The first flavors were made from plants, but were gradually replaced by ‘artificial’ alternatives, thanks to advances in synthetic chemistry. By the end of the 20th century, however, natural flavors were back in vogue.
Danone's Board of Directors has confirmed a proposal from current chairman and CEO, Emmanuel Faber, to separate the functions of chairman and CEO in the near future, and has begun looking for a new CEO.
US retail sales of soymilk - which have declined precipitously over the past decade – have started to grow again, says Danone North America, which is spearheading the turnaround with its Silk brand, the leading player in the soymilk segment.
Earth Island (Follow Your Heart) co-founder and CEO Bob Goldberg has always had an independent streak, telling reporters over the years he’s happy dancing to his own tune despite periodic overtures from big CPG suitors. Last month, however, he inked a...
Chobani has launched a new national ad campaign with animated stories highlighting its credentials as a “brand with values that stand for more than the food we make.”
2020 was a breakout year for 'agrifoodtech' companies as the sector attracted over $26.1bn worldwide in investment, a 34.5% increase from 2019, according to global venture capital firm AgFunder's 2021 investment report.
After languishing for years, frozen food is emerging as a powerful growth driver for retailers and CPG brands in part because its long shelf life and convenience fit well with pandemic living, but also because companies like ConAgra have proactively reimagined...
The agriculture supply chain is long overdue for an overhaul, as illustrated by breakdowns early in the pandemic, the rising threat of climate change, and increasing pressure to feed a growing population, but the question of who will foot the bill remains...
The ice cream aisle used to be a lot less complicated. There were national brands, regional brands, a couple of super-premium players, and a smattering of dairy-free. Today, shoppers are presented with a bewildering array of options from lactose-free,...
Boston-based startup Slate Milk – which gives adults permission to keep drinking chocolate milk by dialing down the sugar, increasing the protein and packaging it as a functional beverage in shelf-stable cans - has raised $1.7m in a seed round (taking...
The co-founders of the fast-growing banana-based Hakuna Banana and oat-milk based Totes Oats nice-cream brands are bringing their better-for-you pints and bars under the new umbrella brand Must Love to better communicate the company’s core values, leverage...
Nature’s Fynd - a Chicago-based startup growing protein from a micro-organism with origins in the geothermal springs of Yellowstone National Park – is giving consumers a first taste of the novel ingredient via dairy-free cream cheese and meatless breakfast...
Whether or not you believe in climate change or the food industry’s contribution to the greenhouse gasses wrapping the earth and changing weather patterns, plenty of consumers do, and they increasingly are buying products based on their environmental...
As coronavirus continues to thwart businesses' best-laid plans, New Hope has decided to take Expo West – its annual trade show in Anaheim, California – virtual this spring, in the wake of “government restrictions, anticipated timelines around re-opening...
San Jose-based Knowde – a b2b online marketplace for chemicals, ingredients and polymers - is moving into the food and nutrition industry, enabling R&D and procurement professionals to research and compare products, connect with suppliers, request...
Consumer goods giant Unilever set out its stall for future growth last week when the company delivered a ‘strategy refresh’ alongside its full-year results. The outcome? An increased focus on ‘high growth segments’ including functional nutrition and plant-based...
Even though the coronavirus vaccine is slowly, albeit a bit unsteadily, rolling out, a recently published survey of dietitians predicts Americans in 2021 will continue to seek protection from COVID-19 and its rapidly spreading variants from food and beverages...
Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya says he’s “looking at all options” to fuel the company’s growth plans, following reports in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that the company he founded in 2007 is considering going public this year in a listing that could value...
Stressed by COVID-19 and its financial and emotional ripple effects, consumers have turned to functional food as a stress-reducing and health-boosting tool to get through the pandemic, recent consumer insights from market research firm Brightfield Group...
‘Animal-free dairy’ ice cream brand Brave Robot – which launched in July 2020 - will be in 5,000 stores across the US by Earth Day 2021 (April 22), says brand owner The Urgent Company.
Kraft Heinz is in talks to sell its Planters snack nuts business to Hormel Foods, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter, with a deal valuing the brand at around $3bn that could be announced as soon as next week.
Plant-based brands have blasted the latest wave of bills proposing restrictions on the use of terms such as ‘milk’ and ‘meat’ in states including New York and Texas as “a solution in search of a problem,” but say more work is needed to persuade legislators...
Nutritional Growth Solutions, Ltd. (NGS), parent company of Healthy Height kids protein shake mixes, has acquired nutritional shake brand KidzShake and has announced plans to enter the US medical market.
Consumers continue to seek comfort from food as they navigate the rise of new coronavirus variants, but many also are bored by the same-old, same-old after nearly a year at home – creating an opportunity for products that pair bold new flavors with the...
Recognizing that breakthrough technologies that could transform the global food supply chain often originate in academia, Big Idea Ventures has launched a $125m fund to commercialize IP from some of the nation’s leading universities and fuel economic...
The Specialty Food Association (SFA) - which was forced to cancel the 2020 Summer Fancy Food Show and 2021 Winter Fancy Food Show due to the pandemic – will hold a ‘modified’ in-person trade show September 27-29 at the Javits Convention Center in New...
Ingredient supplier Kerry has introduced a web-based tool designed to help food and beverage manufacturers with their plant-based product formulation challenges.
What do reasonable consumers think ‘no antibiotics’ on a cheese label means? That the cheese contains no antibiotics? That the milk is from cows that have never been administered antibiotics? Or something else?
Ben & Jerry’s has ramped up its living income approach for Cote D’Ivoire cocoa farmers in partnership with Fairtrade. Global Values Led Sourcing Manager Cheryl Pinto tells FoodNavigator that addressing poverty is key to tackling supply chain issues,...
A limited-supply Palate Training Kits released today from Icelandic skyr brand siggi’s takes an innovative approach to sugar reduction, which has gained prominence among consumers during the pandemic, but which continues to be stymied by taste and convenience...
Quantis is launching geoFootprint, a digital tool that the company describes as the ‘first’ to use satellite technology to map the environmental impact of food production on an interactive map. The innovation holds the key to ‘smarter, science-driven...
What are the primary purchase drivers for plant-based foods? Should humans drink cow’s milk? Why don’t the Dietary Guidelines address sustainability? And could tapping into consumer interest in the microbiome help make fiber the go-to functional ingredient...
Despite lingering uncertainty about the pandemic’s economic impact and the stickiness of new consumer habits developed in response to COVID-19 safety measures, new research from Deloitte finds most consumer product industry executives are optimistic about...
Grocery delivery firm Imperfect Foods has raised $95m in a Series D round led by Insight Partners and Norwest Venture Partners as it transitions from a regional delivery service focused on ‘ugly’ produce, to a national full-service grocer.
Unilever is trialling its first ‘nano factory’, which operates within a 40 foot sea container to deliver flexible production lines that can be moved all over the world. “This trial is assessing a de-centralised production model,” one of the engineers...
Vancouver, Canada-based Eat Beyond Global Holdings has completed an investment in Above Food Inc.– a distributor of plant-based ingredients and finished products – adding the company to its publicly-traded portfolio of emerging alternative protein companies.
Checkout who is moving onwards and upwards in FoodNavigator-USA's latest new hires gallery, featuring high profile new hires at indoor farming startups AppHarvest and Plenty; a new management team at ZICO coconut water; and changes at Impossible...
PepsiCo has stepped up its carbon footprint targets, with the ambition to become carbon neutral by 2040. FoodNavigator speaks to European sustainability chief Chris Daly about why it is an ‘absolutely aggressive challenge’ but also a timetable that is...
Plant-based meat and dairy products dominate our gallery of new launches, coupled with a wave of products highlighting immunity and digestive health, and a high-profile CBD beverage launch from Molson Coors.
Swedish brand Nick’s – which entered the US in late 2019 with a range of light ice creams and generated revenues of $10m in its first full year on the market (2020) – has hired dairy industry veteran Carlos Altschul to head up its US business after raising...
PepsiCo is targeting a reduction of absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its value chain by more than 40% by 2030. It is aiming for net-zero emissions by 2040.
Chobani is moving into new territory with the launch of a Chobani Coffee, a line of multi-serve ready-to-drink coffees made with single origin cold brew and the company’s new oatmilks and dairy creamers, which might seem like a leap into the unknown,...
By Robert Guite and Abby Meyer, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
If your company sells any vanilla-flavored food or beverage product, then you are probably aware of the innumerable class action cases that have been filed over the last 18 months attacking these products – 67 cases by our count. Here, we trace the history...
The trend of home cooking and kitchen creativity, which scores of households exhibited last year will stick around in 2021 solidifying the dining table as the centerpiece of family eating, says New York-based online grocery retailer FreshDirect which...
Meal kits have gained fresh impetus during the coronavirus pandemic as consumers have embraced food e-commerce and looked for ways to recreate restaurant-quality meals at home. But will they retain their luster post-COVID-19, and what will distinguish...
Barley proteins and fibers could make an attractive new addition to the food formulator’s toolbox in everything from bread and pasta to plant-based milks, says EverGrain, a new company backed by Anheuser Busch InBev dedicated to upcycling brewer’s spent...
More consumers suffering from the economic fallout of the pandemic will prioritize value when grocery shopping this year – forcing brands to rethink packaging and fueling private label innovation and sales that will reshape the competitive landscape,...
Typically January is a time when many Americans pledge to lose weight by “eating clean,” cutting calories or adopting other diets, but this year far fewer are making New Year’s resolutions to change the way the eat or drink – and we may have the pandemic...
![Shane Grant: 'Our plant-based business in North America grew by 17% [in 2020]' (Picture credit: Danone North America)](/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/news_teaser_medium/publications/food-beverage-nutrition/foodnavigator-usa.com/article/2021/03/03/danone-north-america-ceo-on-plant-based-trends-why-soymilk-is-back-in-growth-and-the-follow-your-heart-deal/12238905-1-eng-GB/Danone-North-America-CEO-on-plant-based-trends-why-soymilk-is-back-in-growth-and-the-Follow-Your-Heart-deal.jpg)
