While buying or investing in a flurry of smaller, sexier brands may not have a meaningful impact on their P&L for 5-10 years, it's the only way many big food companies can position themselves for long-term growth, says one corporate finance expert,...
With Snapchat ads, a personalized ad generator, and the tagline “THIS. IS. EVERYTHING.,” Post Foods LLC believes it has the tools to target younger Millennials with surgical precision.
Campbell’s Soup Co promises investment to maintain growth for its cracker and biscuits brands and plans further innovation in its fresh bakery business.
US consumers increasingly see non-GMO, natural, organic and clean label claims as a proxy for ‘healthy’ or ‘healthier,’ says Nielsen in a new report* examining how consumers around the globe are thinking about health and wellness.
We’re searching for trailblazing, entrepreneurial start-ups to present their red hot food and nutrition innovations at Food Vision USA in Chicago on November 9, 2016.
Ironically, perhaps, just as open innovation is fostering a more open and collaborative culture in the notoriously secretive world of food R&D, consumers are becoming increasingly suspicious of scientists ‘meddling’ with their food, says Cargill’s...
When it comes to online shopping, consumers may say that they want products with a long shelf-life, but a recent Harris Poll found that they are just as likely to buy fresh fruits and vegetables as dry packaged goods online – revealing ecommerce may hold...
New name would 'improve consumer understanding and promote clear food labeling' says Unilever
Unilever and The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) have both voiced their support for a citizen’s petition asking the FDA to permit ‘potassium salt’ as an alternate name for potassium chloride on food labels, while the Salt Institute has...
Children between the ages of two and 18 should consume fewer than six teaspoons of added sugars daily, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends.
Epidemics of seasonal viral infections, such as the flu, or seasonal fluctuations in mothers’ vitamin D levels, could explain why celiac disease is strongly associated with children’s season of birth and shed light on what triggers the autoimmune disorder,...
Time-crunched parents are more likely than those without children to make grocery lists, but sticking to them can be more of a challenge if their kids tag along to the store, according to new research analysis from the Corn Refiners Association.
For boomers at ingredients suppliers seeking to engage with a new generation of Millennials within their customer base, b2b ad and marketing communications agency Anderson Partners Food Ingredient Marketing has come up with some tips designed to help...
In an effort to engage consumers, General Mills called for submissions of rabbit videos doing athletic tricks to build awareness around the removal of artificial colors and flavors in some of its cereal brands. The competition goes hand-in-hand with the...
Target has seen meaningful uplifts in grocery sales in ‘LA25’ stores where it is testing new merchandising concepts, but has had a challenging quarter owing to deflationary pressures, chairman and CEO Brian Cornell told analysts this week.
Co-founder of Try The World David Foult was surprised about how well his company’s product, a subscription box and online marketplace with goods from all around the world, is doing in the US.
While they are pretty small fry right now in volume terms, emerging application areas for almonds from cultured nut artisanal yogurts, cheeses and desserts, and center-plate savory products to nut-butter-filled bars and ‘Paleo’ pancake mixes, could be...
While the word ‘natural’ still appears on the label of 11% of new food and beverage introductions in the US according to Mintel data, brands that are part of the so-called natural foods industry need to embrace a new form of conscious capitalism if they...
Making a profit and promoting health are not mutually exclusive, and healthy food brands now generate some serious profits. But no business will willingly engage in initiatives that could damage sales of its biggest – and sometimes unhealthiest - legacy...
According to a new report by Packaged Facts, more Americans are choosing food items as gifts, and the occasions range from a holidays to special occasions to “just because.”
New FDA rules clarifying the process by which ingredients are deemed generally recognized as safe (GRAS) have been welcomed by some stakeholders, but harshly criticized by others, who say any system allowing firms to self-determine the safety of their...
Ingredients supplier SunOpta has recorded a $16m half-year loss from a sunflower kernel recall that affected dozens of snacking products - but expects to claim most of this back through insurance.
'America is becoming a nation of par-cookers, snackers and meal assemblers'
As supermarkets continue to lose market share to high- and low-end rivals, they must fully embrace consumer demand for fresh, stock more premium products and behave more like specialty retailers if they are to survive in today’s climate, according to...
For all their hype, superfoods often are restricted to trend-setting consumers with higher incomes who shop the natural channel, but the makers of Shanti Protein and Energy Bars want to change that by making the ingredients easily available to the masses...
For years a super fruit could give a finished product near superstar status, but as acai, pomegranate, cranberry and other nutritional powerhouses have gone mainstream, manufacturers looking for the same lift from the ingredients have to up the ante.
A recent Harris Poll finding that the vast majority of Americans agree they love trying products and experiences outside their own culture likely explains why many of the emerging and fast-growing trends in food and beverage in the US originate in or...
Back when Elizabeth Stein added granola to her brand’s portfolio in 2012, ingredients such as 'ancient grains' were a novelty. As the category becomes more saturated, Purely Elizabeth now stands out with a probiotic granola offering.
The gluten free market in the US remains hot, but as the category becomes more crowded, manufacturers must offer products with added appeal to stay competitive – such as a protein boost from pulses or an added dose of fiber and flavor with ancient grains,...
It might not have attracted as much media attention as quinoa or chia, but sorghum – a home-grown gluten-free grain that is every bit as attractive in the nutritional and sustainability stakes - is steadily gaining traction in food applications, not least...
Special K has continued to drag down the performance of Kellogg’s US snacks segment – and the business says it is planning ‘more aggressive’ changes to the brand in the coming year.
Sprouts Farmers Market is aggressively expanding its private label program, particularly in the deli area in order to “enhance our position as a ready-to-eat destination,” CEO Amin Maredia said this week.
While fiber hasn’t quite reached the same superstar status as protein, consumer interest in the ingredient is rising rapidly as they look for ways to manage their weight while still enjoying food and beverages with high quality taste and familiar mouthfeel.
Trends may come and go, but they often don't stay gone forever -- rather most eventually cycle back in vogue, as is the case with the current focus on “ancient wisdom,” and time-tested, traditional cooking techniques and ingredients that are influencing...
TerraVia – formerly known as Solazyme – has been telling reporters (and investors) that algae is the next big thing in food for years. But when will it really start to change the game?
Most Americans consume more than 1.5 times the daily recommended cap for sodium – a staggering figure that prompted FDA to draft voluntary guidance earlier this summer for the food and beverage industry to drastically cut sodium levels in their products...
After two years of tracking down documents, updating its supply chain and tweaking its formulas, Sethness Products Company claims “first-mover’s advantage” in the race to provide manufacturers with “cleaner” ingredients by securing Non-GMO Project Verification...
Manufacturers have been ‘cleaning up’ food labels for years, but the pressure to oust 'unpronounceable' ingredients has now become so great that important vitamins and minerals (which often have chemical-sounding names) are also being ditched...
Powerplant Ventures - a venture fund led by Mark Rampolla (founder, ZICO), Kevin Boylan and T.K. Pillan (co-founders, Veggie Grill) and Dan Beldy (formerly head of Disney’s venture arm) –has closed a $42m fund aimed at “emerging plant-centric companies.”
New NGS DNA testing methods will replace PCR, predicts Clear Labs
As the Non-GMO Project states on its website, ‘GMO-free’ claims are “not legally or scientifically defensible due to limitations of testing methodology" coupled with cross-contamination risks. In future, however, that could change as testing methods...
Consumers increasingly are seeking products that they are simple, with ingredients that they can pronounce, benefits that thy understand and minimal processing, but as a leading Mintel analyst noted at IFT’s Food Expo in Chicago “simple” isn’t always...
The nascent meat bar category is filling up fast, but there is still plenty of room for products that target niche consumers beyond the “Whole Foods Crowd,” according to the CEO of Country Archer, which is one of the latest companies to enter the segment.
Milled whole cricket powder is probably the best known bug-derived food ingredient aside from red food color carmine. But what other delights might edible insects yield for food formulators? Elaine Watson caught up with bug enthusiast Dr George Cavender...
After carving out a niche in the competitive baby- and toddler food categories with its quinoa-based products, NurturMe is ready to expand its portfolio and reach with new ingredients, products and distribution with the help of a $3.7 million investment...
‘Rare sugars’ are becoming a buzz phrase in Japan, but interest in the US is currently limited to industry insiders, with allulose increasingly an ingredient of interest, say representatives from Matsutani.
A class action lawsuit accusing Coca-Cola subsidiary Odwalla of misleading consumers by using the term ‘evaporated cane juice’ (ECJ) on labels is now back in play in the wake of the FDA’s finalized guidance – and is likely to be joined by scores of others,...
Finding solutions to reduce sodium, sugar and calories in finished products is essential as regulators and consumers demand healthier products – but the increasing desire for “clean labels” adds a complicating twist to the process of sourcing suitable...
Bakers need to carefully select ingredients - and adjust bread-making processes – if they aim to produce high-quality breads with wheat and teff flour, say researchers.
