How are the next generation of natural flavors being developed? Elaine Watson caught up with Christian Kopfli, CEO of New Jersey-based FlavorHealth, which is taking high-throughput cell-based screening to the next level to identify novel natural compounds...
In many ways, the conversation about GMOs has been a debate about good versus evil, but ingredient supplier Cargill wants to shift the discussion to one simply about choice – a goal that one executive says can only be achieved if manufacturers and suppliers...
Small brand molly&drew was inspired by a county-fair vendor and is distributed independently to smaller retail chains, independent stores, and gift shops. It’s entering the grocery space with a Meijer deal scheduled for June 2017.
Eliminating gluten from the diet is essential for the estimated 0.7%* of the US population with celiac disease. But consumers avoiding it because they think it reduces their risk of heart disease should think again, according to new research.
General Mills is seeking to patent a new oat variety with more than double the protein of standard cultivated varieties and a more stable fatty acid profile, making the oats less prone to oxidation.
Are your taste buds tickled by the prospect of a food tour of Mexico with Chef Rick Bayless? Or maybe an intensive business strategy session with Presence Marketing CEO Bill Weiland in Barrington Hills, Illinois, is more your thing?
Fruit juice does not warrant a ‘healthy’ food label, says CSPI
There is significant disagreement between key stakeholders over how to define ‘healthy’ on food labels, with added sugar and saturated fat proving the biggest bones of contention, and heated debate over whether fruit juice deserves a ‘healthy’ label.
The quest to rid product labels of phosphates, carrageenan, titanium dioxide, mono- and di-glycerides and other substances gracing food marketers’ ‘unacceptable ingredients’ lists has created new growth opportunities for Fiberstar’s citrus fibers, which...
The clean label movement may have started as industry’s response to consumers who wanted foods and beverages made without artificial or “chemical” sounding ingredients, but overtime as brands continued to one-up each other, the concept morphed and metastasized...
Think clean label just means no artificial ingredients? Think again
Think 'clean label' just means ditching ‘artificial’ ingredients and avoiding anything attracting negative press (warranted or otherwise)? Think again. Today, brands are also questioning whether ‘natural’ flavors, preservatives and sweeteners...
While SmartLabel is still in its relative infancy, manufacturers are flocking to the technology to help them provide the in-depth information that today’s consumers want as part of the clean label movement, but which might not fit on product packaging.
As more shelf-space is dedicated to gluten-free products in the snack and bread aisles, one retired baking industry veteran noticed a void in the in-store bakery section—and it pulled him out of retirement and back to the drawing board.
Researchers baked cookies using Versafibe 1490, a branded resistant starch by Ingredion, and another batch without it. Then they had 28 healthy participants eat either one cookie to compare Versafibe’s effect on postprandial blood glucose levels, and...
To the casual observer, ‘cleaning up’ our food sounds like an eminently sensible thing to do. But where is the clean label trend going, and is ditching every ingredient you can’t pronounce really the key to fixing the ‘broken’ food system (as Panera implies...
In its latest cleanup of its food facility registration database, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has culled an eye-opening 28% of existing registrations. The biggest drops happened in overseas sites.
What is healthy? Comments flood in as FDA docket closes
“If we were looking for an easy answer and widespread agreement on the definition of ‘healthy,’ we didn’t find it [at a public meeting last month],”observed the FDA in a blog post this week. So could it seriously consider banning the word from food labels...
Assuming FDA does not delay the deadline for the new Nutrition Fact label as requested by industry, then large companies have slightly more than a year left to overcome challenges associated with added sugar, the new definition of dietary fiber, changes...
All eyes have been on Whole Foods since activist investors demanded radical action to address its recent “chronic underperformance." But is Albertsons – rumored to be courting the Austin-based retailer – the right suitor?
For years kale has reigned supreme as the go-to superfood for many Americans thanks in part to its relatively low cost, nutrient density, broad accessibility and the plethora of ways to enjoy it from green smoothies to chips to raw salads and stir-fries.
The results of the 2017 FoodNavigator-USA reader survey are in… and not surprisingly, given the breadth of our readership, they’re pretty mixed, with many readers excited about their company’s prospects and others feeling trapped in a race to the bottom...
Curating the National List of non-organic substances that are allowed in products certified as organic is a core responsibility of the National Organic Standards Board, and as such stakeholders will lobby the USDA advisory board to add and delete several...
To increase supply of organic and avoid the financially challenging three-year transition period necessary to convert conventional farm land, some producers are converting native ecosystems to organic farms – a practice that the National Organic Standards...
There will be a management shuffle once US cereal giant Post Holdings has concluded the £1.4bn ($1.76bn) deal for the UK’s 84-year-old cereal business the Weetabix Food Company.
After eight years under the Obama Administration of a “whole lot of fun” for nutrition policy advocates, the next four years under the Trump White House likely will feel like a “swinging pendulum” to the far other extreme, according to a prominent food...
FDA is “listening” to requests “on both ends of the spectrum” related to the upcoming deadline for changes to the Nutrition Facts Label currently slated to go into effect next July for large companies and in July 2019 for smaller firms, according to a...
Ever since coconut water burst on to the US market several years ago, Americans have been enthralled with all things coconut, but while manufacturers are reaping the rewards of the ingredient’s sustained popularity, the farmers and suppliers are not.
As a percentage of the overall grocery retail market, Amazon’s $350m in Q1 grocery sales (annualized – that’s $1.4bn) is pretty small fry. But its mouthwatering 30% year-on year-growth suggests that CPG manufacturers that don’t have a clear strategy for...
‘We have a tremendous opportunity to use our global scale to influence positive change’
PepsiCo has launched an incubator programme to help nurture the ‘best and brightest’ entrepreneurs in the nutrition, health and wellness sectors. Eight ‘breakthrough brands’ will benefit from a €25,000 ($26,500) grant each, and access to experts from...
Two of the biggest hurdles to ending hunger in the US are the lack of consequences for politicians who vote against programs designed to reduce hunger and food insecurity, and misconceptions about who receives the benefits, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) told...
While crickets currently lead the edible insect pack, the grasshopper – which has a whopping 72% protein by dry weight with all the essential amino acids – has just as much potential as a protein source, claims Israeli start-up Hargol FoodTech.
Activist investors led by Jana Partners have acquired 8.3% of Whole Foods’ stock according to an SEC filing, which says Whole Foods must take radical action to address its recent “chronic underperformance."
Health Canada has unveiled proposals to prohibit the use of partially hydrogenated oils - a key source of harmful trans fats in foods - by summer 2018 (aligning with the US deadline) by adding them to the List of Contaminants and Other Adulterating Substances...
Congressional pressure on federal agencies to back down from nutrition policies created under the Obama Administration continues to mount with the standards for school meals now in the cross-hairs.
The herbicide glyphosate is to be added to the list of chemicals known to cause cancer under California's Proposition 65 legislation, which means companies producing products containing residues of the popular herbicide may in future have to feature...
Whether you work in the food and beverage industry or not, by now you must’ve heard the uproar caused by Pepsi’s now taken-down ad featuring teen model (and ‘Kardashian’) Kendall Jenner.
The number of class action cases filed against food and beverage companies continues to surge with the number of cases brought last year alone reaching a staggering 170, compared to a mere 20 cases in 2008, according to new research released earlier this...
The implementation deadline for the new Nutrition Facts label, which includes a new line indicating added sugars, could be pushed back several years if President Trump’s nominee for FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is confirmed.
Soy, rice and peas still dominate the plant-based protein market, but chickpeas could soon give them all a serious run for their money, predicts Israeli start-up CHiCK.P, which is seeking a strategic partner to commercialize its patent-pending process...
Israeli start-up DouxMatok - which has developed patented technology which effectively makes sugar taste sweeter – has struck a series of joint development agreements with leading food manufacturers and says the first products containing its enhanced...
While President Trump’s nominee for USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue breezed through his Senate Agriculture Committee confirmation hearing late last month, he could face a long delay before the full Senate can consider his nomination. But that isn’t stopping...
An FDA-issued alert from frozen dessert brand Dream reiterating that some of its products contain traces of milk also warns other plant-based product manufacturers that they may need to go beyond legally mandated allergen warnings when it comes to dairy...
Known for its ancient grain and gluten-free granolas, Purely Elizabeth aims to expand distribution and will test the waters of mushroom-powered granola bars this summer, thanks in part to a minority investment of $3mn from General Mills’ 301 INC.
Working alongside members of Congress, hunger relief organizations and industry trade groups to package meals for the hungry and food insecure, executives at Kraft Heinz are not wasting any time in fulfilling the company’s recently expanded corporate...
The world is getting fatter and unhealthier - are smaller portions and diet drinks really going to help when they sit next to full-sugar, supersized products? Is it time to tax or is industry doing enough? Catch the highlights from our live debate.
The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) has launched legal action against several US biscuit manufacturers and retailers for allegedly failing to warn consumers about the high levels of acrylamide (AA) in their products.
A new Whole Grain Stamp from Oldways Whole Grains Council gives manufacturers another tool to standout on store shelves and tap into consumers’ rising interest in products made with whole grains, and in particular ancient grains.
A trio of government agencies will work together in the next five years to improve methods for pinpointing the source of foodborne illness outbreaks as part of ongoing analytic efforts to improve food safety, according to a new strategic plan released...
If anyone is doubting protein’s staying power as a sought-after call-out on packaged products, let the growth of Powerful Yogurt (soon to be just Powerful) be an indicator.
