US retail sales of meat alternatives in measured channels tell a tale of two temperature states. Dollar sales of refrigerated meat alternatives are declining in double-digits, while frozen products are growing in the high single digits, according to IRI...
âIt has been clear for a while that plant-based analogs will not displace meat,â says the CEO of Israeli cell-cultured (a.k.a. âcultivatedâ) meat co Aleph Farms. âThe addressable market is larger for cultivated meat than for plant-based because the products...
Impossible Foods is expanding its collaboration with Burger King with tests of a plant-based âchickânâ patty in 47 restaurants in Cincinnati, Ohio, through mid-October. The move comes hot on the heels of tests of Impossibleâs plant-based nuggets in Burger...
While sales of refrigerated plant-based meat may be slowing, shares of some plant-based milk brands are slipping and consumer response to a handful of new products are tepid at best, industry leaders argue the party is far from over for the overall plant-based...
From sparkling beverages laced with adaptogens and probiotics to plant-based cream, milk, luncheon meat and dips, and the latest animal-free launch fueled by Perfect Day's whey protein (made without cows), checkout FoodNavigator-USA's latest...
A new study â published a month after the World Health Organization (WHO) sounded a cautionary note about the long-term effects of zero-calorie sweeteners such as sucralose and saccharin â suggests some diet sweeteners are not inert and can alter the...
Target has cut its inventory levels by 20% in the last two months in a conscious effort to streamline its business and set the company up for improved long-term growth, shared chairman and CEO Brian Cornell.
In a worst-case scenario, McKinsey is predicting a food deficit representing a yearâs worth of nutritional intake for up to 250m people â or 3% of the global population.
The âhuge betâ SunOpta has placed on oatmilk through an aggressive series of investments in production capacity âhas absolutely paid off,â says CEO Joe Ennen as the firm gears up to open a new aseptic production facility in Midlothian, Texas and expand...
US honey consumption reached record highs last year while domestic production dropped to its lowest since 1991, primarily due to lower yield per colony, according to USDAâs latest sugars and sweeteners outlook report, which notes that imports have surged...
Itâs easy to see the grim P&L figures at Beyond Meat and Oatly and the recent lackluster performance of some refrigerated meat alternatives in US retail as proof that the entire âalt proteinâ space is a busted flush, but the real picture is more nuanced,...
As the average retail price of chicken eggs has surged 51% in the past year, JUST Egg has reduced pricing for its 12-ounce plant-based liquid egg product by 41%, reaching cost parity with premium chicken egg competitors, according to recent data from...
As Americans continue to adjust to post-pandemic life and mounting economic uncertainty, consumer research from Mintel shows that many believe there is no going âback to normalâ and as such are changing the way they think about, budget and shop for, and...
Notoriously thin operating margins in the food supply chain will likely keep manufacturers and retailers from incrementally lowering prices even as input costs begin to come down â preferring instead to wait until the economic landscape stabilizes and...
Private label specialist TreeHouse Foods â which has been looking to reengineer its portfolio to focus on higher-growth, higher-margin snacks and beverages markets â has struck a deal to sell a significant portion of its meal preparation business to European...
Whatâs more sustainable? Using acres of land, water and energy to grow plants that produce minuscule quantities of natural sweeteners; or making them via a fermentation process using a microbe thatâs been engineered to produce exactly the same molecules?
The popularity of condiments soared during the pandemic as consumers used the products as an easy way to elevate an otherwise bland meal made at home, notes Mintel, which says that condiment brands must engage with younger consumers to ensure future long-term...
A lawsuit* recently filed by former co-packer Don Lee Farms accusing Beyond Meat of âgrosslyâ overstating the protein in its products is motivated by âpersonal vendetta" and should be seen as a âtransparent attempt to gain leverageâ on the eve of...
Fresh off closing a $3.9m seed funding round* led by Unovis Asset Management, Paragon Pure is debuting its OlĂŠPBM alternative fat technology made from rice bran oil, which it claims outperforms palm and coconut oils in plant-based meat products.
Higher grocery prices across categories are starting to take a toll on consumers as they pull back on premium cuts of meat, overall animal protein volume and seek less expensive, value options, Tyson Food executives reported during the companyâs third...
As budgets tighten during periods of economic uncertainty or rising inflation, consumers often turn to private label products to save money, although this hasnât always translated into long-term increases in market share. This time, however, predicts...
Well represented in key at-home eating categories of sauces (Rao's Homemade), yogurt (Noosa Yoghurt), and frozen entrees (Michael Angelo's and Rao's), Sovos Brands highlighted the performance of the company's largest brand Rao's...
Sustainability âis probably on slide two or three of every customer presentation now,â notes Ingredion, but how can consumers cut through the PR noise to make meaningful comparisons between brands? Checkout our final gallery of trends at IFT FIRST exploring...
Beyond Meat â which has just posted another grim set of quarterly figures driving its share price down to new lows â is gearing up for a showdown with former co-packer Don Lee Farms at a court in Los Angeles with a trial date scheduled for September 26.
Tweaks to Sprouts Farmers Marketâs marketing strategy to focus on competitive produce pricing and product differentiation along with other strategic decisions are paying off as foot traffic and sales begin to rebound after plummeting following the retailerâs...
Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown faced another grilling from analysts on the firmâs Q2 earnings call Thursday after posting a $97.1m net loss on net sales of $147m, lowering guidance for the full year from $560-$620m to $470m-$520m, and cutting 4% of its global...
Boston-based food tech firm Motif FoodWorks has promoted its CTO Dr Michael Leonard to the role of CEO, effective immediately, as current CEO Jonathan McIntyre moves to an advisory role in the company.
Health Canada has published new labeling standards for supplemented foods such as snacks and beverages fortified with vitamins and minerals or caffeinated energy drinks; and introduced new nutrition labelling regulations for packaged foods requiring a...
Food and beverage companies are under increasing pressure to measure, reduce, and accurately report their social and environmental impact, with the SEC recently outlining proposals* that would require all registrants to disclose their scope three greenhouse...
Oatly posted a $72m net loss on net revenues up 21.8% to $178m in the second quarter of 2022, slightly under analystsâ expectations, with gross profit margins of 15.8%, a figure CEO Toni Petersson insisted would rise over time as the MalmĂś-based oatmilk...
Fungi-fueled startup firm MyForest Foods (formerly Atlast Food Co) has started commissioning âSwersey Silos,â a new production facility in Green Island, New York, which will start churning out meaningful quantities of mycelium-based meat by the end of...
Recent applications work has demonstrated that Merit Functional Foodsâ Peazazz pea protein isolate â in combination with an enzyme called transglutaminase - can replace methylcellulose, a binding and gelling ingredient widely used in meat alternatives...
Net sales in Amazon's physical stores - Whole Foods Market, Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go - grew 12.5% year-on-year to $4.72bn in Q2 2022 and grew 2.8% vs Q1, 2022.
As consumer interest in âplant-basedâ products has grown in recent years, so too have products proudly proclaiming their status as such â but what does the term actually mean, and how influential is it really?
Fine chemicals co DIC and San Diego-based startup Debut Biotech are developing a vibrant natural red color that is heat-stable, light-stable, and stable across a wide pH range, using a novel hybrid approach combining microbial fermentation and âcell-freeâ...
The past two years have been a rollercoaster for many food and beverage companies, who have had to deal with everything from a global pandemic to rocketing inflation, labor shortages, and massive disruption across their supply chains. So what does all...
According to a new draft guideline from the World Health Organization (WHO), non-nutritive sweetener consumption is associated with metabolic syndrome, something proponents of diet sweeteners say shows correlation, not causation, and merely reflects the...
Bay area startup Zero Acre Farms - which is deploying microbial fermentation to produce oils and fats it claims can outperform rivals in the nutrition and sustainability stakes â has launched direct to consumer with a âculturedâ cooking oil boasting a...
As inflation pushes consumers to seek out more affordable products, retailers are seeing a surge in unit sales in certain private label categories, according to data and insights firm Catalina.
So-called âalternative proteinsâ â from upcycled barley and canola protein to animal-free whey made in fermentation tanks using genetically engineered microbes â were a hot topic at IFT First in Chicago. But with US retail sales of some meat alternatives...
Boulder-based Meati Foods â which is seeking to differentiate itself in the increasingly crowded meat-alternative space with a fungi-based platform capable of producing âsteaksâ and other whole cuts â has raised $150m in a Series C round led by Revolution...
Kroger-owned meal kit company Home Chef is expanding its southeast footprint with a new dedicated 181,000-square-foot production facility in Georgia to support its growing customer base.
âThe NASA food system used on the International Space Station is more than adequate,â delegates at IFT First were told in a packed education session last Tuesday. âBut a mission to Mars won't allow the resupplying of food and the crew won't...
From more efficient production of rare sugars tagatose and allulose (and intriguing new possibilities with D-allose), to âenhancedâ sugars, and a mystery disaccharide that behaves like sugar, but is metabolized very differently, check out part one of...
Online grocery sales totaled $7.2bn for June 2022, tracking ahead of the same month last year (+6%) and slightly above May 2022 figures (+1%), according to the latest data from Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey.
Non-nutritive sweeteners such as stevia and sucralose are not a panacea, but new recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) questioning their value do a âdisservice to public healthâ by failing to recognize their role in sugar/energy reduction...
After being demonized as high-carb and maligned with foggy grain-brains and gluten sensitivities, pasta consumption, which had been flat and declining for years pre-COVID, bounced back during the pandemic with unprecedented growth as consumers looked...
While homogenous plant-based patties, nuggets and sausages abound, few currently available meat alternatives recreate the multi-layered experience of biting though skin to release a juicy burst of flavor that is reinforced by a marbling of fat or the...
Bel Group â the multinational firm behind cheese brands Babybel, The Laughing Cow, and Boursin â has teamed up with Superbrewed Food, one of a clutch of startups in the biomass fermentation space, to develop cheeses for the US market incorporating its...
As consumersâ love affair with oat milk continues to drive high double-digit, year-over-year sales food scientists are exploring how they can further enhance the beverageâs most beloved attributes, including its health benefits, sustainability and shelf...