Nestlé USA is highly focused on several key food and beverage categories as it heads into 2022, including growing plant-based meat alternatives (i.e. chicken), plant-based creamers, coffee, and new snacking opportunities, says Nestlé USA CMO Alicia Enciso....
From cordyceps and reishi to chaga, lion’s mane, turkey tail and shiitake, so-called ‘medicinal’ mushrooms are gaining traction in foods and beverages, buoyed by growing interest in adaptogens and immunity. But as with any trending functional ingredients,...
jack & annie's, an emerging plant-based meat brand made from whole jackfruit, closed a $23m Series B funding round, setting the stage for the company to expand into more conventional retail accounts and pave the way for a growing "less-processed"...
Tracking online grocery shopping habits over the past year, Instacart identified a shift back towards convenient on-the-go food items and the rising adoption of viral food recipes and hacks popularized by social media platforms such as TikTok.
Determining the most sustainable packaging option for CPG products is rarely as clear cut as it might appear. Take yogurt cups, which are typically made from polypropylene (PP), which can be recycled, although many US curbside pickup services don’t yet...
Comet Bio – a startup developing prebiotics, functional fibers and sweeteners from upcycled ingredients – has announced an investment with RE Energy to build a dedicated manufacturing facility in Denmark to supply Comet Bio's Arrabina prebiotic fiber.
Figuring out what kids are craving while pushing them to try new types of food is a challenge for many families and households, notes Chartwell K12, which put together its list of top kid-approved food trends based on its specialized insights creating...
Will 2022 be the year the FDA finally weighs in on CBD regulations, or defines 'natural'? Will we see guidance from the FDA on the pre-market consultation process for cell-cultured meat? Is compliance with the bioengineered food disclosure standard...
With the Jan. 1, 2022 deadline for compliance with the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) fast approaching, many companies are still struggling with compliance, even at this incredibly late stage, say industry sources.
Campbell Soup Co. is banking on another round of price-increases next month, persistent consumer demand and a recently bolstered workforce to help it overcome lower than expected sales in the first quarter and a ‘tough’ upcoming second quarter to ultimately...
HEMAMI – a much-anticipated meaty flavor Motif FoodWorks reckons could be a game changer in the meat alternatives arena by delivering the flavor and aroma of the real thing - is now commercially available for large-scale distribution to customers.
Plant-based ice cream brand NadaMoo! is exploring moves into adjacent categories after raising almost $10m in a series B round led by District Ventures Capital and InvestEco, and a new partner Killam Investments, a South Texas based family office.
'Animal-free’ protein startup The EVERY Company - which deploys synthetic biology to genetically engineer microbes to produce high-value ingredients such as egg proteins (without chickens) via precision fermentation - has closed a $175m series C...
While some recent foodtech innovations could be described as solutions in search of a problem, ‘animal-free’ dairy products featuring real whey and casein made without cows, give consumers – most of whom are unwilling to compromise at all, especially...
Roquette - a key supplier of protein to Beyond Meat – has opened what it claims is the world’s largest pea protein plant in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada, becoming the first player to operate major pea protein facilities on both sides of the Atlantic....
Eclipse Foods – a plant-based brand on a mission to replicate the taste and functionality of conventional dairy rather than building a brand around ‘hero’ ingredients such as oat, almond or coconut – says early data from Whole Foods suggests its strategy...
In the ten years since HelloFresh launched and helped pioneer the meal kit category, the company has evolved to offer consumers more of what they want – convenience, diversity and sustainability – and in doing so is capturing larger orders and a greater...
Sugar giant US Sugar says it “fully intends to litigate” to prove its proposed deal to acquire rival Imperial Sugar will not result in higher prices and harm sugar buyers after the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an anti-trust lawsuit in a bid to block...
Membership-only natural and organic online marketplace Thrive Market now generates a quarter of its sales from 700+ private label products spanning everything from super fine almond flour to grass-fed beef. FoodNavigator-USA caught up with Jenna Engleman,...
Unilever is selling its developed markets tea business for €4.5bn, more than a year after the company launched a strategic review of the unit. According to some industry pundits, the deal represents ‘an important first step’ in portfolio rationalisation....
The J.M. Smucker Co. is investing $1.1bn in a new manufacturing facility and distribution center in McCalla, Alabama, to meet high consumer demand for Smucker's Uncrustables frozen handheld sandwiches, bites, and rollups.
While scientists are still unlocking the secrets of the microbiome, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the billions of bugs in our bodies are intimately connected to our health and wellbeing. But how far have we come since Jamie Lee Curtis first introduced...
An emerging market for lactation support products aiming to help more women hit the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation to exclusively breastfeed for the first six months is much-needed, but also could trigger unintended consequences depending...
Spero – which is carving out a niche in the plant-based dairy and egg space by using seeds as a base rather than nuts and legumes – has moved into a new 31,000sq ft production facility in the East Bay and is already scouting for a 100,000sq ft facility...
General Mills moves into the emerging ‘animal-free’ dairy category with a brand called Bold Cultr – a lactose-free cream cheese alternative utilizing dairy proteins from Perfect Day made via microbial fermentation (without cows).
GrubMarket, a San Francisco-based food supply chain e-commerce company, has raised $200m in a Series E funding round, bringing its total valuation to over $1.2bn.
Packaged baby and toddler food manufacturers may have a better chance of winning over new mothers – many of whom prefer feeding their children fresh, natural homemade food – if they fortify their products and clearly communicate the benefits of added...
Full year 2021 revenues at Oatly will likely exceed $635m, up 51% vs 2020, but well under the $690m+ the Malmö-based oatmilk maker was projecting over the summer, thanks to slower-than-expected production in the US, inflationary pressures, and ongoing...
When it comes to proteins, says Christian Koolloos, chief business development officer at Dutch startup The Protein Brewery, boring is good. In fact, the blander the better: “Fermotein [his firm’s fermented fungi protein] is extremely boring in its profile...
Michroma – a startup building a production platform for natural food colors from fungi – has advanced to pilot-scale production of a heat-stable vibrant red colorant it claims can give synthetic dyes a serious run for their money when it comes to performance...
Where should food businesses begin net zero action? With a ‘forest positive’ approach, Earthworm Foundation CEO Bastien Sachet tells FoodNavigator, stressing action is required this decade.
The Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) has fired the latest salvo in the battle over the labeling of plant-based products in its second lawsuit* challenging Oklahoma’s Meat Consumer Protection Act, which it claims “provides no benefit to consumers,...
Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown urged analysts to “differentiate between short term variability on the one hand, and ongoing strong progress toward a long term vision of becoming tomorrow's global protein company on the other,” during the plant-based...
Belgian-Dutch retailer Ahold Delhaize, parent company of Food Lion, Giant, FreshDirect, Stop&Shop, and Peapod in the US market, is heavily investing in its omnichannel strategy to meet consumers' at-home eating needs.
In its Q3 earnings call yesterday, TreeHouse Foods’ CEO observed that, “as certain federal stimulus programs expire, we are seeing signs of private label recovery.” So will store brands regain some share they lost during the pandemic, and how are retailers...
Parents and caregivers crave information about how best to feed their children, and while they have a lot of resources available via the Internet, health care providers, peer groups and brand marketing – they aren’t always sure what to trust or where...
JBS, the world's second-largest food company and the largest meatpacking company, has signed a deal with Royal DSM with the goal of reducing enteric methane emissions from cattle on a global scale.
The Real Good Food Company is aiming to become a major player in the frozen foods category with its line of comfort foods that many consumers crave but with the nutrition credentials (low-carb, low-sugar, and high-protein) that could help change the health...
Edible insects were always going to be a slow burn in the alternative protein market in Europe and North America, given the ‘ick’ factor and the lack of infrastructure to farm and process them at scale, says Israeli firm Hargol FoodTech. But while the...
Does EU-US collaboration on agriculture pave the way for discussions around liberalised market access? Alarm bells are sounding in Europe over concerns it could open the bloc to imports that don't meet European production standards.
Brazilian plant-based meat brand Future Farm (Fazenda Futuro) has raised $58m in a Series C round led by BTG Pactual and supported by Rage Capital, bringing its cumulative funding to $89m as it builds its presence in international markets.
Despite recent warnings that key holiday foods may be out-of-stock or more expensive than previous years due to ongoing supply chain challenges, consumer concern about obtaining food and the impact of inflation hasn’t changed much compared to August,...
On a long-term mission to become the world's leading food solutions group, HelloFresh continues to register strong year-over-year growth in revenue and in key performance metrics including order rates, and active customer acquisition.
Mars is building out its commitments on water stewardship, targeting action that will impact the most stressed watersheds where it operates. FoodNavigator hears from Kevin Rabinovitch, VP of Sustainability and Chief Climate Officer, about why urgent change...
Although the 2018 Farm Bill legalized the use of hemp and its products, it didn’t amend the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to permit the use of hemp or hemp-derived products in dietary supplements. This lack of oversight has left a gaping hole in the industry,...
Given the food system currently contributes a third of greenhouse gas emissions and is a driving cause of soil and species loss, adopting ‘sustainable’ practices is no longer enough to save the planet’s health or ensure sufficient nutritious food for...
Aspire Food Group - which is on a mission to automate and professionalize edible insect farming – aims to start production at a CAD $90m 100,000sqft automated cricket processing facility near London, Ontario, in Q1/Q2 of next year that will produce 10,000...