Prepared foods

How brands can balance health, indulgence & convenience in the morning

Convenience wakes up the morning routine for consumers, with 90% of morning meals prepared in under 15 minutes, according to Circana.

Kraft Heinz and Mondelēz International among companies targeted by UPF lawsuit

A US lawsuit alleges major food companies engineer UPFs to make them as addictive as possible to consumers, especially children.

What’s next for the plant-based trend?

2024 has thrown some big challenges at the plant-based industry, leading to suggestions it’s in decline. But the sector has weathered the storms and is emerging stronger. So, what’s next for this enduring trend?

Deli-licious: Prepared deli shows ‘consistent growth’ as inflation eases

Grocery’s foodservice segment addresses high consumer demand for value-added convenience even though retailers must shoulder more cost increases even as inflation eases.

Startup Spotlight

Pistakio secures retail deals with last-minute recipe pivot

Pistachio spread brand Pistakio landed key retail partnerships despite a last-minute formula change driven by logistical challenges — a feat made possible by the founders’ pistachio expertise and their commitment to filling a gap in the nut butter market.

Mood food for mental wellbeing – How can industry capitalize?

Navigating regulatory claims for mood foods & functional ingredients

Brands marketing foods and ingredients for mood management must navigate a complex regulatory landscape by understanding functional claims, relying on strong scientific evidence and staying informed on emerging trends to market their products effectively...

Yo Mama’s sauce leverages Amazon growth, secures Albertsons’ retail partnership

When going up against legacy players that dominate the shelf, new brands can justify shelf space by highlighting the unmet consumer demand they fill, as illustrated by low-sodium, high-flavor pasta sauce startup Yo Mama's.

FDA’s Human Foods 2025 goals: Microbiological safety, food chemical safety & nutrition

FDA’s fiscal year 2025 priority deliverables for the Human Foods Program emphasize transparency and accountability amid state funding cuts and resource constraints.

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic set to shake the global food industry

Originally intended as a treatment for diabetes, GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic could be set to turn the food and drink industry upside down.

Kraft Heinz snips full-year forecast as demand drags

Kraft Heinz has cut its full-year 2024 forecast following a third-quarter net sales slump, as price hikes worked against the food major by dampening consumer demand.

Listeria outbreak impacts deli meat market, grab-and-go options, Circana finds

An outbreak of listeria is hitting the lunchmeat category — driving down dollars and volume sales — as consumers still rely on the deli department for quick meals and globally inspired flavors, as shared in a recent International Dairy Deli Bakery...

Olfactive Biosolutions harnesses food ingredients for weight loss

Olfactive Biosolutions' Protenx Weight Loss is a patented (US 12,102,664 B2) line of natural food ingredients and additives that target weight loss and blood sugar reduction that could help brands meet the growing demand for functional foods in the GLP-1...

SAUZ cracks mainstream pasta sauce category with new flavor, Target partnerships

Pasta sauce brand SAUZ increased its manufacturing to produce 250,000 jars as it lands in 1,825 Target locations in addition to debuting a new flavor.

Startup Spotlight

Ayo Foods’ expansion reflects a growing ‘cultural movement’ among consumers and retail

West African frozen meal and sauce brand Ayo Foods’ expanded from 200 retail doors to more than 20 retailers nationwide through a combination of cold calling and working with brokers to land shelf space.

Letter from the editor: How is rising demand for global flavors influencing innovation & ingredient sourcing?

Long gone are the days when salt and pepper were sufficient seasonings for most Americans – now US consumers want bold flavors that will take their tastebuds on a global adventure, giving rise to a new class of frozen meals, sauces, spice blends and even...

Sauces, condiments, spices bring global flavors to consumers’ kitchens

Sauces, condiments and spices are offering consumers convenient ways to experiment with global flavors at home, as the seasoning category becomes one of the fastest-growing in specialty foods, driven by the rise in home cooking and the demand for bold,...

Is Kraft Heinz undervalued? Leaders tout dramatic transformation, appeal to cash-strapped consumers

Kraft Heinz executives want credit where credit is due for “dramatically” transforming the business in the last four years against a challenging backdrop pocked with inflation, supply challenges and shifting shopping habits by adopting practices often...

How can brands, retailers align with consumers' mental energy around food?

In a market where consumers relentlessly pursue health but are weighed down by varied lifestyles, brands and retailers should create convenient, health-focused products that seamlessly fit into consumers’ busy lives, Maria Arand, director of...

Should US tighten nutritional, promotional standards for baby, toddler food?

Researchers are calling on US policymakers to regulate more tightly the nutrition and promotion of packaged infant and toddler foods after discovering most products for young children sold in the country do not meet international dietary recommendations,...

Fresh foods drive sales for retailers, AI’s use continues to shape in-store operations, data analysis

By adopting AI to improve inventory and production planning, grocery retailers are gaining a competitive edge in the profitable fresh food department, as highlighted by FMI - The Food Industry Association's Fresh Foods report.

Summer Fancy Food Show

Cooking up diverse flavors and textures in the pasta category

Pasta is evolving to fit consumer preferences for convenient and accessible cooking at home, while creating improved taste, texture and packaging, according to category players showcasing at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City last month.

SAUZ seeks to re-awaken the pasta sauce category with a Gen Z focus

SAUZ’s pasta sauces, made with premium ingredients and natural flavors, are designed by founders Troy Bonde and Winston Alfieri to bring flavor and convenience to consumers’ kitchens, while disrupting a stagnant category, they told FoodNavigator-USA.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: If social media is not the ‘be all end all’ in marketing – what is?

As the media landscape has become more fragmented in the past ten years, social media has emerged as one of the most influential sources of information on the consumer path to purchase and many companies are shifting advertising dollars accordingly – but...

Schwan’s Company invests in manufacturing facility to expand Asian food category

U.S.–based Schwan’s Company and CJ Foods, its South Korea-based subsidiary, purchased a 142-acre site in Sioux Falls, S.D., for its 700,000 square-foot production facility to support its Korean food brand, bibigo, using modernized automated production lines.

RollinGreens’ plant-based bowls prioritize shelf-stable convenience

RollinGreens expands it plant-based meat portfolio with the launch of shelf-stable bowls featuring the company’s flagship M’EAT and CHIC’Ken protein, Lindsey Cunningham, co-founder and CEO, told FoodNavigator-USA

Building loyalty: Heritage Grocers Group's approach to the Hispanic market

Heritage Grocers Group operates 115 locations across four banners in six states, “adjusting to the local customer needs” of the Hispanic market by offering affordable groceries, including prepared and fresh foods, Adam Salgado, the group’s chief...

Startup Spotlight

Laoban Dumplings merge traditional Chinese flavor, ingredients with convenience

Laoban Dumplings pays homage to traditional Chinese flavors and ingredients that combine convenience, quality and flavor in its line of homemade-style frozen dumplings and an upcoming launch of bao buns explained Patrick Coyne, the company’s co-founder...

USDA caps added sugar in school meals, but pulls back on sodium, milk restrictions

In nutrition guidelines published in the Federal Register April 25, the US Department of Agriculture for the first time capped added sugar in school meals, but pulled back on proposed restrictions for sodium, milk and refined grains that school nutrition...

Natural Products Expo West

Evergreen launches Waffles 'N' Bites, continues expanding into breakfast category

The debut of breakfast brand Evergreen’s Waffles 'N' Bites at Natural Products Expo West last month taps into a growing consumer demand for handheld and “snackable quick breakfast formats,” and frozen quick options, which Innova Market Insights suggests...

Future Food-Tech

Nosh.bio sidesteps many challenges constraining alt-protein with a versatile mycoprotein and ‘minimal, scalable’ fermentation process

Berlin-based food-tech startup Nosh.bio is overcoming capacity constraints that have hampered other fermentation-derived alternative protein players by developing a proprietary production process that is “minimal, scalable and sustainable” and by teaming...

Serenity Kids on creating global cuisines for the next generation of foodies

With an infusion of $52m in Series B funding closed last month, Serenity Kids will drive growth and innovation to provide diverse, nutritious baby food inspired by global cuisine.

Mason Dixie’s frozen breakfast sandwiches make comfort food clean

Mason Dixie Foods' transition from foodservice to retail, including Whole Foods and Costco, allowed the brand to tap into whitespace in frozen breakfast foods with a healthy halo and clean label, Ayeshah Abuelhiga, the brand’s founder and CEO, explained...

Natural Products Expo West

Public-private partnerships are key to bring more organic, regeneratively farmed food to market, Daily Harvest exec

Consumers increasingly want food that is not only good for them, but also good for the planet and those who work the land, which is why Daily Harvest is teaming with industry leaders and USDA to help more farmers – including small-scale BIPOC farmers –...

Frozen foods continue serving consumers’ needs, open opportunities for brands to provide variety

Consumers seek frozen foods to reduce waste and as a cost-effective nutrition source, creating opportunities for brands to reimagine options for the nearly $78bn frozen food department, according to Conagra Brands’ recent Future of Frozen Food 2024 report.

Eat JUST relaunches condiment line after discontinuing in 2020

The discontinuation of Eat Just Inc.'s Just Mayo and Just Ranch products in 2020, despite market success, was a strategic play to “put every bit of energy into JUST Egg,” the company’s flagship animal-free liquid egg alternative, before relaunching the...

Super Bowl ranks high among holiday weekends, snacks take center stage

As Las Vegas prepares for the estimated $215bn economic growth from the additional 215,00 visitors for the Super Bowl, CPG companies and retailers have a significant opportunity to feature value-added offerings for viewers across the country, according...

Thistle’s rebrand is 10 years in the making after prioritizing ingredients first

Subscription meal company, Thistle, held off on investing in its brand identity since it launched a decade ago to prioritize ingredient procurement and recipe development for its weekly plant-based menus that “don’t sacrifice on taste,” Ashwin Cheriyan,...

Dollar General turns to AI-based Shelf Engine to sustainably grow produce business

Dollar General leverages AI-based automated-ordering software Shelf Engine to efficiently bring more fresh produced to its shelves, reduce food waste and ensure stocked shelves in the process.

[Video] Partnership between Earth Fare and GenoPalate may be the "future of the grocery industry"

Organic grocer, Earth Fare, collaborates with GenoPalate, a DNA-driven nutrition platform team up to offer personalized prepared meal kits and supplement blends that are tailored to users' genetic data, integrating both nutrition technology with in-store...

Daily Harvest’s January Jumpstart program features GLP-1-focused meal plans

Daily Harvest's debut of its GLP-1 Companion Food Collection as part of its quick-to-prep January Jumpstart plan includes “meals made with only real foods that are calorie-conscious while delivering ample vitamins and minerals,” Carolina Schneider, MS,...

Conagra cuts fiscal outlook: ‘The pace of the shift back to normal consumer behavior has been slower than we initially expected’

Conagra Brands no longer expects a modest increase in organic net sales in fiscal year 2024 – rather it is bracing for a 1-2% decline over last year along with tighter margins and a lower earnings per share due to a “slower pace of volume recovery” than...

Tyson Foods opens high-tech chicken facility to accelerate growth, boost efficiency

Tyson Foods celebrated the much-anticipated grand opening of a new 325,000-square-foot fully-cooked food production facility in Danville, Va., last week – marking a significant milestone in its “bold,” multi-point plan to improve its performance, which...

FDA, USDA, EPA propose food waste reduction strategies, seek input for improvements

FDA, USDA and EPA want to make it easier for producers, manufacturers, retailers and food service providers to give to those in need nutritious food that would be wasted by offering financial incentives and tax credits to encourage donations, developing...

NPD Trend Tracker: From wholegrain spelt to Christmas dinner pie

In this week’s NPD Trend Tracker, we have a range of festive products, including a festive wrap, festive ice-cream flavours and a pie containing an entire Christmas dinner. We also have a new flavour from Tate & Lyle, a wholegrain spelt from Merchant...

Fresh Blends’ self-serve beverage platform addresses c-store waste and labor

Operators implementing Fresh Blends’ self-serve frozen beverage units into their stores “don’t have to worry about prepping or cross contamination or waste,” explained Adam Rains, national program director, Fresh Blends, to FoodNavigator-USA. The company...

Innovating for women’s health: An unmet need with opportunities across categories and life stages

Women’s diverse nutritional needs have long been overlooked or pigeonholed to focus primarily on appearance, but a new class of products made by women, for women across life stages are on the rise as is research to support the development of sex-specific...

Food insecurity climbs alongside inflation as federal nutrition assistance enhancements end

A notable uptick in food insecurity in the US in 2022 from the previous year is a “wake-up call” for federal and local governments to better fund and fully use federal nutrition assistance programs, all of which are at risk of being cut or restricted,...

GUEST ARTICLE

Industry Insights from NIZO: Great flavour without compromise for plant-based food

To successfully launch a plant-based product onto the market today, businesses have to go above and beyond in flavour to stand out. How can a new, more holistic flavour approach put an end to organoleptic compromise?

National Association for Convenience Stores

How brands and c-stores can drive sales and in-store experiences through promotions

Convenience stores are evolving into experiential destinations driven by consumers’ diverse usage occasions while brands have an opportunity to bundle their top sellers with retailers’ prepared foods, driving relevance for consumers, executives at Mars...

Futureproofing the Food System: Discover how regulators, litigators & consumers evaluate sustainability claims

Food and beverage companies adopting more sustainable business practices, including more environmentally-friendly packaging and reducing emissions across their supply chain, are eager to share successes with consumers – but doing so can, and has, landed...