Sales of vinegar, a long-time and often-overlooked pantry staple, are skyrocketing as consumers increasingly embrace it as a clean, functional ingredient that offers health benefits, sought-after flavor variety and versatility, according to a category...
Could your microbiome - a huge ecosytem of trillions of bacteria living inside your body - explain why you find it harder to regulate your blood sugar than the next person?
When it comes to online shopping, consumers may say that they want products with a long shelf-life, but a recent Harris Poll found that they are just as likely to buy fresh fruits and vegetables as dry packaged goods online – revealing ecommerce may hold...
Children between the ages of two and 18 should consume fewer than six teaspoons of added sugars daily, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends.
Epidemics of seasonal viral infections, such as the flu, or seasonal fluctuations in mothers’ vitamin D levels, could explain why celiac disease is strongly associated with children’s season of birth and shed light on what triggers the autoimmune disorder,...
For boomers at ingredients suppliers seeking to engage with a new generation of Millennials within their customer base, b2b ad and marketing communications agency Anderson Partners Food Ingredient Marketing has come up with some tips designed to help...
The USDA approved a federal marketing order (FMO) for the pecan industry earlier this year, enabling the industry to collect mandatory dues that will go towards marketing and research efforts for US pecans. Last week, the industry started the nomination...
Target has seen meaningful uplifts in grocery sales in ‘LA25’ stores where it is testing new merchandising concepts, but has had a challenging quarter owing to deflationary pressures, chairman and CEO Brian Cornell told analysts this week.
While they are pretty small fry right now in volume terms, emerging application areas for almonds from cultured nut artisanal yogurts, cheeses and desserts, and center-plate savory products to nut-butter-filled bars and ‘Paleo’ pancake mixes, could be...
While the word ‘natural’ still appears on the label of 11% of new food and beverage introductions in the US according to Mintel data, brands that are part of the so-called natural foods industry need to embrace a new form of conscious capitalism if they...
What differences in shopping habits do childless households have compared to ones with children? A lot, a new study by Packaged Facts reveals. We chat with founders of two smaller brands who market directly to children and get their take.
Making a profit and promoting health are not mutually exclusive, and healthy food brands now generate some serious profits. But no business will willingly engage in initiatives that could damage sales of its biggest – and sometimes unhealthiest - legacy...
New FDA rules clarifying the process by which ingredients are deemed generally recognized as safe (GRAS) have been welcomed by some stakeholders, but harshly criticized by others, who say any system allowing firms to self-determine the safety of their...
Seafood checks many of today’s on-trend boxes, including being high in lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids, sustainable, natural and minimally processed – yet consumption of it in the US continues to fall, prompting manufacturers and public health advocates...
Eager to expand its footprint in the exponentially growing packaged salad space and meet consumer demand for healthy, fresh and convenient produce, Ready Pac Food launches four new Organic Chopped Salad Kits, which it claims create a new segment in the...
'America is becoming a nation of par-cookers, snackers and meal assemblers'
As supermarkets continue to lose market share to high- and low-end rivals, they must fully embrace consumer demand for fresh, stock more premium products and behave more like specialty retailers if they are to survive in today’s climate, according to...
For all their hype, superfoods often are restricted to trend-setting consumers with higher incomes who shop the natural channel, but the makers of Shanti Protein and Energy Bars want to change that by making the ingredients easily available to the masses...
Analysts at Nielsen noticed a trend in grocery stores that may prove a great opportunity for retailers, suppliers, and brands alike: Consumers are counting on the perishable aisles for a packaged, personalized 'prescription' for a healthy lifestyle.
The gluten free market in the US remains hot, but as the category becomes more crowded, manufacturers must offer products with added appeal to stay competitive – such as a protein boost from pulses or an added dose of fiber and flavor with ancient grains,...
It might not have attracted as much media attention as quinoa or chia, but sorghum – a home-grown gluten-free grain that is every bit as attractive in the nutritional and sustainability stakes - is steadily gaining traction in food applications, not least...
An energy bar, jam, and even gelato—these aren’t food items often associated with pulses and legumes. But undergraduates, graduates, and professionals showcased that pulses are capable of far much more than we give them credit for.
Sprouts Farmers Market is aggressively expanding its private label program, particularly in the deli area in order to “enhance our position as a ready-to-eat destination,” CEO Amin Maredia said this week.
While fiber hasn’t quite reached the same superstar status as protein, consumer interest in the ingredient is rising rapidly as they look for ways to manage their weight while still enjoying food and beverages with high quality taste and familiar mouthfeel.
Trends may come and go, but they often don't stay gone forever -- rather most eventually cycle back in vogue, as is the case with the current focus on “ancient wisdom,” and time-tested, traditional cooking techniques and ingredients that are influencing...
TerraVia – formerly known as Solazyme – has been telling reporters (and investors) that algae is the next big thing in food for years. But when will it really start to change the game?
In-store marketing of fruit and vegetables leads to consumers spending more on healthy produce as a greater proportion of their food budget, a study has found.
Most Americans consume more than 1.5 times the daily recommended cap for sodium – a staggering figure that prompted FDA to draft voluntary guidance earlier this summer for the food and beverage industry to drastically cut sodium levels in their products...
Manufacturers have been ‘cleaning up’ food labels for years, but the pressure to oust 'unpronounceable' ingredients has now become so great that important vitamins and minerals (which often have chemical-sounding names) are also being ditched...
Love with Food CEO to speak at FOOD VISION USA in Chicago
Powerplant Ventures - a venture fund led by Mark Rampolla (founder, ZICO), Kevin Boylan and T.K. Pillan (co-founders, Veggie Grill) and Dan Beldy (formerly head of Disney’s venture arm) –has closed a $42m fund aimed at “emerging plant-centric companies.”
New NGS DNA testing methods will replace PCR, predicts Clear Labs
As the Non-GMO Project states on its website, ‘GMO-free’ claims are “not legally or scientifically defensible due to limitations of testing methodology" coupled with cross-contamination risks. In future, however, that could change as testing methods...
Consumers increasingly are seeking products that they are simple, with ingredients that they can pronounce, benefits that thy understand and minimal processing, but as a leading Mintel analyst noted at IFT’s Food Expo in Chicago “simple” isn’t always...
Demand for plant proteins continues to rise, and pea protein’s sustainability, non-allergenicity and non-GMO message is edging the ingredient to a tipping point.
Milled whole cricket powder is probably the best known bug-derived food ingredient aside from red food color carmine. But what other delights might edible insects yield for food formulators? Elaine Watson caught up with bug enthusiast Dr George Cavender...
Targeting the crossfit, yoga, and barre-enthusiasts (and the like), prepared meal provider Power Supply relies heavily on local chefs and the local fitness community to differentiate itself in the bustling meal subscription category.
After carving out a niche in the competitive baby- and toddler food categories with its quinoa-based products, NurturMe is ready to expand its portfolio and reach with new ingredients, products and distribution with the help of a $3.7 million investment...
A class action lawsuit accusing Coca-Cola subsidiary Odwalla of misleading consumers by using the term ‘evaporated cane juice’ (ECJ) on labels is now back in play in the wake of the FDA’s finalized guidance – and is likely to be joined by scores of others,...
A review article published in a dentistry journal makes the case that erythritol is superior to xylitol or sorbitol in preventing adhesion of harmful bacteria to teeth.
What’s the next Just Mayo, KRAVE, or Sparkling ICE? If you’re looking for some entrepreneurs to watch over the next couple of years, check out CircleUp’s 2016 list of the 25 most innovative consumer brands of 2016, 15 of which are in food/beverage.
Finding solutions to reduce sodium, sugar and calories in finished products is essential as regulators and consumers demand healthier products – but the increasing desire for “clean labels” adds a complicating twist to the process of sourcing suitable...
Cutting milk proteins apart has been all the rage in recent years. But Benoit Turpin of Milk Specialities Global said the market is now starting to come around to the idea that Mother Nature did a pretty good job with the original protein and using it...
'This isn’t a novelty, it’s serving a fundamental need.'
Meal kits – which enable consumers to cook restaurant-quality meals at home without having to do any of the legwork – could easily be a $60bn dollar market as consumers build them into their weekly routines, predicts the CEO of San Francisco based Sun...
Sunrise Strategic Partners - a Colorado-based accelerator of emerging brands - has made a minority investment in Utah-based Kodiak Cakes, which makes high protein breakfast items from pancake mixes to flapjacks.
Terms like ‘foodstagramming’ ‘digital grazing’ and ‘food porn’ may have entered our lexicon recently but the phenomenon is far from new, say researchers - but could the sheer saturation of picture perfect food today be sparking unintended consequences?
The time consuming process and mess of brewing tea from loose leaves or bags deters many Americans from fully embracing it as a healthy alternative to sugary sodas and juices, but market newcomer Pique Tea, Inc. wants to make the healthy choice the easy...
In keeping with its mission-based foundation of “making better food for more people,” Chobani is now accepting applications for its new Food Incubator Program to help entrepreneurs and small food companies grow their businesses.
You can trademark words, phrases, symbols and designs, so what about #hashtags? It's relatively new territory in the world of intellectual property law, but it's well worth doing, say Rebecca Cross and Allison Hagey at law firm BraunHagey &...
The common belief among new parents that homemade baby food is healthier than store bought options isn’t always true, according to new research published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
