‘Why is it that at a time when people have never known more about health and nutrition, they have never been more obese?’ asks Jack Bobo in the intro to his new book.
Consumer shifts in cooking and eating habits during the pandemic more than doubled the growth rate of organic sales in 2020 compared to before the coronavirus outbreak, helping to drive up retail sales of organic products 12.4% to $61.9bn, according to...
As inflation threatens to crest double digits for CPGs by the end of the year, consumer price sensitivity also is increasing while volume consumption is decreasing – creating an “uncertain, idiosyncratic and uneven” market in which manufacturers must...
Food and beverage brands hoping to capitalize on growing consumer interest in health and wellness may be better served by promoting what is in their products versus what isn’t based on new research from the International Food Nutrition Council.
Terviva – a California-based firm commercializing ingredients from low-input, high-yielding Pongamia trees – has raised $54m in equity capital,* with an additional $24m in equity and debt capital to follow this quarter, and announced a collaboration with...
Despite an uptick in snacking and consumption of indulgent foods and beverages during the pandemic, the number of Americans dieting last year held steady compared to previous years – but their approaches and motivations shifted to reflect changing pressures...
Daring Foods – a startup seeking to punch above its weight in the plant-based chicken category via a lower calorie product with a shorter, cleaner, ingredients list and bold branding – has closed a $40m Series B round led by D1 Capital Partners, and supported...
Eat Just Inc.'s GOOD Meat division has secured $170m in new funding to scale production of its cell-cultured chicken (and R&D into other animal protein including beef and pork) in North America and Asia through multi-million dollar investments...
Amid the steady stream of plant-based meat and dairy launches, new innovations hitting shelves this quarter include zero sugar dairy milk from Maple Hill Creamery, yerba mate from Honest Tea, and rice cooked in bone broth, ready-to-eat in 60-seconds,...
Recognizing that the most common reason Americans want to reduce their animal protein consumption is to improve their health, Sweet Earth is diversifying its selection of plant-based meat alternatives – and the ingredients that go into them – to better...
After more than a year of requiring shoppers to wear masks and stepping up in-store safety measure, Southeastern US retailer Publix along with several other retailers said it will no longer require fully-vaccinated customers to wear face coverings, unless...
The long-awaited end of the pandemic may be nearing in the US as vaccine distribution expands and new government guidance rolls back some mask and social distancing requirements, but for the CPG industry, some of the challenges that arose and accelerated...
Boston-based Motif FoodWorks has gained exclusive access to technologies designed to address two key challenges in plant-based formulations: achieving melt and stretch in plant-based cheese, and healthier fat that enables marbling in plant-based meat....
Carbon labeling for food and beverage may be coming faster than originally predicted, and soon may hold more sway with consumers than other popular certifications as the ongoing pandemic accelerates consumer interest in sustainable diets, predict industry...
While demand for animal protein remains strong, says Tyson Foods, the company saw sales volumes decrease for its beef, chicken, and pork segments during Q2 2021 and for the first six months of fiscal 2021 driven by a variety of factors including severe...
Cell-cultured meat pioneer Memphis Meats is rebranding as UPSIDE Foods as it gears up for a small-scale consumer launch of its first product – chicken – by the end of the year, pending regulatory review.
Target has expanded its private label offering with the launch of Good & Gather Plant Based, responding to soaring demand for plant-based products from customers, said the retailer.
Both sides have claimed victory in the latest installment of an increasingly acrimonious legal dispute* between Beyond Meat and its former co-manufacturer Don Lee Farms triggered by the early termination of an exclusive five-year supply agreement the...
As inflation continues to pick up across grocery categories, Sprouts Farmers Market is offsetting most of the impact by confidently passing cost to consumers through its selection of unique, attribute-led, hard-to-find products that appeal to those seeking...
More than a year out from the onset of the pandemic, and Kellogg's organic net sales remain elevated at +4% for Q1 2021 (compared to Q1 2020) largely driven by growth of its frozen foods portfolio.
Synergy Flavors (part of Carbery Group) has acquired savory flavor and ingredient supplier, Innova Flavors, from Griffith Foods Worldwide, ramping up its savory product development of plant-based alternatives.
Despite historically enjoying rapid gains during economically challenging periods, like the pandemic, private label growth fell behind branded products in all but a few niche food and beverage categories during the past year – a role reversal that hasn’t...
While only a small percentage of consumers qualify as “cooking enthusiasts” and an even smaller number could be considered “confident cooks,” these two groups represent an outsized opportunity for retailers, meat processors and CPG brands looking to hold...
Industry-supported efforts to update organic food standards could finally move forward after being held at a standstill for years by the US Department of Agriculture if bipartisan legislation introduced in the House late last week becomes law.
After a surge of consumer trust in the food and beverage industry during the early days of the pandemic when stakeholders risked their health to keep store shelves stocked and supply chains moving, consumer trust in the industry globally fell a staggering...
Asian plant-based meat sensation OmniPork is gearing up for a nationwide retail and foodservice launch in the US market later this year after debuting in a handful of restaurants in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Honolulu to celebrate Earth Day.
Amazon is continuing to expand its grocery business, opening four new Amazon Fresh grocery stores in the US (two in Illinois and two in California) while offering enhanced delivery and payment options to customers including expanded Key In-Garage Grocery...
Kraft Heinz executives are confident they can manage anticipated inflation in the mid-single digit range across the portfolio this year by leveraging new product innovation and renovation, a quality over quantity approach to marketing and promotions,...
TerViva – a California-based firm seeking to commercialize ingredients from low-input, high-yielding Pongamia trees – aims to have commercial quantities of 'golden buttery' oil available by mid-2022, with ‘highly soluble’ protein isolates to...
A British company is developing the world’s first lab-grown ‘compassionate’ caviar to allow more people to experience the delicacy’s unique taste and nutritional benefits.
The next iteration of the Beyond Burger - featuring 35% less saturated fat and 75% more iron than 80/20 beef burgers, a comparable level of B vitamins, and a meatier flavor – will hit grocery stores next week and restaurants in June, with a leaner version...
Recognizing that risings costs are squeezing food and beverage margins as the pandemic continues, Albertsons will accept – to an extent – price increases that several large CPG players have warned in recent weeks are coming down the pike.
The popular recipe and home cooking platform Epicurious is dropping beef from its repertoire going forward in favor of more plant-based options to amplify the conversation about sustainable diets, stem the steady uptick in beef sales in the US and give...
The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) is “proving to be confusing as well as onerous for food manufacturers,” says FoodChain ID, which has just launched a compliance service* to help firms get their ducks in a row ahead of the January...
Taste and smell are fundamental to how consumers experience food and beverages, but most tools for understanding and measuring these senses – including a highly trained human nose – are subjective, imprecise, and expensive making it difficult to cost-effectively...
As consumers looked to keep kitchens stocked between fewer grocery trips during the early days of the pandemic, frozen foods emerged as a breakout winner that continues to outperform overall edible sales even as restaurants begin to reopen and shoppers...
The Climate Pledge, which was launched two years ago by e-commerce giant Amazon and Global Optimism, has now attracted 105 signatories, with PepsiCo, Quorn Foods, Sainsbury’s and Heineken among the latest cohort.
The US Department of Agriculture is asking for help conducting a “top to bottom assessment” of the US food system in an effort to avoid the empty store shelves, food waste at farms and destruction for animals due to broken supply chains experienced in...
The shift in food consumption towards the home in the early weeks and months of the coronavirus pandemic has been well-documented, with many packaged food products experiencing a noticeable uplift. But have things since returned to 'normal,'...
Despite the interruption in civil litigation prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, “more new class action lawsuits were filed against the food and beverage industry—220* cases [+23% vs 2019]—than in any other year of the past decade,” according to an analysis...
The Very Good Food Company Inc. -- part of Eat Beyond Global Holdings' portfolio of alternative protein brands -- has upgraded its manufacturing facility to significantly expand production of its plant-based 'butchered' meat alternatives....
Brazilian meat giant JBS has entered into a deal to acquire Vivera, Europe’s third-largest plant-based food company. The agreement is an ‘important step’ in its efforts to expand in the plant-based protein and value-added food segments, FoodNavigator...
After finetuning a diverse range of plant-based meat and seafood that goes far beyond the burger- and sausage-heavy offerings of today, Hungry Planet is ready to ramp up production and distribution of all nine of its proteins across retail, foodservice...
Meati Foods and Atlast Food Co - two fungi-fueled startups blazing a trail in the alternative meat market with ‘whole cut’ products made from mycelium, the fibrous root structure of mushrooms – have both announced significant funding this week as they...
Buyers on online discovery platform RangeMe - which is used by retailers from Whole Foods to Walmart to identify new products and suppliers - are increasingly using it as a tool to identify brands that align with corporate social responsibility goals,...
Compliance with the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) – which requires firms with annual sales of >$2.5m to label ‘bioengineered’ foods, beverages, and supplements – is mandatory from January 1, 2022. So is the industry up to...
This year promises to be a “blockbuster year” for snacking innovation after 2020 saw drastically fewer new products hit stores than previous years, but of those that did launch the best sellers catered to Americans’ pandemic-influenced demands – portending...
Steve Turner, the former global executive creative director for Apple's Media Arts Labs (where he worked with Steve Jobs to launch a number of iconic Apple products), has been appointed as chief experience officer at Impossible Foods, where he will...
Applications are now open for Rabobank’s FoodBytes! Pitch 2021 program, which is seeking emerging CPG, food tech, and ag tech brands to pitch their innovations and network (virtually) with corporate leaders and investors.