US volume sales of products featuring a ‘grain-free’ claim surged 75.7% in the 52 weeks to July 30, 2016, according to Nielsen Wellness Track data,* with many retailers now carving out grain-free or ‘Paleo’ segments in everything from hot cereal and nutrition...
From terminology (do US consumers get the word ‘pulses’?), to positioning (what are the key selling points?), and how to deal with flatulence questions, the recent FoodNavigator-USA Pulse Innovation Forum covered a lot of ground. Here are some of the...
A renewed nationalism by a vocal portion of the US population, fueled by Trump’s presidential campaign and victory, likely will not dampen consumers’ desire for international flavors and dishes, according to some trendologists.
Offering a small selection of locally produced food and beverages is no longer enough to set retailers apart -- now the entire store needs to reflect the community it serves to succeed in an increasingly competitive market, suggests new survey data from...
Ten years after launch, Oakland, CA-based Revolution Foods is on course to generate revenues of $130m in 2016, up 25% vs 2015, and expects to continue on the same trajectory in 2017 as more kids and families discover its “kid-inspired, chef-crafted” meals...
The food industry’s biggest guns have recently been engaged in some serious retail therapy, investing in a flurry of smaller, sexier brands and setting up venture arms to nurture them. And they’re not the only ones out shopping. Leonardo DiCaprio and...
While President-elect Trump’s position on food policy is relatively unclear still, changes to the exhaustively researched and intensely debated Nutrition Facts label, menu labeling rule and food safety regulations could all be on the chopping block under...
NAMI: ‘Failure to act on TPP will be potentially devastating’
A Trump administration could herald more business-friendly tax policies, but it could also stymie food labeling, health and nutrition-related initiatives set in motion under the Obama administration, and create uncertainty for businesses with operations...
Many ‘legacy’ food and beverage brands are losing market share because they have “lost touch with where the consumer is going,” delegates at Food Vision USA were told.
As the pulse trend continues to gain momentum in packaged foods, Detroit-based Banza is rolling out its chickpea pasta (penne and shells) nationwide at 1,700 Target stores after a successful trial in 315 outlets.
From ‘disastrous’ to ‘better trade deals.’ The prospect of a Trump presidency has provoked alarm and delight in equal measure. But substantial numbers of respondents to a FoodNavigator-USA survey also say that the President Elect has said so little about...
The frozen meal and dessert brand is using its high visibility to support Habitat for Humanity’s Comforts From Home Project using marked packages with a special code each, which will translate into financial donations to the organization when shoppers...
The era when investors in the food and beverage industry had all the leverage and could strategically pick the “perfect cut” by meticulously searching for “matching” opportunities in the perfect sector at the perfect time are “long over,” according to...
Years after the dot com and housing market crashes pushed consumers in droves to switch from national to store brands to save money, private label sales are starting to sag – forcing retailers to rethink their marketing strategies, according to a new...
Social Nature harnesses social media to drive consumer engagement
Demos are expensive and time consuming, shows and events can be hit and miss, and redemption rates for coupons handed out at events can be frustratingly low. So how can you reach more target consumers, generate more buzz about your products, and use it...
Food manufacturers should voluntarily expand the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative for improving food advertising to children to include marketing of baby and toddler food and drinks, the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity recommends...
Manufacturers and retailers who understand the subtleties and different priorities of multicultural consumers in the US not only could see more sales, but could charge more for individual items, new research from Nielsen and Harris Poll suggests.
From robotic hands on rails above your worktop that will make your dinner, and then clean up afterwards, to a suite of wifi-connected devices for stress-free meal planning and cooking, technology seems set to transform our kitchens. But what about restaurants,...
Grocery stores continue to step up their game against the competitive threat of subscription home delivery meal kits by improving their similar offerings as in the case of Ahold USA’s partnership with cookbook author and blogger Gina Homolka of Skinnytaste.
US retail sales* of gluten-free products rose 11% in 2015 and are predicted to rise a more modest 6% to $1.66bn in 2016, according to a new report from Packaged Facts, which predicts that as the market matures, growth rates are “expected to slow considerably.”
Are all dietary fibers created equal? As needle moves away from naturally occurring insoluble fibers in the cellulose realm such as wheat bran toward more the more recent market entrants, the purified soluble fibers, the answer seems to revolve around...
The seven-person company is making big strides in a young but rapidly growing category, establishing itself as one of the ‘Best for the World’ food items according to research company HowGood’s criteria.
Personalized nutrition not just about 'DNA diets,' says CEO of Campbell Soup-backed start-up
Is personalized nutrition just an overpriced indulgence for affluent people that are already health conscious, or could Campbell Soup’s $32m bet on Habit – a nutrition and meal-delivery operation partnering with leading systems biologists – really transform...
Going from $2 million in sales to $10 million is a huge jump that requires a radical change in company culture. Getting expert advice in how to negotiate that change can help nascent firms get over that hump which derails so many startups, an expert said.
Rice flours and starches dominated the first generated of gluten-free goods, particularly in the bakery segment, but are they still the #1 choice in formulators’ toolkits? FoodNavigator-USA caught up with Pierre Donck, regional product manager at rice...
Just Mayo maker Hampton Creek – one of a growing number of food companies sued for allegedly misclassifying workers as independent contractors as opposed to employees – is settling its case in order to avoid the hassle and expense of protracted litigation,...
Campbell Soup is investing $32m in Habit, a personalized nutrition and meal delivery company led by Plum Organics founder Neil Grimmer set to launch in 2017.
Brick and mortar grocery stores and ecommerce-based subscription meal kit delivery services may directly compete at many levels, but a new partnership between plant-based meal kit provider Purple Carrot and Whole Foods Market’s North Atlantic region show...
FDA should ‘expedite evaluation’ of NuTek potassium salt petition, says GMA
Two years isn’t enough time for food manufacturers to make the kind of reductions in sodium that the FDA is asking for, says the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), which also urges the agency to tweak the wording of its guidance in order to avoid...
Consumer research leads Cargill to believe that it has finally rounded the stevia taste bend, just in time for the revamp of nutrition labeling phases in over the next several years.
Probiotic-fueled organic fruit & veggie snack brand Nomva has just picked up distribution in close to 175 Target stores, 200 Ralph’s stores and 150 Sprouts stores on the West Coast, says Los Angeles-based brand owner Phenomenal Foods, which has recently...
After donating millions of dollars a year to cancer research for years, Hormel is stepping up its game to more directly help people fighting and recovering from the disease with the launch of a novel product line designed just for them.
From teas to powdered lemonade mixes and protein shakes, products formulated with mushrooms are springing up all over the place, with reishi leading the pack.
World Food Processing is branching out from pea protein to offering a line of whole pulse ingredients aimed at helping food manufacturers achieve fortification targets.
Israeli ingredient supplier Frutarom Health has launched a line of extracts that offer fortification possibilities for food and beverage manufacturers.
'It still feels like we’re just at the tip of the iceberg...'
To Your Health Sprouted Flour Co – the Alabama-based supplier of the organic sprouted grains in Kashi’s cereals – has expanded its facility for the third time to meet surging demand, says founder Peggy Sutton, who is predicting revenues of $6m in 2016,...
With a collective spending power of $1.5 trillion, the Hispanic and Latino population in the US is a highly coveted group of shoppers who represent a significant growth opportunity for food and beverage brands that earn their trust and loyalty.
RangeMe, an online platform that streamlines the product discovery process for retailers, has struck deals with a string of high-profile brands in its first year of business in the US, including Whole Foods Market, Petco, Sprouts, SpartNash, Sam’s Club...
We've just got into 1,700 Walmart stores with paleo, organic and gluten free meals
Most successful entrepreneurs combine limitless self-belief and a thick skin, says Beetnik Foods founder David Perkins, but they’re also human: “As a chef, I know everyone’s tastes differ, but this company is my baby, so if even one person has a bad experience...
The highly popular, and arguably over-used strategy of placing free-from claims front and center in food and beverage marketing to woo today’s more health-conscious shopper may not be as effective as some manufactures believe, according to new research...
High pressure processing (HPP) is rapidly gaining traction in new food and beverage applications, while the growing toll network has also made it more accessible, says HPP specialist Avure, which claims new research provides “conclusive evidence” that...
Garden Fresh Gourmet is seizing the promising sales opportunity presented by the still-small but rapidly-growing refrigerated soup category by expanding the segment with four familiar, yet modern flavors.
The birthplace of Dylan Thomas, Richard Burton and Robert Owen, Wales is also home to food industry giants from Kellogg to Glanbia. But can it attract the next generation of food & beverage businesses from overseas, and could Brexit throw a wrench...
Tyson Foods - one of the world's largest processors and marketers of chicken, beef, and pork - has taken a 5% stake in plant-based protein producer Beyond Meat.
An infusion of $6 million last April from venture capital investors is helping plant-based startup Hungryroot “uproot how America eats” by enabling it to double the variety of vegetable-based ready-to-eat meals, sweets and snacks it offers and expand...
Academics at Penn State University are seeking to commercialize water-soluble yellow, orange and red colors derived from avocado seeds (pits), which they claim offer cost and stability advantages over natural colors currently on the market.
From Ayurvedic-inspired cuisine and Vietnamese Pho, to plant-based ‘meat’ and goat empanadas- Sterling-Rice Group (SRG) highlights 10 culinary trends it predicts will inspire packaged foods and foodservice menus in 2017.
