To create a “perfect food system” that can feed more people with fewer resources in the next 50 years, the food industry needs to turn 180-degrees away from long-considered “best practices,” including focusing on high yield crops, concentrating production...
Venture capitalists’ initial hesitancy to enter new deals immediately following the coronavirus outbreak appears to be easing with the most interest and activity focused on grocery CPGs and food delivery, according to an analyst with Pitchbook.
As the number of Americans dependent on what was once known as food stamps swells to 13% of the population due in large part to an unemployment spike related to the pandemic, they have become an increasingly important demographic for CPG retailers, according...
Higher income shoppers are frequenting discount retailer Dollar General more often than they did before the coronavirus pandemic, but it isn’t because they are avoiding crowds at higher end retailers or desperately searching for items out of stock at...
As part of a highly-anticipated plan to re-engineer its portfolio and pay down debt, Kraft Heinz has unveiled plans to sell a mix of cheese brands to Lactalis in a $3.2bn deal, and find $2bn of cost savings through 2024 from efficiencies in procurement,...
The oat drink business has publicly defended its decision to receive investment from Blackstone, after Oatly fans and activists pledged to boycott the brand.
Last Friday marked six months since the coronavirus pandemic was declared, which for many Americans means six months of either risking exposure to go to work as essential employees or six months of working remotely from a repurposed kitchen table or other...
As record high sales from the early days of the coronavirus pandemic level out at rates significantly lower than March and April but still higher than last year, CPG companies are trying to reassure investors that they can hold on to new customers and...
Retailers interested in attracting more Black shoppers, who Nielsen reports wield an annual buying power of $1.5 trillion and make more grocery trips per year than all other racial groups, need to stock and prominently highlight more products by Black-owned...
While most entrepreneurs expect to carry a heavy load the first few years after a company or brand launches, many underestimate the difficulty of eventually letting go of responsibility as the business scales – no matter how exhausted or desperate for...
Launched in September 2019, Target’s newest private label line Good & Gather has generated more than $1bn in sales and will nearly double its line with 600 new items this fall.
Dave Ritterbush has joined plant-based food & beverage co Califia Farms as CEO, replacing Greg Steltenpohl, who will retire as CEO but will remain on the board as an executive director.
New opportunities are opening for functional foods and beverages as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic pushes consumers to seek products that will boost their “resiliency,” support their health and wellness and personally empower them while simultaneously...
As many schools negotiate how to teach children safely during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, they also must navigate how to feed them – a challenge that will require creativity and cooperation from regulators, legislators, and school nutrition professionals...
Plant-based protein specialist PURIS – a key supplier of pea protein to Beyond Meat - is rolling out a series of new products this year including a pea syrup that can serve as an alternative to corn-, brown rice- or tapioca syrup; and sweet lupin flour,...
While sales of natural and organic products continue to grow in the high single- digits year-over-year, the industry’s lack of leadership diversity, including brands owned by people of color and women, is holding it back from its full market potential,...
Sugar cane distillates and cane molasses distillates can form an intriguing part of the sugar reduction toolkit, says ASR Group, the world’s largest cane sugar refining and marketing company. FoodNavigator-USA (FNU) caught up with Cesar Contreras (CC),...
What’s hot and what’s not in the world of sweeteners? FoodNavigator-USA caught up with Icon Foods, Cargill and Beneo to explore formulation trends as brands remain under pressure to reduce sugar and keep labels clean.
Clio Snacks -- known its for chilled, chocolate-covered Greek yogurt bars -- has closed an $8m series C fundraising round led by long-term investment partner Alliance Consumer Growth (ACG) and new investor in the brand, AF Ventures, bringing total investment...
Good Karma Foods' original leadership team is back in charge of its flaxseed beverage and yogurt business after buying back majority ownership from recently bankrupt dairy giant Dean Foods thanks to a “significant” but undisclosed investment round...
A judge handling a high-profile lawsuit* over the use of dairy terminology on plant-based products has blocked attempts by the State of California to prevent Miyoko’s from using the terms ‘butter,’ ‘lactose-free’ and ‘cruelty-free’ on its vegan products....
From protein-packed egg bites and keto crackers to plant-based 'butter' and an array of products touting immune support benefits, checkout FoodNavigator-USA's latest gallery of new products hitting shelves.
With more than 20,000 stores in its retail footprint, new packaging and products, and increased trend spend, a2 Milk Company is moving closer to reaching meaningful scale in the US since its launch in select California retailers five years ago, said CEO...
Keurig Dr. Pepper (KDP) has taken a minority investment with a defined path to ownership in emerging brand ‘Don’t Quit’ to become the next heavyweight in the segment, said KDP president Robert Gamgort during the firm's Q2 2020 earnings call.
US retail sales of leading packaged food brands tracked by Bernstein* rose +12.1% year-on-year in measured channels in the four weeks ending August 8, with big brands reaping continued benefits from the shift to eating at home, though sales growth slowed...
Lever VC – a global venture capital fund whose partners were investors in Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and Memphis Meats – has launched a new fund targeting early stage companies in the burgeoning alternative protein space, with commitments of $23m...
Want to get feedback on your new child-focused food or beverage launch, brand, or business, from our expert panel at FoodNavigator-USA's virtual FOOD FOR KIDS summit in the fall?
After years of declining sales, dairy milk is on the rise again thanks in part to the coronavirus driving a resurgence of baking, cooking and eating at home, but to keep the momentum going during and after the pandemic, industry stakeholders are reviving...
Impossible Foods has raised $200m in a Series G funding round led by new investor Coatue, with participation from existing investors including Mirae Asset Global Investments and Temasek as well as new investor XN. The move brings its total funding since...
Likely fighting an uphill battle, some nutrition experts, health care providers and professional athletes want the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans to demote dairy from its long-held position as a standalone and recommended food group to a discretionary...
Kraft Heinz has named Cory Onell as president of US sales; Sanjiv Gajiwala as US chief growth officer; and Stephanie Peterson as head of US communications as it gears up to unveil its strategic plan in September.
For the bulk of its 21-year lifespan, Alibaba.com served as an online directory to help buyers identify Chinese suppliers of everything from farm equipment to iPhone cases. Today, it’s a multibillion-dollar global b2b e-commerce platform, and food &...
Whole Foods Market has launched Home Ec 365, a digital home economics curriculum “built to help you adult like a boss” as it refreshes its 365 private label range.
Three quarters of families with school-aged children now report being able to spend more time together eating at the breakfast table, promoting an uptick in cereal consumption, according to a new survey commissioned by General Mills Big G cereals.
The number of new products introduced globally featuring almonds rose 13% to 12,206 in 2019 according to Innova Market Insights, with particularly strong growth in the dairy category (which includes dairy alternatives such as almondmilk and dairy-free...
Members of the House Agriculture Committee are demanding USDA take a closer look at and provide additional relief for the coronavirus pandemic’s “disproportionate toll on farmers and ranchers,” and the specialty crop sector.
An unexpected partnership between one of the largest dairy cooperatives in America and a technology powerhouse that is more often associated with cubical farms than actual farms is taking on some of the biggest threats to the US food system to help farmers...
Despite parents’ best efforts to introduce their children to a variety of foods, many children between the ages one and three are falling short of key nutrients including vitamin D, vitamin E, calcium, fiber, and iron, reveals a study examining National...
Confronted by trash and recycling bins overflowing with food and delivery packaging during the pandemic as well as near daily stories of essential workers risking exposure to the coronavirus to help keep them fed, consumers are placing more pressure on...
Despite uncertainties about the pandemic, investors continue to fund food and beverage businesses, but they are more closely scrutinizing opportunities, holding entrepreneurs to higher standards and offering less for more than they did before the coronavirus...
Responding to increasing fraud threats to the organic industry, the US Department of Agriculture seeks to strengthen oversight and improve the transparency and traceability of organic food through a four-prong plan that praises and mirrors actions already...
Despite headwinds from closures of away-from-home channels due the ongoing pandemic, Danone grew sales and household penetration of its US plant-based and premium dairy brands for the first half of 2020.
The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s recent recommendations that children under 2 years avoid all added sugar to ensure they consume the nutrients they need without excessive caloric intake may not go far enough to drive a significant change in...
Vital Farms - which launched with 20 hens in Austin, Texas, in 2007 and is now the #1 pasture-raised egg and butter brand in the US and the #2 egg brand in retail dollar sales with products in 13,000 stores – is going public today.
Legislation proposed yesterday to provide all children free school meals not only would help feed the increasing number of children who face food insecurity due to the pandemic and associated economic downturn, but it would also ease financial strain...
Iconic brands from Heinz ketchup to Kraft Mac & Cheese are gaining ground with “higher income, younger, and more diverse parts of the population where we have historically under indexed,” the head of Kraft Heinz’s US business, Carlos Abrams-Rivera,...
Maintaining a metabolic state of ketosis requires a level of discipline that’s pretty hard to sustain; however, the high fat, moderate protein and ultra-low carb keto diet is nevertheless exerting a growing influence on new product development across...
Decrying the US food system as “fundamentally broken and worsening the challenge of justice in our country,” Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., is on an mission to block and dismantle corporate consolidation in agriculture, which he argues places profits over...
Even as the pandemic continues to strain the food system and pressure manufacturers to balance increased demand with restricted supply, companies must still pursue sustainability goals, including minimizing their environmental impact and improving the...
