Sweeteners (intense, bulk, polyols)

Finalized FDA evaporated cane juice guidance is not legally binding, says Lifeway Foods

21-Jun-2016 By Elaine Watson

The FDA’s finalized guidance on evaporated cane juice (ECJ) labeling “puts the final nail in the coffin,” of food manufacturers’ defense of the much-maligned term, argues the plaintiff in an ECJ-related lawsuit, while defendant Lifeway Foods insists the...

Little Spoon gives iconic pudding a modern day twist for a novel frozen dessert

09-Jun-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Pudding is no longer a mid-century dessert frozen in time – now it is frozen in freezers for a modern day twist on an iconic treat, thanks to the innovative duo behind the startup little spoon frozen pudding.

Yasso nails everyday indulgence: ‘We are a bright spot in the frozen novelties category’

08-Jun-2016 By Elaine Watson

Five-year-old Yasso – which scored an industry first in spring 2011 with the launch of the first frozen Greek yogurt bars – continues to outpace its deeper-pocketed competitors in the frozen novelties category, driven by a new wave of 'ice-cream-centric'...

ADM and GLG partner to sell stevia and monk fruit sweeteners

07-Jun-2016 By Vince Bamford

Ingredients supplier Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) has partnered with GLG Life Tech Corporation to market stevia and monk fruit sweeteners.

“Stealth health” could be strategy of the past as consumers embrace healthy reformulations

07-Jun-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

New research from market intelligence company CivicScience suggests changing consumer attitudes about healthy eating could mean manufacturers can shed their years-old “stealth health” approach to product reformulation without fear that sodium-, sugar-...

Soylent debuts on Amazon Launchpad: 'We are growing very rapidly'

07-Jun-2016 By Elaine Watson

Soylent will debut this week on Amazon Launchpad as the Los Angeles-based start-up seeks to expand the audience for its ‘neutral-tasting’ but ‘nutritionally complete’ beverages and explore moves into a broader range of products.

New sugar labeling a boon for alternative sweeteners

06-Jun-2016 By Hank Schultz

The added sugars portion of the newly revamped nutrition facts labels for food products will provide a significant opportunity for purveyors of alternative sweeteners, an industry expert says.

Talking Rain (Sparkling ICE) CEO: We had one store in London sell 3,000 bottles in a week

06-Jun-2016 By Elaine Watson

It’s very early days, but initial signs suggests that Sparkling ICE could be a hit in the UK and Ireland, says Kevin Klock, president and CEO at brand owner Talking Rain. 

Truvia brand leader: 'When people see how much added sugar is in their food, I think they are going to be surprised'

03-Jun-2016 By Elaine Watson

US retail sales of sugar substitutes are declining 3-4% year on year as artificial sweeteners continue to lose ground, although products with a more ‘natural’ positioning are growing 4-6%. But will the FDA’s move to include ‘added sugars’ on the Nutrition...

FDA OKs EverSweet GRAS determination, but commercial launch date still to be determined, says Cargill

01-Jun-2016 By Elaine Watson

The FDA has issued a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) no objections letter for EverSweet, Cargill’s hotly-anticipated ‘next-generation’ Reb D and Reb M sweetener – produced via fermentation rather than from the stevia leaf - qualifying it for use in...

Mars Food teams with Partnership for a Healthier America to improve nutrition, transparency in 5 years

27-May-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

To help fight the good fight against the ongoing obesity epidemic in America, Mars Food is teaming with the Partnership for a Healthier America to offer more nutritious foods and increase access to dietary information as part of its aptly named global...

'FDA is no longer recommending that this ingredient be labeled as dried cane syrup'

'Evaporated cane juice' should be declared as 'sugar,' says FDA; get ready for the lawsuits, say attorneys

25-May-2016 By Elaine Watson

The ingredient known as ‘evaporated cane juice’ should instead be declared as ‘sugar’ on food labels, says the FDA in new guidance that attorneys predict will unleash a wave of civil litigation as ECJ-related false advertising cases that had been put...

The First Lady unveils the new Nutrition Facts Label with added sugars included

20-May-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

First Lady Michelle Obama unveiled the long-awaited new Nutrition Facts label as a “landmark achievement” that serves as a capstone to her dedicated efforts to improve the health of America’s youngest generations.

US organic food & beverage sales rose 10.6% to $39.8bn in 2015, says OTA

19-May-2016 By Elaine Watson

US sales of organic food and drink surged 10.6% to $39.8bn in 2015, significantly ahead of the 3% growth in the overall food market, with some segments up more than 30% year-on-year, according to the Organic Trade Association (OTA).

NAS GM crops report will 'provide fodder for friends and foes of GE,' says plant scientist

17-May-2016 By Elaine Watson

There is no evidence that foods from genetically engineered (GE) crops are less safe to eat than their 'conventional' counterparts, according to a new report from The National Academies of Sciences, which will "provide fodder for friends...

What is natural? Over to you, FDA...

10-May-2016 By Elaine Watson

The comment period for the FDA’s probe into ‘natural’ claims has closed, leaving the agency with the unenviable task of sifting through a mammoth pile of submissions from thousands of stakeholders weighing in on the most contentious word in food marketing....

FDA submits final rules on Nutrition Facts panel and serving sizes to OMB

09-May-2016 By Elaine Watson

The FDA has submitted final rules for updating the Nutrition Facts panel and serving sizes to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a regulatory impact analysis. 

Quest Nutrition invites die-hard fans to invent the future at Quest Labs

05-May-2016 By Elaine Watson

When Nick Robinson joined Quest Nutrition in January 2011, it had just sold its first protein bar. “The world didn't know who we were,” he says. “But they were about to.” Five years later, Quest is valued at more than a billion dollars, and Robinson...

Beyonce invests in WTRMLN WTR: 'People are looking for alternatives to high sugar juices'

03-May-2016 By Elaine Watson

A day after Leonardo DiCaprio invested in ‘clean energy’ brand Runa, Beyonce has added some stardust to cold pressed watermelon juice brand WTRMLN WTR, investing an undisclosed sum to take a "meaningful stake" in the three-year-old New York-based...

Analyst: ‘It may be too early to say Pepsi True is a flop, but it’s definitely not a success’

28-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

The 2014 launch of Pepsi True was a low-key affair, so the complete radio silence from the brand ever since could just reflect a desire to keep things that way. Another explanation, of course, is that Pepsi True – like rival Coca-Cola Life – has simply...

GRAS process for evaluating ingredient safety threatens FDA’s mission, Sen. Markey argues

27-Apr-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

The “loose structure” and voluntary process for companies to self-determine if new ingredients are “generally recognized as safe” without required input from FDA undermines the agency’s ability to ensure the US food supply is safe and should be strengthened,...

Hershey acquires barkTHINS: It ‘essentially created a new form of chocolate snacking’

26-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

Ripple Brand Collective - the New York based company behind barkTHINS, a snacking chocolate brand that has ‘taken off like a rocket ship’ since its 2013 launch - has been snapped up by Hershey for an undisclosed sum.

IRI pacesetters: What were the top 10 new product launches in 2015?

21-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

“Exciting and high-end attributes” mark out new products that made the biggest splash in CPG (consumer packaged goods) last year, according to the 2015 New Product Pacesetters report from Chicago-based market researcher IRI.

FDA’s 2016 food agenda prioritizes FSMA, product labeling, GRAS, GMOs

20-Apr-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition is plowing ahead with an ambitious and wide-ranging agenda for the remainder of 2016 without pause after knocking out five final or proposed rules related to food safety and nutrition in just as many...

NOA Potions offers high-end beverages that are like “meditation in a bottle,” founder says

19-Apr-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Recognizing that in today’s on-the-go culture, most people don’t have time to escape to a secluded island to unwind, the founder of NOA Potions created a premium beverage that blends natural herbs to help people relax while improving their focus simultaneously...

Limit certifications on packs to most important to maximize impact

18-Apr-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Product packaging today often is cluttered with so many certifications that consumers’ can’t absorb everything in the brief time they look at labels in stores, and as a result the icons’ impact is diminished and manufacturers likely aren’t getting their...

Vegan and gluten-free ‘Because Cookie Dough’ is fit to eat raw from the tub

18-Apr-2016 By Adi Menayang

With the absence of raw eggs, there's no need to worry about salmonella when eating Because Cookie Dough raw.

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.

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. 

Heavenly Organics' shows "profits can create peace" by providing ethical jobs in conflict areas

08-Apr-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Under cover of darkness, deep in Northern and Central India and the Himalayans, harvesters for Heavenly Organics gently brush away sleeping bees from wild hives to collect the velvety, organic raw white honey that fills the firm’s award-winning confections...

What’s New? Brands grow as consumers eye better-for-you options

01-Apr-2016 By Adi Menayang

As the number of health-conscious consumers increase, so do the number of brands touting a healthier alternative to what’s out there. Here’s an update from brands in this category that we’ve covered before.

Food Preservation

4 strategies for preservative-free food from Grain-Free JK Gourmet

29-Mar-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Retailers and manufacturers that want to meet consumers’ growing demand for food free from preservatives need to rethink their strategies for packing, shipping and stocking products, suggest the husband and wife team behind Grain-Free JK Gourmet. 

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. 

Sugar “unacceptably high” in children’s juices & smoothies and should be reduced, researchers argue

24-Mar-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Parents embracing fruit juices, juice drinks and smoothies for their children because they perceive them as a healthier alternative to sugary sodas is misguided, based on new research that found nearly half of these products marketed to children meet...

Splenda CEO blasts ‘flawed’ Ramazzini research: ‘Sucralose does not cause cancer’

24-Mar-2016 By Elaine Watson

Sucralose “is safe and does not cause cancer, despite what you may have seen in some headlines,” Ted Gelov, the CEO of Splenda brand owner Heartland Consumer Products Group, has insisted in an open letter blasting what he argues is “flawed” data from...

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.

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...

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...

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.

Now it is just a question of 'when' and not 'if'

GLG a step closer to realizing a commercially viable Reb M extract from stevia leaf

14-Mar-2016 By Elaine Watson

Vancouver-based GLG Life Tech has developed a new variety of stevia containing unusually high levels of sought-after steviol glycoside Reb M, a breakthrough it claims is “a very important step to realizing a commercially viable Reb M extract from stevia...

Ultra-processed food makes up majority of American’s diets, despite calls for “clean” foods

10-Mar-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Consumers may talk big game about wanting minimally processed “clean” foods, but new research published in BMJ Open found “ultra-processed foods” make up more than half of the average daily calories consumed in the US. 

Many Americans continue to drink sugary beverages daily, CDC research concludes

02-Mar-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Fewer Americans are reaching for sugar sweetened beverages, but consumption remains high – prompting a call for more aggressive measures to further reduce ingestion, according to new research released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

California judge tosses Chipotle GMO labeling lawsuit

What does non-GMO mean? It depends on the consumer, says judge in Chipotle lawsuit

29-Feb-2016 By Elaine Watson

A California federal court has dismissed a high-profile lawsuit alleging Chipotle falsely advertised its food as non-GMO. And while it has given the plaintiff leave to amend her suit, it has made it clear she will have to come up with a stronger argument...

Dieting is out – find out what is “in” at our Weight Management forum March 16

25-Feb-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Normally about this time of year the airwaves and social media begin to buzz with messages about getting ready for bikini season or offers to help consumers shed the last few stubborn holiday pounds with special diet foods – but increasingly these types...

A new era of sports drinks: health-conscious consumers, functional beverages & entrepreneurial brands

23-Feb-2016 By Rachel Arthur

While functional sports drinks have been used by athletes for decades, a wider range of consumers are now turning to the beverages, according to a report from MyDrink Beverages. 

Consumers more likely to trust iconic brands, but are open to innovative startups, survey shows

19-Feb-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Consumers are more likely to trust iconic brands from large corporations with long track records of consistent performance, but younger, smaller companies can edge out Big Food with meaningful innovation and positive, direct consumer engagement online,...

Controversial study linking sucralose and cancer is published

12-Feb-2016 By Niamh Michail

A study linking the consumption of sucralose and cancer in mice, led by Italian researcher Morando Soffritti, has been published.

Low cal sports nutrition products are big stevia opportunity, Cargill says

11-Feb-2016 By Hank Schultz

The exploding sports nutrition market offers significant opportunity for alternative sweeteners taking stevia and erythritol beyond their applications as food ingredients, said Cargill experts.

More governments will act to restrict soda consumption, but additional progress needed, CSPI says

10-Feb-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

More than half a dozen countries hope to follow Mexico’s successful lead in reducing sugary soda consumption by severely restricting advertising and leveraging heavy excise taxes on the beverages by the end of the year, according to public health advocates. 

Coca-Cola accelerates bottler refranchising plans as it announces full year results

09-Feb-2016 By Rachel Arthur

The Coca-Cola Company has announced it is accelerating its refranchising plans, as part of its efforts to focus on ‘building strong, valuable brands and leading a system of strong bottling partners.’