Consumers are increasingly enthusiastic about discovering ‘small-batch’ foods from artisanal producers, while growing numbers of small producers are looking for other avenues beyond traditional retailers to get their wares to market. Hatchery – an online...
General Mills coughed up a cool $820m to buy Annie’s last year. But it has also signaled its intention to invest in brands at an earlier stage in their development via its 301 Inc venturing arm and a recent tie up with equity crowdfunding site CircleUp....
Healthy aging and increasing coverage by the mainstream media could help drive demand for products addressing inflammation over the next few years, say experts.
Online retail of food and beverage may be small now, but it is slowly gaining traction in the US – providing start-ups struggling to get their foot in the door another option for reaching consumers, according to the CEO of online subscription snack service...
High-pressure-processing (HPP) – which gave birth to the super-premium juice category – will also play a disruptive role in the baby food market in the next five years, predict the founders of Once Upon a Farm, a new baby food brand in a pouch that will...
Quest Nutrition has a somewhat ambitious mission statement (“Our goal is to end metabolic disease,” says president Tom Bilyeu). But while it may be some time before the El Segundo-based firm can tick this particular goal off its checklist, its progress...
If services such as Blue Apron target people that love to cook and prepare meals, but don’t always have the time or energy for meal planning and grocery shopping, TableRunner appeals to people that want restaurant quality meals at home but don’t have...
What is 'natural'? FDA finally weighs into the debate
Having studiously avoided this food labeling minefield for years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has surprised many in the trade by seeking comments on the definition of a word that has launched a thousand class action lawsuits (well almost):...
Eating healthy shouldn’t be hard, but all too often it is – in part because superfoods frequently are sold in large containers and inconvenient formats that can be daunting to category newcomers, according to a health food industry veteran.
From tea to turmeric beverages, and from smoothies to spice blends, the GanedenBC30 probiotic is everywhere. After successful regulatory approvals around the world, next year promises to be ‘exceptional’.
Demonizing unhealthy food as the primary cause of weight gain may be off-track, suggest researchers who found consumption of fast food, sweets and salty snacks alone may not be the harbinger of obesity it often is made out to be.
Building more supermarkets is not the only way to reduce food deserts, suggests new research that found corner stores are stocking more healthy foods and beverages now than almost 10 years ago.
301 Inc, the business development and venturing unit at General Mills, has launched a multi-million dollar capital fund through the CircleUp platform to seed emerging consumer food brands.
KonaRed – the Hawaii-based company on a mission to make coffee fruit the next big thing in functional foods and beverages – has similar challenges to those POM Wonderful faced when it first got started, but has the potential to be equally successful,...
Protein is hot in food formulation right now. But is this a sustainable trend or a passing fad? How much is enough, and do the next generation of proteins, from rice and pea to algae and insects, deliver in the same way that soy and whey do? And how should...
A month after telling shoppers it was “embarrassed and truly sorry” after an undeclared allergen (wheat) was detected in selected boxes of gluten-free Cheerios, General Mills has been hit with a class action lawsuit alleging it violated several consumer...
Americans increasingly want fresh, healthy food, but they don’t always have the extra time it takes to plan and prepare those ingredients – creating a white space in the market for enterprising manufacturers.
As widely predicted, ConAgra Foods is to sell the bulk of its private label business to Treehouse Foods in a $2.7bn deal – less than three years after acquiring it from Ralcorp for almost $5bn.
Media attention has focussed on the unsustainabilty of California's almond industry, with issues ranging from water overuse during drought and pesticide harm to bees during pollination - but this is unfair says the California Almond Board.
San Francisco-based microalgae pioneer Solazyme has expand its joint venture with oils expert Bunge to develop a “range of breakthrough oils for food and products for animal nutrition”.
While 3D printing might still seem a bit like a technology searching for an application when it comes to food, the co-creator of the Foodini printer insists her machines won’t end up gathering dust at the back of your cupboard once the novelty wears off.
Food manufacturers remain sharply divided over FDA proposals to crack down on added sugar, with General Mills and other big names such as Kellogg and Unilever strongly opposed; and Nestlé, Mars, and KIND LLC in favor, according to the latest wave of comments...
With growth in fresh perimeter grocery departments outpacing that of the center of the store, Portland, OR-based The Better Bean Co. saw a void for a high-quality alternative to canned beans that could become part of people’s weekly cooking routines.
An improving economy and growing concerns over obesity and related health issues are creating a new category of shoppers, according to U.K.-based customer science firm Dunnhumby.
Target has embarked on a multi-year collaboration with MIT’s Media Lab and design firm IDEO that will explore areas such as urban farming, food transparency and authenticity, supply chain and health.
The health halo around protein continues to shine brightly, but a shadow could be cast on the ingredient as some consumers start asking if it is possible to have too much protein, according to a market research expert.
An advertising campaign that focusses on the transformative nature of cooking insects is more effective than 'entomophagy education', says a US-based researcher.
Stressed, time poor and short of culinary inspiration, but feeling guilty about ordering pizza again? Sun Basket – the latest entrant to the burgeoning home meal delivery market – gives you the tools to cook restaurant-quality meals at home, without having...
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched a probe into the way the American Egg Board handled the ‘threat’ of Hampton Creek – the San Francisco-based start-up behind the egg-free spread Just Mayo - amid claims it overstepped its mandate by...
With rumors swirling that Kellogg is eyeing up Diamond Foods, news of another potential megadeal also hit the wires this week, with ConAgra Foods reportedly in advanced talks to sell its private label business Ralcorp to Treehouse Foods in a deal that...
US confectioners can measure the effectiveness of in-store merchandising and promotions in real-time and quickly correct any issues by drawing on a network of 800,000 contractors, says the founder of start-up Gigwalk.
A new fast absorbing protein from Arla Foods Ingredients could help crack open the endurance sports sector, which has significant potential for growth but until now has been largely dominated by sports drinks with only carbohydrates and electrolytes.
301 Inc, a business development unit within General Mills, today announced a shift in strategy from developing its own brands to partnering and investing in early stage food companies, such as L.A. based plant-based protein expert Beyond Meat.
Two well-known players in food financing – former Silverwood Partners MDs Michael Burgmaier and Nick McCoy - have started a new boutique investment bank focused on the consumer products industry called Whipstitch Capital.
MycoTechnology, a company that uses mushrooms to alter taste profiles in foods and beverages, has announced a major stevia product launch and the close of a second round of funding.
A herbal nutricosmetic drink is being launched in the UK utilising the amino acid-rich Himalyan herb, Moringa oleifeira, with the company involved saying it has overcome the 'horrible' taste of moringa.
All the evidence shows that sugar taxes decrease purchases and curb obesity– but restricting price promotions and junkfood advertising could have an even bigger impact, concludes Public Health England's report to the UK government.
Armed with little more than her neighbors’ accolades for her homemade granola and a business book recommended on Oprah Winfrey’s website, Viki Sater dove head first into the competitive cereal market.
A positive decision from the FDA on a qualified health claim for omega-3s and blood pressure would be “further justification that EPA and DHA are good for your heart”, says Adam Ismail, Executive Director of GOED.
A new-look International Probiotics Association is creating dialogue with key regulators around the world, and the regulators are starting to turn the corner on how they regulate the friendly bugs, says the association’s executive director.
Kerry Group has splashed out a cool $735m on three US-based companies to expand its taste and nutrition portfolio: Red Arrow Products, Island Oasis and Biothera Inc's Wellmune business.
From savory yogurt and coffee fruit infusions, to switchel – apple cider vinegar-based concoctions that offer a modern twist on a centuries-old tradition - Sterling-Rice Group (SRG) highlights 10 culinary trends it predicts will inspire packaged foods...
Dutch company Newtricious is bringing a new egg protein hydrosolate ingredient market with data backing its cardiovascular and metabolic health benefits.
It’s the leader in the Australian ‘free-from’ market (free from all eight major allergens), but can Freedom Foods achieve similar success in the US? Two years into its campaign to crack America, the signs are encouraging, says US CEO Michael Bracka.
By Steve Osborn, Principal Consultant, Food and Beverage, The Aurora Ceres Partnership, Banamex Mexico City, Mexico
What are the hottest trends in food and beverage in Latin America? Steve Osborn, principal consultant, food and beverage, at The Aurora Ceres Partnership, headed to the Food Tech Expo and Summit in Mexico City to find out...
Finding the right partners to guarantee long term supply is the key to success in the super foods game, said the executive of a bulk chia and quinoa supplier based on Florida.
OK, so the Declaration of Independence was not, as urban myth would have it, written on hemp (the said document was written on parchment). But 239 years later, this ultra-versatile super seed is finally gaining traction as a food ingredient in the United...
KIND is the bestselling snack brand and Haribo is the bestselling candy brand, but which other brands make the top 10 in those categories, and what about beverage and breakfast?
