Big Tree Farms has developed a paler, finer ‘golden’ organic Fair trade coconut sugar that can replace refined white sugar in applications where coarser, darker coconut sugars aren’t ideal, says the company, which has been selling coconut sweeteners for...
Today’s consumers want products that are natural, sustainable and environmentally friendly, but manufacturers hoping to appeal to these values face significant threats from lawsuits alleging greenwashing and evolving regulations and enforcement efforts...
Starting and growing a company is hard – especially in the highly competitive food and beverage industry, but Austin, Texas-based accelerator SKU is tipping the odds of success in favor of entrepreneurs with its “proven blend of mentorship, community,”...
Annie's sales set to reach $400m in fiscal 2017, says president
While some commentators baulked at the $820m General Mills parted with to get its hands on Annie’s, the brand has gone from strength to strength since the deal closed in late October 2014, with sales set to reach $400m this fiscal year, and household...
As the technology around producing steviol glycosides continues to evolve, transparency in labeling will be critical if consumer trust in ‘natural’ sweeteners is to be retained, says PureCircle, which claims to be the “clear market leader in terms of...
Growing awareness of the powerful health benefits of mushrooms as well as increasing demand for their rich umami flavor, is quickly elevating the ingredient from the lowly status of the occasional pizza topping or meat substitute for vegetarians to one...
Bars, beverages, meat snacks—as the conventional protein segments crowd, newcomers are coming up with new delivery formats to stand out from the crowd. Whey 2 B! is bringing cold-pressed protein cookies to the market.
Many successful entrepreneurs extol the value of work-life balance when they talk about getting a business off the ground, but at the recent graduation of Chobani Food Incubator’s first class of food and beverage companies, the yogurt company’s CEO and...
There is a “tremendous parallel” between the emerging consumer demand for improved animal welfare in the US and the organic food movement, including notable business opportunities and significant challenges, according to Whole Foods Market CEO John Mackey.
With a goal to become “the Little Debbie of the natural snacks industry,” Nature’s Bakery is expanding its portfolio beyond its flagship Fig Bar line, and overhauling its branding to ensure the company name isn’t lost among the multiplying stock-keeping...
KIND Snacks expands into the children’s food segment for the first time with a riff on fruit snacks that directly tackles many parents’ complaints about the category.
Despite organic’s strong appeal with double-digit year-over-year growth since the early 1990s, and the promise of a significant premium price over that of its conventional counterparts, many American farmers are hesitant to jump on board – creating a...
To better support its transition from online-only sales to distribution at brick and mortar stores, wellness brand Aloha is unveiling at Expo West a massive rebranding along with new, reformulated and recategorized products that better align with consumers’...
What keeps US food & beverage retailers awake at night? Amazon? Deflation? Competition from new channels? The prospect of a border adjustment tax? We quizzed retail experts to get their take on the biggest challenges facing grocers today.
While the overall food market may be exhibiting sluggish growth, oils & fats specialist AAK USA has identified significant growth opportunities in specialty market segments from plant-based ‘dairy’ to high-end bakery products, said president Terry...
HowGood wants to streamline the plethora of labels and certifications that clutter the packages of food and beverage products throughout the grocery store. The best part is, no package redesign or additional certification is necessary for the brands and...
Americans’ love affair with protein shows no signs of cooling in the coming years with a compound annual growth rate projected at a steady 5.6% for the next three years, bringing sales to a predicted $39.08 billion, according to Markets and Markets research.
Contrary to what some may believe, farmers who grow genetically modified crops are “not the devil with horns,” and do have the planet’s and consumers’ health and best interests in mind when they select which seeds to plant and harvest, a Maryland farmer...
Drawing on extensive consumer research, The Campbell Soup Co.’s GMO disclosure labels on packs and online could serve as a model for USDA in crafting the mandatory national bioengineering label standard and other companies looking for solutions.
Baked oat bar brand BOBO’s could double revenues in 2017 (vs 2016) if it continues on its current growth trajectory, says the CEO of the Boulder-based brand, which has just raised $8m in a Series A funding round led by Boulder Investment Group Reprise...
Is Target a destination store for fresh food, or a place you visit with another shopping mission in mind, and end up picking up some groceries? Right now, says one retail commentator, it’s stuck in a “nether world” between the two.
FDA is reopening the comment period for its draft guidance on the use of fruit and vegetable juice as color additives after several industry stakeholders complained about a lack of transparency into the basis of the guidance.
General Mills’ splashy commitment last year to double the number of organic acres it sources from by 2019 not only is a strategic business move to boost sales, but part of a larger effort to “do the right thing,” according to the company’s organic ambassador.
Increased funding for research to improve production tops the organic industry’s wish list of policy actions that it wants legislators and regulators to consider as they begin in earnest the long process of reauthorizing the Farm Bill, which is slated...
Private label sales now account for more than one in every ten dollars spent at Sprouts stores, said the Phoenix-based retailer, which posted a 0.7% rise in same store sales in the latest quarter while rival Whole Foods Market has continued to see its...
The rapidly changing face of America and the growing influence of multicultural households on the mainstream population demand retailers revise their marketing and stocking strategies to better meet evolving consumer demands, new research from Nielsen...
How can the grocery sector win over more online shoppers? Clavis Insight divided US shoppers into three different general personas, providing a handy view of the online retail landscape.
Despite increased transparency into how food is sourced, who makes it and how, much of the research on which nutrition policy is based and how it is funded remains notably opaque – a situation that the founder and CEO of KIND Healthy Snacks wants to change.
Citing an uptick in multi-state foodborne illness outbreaks and their high cost to consumers and manufacturers alike, the Government Accountability Office reiterates its 40-year argument for a single, unified food safety system – this time under the Executive...
Two California state senate bills would mandate controversial warnings on some foods and beverages, and if enacted could start a domino effect among other like-minded states, potentially creating a patchwork of laws and compliance headache for national...
Unilever shares have plummeted as Kraft Heinz drops its multi-billion dollar merger bid - but with the sterling weakened by Brexit, smaller firms are "sitting ducks" for foreign takeovers, UK politicians have warned.
With the average age of farmers in America climbing ever closer to the average age of retirement, legislators hope to encourage more young people to enter the profession by offering them financial assistance in the form of loan forgiveness.
Legislation aimed at redirecting food that would be wasted to hungry Americans would make it easier for stakeholders to donate food and reduce the risk that consumers prematurely throw away food that they erroneously believe has spoiled.
Manufacturers and brands will need to be more flexible in their approach to packaging in 2017 to better reflect the previously unexpected blending of ingredients, flavors and usage occasions that are emerging to ensure the products deliver the best experience,...
Sales of natural and organic products may be steadily increasing – and even outpacing that of the overall food industry – but three main barriers continue to hold them back from their full potential, suggest new research.
As the concept of clean label continues to evolve and transition from an industry term to one consumers understand and seek, companies should take a more sophisticated approach to the trend by accounting for how different generations prioritize and interpret...
Product recall insurance: Are you to speed? Lessons from Heinz v Starr
Grupo Bimbo is expected to maintain growth after the death of the Mexican bakery magnate Don Lorenzo Servitje Sendra, who founded the company in the 1940s, says an analyst.
Protein shows no sign of petering out in 2017 with many consumers still listing it as an “ideal attribute” for fortification across categories and an ever-growing list of sources from which manufacturers can choose, according to a product development...
Food and beverage brands of all sizes and across categories are scrambling to reduce sugar in their products before FDA regulations mandating they indicate added and total sugar on the Nutrition Facts panel goes into effect in July 2018, according to...
'Is your packaging visible, visceral, and memorable? If not, you don’t have a brand'
Whether you’re an established brand hiring a top agency to revamp your packaging, or a penniless entrepreneur with a blank canvas and a Photoshop license, you should always ask yourself three questions, says design guru Simon Thorneycroft.
Pulse-based snacks are enjoying an “unprecedented popularity” thanks in part to a year-long marketing campaign spearheaded by the United Nations, but they still have a long way to go to catch-up with other alternative-ingredient snacks, according to Packaged...
The due date for the next Farm Bill may still be a year away, but stakeholders already are drawing up a laundry list of diverse requests that will require a “big tent approach” at a time when deeply divided political leaders appear unlikely to meet each...
You’ve got a great product, you’re bursting with entrepreneurial zeal, you’ve outgrown the space you’re renting in a commercial kitchen and you’re ready to look for a contract manufacturer/co-packer. Well steel yourself, says PartnerSlate founder and...
Once restricted to a handful of products, such as yogurt, probiotics are enjoying unprecedented popularity and are popping up in unexpected places with many bold health claims, but not everything consumers or manufacturers hear about probiotics is true.
High levels of added sugar should disqualify foods from being able to make health claims, or nutrient content claims such as ‘healthy’ or ‘high fiber,’ argues a citizen’s petition filed last week by the nonprofit advocacy group the Union of Concerned...
