Proteins

Hampton Creek CEO: ‘We’re growing, and not by an insignificant amount’

18-Aug-2017 By Elaine Watson

In the early days, the news about Hampton Creek was almost universally positive. A man on a mission to disrupt the food system, founder Josh Tetrick emerged victorious from spats with Unilever and the FDA, raised bucketloads of cash from Silicon Valley’s...

Kidfresh co-founder: We're bringing Millennials to the frozen aisles

17-Aug-2017 By Elaine Watson

Cynics might argue that junk food is junk food, whether it comes in green-hued packaging and eschews artificial colors, flavors and preservatives, or not. Kidfresh co-founder and CEO Matt Cohen begs to differ. 

RXBAR extends minimalist philosophy to school lunchboxes with new kids line

16-Aug-2017 By Adi Menayang

Chicago-based RXBAR’s new kid’s line is now available in 3,000 stores nationwide, providing a smaller version of the fastest growing bar by dollar growth in the natural and conventional channels, per measurement by market analytics firm Nielsen.

HPP hummus pioneer Hope Foods raises $7.4m via factory sale and leaseback

15-Aug-2017 By Elaine Watson

Hope Foods has raised $7.4m by selling the 59,000sq ft industrial building in the Colorado Technology Center in Louisville, Colorado, where it manufactures its organic hummus and dips, to California-based Adler Realty Investments – and has struck a long-term...

FDA allows use of ultrafiltered milk in cheese to ease fallout from new Canadian pricing scheme

15-Aug-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

FDA’s decision late last week to allow manufacturers in some cases to use ultrafiltered milk and ultrafiltered nonfat milk to make cheese could help ease the negative impact on US dairy farmers of less expensive UF milk from Canada that currently is flooding...

Exclusive

Lab-grown meat firm in talks to license tech

11-Aug-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

Hampton Creek has confirmed the Silicon Valley start-up is in talks to license its lab-grown meat technology to some of the world’s biggest meat companies.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Key strategies for innovation & renovation from Kraft Heinz

11-Aug-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

A commonly held perception of the ongoing renaissance in the food and beverage industry is that only small, nimble startups are innovating to meet consumers’ evolving needs, and that large, legacy companies must acquire or incubate new brands to keep...

NurturMe CEO shares what it takes to secure accounts with ‘top tier’ retailers

10-Aug-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

After years of knocking on the doors of top tier retailers and hearing no, baby and toddler food company NuturMe is finally hearing yes from major players including Target, Kroger and Costco – a change the company’s CEO attributes to the brand’s new “Tummy...

Hampton Creek explores the potential of mung bean protein isolate

09-Aug-2017 By Elaine Watson

Mung bean protein has potential applications in everything from egg substitutes to pasta and ice cream, says Hampton Creek, which has just received a 'no questions' letter from the FDA responding to its determination that its proprietary mung...

Aspire Food Group unveils world’s first automated cricket farm

04-Aug-2017 By Elaine Watson

When it comes to edible insects, there is still something of a disconnect between the rhetoric (insects can help us feed the world) and the reality, in the US., at least (they’re still niche and expensive). But that’s about to change, predicts the company...

The Chaat Co lands more than money with Jain Farm Fresh investment

03-Aug-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

For US-based Indian street snack maker The Chaat Co, $1 million in seed funding including investment from India’s Jain Farm Fresh Foods is about more than just the money -- it is also about securing a supply line for authentic ingredients to make its...

TerraVia files for Chapter 11 and enters into competitive bidding process

02-Aug-2017 By Elaine Watson

After almost 15 years in business without generating a profit, algae ingredients pioneer TerraVia has filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 and subjected itself to a competitive bidding process, with ingredients supplier Corbion entering the...

Exo rebrands to play up the power of cricket in its snack bars, better connect with active consumers

02-Aug-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

As an early mover in the edible insect space, Exo initially downplayed the presence of crickets in its snack bars to help drive trial, but as the idea of eating bugs becomes more familiar to Americans the brand is more heavily featuring crickets in its...

Impossible Foods' total funding hits $257m: 'We can satisfy the world's voracious demand for meat, without destroying the environment'

01-Aug-2017 By Elaine Watson

Impossible Foods – a Bay-area-based start-up on a mission to precisely replicate the taste and texture of meat – has closed a $75m financing round,* bringing its total investment to date to a jaw-dropping $257m, a reflection of the belief investors have...

Country Archer Jerky Co eyes the conventional & convenience channels following second capital raise

01-Aug-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

With another infusion of investor funds, Country Archer Jerky Co. is set to make the leap from the natural channel where it is thriving into the conventional and convenience channels, which the CEO says are wide-open for better-for-you snacks such as...

Good Food Institute, NMPF, to FDA: Give the industry some clarity on plant ‘milk’ labeling

31-Jul-2017 By Elaine Watson

The FDA – which has continued to maintain radio silence over plant-based ‘milk’ labeling despite mounting frustration from stakeholders – should clarify its position in the face of increasing commercial, legal and political pressure, says the Good Food...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Can duck become the dark horse of animal proteins?

28-Jul-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

When it comes to eating meat in the US, chicken, without a doubt, is the main attraction with Americans consuming an average of 91 pounds last year – that is nearly double the roughly 50 pounds of pork and 55 pounds of beef consumed in the same period,...

Daiya Foods CEO on selling to Otsuka: ‘The entire senior leadership team is staying on… our job is just beginning’

28-Jul-2017 By Elaine Watson

Daiya Foods has carved out an enviable slice of the fast-growing plant-based foods market since its 2008 launch, but did not attract the valuation it was looking for when it first explored a sale in 2014/15. Fast forward to 2017, however, and its value...

Protein2o raises $4m, attracts ex-Gatorade execs to support ‘explosive’ growth

25-Jul-2017 By Elaine Watson

Protein2o – a rapidly-growing brand of flavored waters infused with electrolytes and 15g of whey protein – has completed a $4m capital raise and attracted two high-profile ex-Gatorade executives as its president and chairwoman after a year of “explosive”...

New qualified health claim for macadamia nuts shows FDA’s evolving stance on dietary fat

25-Jul-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

FDA’s decision to greenlight a qualified health claim connecting macadamia nuts to the reduced risk of heart disease despite the ingredient’s saturated fat content suggests the agency may give manufacturers a little slack to make health claims as long...

Social aspects of grilling create year-round marketing opportunities for brands, retailers, Acosta finds

25-Jul-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

For many Americans grilling is more than a means to put dinner on the table – it is a way to celebrate special occasions and everyday joys with friends, family and neighbors – creating an extended marketing opportunity for brands and retailers alike,...

The ready meal category is ripe for growth and likely will pull consumers from meal kits and frozen

20-Jul-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

The ready meal category in the US is set to explode in part as a natural evolution of the meal kit craze that taught consumers how to cook healthy, fresh food at home, but which still ultimately takes more time than many people have daily, according to...

Consumer demands placing more pressure on flavor, texture of sports nutrition products

19-Jul-2017 By Hank Schultz

Flavor innovation is usually seen as a key component of food product development and of less concern for supplements.  But as sports nutrition brands seek competitive advantages and to bring in fringe, lifestyle-type consumers, flavors are taking center...

Bonafide Provisions expands the reach and appeal of bone broth with Drinkable Veggies

19-Jul-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

As recently as two years ago, bone broth was virtually unheard of by the masses, but now it is seemingly everywhere with newcomers crowding the category and pushing early players such as Bonafide Provisions to innovate to stay ahead of the competition. 

Researchers answer whether a low-fat or low-carb diet is more successful for weight loss

17-Jul-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

The long-raging debate over whether cutting carbs or cutting fat is a better way lose weight is a false dichotomy, according to new research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that found successfully shedding pounds is less about...

thinkThin continues double-digit growth, prepares to unveil ‘breakthrough protein snack’

17-Jul-2017 By Elaine Watson

Household penetration of protein bars has continued to increase as more retailers have moved them from the OTC/supplement aisles to the main snack bar fixtures, prompting shoppers to ‘trade up’ from sugary cereal bars to higher protein, lower sugar nutrition...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: How hemp is overcoming hurdles to become the next superfood star

14-Jul-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

Nutrition-packed, environmentally sustainable and already notoriously well-known – although partly for the wrong reasons – hemp is well positioned to become one of the next big superfood superstars in the US.

Huel jets across the Atlantic to take on Soylent, offering ‘complete nutrition’ and convenience

14-Jul-2017 By Elaine Watson

Food is fun. But not everyone has the time or energy to prepare three nutritionally-balanced meals every day, and brands that do all the hard work for you have big growth potential, claims UK-based Huel, which is making its US debut this summer with “perfectly...

YoFiit adds functional benefits to non-dairy beverage & nutrition bar segments

13-Jul-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

Despite recent innovations and strong sales in the plant-based milk category, many products are low in desirable nutrients and high in unwanted “superfluous ingredients,” such as gums and starches, which leave the category vulnerable to an exodus but...

Lebby Snacks introduces a softer, sweeter chickpea snack to US market

13-Jul-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

Competition in the roasted chickpea snack segment is heating up as more players enter the field, including newcomer Lebby Snacks, which stands apart from the others by offering a soft and chewy – but still roasted – version of the legume rather than the...

Natural channel still accounts for bulk of Paleo product sales, but sales in conventional channels are growing faster, says SPINS

12-Jul-2017 By Adi Menayang

The natural channel may have the largest share of Paleo-positioned products, with US retail sales up 123.4% to $76.8m in the year to May 21, but the conventional channel experienced the most growth, with sales up 218% to $55.8m over the same period, says...

Process that treats whey with gas plasma boosts bioefficiency, developers claim

11-Jul-2017 By Hank Schultz

The differentiation of whey proteins continues with a new offering that claims greater bioefficiency.

$700m deal to buy Pacific Foods will help Campbell Soup 'reinvent the center of the store'

06-Jul-2017 By Elaine Watson

While the $700m price tag is sizeable for a company generating trailing 12-month revenues of $218m, Campbell Soup’s acquisition of Pacific Foods – best known for its shelf-stable plant-based beverages and organic broths and soups – makes strategic sense...

Entomo Farms: 'We’re one of the most recognized [edible insect] brands across the world now'

06-Jul-2017 By Elaine Watson

Canadian bug powder supplier Entomo Farms is still doing most of its business with snack food companies, but VP Darren Goldin – chatting with FoodNavigator-USA at the IFT show - envisions a future where frozen raw insects (as well as the roasted and milled...

VIDEO: Will we need a new regulatory framework for clean (cultured) meat?

30-Jun-2017 By Elaine Watson

Producing ‘clean’ meat by culturing cells – instead of raising or slaughtering animals - is a new frontier in food production, but will it require a new regulatory framework, and what should we call it? Elaine Watson caught up with one food law attorney...

P-nuff peanut puffs eschew added flavors for a crunch that “awakens the senses”

29-Jun-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

When industry vet and trained sports nutritionist and food scientist Juan Salinas created P-nuff Crunch baked peanut snacks he wanted to make a product that wasn’t just “better-for-you” but actually good for you without compromising on taste.

Hain: 'Consumers want nutritious food, plant-based protein, fiber, clean labels and convenience'

Hain Celestial's Cultivate Ventures acquires The Better Bean Company

28-Jun-2017 By Elaine Watson

Hain Celestial’s Cultivate Ventures arm has acquired Portland, OR-based The Better Bean Company - which makes prepared beans and bean dips in chilled deli tubs – for an undisclosed sum.

IFT FOOD EXPO 2017

Riding on popularity of pulses, Puris unveils new branding and ingredient line

28-Jun-2017 By Adi Menayang

Pulse-focused ingredient manufacturer and supplier Puris, formerly known as World Food Processing, debuted its new company name, logo, and direction at this year’s IFT food expo in Las Vegas.

COO: 'We’re in a stable financial position both from an operating point of view and a capital point of view'

Chobani moves beyond Greek with Smooth launch: 'We're a yogurt company, not a Greek yogurt company'

28-Jun-2017 By Elaine Watson

Chobani – which disrupted the US dairy category a decade ago with its Greek yogurt – is now aiming to do the same in the non-Greek segment with the launch of Chobani Smooth, a low fat, mild-tasting blended fruit yogurt with twice the protein, 25% less...

Hampton Creek to enter clean meat market in 2018: 'We are building a multi-species, multi-product platform'

27-Jun-2017 By Elaine Watson

The first commercial product from Hampton Creek’s new clean meat production platform “will likely be in the avian family,” director of cellular agriculture Eitan Fischer told FoodNavigator-USA as the company best known for its work on plant-based proteins...

Passionate paleo followers can fuel brand awareness, sales for compliant packaged products

27-Jun-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

Between 1 to 3 million people in the United States follow the paleo diet, and yet relatively few packaged products comply with the regime – making it a market brimming with potential that once tapped could quickly drive brand awareness and sales, according...

Whole30 certification helps brands boost exposure, sales and shelf space

22-Jun-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

Certifying a product as approved by the popular Whole30 diet is a “pretty intensive” process, according to the diet’s co-creator, but for the few and proud that make the cut, the licensing deal can provide exposure to a fiercely loyal consumer base, boost...

'Lidvolution' gives Sunwarrior competitive edge in crowded protein powder category

20-Jun-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

Three years after Sunwarrior set its protein powder apart from the competition by switching to a smaller, easier to grab and store square tub, it continues to lead the category in innovative packaging with a new collapsible scoop that clicks inside a...

SmashMallow approaching run rate of $25m in 6-12 months, predicts CEO: 'It’s growing exponentially faster than KRAVE'

20-Jun-2017 By Elaine Watson

The SmashMallow snackable marshmallow brand – launched by food & beverage brand incubator Sonoma Brands in August 2016 – is “charging towards a very visible $25m dollar run rate in the next six to 12 months,” with a flurry of new products to come,...

Salt of the Earth lowers sodium in trending meat alternative products

19-Jun-2017 By Adi Menayang

With the growing popularity of plant-based meat alternatives, Israel-based Salt of the Earth tested its sodium reduction ingredient to add umami to such products.

UPDATE

European Court of Justice says purely plant-based products can’t use dairy names

14-Jun-2017 By Jim Cornall

The Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg today announced purely plant-based products cannot, in principle, be marketed with designations such as ‘milk’, ‘cream’, ‘butter’, ‘cheese’ or ‘yogurt’, which are reserved by EU law for animal products.

Biena raises $3.75m to fuel chickpea snacks empire; unveils plan to 'reinvent what a chocolate snack can be'

14-Jun-2017 By Elaine Watson

Boston-based Biena has raised $3.75m to expand its chickpea-fueled snacking empire from a series of high profile investors as it prepares to roll out its first major line extension: chocolate coated roasted chickpeas, new territory for pulse-based snacks,...

Attorney: ‘Slapping another undefined term on packages that could be attacked legally’ is risky

'GoCleanLabel certified' scheme rolls out, but what does it mean?

13-Jun-2017 By Elaine Watson

A new 'clean label' certification scheme has been launched in the US market as the concept of ‘clean’ eating continues to gain traction. But will CPG brands embrace the ‘Go Clean Label Certified’ logo, and are there risks to using a term that...

A tale of two plant ‘milk’ lawsuits: Court stays Whitewave lawsuit, but dubs near-identical case vs Blue Diamond as ‘patently implausible’ and throws it out

Court stays Whitewave almondmilk lawsuit: 'Whether plant-based 'milk' should be deemed an 'imitation' fits squarely within the FDA’s authority

12-Jun-2017 By Elaine Watson

A lawsuit alleging Silk almondmilk is falsely advertised as nutritionally equivalent to dairy milk has been stayed by a judge on primary jurisdiction grounds, while a near-identical case filed by the same law firm over Almond Breeze has been thrown out...

Enzymes key to improving plant-protein stability, study finds

09-Jun-2017 By Niamh Michail

Plant protein uptake is still being hampered by poor solubility and limited functionality, but the right kind of enzymes can boost stability and foaming properties, say Finnish researchers.