Sweeteners (intense, bulk, polyols)

DGAC: Public and private sectors must work together to achieve a population-wide culture of health

Dietary Guidelines for Americans should factor in sustainability, says DGAC report

19-Feb-2015 By Elaine Watson

The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) – an panel of experts tasked with developing recommendations about what Americans should eat – has submitted its report to the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA),...

Life in the food court: ‘Some people bring cases that are legally and factually cognizable, but are stupid’

19-Feb-2015 By Elaine Watson

There have been more than 200 class action lawsuits filed against food and beverage companies over allegedly deceptive labeling since 2012, 60 of which have been dismissed at various stages, and 25 of which have been settled, but none have yet gone to...

Consumers increasingly claim to avoid sweeteners, but purchasing behavior says otherwise

18-Feb-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Before manufacturers reformulate food and beverages in response to consumers’ increasing claims about avoiding sweeteners, they should double check shoppers’ purchasing habits, which betray a different truth, according to new Nielsen and Mintel Consulting...

Meet the CEOs of KRAVE, Health Warrior, Fruigees, HUMAN and Barnana

What are the hottest snacking trends – and companies - to watch in 2015?

17-Feb-2015 By Elaine Watson

With the percentage of energy derived from snacks in the American diet doubling since the late 1970s, the pressure is on to make those snacking calories count. But what is a healthy snack, and are the boundaries between snacks and meals blurring as consumers...

Mondelēz to exit retailers that rejected price hikes

12-Feb-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Mondelēz International will withdraw from certain retail customers in Europe that have refused chocolate price hikes. 

Beverage trend watching panel highlights: ‘Sugar has become a major concern for American consumers’

11-Feb-2015 By Elaine Watson

From the steady decline of carbonates to the dramatic rise of energy, the prospects for Keurig Cold and how 7-Eleven evaluates new products, our beverage trend-watching panel debate covered a lot of ground. Here are some of the highlights from the 40-minute...

Tate & Lyle shares take £400m hit after profit warning

09-Feb-2015 By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

Nearly £400m (€538m) was wiped from Tate & Lyle’s stock value on Friday after it issued its third profit warning in a year.

Hear from the CEOs of Mamma Chia, HonestTea, KeVita, KonaRed, Vertical Water, and Reed's

Beverage CEO debate highlights: Chris Reed’s ‘have my cake and eat it’ plan, & Seth Goldman’s Bermuda triangle

09-Feb-2015 By Elaine Watson

From the impact of the Safeway Albertsons deal to dubious alcohol levels in kombucha, the CEOs in our beverage entrepreneurs debate on Feb 4 did not hold back. Here are some of the highlights from our 60-minute session, which is now available on demand as...

Watch our beverage innovation summit on demand!

05-Feb-2015 By Elaine Watson

Missed some of the presentations or debates in our beverage innovation summit? No problem, they are all available on demand to registered delegates.

Pure Circle targets Kenyan smallholders in stevia production drive

04-Feb-2015 By Mark ASTLEY

Pure Circle is close to signing an agreement with the Kiambu County Government that will see them work together to boost stevia crop production in the Kenyan region. 

Join us today at the Beverage Innovation Summit

04-Feb-2015 By Elaine Watson

Are you interested in what's happening in beverages? Well today is your lucky day!

Stevia First expanding fermentation technology to ingredients beyond steviol glycosides

03-Feb-2015 By Hank Schultz

Stevia First Corp, producer of a fermentation-based steviol glycoside ingredient, is moving its technology beyond its namesake high intensity sweetener into new ranges of functional ingredients that the company is billing as “geroprotectors.”

Mid-calorie soda gamble: Pepsi True hits test markets in Denver, Minneapolis and Washington, D.C

28-Jan-2015 By Elaine Watson

PepsiCo is rolling out its mid-calorie cola Pepsi True at selected retailers in Denver, Minneapolis and Washington, D.C. following a soft launch on Amazon to assess demand.

One week to go! Join us at the Beverage Innovation Summit on February 4

28-Jan-2015 By Elaine Watson

Will Pepsi True & Coca-Cola Life revitalize the cola market, or are today’s more demanding and sophisticated consumers looking for more than refreshment and ‘no-artificial’ claims from their beverage calories these days?

Industry disagreement could delay a national honey standard

27-Jan-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Disagreement about what a potential standard for honey in the U.S. should include could hinder industry efforts to convince FDA to reverse its long-standing position that such a standard is unnecessary, according to a food and drug lawyer. 

SPECIAL FEATURE: So Soylent secures $20m… Money well spent?

26-Jan-2015 By Elaine Watson

While uncharitable observers have described Soylent as “only slightly more appealing than an IV bag”, news that the LA-based food substitute firm has just secured $20m in funding and is now generating “millions of dollars per month in subscription revenues”...

Hear from Honest Tea, KonaRed, KeVita, Bolthouse Farms, Core Power, 7-Eleven...

What's hot, what's not, what's next? Introducing the FoodNavigator-USA & BeverageDaily Beverage Innovation Summit

23-Dec-2014 By Elaine Watson

Diet soda is in a funk, while 'real sugar' is back in vogue. Energy is hot, but caffeine is still controversial. Maple water is bang-on-trend, but will it really become the next coconut water? 

GLG Life Tech unveils new stevia variety with higher natural Reb A content

22-Dec-2014 By Hank Schultz

GLG Life Tech Corporation has announced another milestone in its effort to breed new cultivars of the stevia plant. The company has developed a variety that expresses higher levels of Rebaudioside A, or Reb A, the most commercially important stevia fraction...

Is low GI too complicated for consumers?

22-Dec-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

As pressure on the food industry to reduce sugar in products increases, is the science behind that reduction getting lost?

In-depth on carbonates with Euromonitor International

Want your fizz back? Get into the water aisle, go retro and hit new day parts, say experts

18-Dec-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Carbonates will never return to the buzz of the 80s but beverage makers can inject life back into the category from side-stepping into the water aisle to bottling up retro-style or moving into new day parts, says Euromonitor International.  

Patent watch: Calcium-rich acid whey has potential in functional beverages, says inventor

17-Dec-2014 By Elaine Watson

Acid whey - a byproduct of Greek yogurt production that has been causing headaches for manufacturers - could be transformed “from a liability into an asset”, says a dairy scientist who has filed a patent covering beverages that cash in on acid whey’s...

The biggest rise was in products making non-GMO or GMO-free claims

Non-GMO, gluten-free, Kosher, vegan, all-natural… What can we learn from claims made on new products in the US in 2014?

15-Dec-2014 By Elaine Watson

Non-GMO, Kosher, gluten-free, ethical, environmentally-friendly, lactose-free, vegan, no additives/preservatives, and on-the-go claims are all gaining more traction on US food labels; while growth in ‘all-natural’- antioxidant- and low/no/reduced sugar/sodium/fat...

GLG unveils Reb C breakthrough: 'An astounding leap forward in the natural, non-GMO agronomic development of historically scarcer steviol glycosides'

11-Dec-2014 By Elaine Watson

Vancouver-based GLG Life Tech has developed a new variety of stevia containing “remarkably high” levels of Reb C glycosides, which it claims could “revolutionize the global food and beverage industry’s ability to utilize naturally-sourced Reb C”.

Monsanto exec: GMOs are not the Holy Grail. What they are is an important tool if used properly

08-Dec-2014 By Elaine Watson

Genetically engineered crops are not a magic bullet and some weeds have become resistant to the herbicide glyphosate (RoundUp) used with selected GM crops, said Monsanto’s chief technology officer Dr Robert Fraley in a debate on Wednesday. But that doesn’t...

Reformulating dairy with stevia should be about overall calorie counting – not a fat-sugar divide: PureCircle

08-Dec-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Next year will be the year of dairy for stevia launches, PureCircle says as it launches a stevia ingredient specifically formulated for the category.

SPECIAL EDITION 2014, BEVERAGE SWEETENER INNOVATION

Stevia sweetness + new health benefits: Mintel analyst sees future potential

05-Dec-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Mintel says the presence of nutritionally beneficial compounds could see stevia-based sweeteners of the future that combine functional benefits as well as calorie-free sweetness.

SPECIAL EDITION 2014, BEVERAGE SWEETENER INNOVATION

PureCircle claims ‘huge step forward’ with first category specific stevia launch for dairy

04-Dec-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

PureCircle has launched a new stevia blend called Sigma-D to target non-fermented, sweetened dairy drinks and other dairy products in what it says is a breakthrough category specific launch.

SPECIAL EDITION 2014, BEVERAGE SWEETENER INNOVATION

BioVittoria CEO cites Zevia, claims a ‘lot of interest’ in monk fruit, stevia blends

04-Dec-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

David Thorrold, CEO of the world’s largest monk fruit extract supplier BioVittoria insists the sweetener can complement rival stevia to achieve a better-tasting product – as the experience of successful zero-calorie US soft drinks brand Zevia shows.

Talenti revenues are set to reach $120m this year

Unilever deal creates an ‘unprecedented opportunity’ to expand our footprint, says Talenti gelato CEO

02-Dec-2014 By Elaine Watson

Becoming part of a global company will give best-selling gelato & sorbet brand Talenti an “unprecedented opportunity to grow and expand its footprint”, says the Minneapolis-based company, which has been snapped up by Unilever for an undisclosed sum.

Settlement fund in stevia deceptive marketing lawsuit alleging Truvia is not ‘natural’ rises to $6.1m

02-Dec-2014 By Elaine Watson

A court in Hawaii has approved a settlement between Cargill and a series of plaintiffs alleging it misled shoppers by marketing its Truvia consumer products (which contain stevia extract Reb-A and erythritol) as ‘natural’.

Rabobank: Agri commodity prices expected to trend lower or remain stable in 2015

01-Dec-2014 By Elaine Watson

Agri commodity process will trend lower or remain stable in 2015, predicts Rabobank, which says favorable growing season conditions through 2014 coupled with moderate consumption growth have improved stocks of crops including soybeans, corn and cocoa.

JK Sucralose: We agree with Tate & Lyle, the behavior of some sucralose manufacturers is ‘suicidal’

01-Dec-2014 By Elaine Watson

JK Sucralose - which claims to be the largest sucralose manufacturer in China - has weighed into the debate over sucralose pricing raised by market leader Tate & Lyle.

Coca-Cola cashes in on health-conscious consumers paying more for less

24-Nov-2014 By Elizabeth Crawford

The Coca-Cola Company is making bank on consumers who are willing to pay more for less soda in the name of health and wellness. 

‘Robust’ evidence for GM crop benefits, says meta-analysis

21-Nov-2014 By Nathan Gray

Genetically modified crops offer ‘large and significant’ benefits in both developed and developing countries, according to a new meta-analysis.

General Mills settles ‘100% natural’ Nature Valley lawsuit; does not admit liability

19-Nov-2014 By Elaine Watson

General Mills has agreed that it will not use the term ‘100% natural’ to describe Nature Valley bars that contain certain ‘artificially produced’ ingredients in order to settle a long-running false advertising lawsuit*.

Most beverage ads targeting kids still promote sugar and caffeine, not health, says report

19-Nov-2014 By Elaine Watson

American children were exposed to significantly fewer TV ads for sugary drinks in 2013 compared with 2011. But not every soda giant got the memo, says a new report, which claims that children aged 2-11 saw 29% more TV ads for PepsiCo sugary drinks in...

Synthetic biology pioneers team up to create 'powerhouse in yeast fermentation technologies'

Evolva to expand microbial fermentation empire with acquisition of Allylix

18-Nov-2014 By Elaine Watson

Evolva - the Swiss ‘synthetic biology’ company developing stevia, vanillin, and other ingredients via microbial fermentation - is to acquire San Diego-based Allylix to create a “true powerhouse in yeast-based fermentation technologies”.

Tate & Lyle: We cannot see how we - or frankly anyone else - can make any money out of sucralose at these prices

12-Nov-2014 By Elaine Watson

Up until relatively recently, sucralose was a key profit driver at Tate & Lyle. But as the Chinese have added production capacity, CEO Javed Ahmed told analysts this week that he was struggling to see “how we or frankly anyone else can make any money”...

EU backs bid for national bans on GM crops

11-Nov-2014 By Nathan Gray

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have voted to allow individual countries within the EU to ban the cultivation of genetically modified food crops on their soil, even if the EU has already approved them for wider cultivation.

Growth in “No HFCS” claims is slowing as taste and price continue to be key consumer concerns

11-Nov-2014 By Stephen DANIELLS

Food manufacturers understand that “No HFCS” claims are not resonating with consumers, suggests data from Mintel and Nielsen.

Live from Gulfood Manufacturing 2014

Cargill Foods launches commercial operation for METNA

09-Nov-2014 By Jenny Eagle

Cargill Foods has launched a commercial operation for METNA (Middle East, Turkey & North Africa) to operate under one business sector.

Senomyx: ‘We have identified natural sweeteners that are more potent than Rebaudioside A’

07-Nov-2014 By Elaine Watson

Senomyx has identified novel natural sweeteners “that are more potent than Rebaudioside A [the best-known sweetening component from the stevia leaf]”, according to president and CEO John Poyhonen.

Coca-Cola Life goes nationwide, but Coke silent on report claiming it has ‘an undeniable hit on its hands’

06-Nov-2014 By Elaine Watson

Stevia-and-sugar-sweetened Coca-Cola Life is rolling out nationwide this month following trials in The Fresh Market stores in four US states. But Coca-Cola has declined to comment on a new report claiming that it has already proved to be an “undeniable...

Berkeley’s soda tax opens door for similar measures nationwide

05-Nov-2014 By Elizabeth Crawford

Mixed outcomes in California on measures to tax sugary drinks show such controversial initiatives can succeed, but it will not be easy. 

Guiding Stars: How can consumers cut down on added sugar if it’s not listed on food labels?

04-Nov-2014 By Elaine Watson

Given that the Dietary Guidelines urge Americans to reduce calorie intakes from added sugar, helping them identify foods that actually contain it by listing it on the Nutrition Facts panel seems like a no-brainer, says nutritional ranking system Guiding...

FDA rejects calls for aspartame ban: ‘No new credible scientific evidence has been presented’

04-Nov-2014 By Elaine Watson

The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has rejected two citizen’s petitions urging it to ban the use of aspartame as a food additive, arguing that neither presented any credible scientific data that would warrant a change of policy on the zero-calorie...

Pepsi’s 'homemade' SodaStream test: Sales trickle or treat?

27-Oct-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

As PepsiCo inks a deal with SodaStream to test launch its brands on the platform, Euromonitor analyst Jonas Feliciano says demand for such Pepsi-branded products is ‘debatable’.

Do zero-calorie sweeteners increase diabetes risk?

27-Oct-2014 By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

“Artificial sweeteners may boost diabetes risk” ran the headline in the New York Times last month – but experts have said to take recent research with a pinch of salt.

Ingredion on Penford deal, gums, bolt-on acquisitions and Non-GMO - a ‘significant niche’

17-Oct-2014 By Elaine Watson

Press coverage of Ingredion’s $340m acquisition of starch & gums maker Penford made much of reducing its reliance on high fructose corn syrup in the light of lackluster soda sales. But HFCS now accounts for just 15% of sales at Ingredion, which has...

San Francisco study associates sugar-sweetened soda with cell aging

16-Oct-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

University of California researchers have warned that regular sugar-sweetened soda drinking could increase the risk of disease development and accelerate cellular aging.