With a successful series A fundraise of $8 million announced today, nutrition-related data services and analytics firm Nutrino wants to build “the world’s largest and most adaptable nutrition insights platform” in part to help manufacturers track trends,...
Hearts of palm noodles could be the next ‘zoodles’ (zucchini vegetable noodles), according to Palmini founder Alfonso Tejada, who is selling the pasta substitute through Amazon and in Florida Whole Foods stores with the goal of bringing the product to...
Ingredient supplier DSM Nutritional Products filed a citizen petition to the FDA, suggesting an amendment to allow brands to use simpler vitamin names on pack instead of chemical nomenclature, in an effort to appease consumers looking for ‘recognizable...
Milled starchy unripe bananas – which are low in sugar and high in RS2 resistant starch – can help people better control their blood glucose, but they also confer an exciting range of digestive benefits, making them a powerful new gut health ingredient,...
Here, an Illinois-based company creating clean label food and beverages in the refrigerated CPG space, has closed a $4m Series A funding round led by food-focused venture fund Listen Co.
While private label’s dollar share of the US CPG market has hovered stubbornly around 18% in recent years, things started to change in 2017, according to new data from Nielsen, which says store brands have experienced a “complete reversal in growth trajectory...
The nutritional rating system Guiding Stars is expanding to four more grocery brands and will, for the first time, appear on the front of pack of some private label products at the stores – potentially giving them a competitive edge over national and...
The nation’s top selling nut butter - peanut butter - is not actually made from nuts (peanuts are legumes), so if you think about it, a spread made from chickpeas (also legumes) is a logical extension for a category that now includes everything from cashew...
While recent Mintel data reveals a whopping 84% of US consumers say they are reducing the amount of sugar in their diet as a way to manage their weight and improve their health, many are unwilling to completely give up sweets – leaving manufacturers scrambling...
Non-profit organization the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) must improve its communication strategy, says the former program manager of the group’s North America branch.
Aunt Dottie’s is dropping its company name from its line of Green Joy salad bars in order to expand the snack’s appeal geographically and better “dial in on what the bars do, which is bring joy to eating healthy,” according to the company’s CEO.
With industrial hemp in the spotlight following Mitch McConnell’s recent intervention (he’s promised to introduce a bill to remove it from the controlled substances list and legalize it as an agricultural commodity), FoodNavigator-USA checked in with...
Consumers place significant onus for ensuring the safety of food and beverages on the companies that make them, and yet their trust in manufacturers to deliver this is at rock bottom – creating a dangerous gap that can be closed only with increased transparency,...
Sharply contrasting views over the scope of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans have emerged in comments submitted to USDA and HHS this week, with some stakeholders arguing that issues such as sustainability (eg. should we recommend eating less...
Mintel data* shared by stevia supplier PureCircle shows the number of global new product launches containing stevia grew by 10% in 2017, with stevia utilized in 28% of new products containing high intensity sweeteners, slightly ahead of aspartame – which...
In the push to win consumers, woo top talent and, believe it or not, balance budgets, corporate social responsibility programs could be one of the most powerful tools in companies’ arsenals – but determining what to include and how to structure them can...
After two years of radio silence, during which some legal commentators – and several judges dealing with civil litigation on the issue – suspected it might die on the vine, the FDA has given its clearest indication yet that it will attempt to define ‘natural’...
Beech-Nut is hoping to do for the toddler snack space what it did four years ago for the ‘tired and dated’ baby food category by launching new products in revamped packaging for young children that are inspired by what parents make at home, but more convenient.
It’s a cruel reality that, even today’s most bold innovators in premium food and beverage may find themselves copied and mimicked with remarkable speed. Whether deliberate copycats or simultaneous innovation, ideas for innovation spread much, much faster...
A recent study shows that pecans, when substituted into a higher-fat diet resembling the average intake of Americans, improved cardiometabolic risk factors in older, overweight subjects.
From leveling the playing field between plant-based and meat and dairy, to increasing investment in plant-based food R&D research and development of plant-based foods and clean meat, leading plant-based advocacy groups are outlining their wish lists...
The future for food and beverage brands is not about market share, it is about mindshare, says Neil Saunders from GlobalData. “If you have a strong brand that is front of mind for consumers, you have a much better chance of being successful.”
Not so long ago, dairy and meat alternatives were niche categories for vegans and vegetarians; today they’re driving a new ‘plant-based’ movement. But does plant-based necessarily mean healthy, and can brands in this space meet demand for cleaner labels?...
The Council for Responsible Nutrition says that FDA’s proposal to revoke a law authorizing use of heart health claims for soy protein is inconsistent with stances of other international regulatory bodies, while the Natural Products Association president...
‘The traditional direct to consumer subscription model reaches a limited consumer base’
A significant percentage of consumers buy into the meal kit concept, but don’t want to commit to a subscription, and want more flexible options to purchase them on- and off-line, says Chef’d, which is rolling out meal kits to 1,500 grocery stores by the...
Americans are snacking more than ever, but not just any bag of chips or candy bar will do. Rather, they want products that are both convenient and nutritious – two boxes that the makers of Truth Bar check with their line of functional nutrition bars.
Acquisitive large CPG brands now recognize that their best bet is to be leave their sexier bedfellows well alone, but give them the resources they need to expand more rapidly, rather than swallowing them under the corporate umbrella, says Justin’s founder...
Meal kit brand HelloFresh is profitable for the first time internationally and “close to breakeven” in the US, claims the company, which announced a 52% increase in group revenues to 905m euros (c.$1.11bn) in 2017 the day after unveiling a deal to acquire...
Cricket-protein bar maker Chapul recently overhauled its packaging to create a “much better hierarchy of messaging,” including clarifying flavors, elevating the value proposition of its ingredients and opting for imagery that encourages consumers to overcome...
Multiple exhibitors at the Natural Products Expo West show were showcasing plant-based yogurts this year, but each with a slightly different slant, says Jody Polishchuk, who claims his product – Yooga – delivers on taste and nutrition, without as much...
Consumer demand for fiber is on the rise thanks in part to increased awareness of the ingredient’s cancer-fighting and other health benefits, but according to recent research not all fiber packs the same punch.
'I think you’ll see a mass exodus of CPG companies moving from polyols to allulose...'
Allulose is the sweetener generating the most buzz among food formulators right now, although many are waiting to see if the FDA exempts it from sugar labeling (it’s technically a sugar, but it’s not metabolized like one), before launching products featuring...
For KIND Snacks, rising consumer concern about sugar and upcoming changes to the Nutrition Facts panel that will more boldly highlight the nutrient represent an opportunity – rather than a threat – to set itself apart from the competition with new products...
Kashi hopes that other brands will follow its lead in paying more for crops from farmers transitioning from conventional to organic to encourage more producers to make the switch and ensure there is sufficient ingredient supply in the future to meet the...
Emerging trends that have helped fuel the natural and organic industry’s “multi-decade tear” with growth that far outpaces that of the conventional channel are now crossing over to the mainstream with increasing speed thanks in part to an influx of funds...
A calorie is a calorie, right? Wrong, argues pediatrician, sugar-nemesis and author of best-selling book ‘Fat Chance’, Dr Robert Lustig, who caught up with FoodNavigator-USA at the Natural Products Expo West trade show in Anaheim last week.
The Quaker brand – best known for its hot and cold cereals and snack bars – is planning its first foray into the chiller, as brand owner PepsiCo seeks to tap into consumer demand for more convenient nutrition, says Seth Kaufman, head of the company’s...
‘Retailers must get their heads in the clouds’, says Whipstitch Capital, which means brands must think omni-channel and what they can do outside of just offering a ‘product’.
The head of Norwegian company Pharma Marine said that creating new customers is the name of the game in the omega-3s business. Creating a new culinary oil enhanced with omega-3s will do this better than building a better soft gel product, he said.
Ancient Nutrition is ready to “grab the proverbial tiger by the tail” with a $103 million investment that will allow it to reach and educate more consumers about its on-trend powdered bone broth, collagen products and a recently launched and already hot...
A new Regenerative Organic Certification program launching this week at Expo West is a meaningful extension of the base USDA Organic certification rather than a symptom of the tensions within the movement, proponents say. However, some observers have...
If the evidence that predominantly plant-based diets are better for human health is growing, the evidence that they are better for the planet is compelling, delegates at the 7th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition (ICVN) were told.
Noodles are one of the hottest restaurant trends, but the retail ramen category has not enjoyed the same explosive growth. Houston-based Naughty Noah’s is hoping to change that with Vietnamese Pho noodle soups inspired by mom.
FDA commissioner: 'We will have more to say on the 'natural' issue soon'
By Charles Sipos, partner; and Lauren Staniar, associate, Perkins Coie
While defining ‘natural’ for the purposes of food labeling has not appeared to be high on the FDA’s priority list since it announced its 2015 probe, things could be about to change, predict Perkins Coie attorneys Charles Sipos and Lauren Staniar.
New research showing organic farming more effectively restores soil carbon and reduces the cause of climate change compared to conventional techniques could sway more shoppers to buy organic – especially as conscious consumerism continues to rise.
Analysis of multiple cohorts of consumers around the world featuring large subsets of people on vegan and vegetarian diets – including the Adventist Health Study 2 in the US, the EPIC Oxford study in the UK and the Tzu Chi Health Study 1 and vegetarian...
Despite double-digit increases in the amount of organic corn and soybean grown domestically in recent years, imports of the crops are increasing twice as fast – raising questions about the quality of the product allowed in from overseas and underscoring...
