CPG companies and retailers should brace for softer sales in 2023 by leaning into the strategies they used during peak-pandemic as the US tiptoes around a recession and the shields protecting consumers from feeling the full brunt of the current economic...
Barely registering in the US plant-based milk category five years ago, oatmilk now occupies the #2 spot in the retail market behind almondmilk in a subsegment with offerings from deep-pocked multinational beverage and dairy companies to pure-play plant-based...
A ‘potential direct’ link between artificial sweetener intake and increased cardiovascular disease risk has been suggested by researchers, but industry is fighting back: “There is no causal evidence that low/no calorie sweeteners could increase the risk...
Rising food prices may have slowed slightly in August, but the year-over-year increase continued to rise higher into the double digits than it has in more than 40 years, according to new data from the Department of Labor.
Nestlé is dipping a toe into the increasingly crowded but still highly fragmented and nascent animal-free dairy category by teaming with startup Perfect Day to use synthetic biology to create a milk-like beverage from genetically engineered microflora...
North Carolina based Elo Life Systems aims to commercialize a new natural high-intensity sweetener “inspired by monk fruit” in 2025 that boasts a “cleaner” taste profile, more affordable price tag, and a higher sweetness intensity than monk fruit extracts...
Organic pasture-raised dairy co Neutral Foods – which is billing itself as a ‘carbon neutral’ brand through a combination of carbon reduction initiatives and offsets - has raised $12m in a series A round led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures.
The pressure of inflation and general consumer disillusionment are causing an overall downward trend in self-reported consumer usage of plant-based categories, finds new research from Evergi, Brightfield Group's research platform.
In the bellwether category of savory snacks, cheese-flavored options are outpacing the overall segment in new product launches and consumer preferences, finds new research from Kerry.
Sacred Serve, a Chicago startup making non-dairy gelato using upcycled coconut meat as its star ingredient, is expanding to Whole Foods stores nationwide where it aims to set a new standard for the category.
In August 2021, Danone North America announced it was severing ties with 89 organic dairies from the northeast. DairyReporter speaks to NODPA’s Ed Maltby to find out where the affected farmers stand one year on.
TurtleTree says it can produce the protein up to a 100 times faster and at a larger scale to make the hard-to-get ingredient more accessible to food manufacturers.
While inflation has impacted the entire food and beverage industry, recent data from Euromonitor shows that in certain categories the price of lower-priced items has increased exponentially compared to more modest price increases on higher-priced premium...
Ben & Jerry’s dispute with Unilever over a potential licensing deal in Israel and the West Bank ended Monday with a blow for the maker of Phish Food ice cream.
A new multi-million initiative by the US Department of Agriculture aims to reverse a downward trend in the number of farms transitioning to organic – a process that can put producers on their back foot financially as yields often drop during the three-year...
While sales of refrigerated plant-based meat may be slowing, shares of some plant-based milk brands are slipping and consumer response to a handful of new products are tepid at best, industry leaders argue the party is far from over for the overall plant-based...
By focusing on organic farming practices and grazing, the family dairies that contribute to Organic Valley have significantly lower carbon footprints than those that follow conventional practices – bringing the brand closer to its goal of being carbon...
From sparkling beverages laced with adaptogens and probiotics to plant-based cream, milk, luncheon meat and dips, and the latest animal-free launch fueled by Perfect Day's whey protein (made without cows), checkout FoodNavigator-USA's latest...
A new study – published a month after the World Health Organization (WHO) sounded a cautionary note about the long-term effects of zero-calorie sweeteners such as sucralose and saccharin – suggests some diet sweeteners are not inert and can alter the...
Farmers markets are more than a popular summer destination for Americans who want to learn where their food comes from – they also play a key role in Federal nutrition programs and the government’s plan to transform the food system to better support small...
Still a niche segment within the plant-based food category, plant-based yogurt is poised to become a much larger piece of the chilled dairy set as consumers find products that can closely mimic the taste and mouthfeel of its conventional dairy counterparts,...
In a worst-case scenario, McKinsey is predicting a food deficit representing a year’s worth of nutritional intake for up to 250m people – or 3% of the global population.
So-called ‘ultra-processed foods,’ which include a significant portion of CPGs, are often demonized as calorie-dense, nutrient-poor and a major contributor to diet-related chronic diseases, but is this characterization an oversimplification that is just...
Food elasticities are finally ticking up as middle- and upper-income consumers whose spending so far has remained resilient in the face of rising inflation begin to feel pinched – prompting them to shift to more affordable retailers, including Walmart.
It’s easy to see the grim P&L figures at Beyond Meat and Oatly and the recent lackluster performance of some refrigerated meat alternatives in US retail as proof that the entire ‘alt protein’ space is a busted flush, but the real picture is more nuanced,...
As Americans continue to adjust to post-pandemic life and mounting economic uncertainty, consumer research from Mintel shows that many believe there is no going ‘back to normal’ and as such are changing the way they think about, budget and shop for, and...
Notoriously thin operating margins in the food supply chain will likely keep manufacturers and retailers from incrementally lowering prices even as input costs begin to come down – preferring instead to wait until the economic landscape stabilizes and...
In another sign that inflation may be peaking, wholesale prices fell month-over-month for the first time in July since April 2020, but commodities remain significantly higher than last year, suggesting it may be well into next year before food manufacturers...
ADM will soon begin processing ultra-high protein (UHP) soybeans from farm tech company Benson Hill with the first commercialized products expected to hit the market in early 2023.
While overall inflation in the US cooled slightly in July, giving hope to some economists that financial pressures may be peaking, food prices continue to climb at their fastest rate in more than 40 years – suggesting the economic recovery still has a...
What’s more sustainable? Using acres of land, water and energy to grow plants that produce minuscule quantities of natural sweeteners; or making them via a fermentation process using a microbe that’s been engineered to produce exactly the same molecules?
Plant-based yogurt brand, Lavva, has been acquired by Brooklyn-based venture firm Next in Natural and has appointed a new CEO, Jeff Lichtenstein, to help the brand keep up with consumer demand and produce additional innovation.
Well represented in key at-home eating categories of sauces (Rao's Homemade), yogurt (Noosa Yoghurt), and frozen entrees (Michael Angelo's and Rao's), Sovos Brands highlighted the performance of the company's largest brand Rao's...
Health Canada has published new labeling standards for supplemented foods such as snacks and beverages fortified with vitamins and minerals or caffeinated energy drinks; and introduced new nutrition labelling regulations for packaged foods requiring a...
Food and beverage companies are under increasing pressure to measure, reduce, and accurately report their social and environmental impact, with the SEC recently outlining proposals* that would require all registrants to disclose their scope three greenhouse...
Net sales in Amazon's physical stores - Whole Foods Market, Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go - grew 12.5% year-on-year to $4.72bn in Q2 2022 and grew 2.8% vs Q1, 2022.
As consumer interest in ‘plant-based’ products has grown in recent years, so too have products proudly proclaiming their status as such – but what does the term actually mean, and how influential is it really?
The family feud over who should lead Illinois-based kefir maker Lifeway Foods and how it should be run has moved into a calmer phase, with an agreement between the company and key shareholders Edward and Ludmila Smolyansky that will keep CEO Julie Smolyansky...
Dollar sales of refrigerated liquid plant-based creams and creamers were up +25.8% year-on-year to $527.4m in measured US retail channels* in the year to July 10, 2022, while unit sales were up +16.1%, led by strong growth in blends and ‘other’ (which...
Fine chemicals co DIC and San Diego-based startup Debut Biotech are developing a vibrant natural red color that is heat-stable, light-stable, and stable across a wide pH range, using a novel hybrid approach combining microbial fermentation and ‘cell-free’...
When it comes to plant-based milks for kids, the options are few and far between, say Alex and Lauren Abelin, founders of Kiki Milk, which is made with organic oats, hemp seeds, sprouted pumpkin seeds, coconut, and other “whole food ingredients.”
As supply chains slowly recover and some commodity prices recede, Kraft Heinz says it will offer more “mutually beneficial” promotions with retailers, coupons and other deals to soften the impact of recent price hikes on increasingly budget-conscious...
The past two years have been a rollercoaster for many food and beverage companies, who have had to deal with everything from a global pandemic to rocketing inflation, labor shortages, and massive disruption across their supply chains. So what does all...
The IFT First 2022 show floor was abundant with companies touting their upcycled ingredients and other exhibitors highlighting plant-based meat and dairy innovation. Take a look at some of the trends highlighted at the show this year.
According to a new draft guideline from the World Health Organization (WHO), non-nutritive sweetener consumption is associated with metabolic syndrome, something proponents of diet sweeteners say shows correlation, not causation, and merely reflects the...
Unilever isn’t worried about losing market share or volume as it pushes through aggressive price hikes to offset inflation and build reserves that it can use to invest in advertising, R&D and capital expenditure for long-term gains, according to company...
Illinois-based kefir company Lifeway Foods, which has been the subject of inner family feuding related to its leadership*, reported +16.7% net sales growth for the full year ending December 31, 2021 compared to 2020.
