For more and more consumers, buying and preparing food is no longer the chore it once was – rather, it is a means of entertainment and self-expression which brands can use to boost product sales, according to Acosta.
FoodFutureCo - a food business accelerator program targeting ‘purpose-driven’ companies in scale-up mode (on track to grossing more than $1 million annually) – will unveil its new cohort of 6-8 companies in early 2017.
General Mills experienced another lackluster quarter in Q2 2017, with a 9% decline in net sales in US retail, although operating profit in the division was up due to margin expansion initiatives.
Shifting 10% of promotional spending to media advertising would boost firms’ ROI on marketing spend by 10-25%, according to Chicago-based market research firm IRI and global media company Turner.
What keeps food & beverage industry CEOs awake at night? Declining returns on promotional spending? Lackluster topline growth? An uninspiring innovation pipeline? Anxiety about how to tap into the e-commerce revolution?
There is no denying that vegan is on the rise with consumers looking for more plant-based options, and manufacturers eager to meet that demand with a wide variety of new products -- some of which even are aimed at and winning over carnivores and omnivores.
It’s a salad staple, and a refreshing addition to many cocktails, but it’s also appearing in some surprising applications, from potato chips and candy, to yogurts and dumplings, says flavors giant Firmenich, which has selected the cucumber as its flavor...
With each new year comes new trends in ingredients, cooking styles and eating patterns, but in 2017 the incoming presidential Administration could fundamentally change the way Americans eat by changing how food gets from farm to fork and the safety measures...
Consumer interest in healthy eating is at an all-time high, and in many ways food and beverage manufacturers are rising to meet this demand by cutting calories from across their portfolios and offering more better-for-you options -- but the Center for...
In the natural channel, says Good Karma CEO Doug Radi, plant-based options account for 25% of dollar sales of fluid ‘milk,’ but just 8% of yogurt sales. In the conventional channel, meanwhile, the figures are 8% and 1% respectively. “So if you close the...
While some ‘natural’ lawsuits have been put on ice while the FDA mulls over the meaning of the most contentious word in food marketing, a judge handling one such case against Kraft Foods Group (now Kraft Heinz) says there are not compelling grounds to...
Food scientists at the Polytechnic University of Valencia found that adding whey protein to a panna cotta with low fat content had the highest satiety effects.
Increased awareness of and ongoing battles with diet related chronic health problems are pushing more consumers into the kitchen for the first time -- creating a massive opportunities for do-it-yourself kits that teach consumers how to make their own...
Kabrita USA cuts through the competition in the infant and toddler formula category to earn shelf space and parents' trust by cultivating consumers' positive reviews and healthcare providers' recommendations.
Demographics don't provide easy answers to GMO debate, says Pew Research Center
Think anti-GMO sentiment is primarily the preserve of white college educated liberals? Think again, says Pew Research Center, which has just conducted a consumer survey suggesting that attitudes on GMOs, organics, and other food issues are “conspicuously...
Providing transparent, accurate information about products that go beyond what is legally required can boost sales, market share and consumer loyalty, suggests new research by Label Insight.
While the freshly prepared deli category already generates a whopping $24 billion annually, it currently is achieving a fraction of its potential, suggests new research from the Food Marketing Institute.
Change, whether good or bad,can be disquieting and push people toward the familiar, as likely will be the case for food and flavors in American in 2017 as a new president promising significant political shifts is sworn into office.
Charging a fee to deliver food and beverages ordered online is a double-edged sword that can boost basket size but also reduce reorder rates, suggests new research from 1010data Market Insights.
There have been hundreds of class action lawsuits directed against food and beverage companies in recent years over everything from evaporated cane juice to Non-GMO claims. But has the false advertising litigation trend peaked, and if not, what are the...
Modern Americans expect much more from food companies today than they did in the past -- now not only do they want food that is better for them, but they want products that also are better for society and the planet.
The founders of startup Malt Shop Cookies are hoping to jumpstart their new ecommerce business by launching on Cyber Monday the online sale of their line of malted milk cookies before expanding into more traditional brick and mortar stores next year.
The question of whether butter, as a stand-in for saturated fat, “is back” and safe to eat in large amounts or not is a false and distracting dichotomy in the ongoing debate about how to improve health and prevent heart disease with diet, suggests an...
Has the FDA’s probe into ‘natural’ claims on food labels put a stop to the tidal wave of false advertising lawsuits engulfing food manufacturers? Not if a new complaint against Dannon is anything to go by, which also delves into the thorny issue of GMOs,...
Sunrise Strategic Partners - a Colorado-based accelerator of emerging brands co-founded by Steve Hughes and Trilantic North America - has made a minority investment in grass-fed organic dairy brand Maple Hill, which makes whole milk yogurts, kefir, cheeses,...
As part of Nestlé's 150th anniversary celebrations, FoodNavigator-USA editor Elaine Watson caught up with Nestlé USA chief procurement officer Patty Stroup to talk about how relations with dairy farmers are changing.
To protect organic crops and products form the “incursion” of rapidly developing genetic engineering, the National Organic Standards Board voted last week to recommend USDA expand and strengthen the definitions of excluded methods under organic regulations.
Offering a small selection of locally produced food and beverages is no longer enough to set retailers apart -- now the entire store needs to reflect the community it serves to succeed in an increasingly competitive market, suggests new survey data from...
The National Organic Review Board’s decision Thursday to remove carrageenan from the list of allowable non-organic ingredients in organic products will limit consumers’ organic options, result in inferior products and sets a dangerous precedent for the...
The food industry’s biggest guns have recently been engaged in some serious retail therapy, investing in a flurry of smaller, sexier brands and setting up venture arms to nurture them. And they’re not the only ones out shopping. Leonardo DiCaprio and...
While President-elect Trump’s position on food policy is relatively unclear still, changes to the exhaustively researched and intensely debated Nutrition Facts label, menu labeling rule and food safety regulations could all be on the chopping block under...
Advocates for and against allowing organic products to continue using the non-organic thickener carrageenan argued their cases in front of the National Organic Standards Board Wednesday ahead of the advisory committee’s vote on the issue Thursday.
NAMI: ‘Failure to act on TPP will be potentially devastating’
A Trump administration could herald more business-friendly tax policies, but it could also stymie food labeling, health and nutrition-related initiatives set in motion under the Obama administration, and create uncertainty for businesses with operations...
Many ‘legacy’ food and beverage brands are losing market share because they have “lost touch with where the consumer is going,” delegates at Food Vision USA were told.
Organic industry stakeholders from across the nation are gathered in St. Louis today for what promises to be a highly contentious three-day meeting during which the National Organic Standards Board will debate the role of hydroponic production, carrageenan,...
The acrimonious political climate has many consumers looking for comfort rather than adventure in their food and beverage choices, and as such in 2017 they likely will reach for products that are "recognizable rather than revolutionary," according...
From ‘disastrous’ to ‘better trade deals.’ The prospect of a Trump presidency has provoked alarm and delight in equal measure. But substantial numbers of respondents to a FoodNavigator-USA survey also say that the President Elect has said so little about...
A year and a half after Amazon launched its ill-timed Dash Button to critics’ misguided ridicule and mirth, the replenishment service has proven its potential impact on the bottom line of participating manufacturers is no laughing matter.
The era when investors in the food and beverage industry had all the leverage and could strategically pick the “perfect cut” by meticulously searching for “matching” opportunities in the perfect sector at the perfect time are “long over,” according to...
Years after the dot com and housing market crashes pushed consumers in droves to switch from national to store brands to save money, private label sales are starting to sag – forcing retailers to rethink their marketing strategies, according to a new...
Social Nature harnesses social media to drive consumer engagement
Demos are expensive and time consuming, shows and events can be hit and miss, and redemption rates for coupons handed out at events can be frustratingly low. So how can you reach more target consumers, generate more buzz about your products, and use it...
Grocery stores continue to step up their game against the competitive threat of subscription home delivery meal kits by improving their similar offerings as in the case of Ahold USA’s partnership with cookbook author and blogger Gina Homolka of Skinnytaste.
With a projected annual growth rate of more than 13% through 2022, the dairy alternative market – especially beverages – continues to pave the way forward for the overall expansion of plant-based diets, according to research data.
No matter who wins tomorrow’s presidential election, two-thirds of US consumers believe their financial health will deteriorate in 2017 -- a prospect that has many reigning in their holiday dining budgets and looking for deals, according to new research...
Growth in the global food industry has slowed to its lowest level in more than a decade to a dismal 1.1% in 2016, but there are a few bright spots that promise improved future growth, according to new data from Euromonitor International.
The need for sustainable proteins is on the rise, but are they as healthy and nutritious as their mainstream equivalents? A public-private partnership (PPP) coordinated by Wageningen University aims to determine just that, and is on the lookout for more...
Personalized nutrition not just about 'DNA diets,' says CEO of Campbell Soup-backed start-up
Is personalized nutrition just an overpriced indulgence for affluent people that are already health conscious, or could Campbell Soup’s $32m bet on Habit – a nutrition and meal-delivery operation partnering with leading systems biologists – really transform...
