atlast Food Co: Mycelium scaffold can unlock the ‘Holy Grail’ of plant-based meat: whole cuts

11-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

Mycelium (the filament-like roots of mushrooms) can create edible 3D structures enabling plant-based brands to tap into a major segment of the meat category – whole cuts – that has historically been closed off, says Atlast Food Co, a new company dedicated...

Investing in the Future of Food: Soylent shares strategies for expanding distribution beyond online

11-Sep-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

The success that brands incubated online often enjoy with direct-to-consumer marketing and distribution doesn’t always translate well to brick and mortar, but according to Soylent’s VP of sales Melody Conner building a company online first can provide...

Kroger and PBFA to test three-foot plant-based meat retail concept in 60 stores

10-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

Kroger has teamed up with the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) to trial dedicated three-foot plant-based meat sets within its conventional meat department in 60 stores in Denver and parts of Indiana and Illinois.

Jenny Craig’s more sustainable packaging, new meal choices are healthier for planet, people

10-Sep-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

Already a leader in the better-for-you food movement with its iconic weight loss program that blends personalized support with pre-made food, Jenny Craig is expanding its menu and revamping its packaging and delivery schedule to offer options that are...

First products from Motif FoodWorks’ fermentation-based protein platform ready to launch in 2021

10-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

The first three proteins from Motif FoodWorks’ fermentation-based food ingredient platform will be ready for launch in early 2021, says the company, one of a new breed of synthetic biology companies using microbes as microscopic factories capable of producing...

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...

Chickpeas: The next big protein source for plant-based meat? Nutriati unveils TVP

09-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

Virginia-based Nutriati has commercialized what it claims is the world’s first textured chickpea protein, providing plant-based meat formulators with a Non-GMO protein source that rivals soy, wheat, and peas in the functionality and nutrition stakes,...

Salmon Council’s award-nominated Pinterest campaign shines light on best practices for the platform

09-Sep-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

With more than 250 million people using Pinterest monthly and 90% of them making purchase decisions weekly based on what they see on their feed or have pinned to their boards, the platform can be a very powerful marketing tool when used correctly.

Conagra Brands sharpens focus on snacks market with new innovation center

05-Sep-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Conagra Brands announced it will build a new 40,000-square-foot innovation center in Chicago to propel the company's snacking innovation business.

Five startups form alliance to provide clear path to market for cell-based meat

04-Sep-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

BlueNalu, Finless Foods, Forke & Goode, JUST Inc., and Memphis Meats have formed a coalition called the Alliance for Meat, Poultry & Seafood (AMPS) Innovation to carve out a clear path to market for cell-cultured meat, poultry, and seafood.

Jimmy Dean pushes 'breakfast all day' concept, eyes future entry into plant-based protein

04-Sep-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Renewed consumer interest in convenient and filling breakfast products is accelerating Tyson Foods' legacy brand Jimmy Dean, which has grown total dollar sales at six times the rate compared to total food and beverage, according to Nielsen sales...

Good Source Foods hits the market with day-part snacking concept

03-Sep-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Noting the rise in snacking throughout the day and among all generations, better-for-you snack company Good Source Foods believed there ought to be a snack brand with products intentionally developed for specific parts of the day.

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Sports and fitness webinar: From weekend warriors to hardcore athletes, how has the sports and fitness market evolved?

30-Aug-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Discover how consumers are approaching the sports & fitness category and where the market is headed next by tuning into our FREE-TO-ATTEND, LIVE online webinar on Sept. 25, 2019.

A year in food: Survey reveals millennials' eating and spending habits

28-Aug-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Each year, millennials spend about $2,242 at the grocery store and $1,672 dining out adding up to around 1,140 hours devoted to food (time spent meal-prepping, cooking, and eating out), a survey of 2,000 millennial consumers commissioned by plant-based...

PURIS receives $75m investment from Cargill to double pea protein output: 'This is the future of food'

28-Aug-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Cargill has invested an additional $75m in North American pea protein producer, PURIS, which will double production of its proprietary pea proteins, starches, and fibers for the food and beverage industry.

Bernstein report: Parents caught between a desire to eat healthy and product overload when grocery shopping

26-Aug-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

In pursuit of a healthy, balanced diet for themselves and their children, many parents reported being overwhelmed by the number of "healthy" choices at the grocery store, a focus group of Chicago parents revealed.

Iwon Organics predicts 300% growth in 2019 as it takes its protein snacks to the conventional channel

24-Aug-2019 By Elaine Watson

Protein-fueled snack brand Iwon Organics is predicting growth of 300% this year (on top of similar growth last year) as it takes its Stix and Puffs into 5oz bags, and starts to woo more natural and conventional accounts.

FOOD FOR KIDS: What matters to Mom: Revelations about mealtime

22-Aug-2019 By Elaine Watson

What motivates Moms as they shop for food for their kids? What are they looking for on labels? Are they looking for foods containing certain key nutrients?

In conversation with Givaudan: How do you create ‘meaty’ flavors in plant-based meat?

22-Aug-2019 By Elaine Watson

The next generation of plant-based burgers looks, cooks, tastes, and smells eerily like the real thing. But how do you deliver an authentically ‘meaty’ taste without animals, and which flavors (beef, chicken, pork, tuna?) are the hardest to emulate?

Simply Good Foods buys Quest Nutrition for $1bn to create low-carb snacking powerhouse with Atkins

22-Aug-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

With the $1bn cash acquisition of the fast-growing, protein-focused brand Quest Nutrition, Simply Good Foods Company adds muscle to its already strong portfolio of healthy lifestyle brands, which includes the complementary low-carb brand Atkins Nutritionals....

JUST, Inc CEO: ‘The company is JUST Egg, and JUST Egg is the company’

21-Aug-2019 By Elaine Watson

JUST Egg - a plant-based scrambled egg alternative made with mung bean protein – is already outperforming conventional eggs in some accounts, and is now the #1 priority at JUST, Inc given the size of the addressable market, says CEO Josh Tetrick: “Right...

Atlantic Natural Foods: Shelf-stable is area of untapped opportunity for plant-based meat, poultry, seafood

20-Aug-2019 By Elaine Watson

While the shelf-stable market for plant-based meats and eggs is small compared with the frozen and chilled segments, it represents an area of significant untapped opportunity, says Atlantic Natural Foods (ANF), which is gaining traction in this market...

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,...

Motif FoodWorks raises $27.5m to help build its fermentation-based protein platform

20-Aug-2019 By Elaine Watson

Boston-based Motif FoodWorks (formerly Motif Ingredients) - which is deploying synthetic biology to engineer microbes to produce proteins with a fraction of the environmental footprint of their conventionally-produced counterparts – has raised $27.5m...

NEWS IN BRIEF

HelloFresh adds Beyond Burger to online meal kit menus playing into growing consumer 'flexitarian' trend

19-Aug-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

HelloFresh will start offering Beyond Meat’s Beyond Burger in its meal kits next month as part of its premium ‘craft burger’ collection, addressing a growing consumer interest in plant-based eating and meat reduction.

Keto-friendly cereal Catalina Crunch generating almost a million in direct to consumer revenues a month, a year after launch

19-Aug-2019 By Elaine Watson

If super low carb, zero-sugar, keto-friendly cereal sounds like a super niche opportunity, think again, says Catalina Crunch founder and CEO Krishna Kaliannan, who is already generating “close to a million in monthly sales” via his website just a year...