The FDA has rejected a citizen’s petition calling for mandatory labeling of foods from genetically engineered crops, arguing that labels are not warranted unless there is a material difference in the safety or nutritional profile of the foods in question.
The egg industry is undergoing a “renaissance” as consumers increasingly turn their backs to conventional eggs from caged hens and reach instead for those from chickens raised with space to move and access to outdoors, claims the co-owner of Handsome...
Glanbia Nutritionals is going all in on glutamine (and gluten) with a new wheat protein ingredient line it is bringing to the US market. Called HarvestPro, the new ingredient is anticipated to have a big future in sports nutrition and functional foods.
'Tis the season for giving and La Brea Bakery is getting into the spirit (and onto consumers’ radars) with two campaigns focused on feeding those in need and those who serve their communities.
Just weeks after announcing its intention to sell its private label business to TreeHouse Foods, ConAgra Foods has unveiled plans to re-engineer itself again, this time by separating into independent public companies: one comprising its consumer brands...
Union Kitchen: Inside a food and beverage incubator
To make it in the highly competitive food and beverage segment, startups need to listen to consumers and evolve to meet changing demands – even if that means letting go of their “baby,” says the founder of Momme Meals.
Consumers are increasingly enthusiastic about discovering ‘small-batch’ foods from artisanal producers, while growing numbers of small producers are looking for other avenues beyond traditional retailers to get their wares to market. Hatchery – an online...
General Mills coughed up a cool $820m to buy Annie’s last year. But it has also signaled its intention to invest in brands at an earlier stage in their development via its 301 Inc venturing arm and a recent tie up with equity crowdfunding site CircleUp....
Clear windows on packaged foods and beverages seem to be all the rage right now as manufacturers try to literally meet consumer desire for transparency and authenticity – but a well-placed photograph sometimes is a more effective marketing tool, branding...
Fully hydrogenated oils (FHOs) do not create harmful trans-fats, and could replace partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) in many applications. However, manufacturers are reluctant to use them because the word ‘hydrogenated’ has become “demonized”, argues...
Solazyme is aiming to launch the latest addition to its micro-algae-based ingredients portfolio in early 2016 - an algae butter - which it says could replace hard fats such as palm oil or partially hydrogenated oils in a variety of applications spanning...
Demand for more plant-based, vegetable-forward food has been growing the past few years, but the trend will hit new heights in 2016 – taking over the center of the plate and more often than before fully replacing animal protein, predicts trend tracker...
What is 'natural'? FDA finally weighs into the debate
Having studiously avoided this food labeling minefield for years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has surprised many in the trade by seeking comments on the definition of a word that has launched a thousand class action lawsuits (well almost):...
Eating healthy shouldn’t be hard, but all too often it is – in part because superfoods frequently are sold in large containers and inconvenient formats that can be daunting to category newcomers, according to a health food industry veteran.
From tea to turmeric beverages, and from smoothies to spice blends, the GanedenBC30 probiotic is everywhere. After successful regulatory approvals around the world, next year promises to be ‘exceptional’.
Building more supermarkets is not the only way to reduce food deserts, suggests new research that found corner stores are stocking more healthy foods and beverages now than almost 10 years ago.
KIND LLC will significantly reduce added sugar in some of its snack bars in spring 2016, which will make its label more appealing to health conscious shoppers, especially if FDA’s proposal to include added sugar in the Nutrition Facts box becomes a reality.
Two relatively small, but high-profile snack categories are merging with the Nov. 4 launch of Exo’s savory meal bars with alternative protein from crickets.
Collaborative innovation between retailers and manufacturers can jumpstart product development, generate substantial cost-savings and improve the success of a launch more effectively than either partner likely could achieve on its own, a senior director...
Despite their natural advantages of name recognition and sales momentum, big brands have struggled of late. Consulting firm Seurat Group has put together a toolbox to help companies reinvigorate these key contributors.
301 Inc, the business development and venturing unit at General Mills, has launched a multi-million dollar capital fund through the CircleUp platform to seed emerging consumer food brands.
Kellogg’s beleaguered cereal sales in the US appear to be stabilizing – at least for now – but that isn’t enough to buoy the firm’s overall profits, which fell again during the firm’s third quarter announced Nov. 3.
Protein is hot in food formulation right now. But is this a sustainable trend or a passing fad? How much is enough, and do the next generation of proteins, from rice and pea to algae and insects, deliver in the same way that soy and whey do? And how should...
As widely predicted, ConAgra Foods is to sell the bulk of its private label business to Treehouse Foods in a $2.7bn deal – less than three years after acquiring it from Ralcorp for almost $5bn.
Ready to leap from start-up to category leader, better-for-you snack company Wonderfully Raw Gourmet Delights exchanged a slice of its equity for accelerator Fresca Food’s help expanding production, distribution and marketing.
Media attention has focussed on the unsustainabilty of California's almond industry, with issues ranging from water overuse during drought and pesticide harm to bees during pollination - but this is unfair says the California Almond Board.
San Francisco-based microalgae pioneer Solazyme has expand its joint venture with oils expert Bunge to develop a “range of breakthrough oils for food and products for animal nutrition”.
While 3D printing might still seem a bit like a technology searching for an application when it comes to food, the co-creator of the Foodini printer insists her machines won’t end up gathering dust at the back of your cupboard once the novelty wears off.
Food manufacturers remain sharply divided over FDA proposals to crack down on added sugar, with General Mills and other big names such as Kellogg and Unilever strongly opposed; and Nestlé, Mars, and KIND LLC in favor, according to the latest wave of comments...
Long development work in China on an antioxidant chemical found in bamboo leaves has finally yielded an ingredient with intriguing potential for dietary supplement applications.
The time is here for sweet potatoes, according to industry newcomer Carolina Innovative Food Ingredients, Inc., which says ingredients from the vegetable can help manufacturers clean up labels, cut calories and sugar, tap into key consumer trends such...
An improving economy and growing concerns over obesity and related health issues are creating a new category of shoppers, according to U.K.-based customer science firm Dunnhumby.
Target has embarked on a multi-year collaboration with MIT’s Media Lab and design firm IDEO that will explore areas such as urban farming, food transparency and authenticity, supply chain and health.
A judge has tossed most of the claims in a class action lawsuit alleging Whole Foods is trying to disguise the use of added sugar in its 365 store brand products by using the term ‘evaporated cane juice’.
The health halo around protein continues to shine brightly, but a shadow could be cast on the ingredient as some consumers start asking if it is possible to have too much protein, according to a market research expert.
As demand for local food grows, so too does consumers’ willingness to pay more for it, but manufacturers and retailers must clearly label local products to reap their full sales potential, suggests new research.
Stressed, time poor and short of culinary inspiration, but feeling guilty about ordering pizza again? Sun Basket – the latest entrant to the burgeoning home meal delivery market – gives you the tools to cook restaurant-quality meals at home, without having...
DISPATCHES FROM PURATOS' TASTE TOMORROW EVENT IN CHICAGO
With rumors swirling that Kellogg is eyeing up Diamond Foods, news of another potential megadeal also hit the wires this week, with ConAgra Foods reportedly in advanced talks to sell its private label business Ralcorp to Treehouse Foods in a deal that...
US confectioners can measure the effectiveness of in-store merchandising and promotions in real-time and quickly correct any issues by drawing on a network of 800,000 contractors, says the founder of start-up Gigwalk.
If you’re going to launch a gourmet organic, vegan and gluten-free bakery business, L.A. is probably the place to do it, acknowledges Karma Baker’s founder Celine Ikeler. But if you plan to stick around, you’ve got to make products that will appeal to...
301 Inc, a business development unit within General Mills, today announced a shift in strategy from developing its own brands to partnering and investing in early stage food companies, such as L.A. based plant-based protein expert Beyond Meat.
Digital videos can be an effective marketing tool to help food and beverage brands reach the much-vaunted and hard-to-access millennial generation, but for them to succeed, they must be authentically engaging and tightly targeted, according to digital...
It’s a joke emblazoned on a thousand t-shirts and coffee mugs (I’m on the See-food diet… I see food, and I eat it…). But could we learn something from it? Apparently so, says a new study from Cornell University, revealing that the foods we leave out on...
Two well-known players in food financing – former Silverwood Partners MDs Michael Burgmaier and Nick McCoy - have started a new boutique investment bank focused on the consumer products industry called Whipstitch Capital.
MycoTechnology, a company that uses mushrooms to alter taste profiles in foods and beverages, has announced a major stevia product launch and the close of a second round of funding.
Myriad new protein sources – from pea to microalgae to insect – are gaining traction in some packaged foods and beverages, but whether they move beyond novelty and survive long-term remains to be seen, according to protein experts.
