The number of class action filings against food and beverage companies rose 9% to 158 in 2018, with firms vulnerable to legal action on a host of fronts, from slack fill to natural claims, says law firm Perkins Coie.
US sales of in-store meal kits reached $93m in 2018, according to the latest Nielsen data, with 187 new retail meal kit items introduced during the year as high-profile brands sought to reach consumers that like the concept, but don’t want to commit to...
RightRice, the brainchild of Popchips co-founder Keith Belling, has closed a $5.5m minority investment led by Strand Equity and a roster of celebrity investors and industry veterans, including Impossible Foods, COO David Lee, and celebrities Karlie Kloss,...
Coconut Collaborative has expanded distribution to more than 1,000 stores since launching in the US last year, and according to co-founder Edward Averdieck, the brand is hitting its stride just as the plant-based yogurt market is showing signs of becoming...
Three decades after the technology was first developed, Epogee (formerly Choco Finesse) is gearing up for a commercial launch of fat replacers called EPGs (esterified propoxylated glycerols) which can reduce calories from fat by up to 92% without impacting...
After helping to pioneer the nascent drinkable soup segment, the startup ZÜPA NOMA is ready to expand into adjacent categories with a fresh look, different name and new products.
Tests from Florida-based lab Beta Analytic prove that the allegations in a recent lawsuit challenging LaCroix’s all natural claims are “false and devoid of legal and factual merit,” claims LaCroix brand owner National Beverage Corporation (NBC).
If Amazon is planning to launch a new retail offer with lower prices than Whole Foods, it would lend credence to the idea that “well-designed, well-located brick-and-mortar stores have an important role to play in the years ahead, even as e-commerce continues...
Ingredion has acquired privately-held potato starch producer Western Polymer in Washington state, expanding the company's potato starch manufacturing capacity and processing capabilities.
Despite being around since 2010, bean chip brand Beanfields is now experiencing the kind of growth (i.e. triple digit sales growth in January 2019) most food and beverage startups see in their first few years on the market.
Whether through multi-million dollar investments in startups or high dollar mergers and acquisitions of larger, established companies, the food and beverage industry currently is being flooded with funding, and with it many opportunities as well as challenges.
‘We’ve had pushback [over genetic engineering] for years now, but the conversation has to change’
If printing out DNA sequences that instruct yeast or bacteria to express proteins identical to those in eggs or milk in big fermentation tanks sounds a little ‘unnatural,’ consider how natural, sustainable, or indeed ethical, it is to continue to produce...
Armed with $5 million in series B financing and the belief that moringa will follow the lead of matcha and turmeric to become the next big superfood, Kuli Kuli plans to take the ingredient beyond its diverse portfolio of CPGs and into foodservice as well...
The moving target of what qualifies as 'clean label' among consumers can throw food marketers for a dizzying loop, however there are a few general constants food brands and manufacturers can follow to appeal to consumers' clean label ideal....
FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said the agency is planning a public meeting in April to initiate a rule making procedure on CBD. The goal is to create “an appropriately efficient and predictable regulatory framework for regulating CBD products,”...
The food industry is gearing up for the Natural Products Expo West show in Anaheim. But what is a 'natural' product? How are definitions of natural & clean label evolving, and is food tech changing the game? (Is the Impossible Burger ‘natural,’...
Consumers' desire to eat better is having a strong impact across the fresh food sector from produce to prepared foods to meal kits, according to recent Nielsen research.
As recently as a few years ago, the words food and tech were incongruous together, but today they signal a booming industry that is ripe for innovation, and according to the VP of business development at the Israel-based incubator The Kitchen, the combination...
For new entrepreneurs with limited funds trying to make ends meet – or plant-based minced meat as in the case of Israeli startup Rilbite – focusing first on foodservice, rather than retail, can offer a more economic path to market.
Customer satisfaction across major supermarkets chains dipped 1.3% last year with two outliers that gained higher marks: Trader Joe's and Wegmans, according to new data from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).
Good Culture has closed an $8m funding round led by CAVU Venture Partners that will help the cottage cheese brand become an even stronger force in the cultured dairy aisle where the company has experienced +100% year-over-year growth in velocity across...
In an effort to find the ‘next big thing’ as early as possible, ingredients firm IFF Frutarom is considering expanding into other markets a version of its unique Israeli-based innovation lab FoodNxt, which launched about one year ago following a tender...
The frozen food category has been a core grocery purchase for nearly all consumers. However, the frozen food aisle can benefit from an image overhaul, leaving behind its reputation as back-up food stockpiled in the home freezer for weeks, to a quality...
The oldest of Generation Z (aged 12-22) is just entering adulthood and will have a profound impact on the packaged food and foodservice industries, yet will be the hardest audience for food marketers to reach, predicts market researcher The NPD Group.
Kashi has expanded its 'Kashi by Kids' line -- which launched with three kids' cereals last summer -- with soft baked snack bites made with a base combination of coconut flour, chickpeas, acai, and sweet potato.
Kroger and UK-based online grocery retailer Ocado will construct two new customer fulfillment centers (CFCs) in central Florida and the Mid-Atlantic, expanding the national grocery chain's online delivery reach throughout the East Coast.
Hormel Foods has sold its CytoSport business – which makes the Muscle Milk and Evolve Protein sports nutrition brands - to PepsiCo for an undisclosed sum.
Glanbia Nutritionals - a $1.4bn nutritional ingredients and cheese business - has struck a deal to acquire Watson, a Connecticut-based manufacturer and supplier of custom nutrient premixes, bakery ingredients, edible films and material conditioning products.
Frozen kids meal brand Kidfresh is expanding into the breakfast category with a line of products rolling out in early April to address what CEO Matt Cohen calls 'the most intense time of the day' for parents.
Canadian cannabis specialist Tilray is to buy Manitoba Harvest – the world’s largest hemp food manufacturer - from Compass Group and other shareholders in a deal that could be worth up to C$419m (US$317m).*
Beverage startup SZENT is using the power of smell to its advantage in its line of 'flavored' bottled waters that will be entering California grocers later this year backed by a $2.2m round of financing from a group of independent investors.
After pioneering and rising to the top of the roasted chickpea-based snack category, Biena Snacks is taking the legume – and company – in a new direction with the launch of a line of baked chickpeapuffs and a corresponding brand refresh complete with...
Chickpea-fueled brand Banza is hoping it can emulate its success in the pasta aisle with a chickpea rice that delivers three times the protein, double the fiber, and 30% fewer net carbs than brown rice.
Consumers are approaching food shopping differently than they have in years past with a greater emphasis on local, convenient, fresh, and functional, says market researcher Packaged Facts.
Check out FoodNavigator-USA’s latest gallery of new products hitting US shelves, spanning the latest plant-based launches in the meat and dairy aisle, new pulse based pastas, keto-inspired launches in everything from bone broth and pancake mixes, and...
The future of baby food – according to some brands at least – is fresh. But which business models make the most sense for new players in this small, but rapidly growing, chilled segment of the market?
New brand RightRice – a vegetable rice grain made up of over 90% vegetables and 10% rice - has launched exclusively with Whole Foods Market nationwide and on Amazon where it intends to reinvigorate the rice aisle.
Offering on-site nutrition services such as access to registered dietitians is becoming more common place in grocery stores, but does it make shoppers with chronic illnesses such as hypertension make healthier food and beverage choices?
Fresh Bellies entered the competitive HPP baby food market in 2015 with its line of savory refrigerated vegetable purees and has expanded its line to crunchy toddler snacks in order to 'age with' its consumer.
When seeking investor support or trying to woo customers, companies not only need to describe their product, but they also need to explain the problem that the product or brand solves, according to the CEO of SmartCatch.
Independent grocers using the online ordering and delivery marketplace, Mercato, have experienced strong year-over-year sales increases despite growing competition from national chains and larger online grocery delivery providers.
Keto may be one of the hottest diets right now, but it's far from the most convenient when it comes to meal planning, said Nick Mares, co-founder of Kettle & Fire.
How will cell-cultured meat come to market, and does it matter in the long-term which companies are first, where they launch, and what kinds of products they come out with?
When thinking of gut healthy foods, chocolate may not come to mind right away. However, Australian brand Gutsii is forging a spot within the functional foods market with its prebiotic chocolate line.
Shoppers increasingly are making purchasing decisions based on how sustainable they perceive a product, brand or manufacturer to be, but as recently published research from Nielsen notes the consumers’ definition of sustainability is amorphous – making...
Beginning this spring, the FDA will begin routine inspections of large domestic and international farms (excluding sprouts operations) as part of the Produce Safety Rule established under FSMA to better address food borne illnesses linked to fresh produce....
Allergy-friendly snack company Enjoy Life Foods didn't aim for perfection when launching its Protein Bites. In fact, it endured some lackluster consumer reviews and underwhelming sales before figuring out how to position the snack that's now...
Consumers have been slower to migrate online to shop for certain food items, compared to other categories such as personal care and vitamins/supplements. However that behavior is starting to change with frozen and refrigerated grocery items registering...
Beyond Food Inc. is tackling the multi-billion dollar food waste issue by diverting aging – but still safe to consume – fruits and vegetables from landfills to its modular Zero Waste Pods where the organic material is converted into fine-milled powders...
