Check out Alexander McCoy’s linkedin profile and you’ll see a string of corporate finance-related entries until you get to 2013, when he abruptly switched gears and took up ostrich farming.
Kellogg Company’s venture capital fund eighteen94’s inaugural investment and lead position in a $4.25 million raise for the fast-growing startup Kuli Kuli will help the moringa superfood supplier and manufacturer expand its presence in retailers with...
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has released shipments of refined stevia from PureCircle coming in from China that had been held at the border based on allegations that they contained stevia produced using forced labor.
Healthcare concerns likely are behind the steep drop in Americans’ spending at restaurants in 2016 and the uptick in consumers who say they will cook at home more in the New Year, according to recent research.
The US Department of Agriculture’s recent selection of a diverse group of national and independent retailers to sell online groceries to Americans using food stamps not only potentially expands the retailers’ consumer base, but it could be a “lifeline”...
Ahold USA has joined a growing number of high-profile retailers – from Whole Foods to Target – that have signed up with online platform RangeMe to help streamline their product and supplier discovery process.
New best practices guidelines for the labeling, storing, and stability testing for probiotic products will facilitate transparency and consistency in the US probiotics sector.
Sustainability wins another vote for the “most important” trend to watch in 2017, followed closely by plant-based protein, according to a small, but well-educated group of nutrition experts, surveyed by Ketchum’s Global Food and Beverage Practice and...
The supply of industrial hemp is ramping up quickly, as a company formed by growers in Kentucky reported $2 million in payments to farmers for the 2016 crop. But demand for CBD still far outstrips supply, a company officer said.
Despite a rising nationalism in the US born out of the contentious presidential election cycle, Americans remain open to global cuisine and as such, in 2017, international flavors and cultures will continue to heavily influence what’s hot and what’s not...
Openness and transparency is the only way for genetic engineering technology to thrive in the supply of dietary ingredients, said an official with a company engaged in the practice.
The FDA has attempted to clear up some of the confusion over defining and calculating added sugar, in new draft guidance designed to help firms get to grips with the key changes it is making to the Nutrition Facts panel.
Campbell Soup has joined a growing number of food manufacturers backing a citizen’s petition from NuTek Food Science asking the FDA to allow ‘potassium salt’ as an alternate name for potassium chloride on food labels.
New data from Nielsen outlining the fastest-growing categories in grocery in 2016 reveals rapid growth in deli items and meal solutions, pre-prepared fruits and veggies, and ready-to-drink tea and coffee.
Ancient Nutrition takes the burgeoning bone broth category in a new direction by bringing it into the well established and wildly successful protein powder segment with the creation of a more versatile Bone Broth Protein powder.
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...
News that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a qualified health claim about high amylose maize resistant starch as a weapon in the fight against type 2 diabetes will start a much-needed conversation about the fiber, say experts.
Once considered primarily as a supplement for fiber and omega-3s, flax increasingly is appearing in more packaged foods with marketing claims extolling its health benefits and unique cooking properties.
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...
Offering products made from crops transitioning to organic at a premium above conventional but not as high as certified organic “helps the farmer, helps the consumer and helps the planet,” says the owner of the McKaskle Family Farm.
As the plant-based movement marches on, alternatives to animal-based products are starting to show up in some unexpected places -- most recently as substitutes in the burgeoning meat bar category.
Interest in lifestyle medicine is exploding, but personalized nutrition and health companies need to keep the science ahead of the marketing, and customization needs to be within the context of strong evidence, says Dr David Katz.
Home delivery meal kit provider Chef’d breaks away from the dinner focused competition by partnering with the Quaker Oats Company to become one of the first services in the crowded category to offer breakfast options.
In a recently issued draft guidance, the Food and Drug Administration has shed more light on the process of determining what’s a fiber and what might not be—information that could be of critical importance for the marketers of prebiotics.
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...
The research into the health benefits of soy foods continues to accumulate while the concerns about the legume’s purported estrogenic effects abate, according to a recent review article.
Based in part on the idea that good things come in small packages, the founders of The Little Kernel earlier this year launched a line of tiny pre-popped popcorn, which they say is sweeter, crunchier and easier to eat than regular sized popcorn because...
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...
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.
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.
Already recognized by many as the epitome of a convenient and better-for-you snack, ready-to-eat popcorn is about to become even healthier and easier to enjoy, claim the founders of New Pop as it makes its US debut.
Too much sugar remains a top consumer concern, but confusion about how to read product labels and general distrust of their accuracy means many Americans are at a loss as to how to reduce sugar, a new Healthline survey reveals.
Rightly or wrongly, organic snacks often are stereotyped as “esoteric” products that sacrifice flavor and fun for nutrition and are “hard on the wallet” compared to their conventional counterparts, according to the CEO of Pure Growth Organic.
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.
The International Probiotics Association has submitted a citizen petition to the FDA to require the labeling of probiotic ingredients in dietary supplements as colony forming units (CFUs) instead of by weight.
From terminology (do US consumers get the word ‘pulses’?), to positioning (what are the key selling points?), and how to deal with flatulence questions, the recent FoodNavigator-USA Pulse Innovation Forum covered a lot of ground. Here are some of the...
A renewed nationalism by a vocal portion of the US population, fueled by Trump’s presidential campaign and victory, likely will not dampen consumers’ desire for international flavors and dishes, according to some trendologists.
Ten years after launch, Oakland, CA-based Revolution Foods is on course to generate revenues of $130m in 2016, up 25% vs 2015, and expects to continue on the same trajectory in 2017 as more kids and families discover its “kid-inspired, chef-crafted” meals...
Taiyo’s Non-GMO certification for its Matcha Powder is a sign of the growing influence of this attribute, even for ingredient categories that have never been subject to genetic modification.
For most Americans cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving staple, but it isn’t the dish everyone clamors for -- which the fruit’s industry stakeholders hope to change with aggressive marketing campaigns, innovative product launches and science-backed claims.
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...
