Proteins

11th hour reprieve from the courts or from Congress increasingly unlikely

Bounty hunters could come after you from day one if you are not compliant with Vermont GMO labeling law, warns attorney

15-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

Private litigants, or so-called ‘bounty hunters’, may start targeting food manufacturers over alleged violations of Vermont’s new GMO labeling law from day one (July 1), lawyers at Hogan Lovells have warned.

US volumes of pulses surge 8% in 2015, outpacing overall fresh food growth of 1%

15-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

Volumes of pulses (defined as leguminous crops - beans, peas, chickpeas, lentils - harvested for dry grains) surged 8% in the US in 2015, while overall volumes of fresh food (retail, foodservice, institutional channels combined) grew by a more modest...

Many toddlers eat as much sodium, added sugar as recommended limit for adults, research shows

14-Apr-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Parents’ lack of knowledge about how much and what to feed children as they transition from baby food to more solid foods means most toddlers in America eat too much sugar and sodium and not enough whole grains and vegetables, new research reveals. 

Which high-protein ready to drink beverages taste the best?

14-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

New research from DuPont Nutrition & Health exploring what drives liking in ready to drink high-protein beverages – a $2.7bn category in the US – revealed that products combining dairy and soy protein performed the best on taste, while 25g of protein...

PurisPea pea protein receives GRAS confirmation from FDA

13-Apr-2016 By Adi Menayang

The Food and Drug Administration has no objection to the Generally Recognized as Safe status of World Food Processing’s ingredient PurisPea. Will its application in food and beverage grow from here?

High-protein diet better for weight loss and improving mobility, says study

13-Apr-2016 By Will Chu

A high-protein diet can help obese older adults lose weight and improve physical function compared with a regular weight loss regimen, according to a new study.

Aspire Food Group: Right now, our goal is simply to make eating insects – in any form – ‘normal’

13-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

If the edible insect movement is to meaningfully impact the protein market (and the planet) by displacing less sustainable animal-derived protein sources (beef, poultry, dairy), cricket companies will have to move beyond snacks into the center of the...

Tiny Farms gears up for its first harvest: 'We're going to transform the economics of cricket-farming'

13-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

Tiny Farms – which has spent the past three years researching feed formulation, habitat engineering, farm automation and management software to drive scale and lower costs in insect production – has finally completed work on its own pilot bug farm in...

Chr. Hansen’s new culture helps manufacturers offer premium cheese on a budget

12-Apr-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Today’s shoppers are demanding higher quality cheeses with new flavors and convenient formats, but often are unwilling to pay the higher prices necessary to cover the added cost of innovation – placing manufacturers between a rock and a hard place. 

USDA wants to strengthen animal welfare rules under the organic standard

11-Apr-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

A proposed regulation that would strengthen and clarify organic animal welfare standards would align consumers’ expectations with production practices and improve their confidence in the organic seal, according to USDA.

Walmart & Otis Spunkmeyer join cage-free egg movement in the US

06-Apr-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Retail giant Walmart and baked sweets manufacturer Otis Spunkmeyer join the swelling ranks of companies switching to cage-free eggs, but both are doing so cautiously with long timelines that likely take into account concerns about potential supply shortages...

Entomo Farms rides the edible insects wave: ‘Things really exploded for us in 2015’

06-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

2015 was a difficult year for some in the embryonic edible insect ingredients business, with Big Cricket Farms suspending activities due to water supply problems and All Things Bugs facing significant challenges. However, Ontario, Canada-based Entomo...

VMG Partners & TerraVia launch algae-fueled investment vehicle TerraBrands

05-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

It is only a matter of time before microalgae becomes a mainstream food ingredient, predict the founders of TerraBrands, a new partnership between private equity firm VMG Partners and microalgae specialist TerraVia (formerly known as Solazyme).

Bone broth pioneers level-up with new branding, packaging that will elevate category overall

05-Apr-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

As the nascent bone-broth category comes into its own, early pioneers in the space are rebranding with professionally polished packaging that communicates their products’ benefits and points of differentiation to better take advantage of the segment’s...

Caveman Foods CEO: There should be a Paleo set in every store

05-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

Though not everyone is convinced that the dietary rot set in once we stopped hunting and gathering and started to grow crops and raise animals for food, there’s no doubt that the ‘Paleo’ diet is gaining traction, and Caveman Foods – the brainchild of...

NY start-up unveils the ultimate plant-based protein snack: BRAMI lupini beans

04-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

Lupini beans have a nutritional profile to die for. The problem is, most Americans have never heard of them. But that could change rapidly if the New York based entrepreneur behind BRAMI snacking beans gets his way.

'We want to be clear what we stand for and ‘all-natural’ is not clear'

Good Food Made Simple to transition to organic: 'We want to be clear what we stand for, and ‘all-natural’ is not clear'

04-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

Good Food Made Simple – one of a new wave of companies on a mission to revitalize the frozen food aisle - is transitioning its burritos and wraps to a 'made with organic ingredients' platform and ditching the much maligned term ‘all-natural’...

Dear North salmon bites presents Alaska’s “untold story”

01-Apr-2016 By Adi Menayang

In a category that is dominated by ruggedness, Dear North aims to embody a pervasive delicate, hospitable, and warm culture of Alaska in the form of tender and nutrient-dense smoked salmon.

Expo West 2016

Granola and healthy children’s products are bright spots in cereal category, Barbara’s says

30-Mar-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

It is no secret that the cereal aisle is struggling with Euromonitor estimating a 19% drop in sales in 2015 compared to 10 years earlier and a projection to lose another $1 billion in sales in the next 10 years. 

Pulmuone taking over Vitasoy USA

29-Mar-2016 By Jim Cornall

Pulmuone Foods has announced its agreement to purchase substantially all of the assets of Vitasoy USA.

PepsiCo takes Quaker into breakfast snack bars market

29-Mar-2016 By Vince Bamford

PepsiCo has extended its Quaker brand snacks bars into the US breakfast market with Quaker Breakfast Flats.

Expo West 2016

Safe Catch entices consumers back to canned tuna category with low mercury product

28-Mar-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Despite doctors’ recommendations to eat more fish for its many health benefits, many consumers steer clear of tuna – an affordable, sustainable source of omega-3s and beneficial nutrients because they are worried about mercury. 

Expo West 2016

Wilde Snacks helps trailblaze nascent meat bar category with baking innovation

28-Mar-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Wilde Snacks’ entrance into the nascent meat bar segment promises to “turn the category upside down” with a revolutionary baking process that offers a healthier finished product and potential for near endless new flavor combinations, according to the...

KRAVE Jerky general manager: We could be a $500m brand

28-Mar-2016 By Elaine Watson

KRAVE – the upmarket jerky brand that helped to spearhead a renaissance at the premium end of the meat snacking category – could be a $500m brand “very quickly”, claims new chief executive Shane Chambers, who took the helm following the departure of founder...

High protein diet has 'intriguing' double benefit of weight loss & improved sleep: Study

25-Mar-2016 By Will Chu

Consuming a high-protein diet while dieting may improve sleep in overweight and obese adults, according to a new research.

ADM flavor creation facility in Cranbury, NJ built for collaborative innovation

25-Mar-2016 By Elaine Watson

ADM has opened a new flavor creation, application and customer service facility in Cranbury, New Jersey designed to help customers work collaboratively with ADM’s flavorists, mint specialists, and application technologists on product development. 

Amazon for ingredients: New e-commerce platform rolls out with transparency and factory-direct pricing

23-Mar-2016 By Stephen Daniells

Ingredientsonline.com is promising to change the industry by allowing manufacturers in the US to purchase raw materials directly from overseas factories, providing considerable cost and time savings.

Expo West 2016

Could the launch of Nut Butter Filled CLIF Bars usher in a new era for the category?

23-Mar-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Clif Bar – a company that helped transition the bar category from strictly slick slabs of finely blended ingredients to one with products made from recognizable grains and inclusions that more closely resembled real food – is at it again with a new line...

Expo West 2016

From crunchy coated olives to chips from beans and veggies, savory snacks abound at Expo West

21-Mar-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

With sugar reduction in full swing, the sales opportunity in the salty snacks category is growing fast to the tune of 3.7% annually with a projected $22 billion in sales in the US in 2015, according to a recent Packaged Facts report. And innovative manufacturers...

CFSAF: 'Gen Mills was forced to make decision because of Senate’s failure to act'

General Mills and Mars to roll out GMO labeling nationwide as Vermont deadline looms: 'We can’t label our products for only one state'

21-Mar-2016 By Elaine Watson

It was prompted by pragmatism, rather than an ideological shift, but General Mills and Mars have resolved to roll out GMO labeling nationwide as Congress has proved unable to hammer out a federal solution that all stakeholders can get behind before new...

B2B is where the smart money is in subscription snacks, says SnackNation: 'Millennials expect to have free snacks in the office'

21-Mar-2016 By Elaine Watson

Remember when food and drink in the office amounted to a vending machine in the basement spewing candy and soda? While this is still the norm in many workplaces, the landscape is changing rapidly as a generation of young people now expect employers to...

Full of beans: Banza chickpea pasta now in 2,000+ stores... 'It’s been a wild ride!'

18-Mar-2016 By Elaine Watson

Unlike some of the more esoteric products at Expo West, Banza chickpea pasta is aimed squarely at mainstream consumers who are looking for more protein and fiber in their pasta, but are not prepared to compromise on taste or texture (no mush). 

Expo West 2016

Bean pasta category emerges to meet demand for high-protein, fiber-packed and gluten free options

18-Mar-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Ongoing interest in products that are gluten free and better for you are colliding with the international push to celebrate 2016 as the year of the pulse to create a burgeoning category of pasta created from legumes rather than more traditional wheat...

Expo West 2016

YouBar platform makes mass customization a reality, says CEO: 'We have no minimum order quantities'

18-Mar-2016 By Elaine Watson

Whether it’s a mug with your beloved pet’s picture on it, or a bespoke set of placeholders for a party you’ve ordered online, consumers love to design their own products these days. But how can mass customization work in the food industry, where minimum...

Whey, pea protein suppliers team up for line of functional proteins aimed at sports nutrition

17-Mar-2016 By Hank Schultz

For sports nutrition blending proteins to achieve customized delivery profiles is the big trend, and two companies, one from the plant world and the other from the animal kingdom, have joined forces to bring new ingredients to market.

Mintel GNPD data: 15.7% of new US food/bev products made non-GMO claims in 2015 vs 2.8% in 2012

17-Mar-2016 By Elaine Watson

Organic and Non-GMO claims are both gaining strong traction on US food and beverage labels, while there has been a slight decline in the percentage of new launches featuring 'natural' claims, according to Mintel.

Expo West 2016

Beyond Meat to unveil 'the first plant-based burger that will be placed in the meat counter'

16-Mar-2016 By Elaine Watson

Beyond Meat – the California-based maker of plant-based ‘meat’ – is preparing to test market what it claims is “the first plant-based burger that will be placed in the meat counter”, according to executive chairman Seth Goldman.

Durham Ranch: Bison demand surges as formats of meat products diversify

15-Mar-2016 By Adi Menayang

Once popular mainly among the food-service industry’s experimental chefs, bison demand grows as meat products from protein bars to bone broth compete for consumers.

Expo West 2016

The number of bites, not calories, influences satiety, Enjoy Life Foods CMO says

15-Mar-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Research showing the repetition of taking multiple bites is more satiating than one piece or bite regardless of the calorie-count is what inspired Enjoy Life Food to develop mini versions of its popular full-sized soft and crunchy cookies and to launch...

Solazyme rebrands as TerraVia, raises $28m as part of plan to focus on food, nutrition, personal care: 'We’re redefining the future of food'

11-Mar-2016 By Elaine Watson

Microalgae ingredients pioneer Solazyme has unveiled plans to spin off its industrial products division and focus exclusively on food, feed and personal care, under a new name: TerraVia.

Expo West 2016

New mini Zing Bars fill underserved demand for smaller snacks for smaller people, CEO says

11-Mar-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Individually wrapped snacks and bars have revolutionized how busy Americans eat by offering on-the-go convenience, but their current, standard size range also could offer too many calories, suggests the CEO of Zing Bars.

New products gallery (beverages): NÜMOO enters super-premium nut milk category, DRINKmaple prepares to unleash DRINKmelon

11-Mar-2016 By Elaine Watson

From high pressure processed (HPP) pistachio milks to probiotic-packed juices and elixirs, check out FoodNavigator-USA’s latest gallery of new beverages hitting US shelves - many of which are on show at Expo West (so we've added the booth numbers...

All Things Bugs unveils new GrioPro cricket protein brand

10-Mar-2016 By Elaine Watson

Edible insect expert All Things Bugs has unveiled a new brand name for its cricket powder: GrioPro (based on grillo – Spanish for cricket; and Pro for protein), which it claims opens up a broader variety of application opportunities for food & beverage...

Powder, nutrition bar provider consolidates operations to better serve rapidly changing sports nutrition sphere

09-Mar-2016 By Hank Schultz

Nellson Nutraceutical LLC, a nutrition bar and powder provider, has consolidated manufacturing operations at its Anaheim, CA facility. The company has relocated its headquarters there as well, leading to an overall “enhanced capacity,” according to sales...

Plant Based Products Association launches to fuel growth of alternatives to animal-based products

09-Mar-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Manufacturers of meat alternatives, tofu, tempeh, nut milks and vegan dairy replacements have a new champion in their corner and in Washington to help them level a playing field that currently is crowded with animal-based product lobbyists.

Dispatches from Food Vision 2016

Start-ups are inventing the future & big business needs to partner now: Unilever Foundry creator

08-Mar-2016 By Niamh Michail

Start-ups are changing the food industry from trailblazing new ideas to providing new growth models, and both big businesses and small start-ups need to collaborate to innovate. The benefits are mutual, says Jeremy Basset, founder of Unilever’s incubator...

Love The Wild makes preparing fish easier, more sustainable for Americans

08-Mar-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Boulder, Colo.-based startup Love The Wild wants to revolutionize how Americans approach eating fish by making it easier to cook at home and more environmentally sustainable to raise. 

Food, bev & ag startups talk sustainability at FoodBytes! Brooklyn

07-Mar-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Rising food, beverage and agriculture start-ups joined leading retailers, investors and celebrity chefs at Rabobank North America Wholesale's FoodBytes! Brooklyn pitch-slam March 3 to discuss advancing food culture, sustainability and farming. 

Exo secures $4m in financing round led by AccelFoods, plans move beyond cricket bars

07-Mar-2016 By Elaine Watson

It remains to be seen whether edible insects can move from the niche to the mainstream of US food culture, but a $4m cash injection into cricket protein bar brand Exo - one of the pioneers in this nascent category – suggests bugs may have broader appeal...

Sodexo will blend mushrooms into burgers at schools to boost produce consumption

04-Mar-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

The Mushroom Council and Sodexo hope to encourage children to eat more produce by introducing “Blend Burgers” and expanding the Eat Brighter marketing campaign into school cafeterias.