While the word ‘natural’ still appears on the label of 11% of new food and beverage introductions in the US according to Mintel data, brands that are part of the so-called natural foods industry need to embrace a new form of conscious capitalism if they...
If you think producing gelatin from a genetically engineered micro-organism in fermentation tanks doesn’t sound like something Grandma would do; hydrolyzing collagen from animal skin, bones and connective tissues on an industrial scale isn’t exactly a...
Making a profit and promoting health are not mutually exclusive, and healthy food brands now generate some serious profits. But no business will willingly engage in initiatives that could damage sales of its biggest – and sometimes unhealthiest - legacy...
According to a new report by Packaged Facts, more Americans are choosing food items as gifts, and the occasions range from a holidays to special occasions to “just because.”
New FDA rules clarifying the process by which ingredients are deemed generally recognized as safe (GRAS) have been welcomed by some stakeholders, but harshly criticized by others, who say any system allowing firms to self-determine the safety of their...
If you want to take a journey back in time on your next trip to the grocery store, go buy some pancake mix, says the co-founder of Birch Benders, a Boulder-based start-up seeking to shake up a sleepy category with fresh ideas, recipes and packaging to...
Seafood checks many of today’s on-trend boxes, including being high in lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids, sustainable, natural and minimally processed – yet consumption of it in the US continues to fall, prompting manufacturers and public health advocates...
Oats not for breakfast is a novelty that has its pros and cons, Grainful co-founders Jan Pajerski and Jeannine Sacco said. But they also said Americans seem to be catching on.
While the financial threat to traditional grocery stores posed by the burgeoning meal kit delivery category may be manageable for now, it is growing as more players enter the space and consumers become more comfortable with the concept – prompting some...
'America is becoming a nation of par-cookers, snackers and meal assemblers'
As supermarkets continue to lose market share to high- and low-end rivals, they must fully embrace consumer demand for fresh, stock more premium products and behave more like specialty retailers if they are to survive in today’s climate, according to...
Analysts at Nielsen noticed a trend in grocery stores that may prove a great opportunity for retailers, suppliers, and brands alike: Consumers are counting on the perishable aisles for a packaged, personalized 'prescription' for a healthy lifestyle.
A recent Harris Poll finding that the vast majority of Americans agree they love trying products and experiences outside their own culture likely explains why many of the emerging and fast-growing trends in food and beverage in the US originate in or...
The gluten free market in the US remains hot, but as the category becomes more crowded, manufacturers must offer products with added appeal to stay competitive – such as a protein boost from pulses or an added dose of fiber and flavor with ancient grains,...
For most manufacturers, an inability to keep product on the shelf consistently would be considered bad for business, but for Hoboken Farms, the maker of three marinara sauces with a cult-like following, it is a point of pride – and a major selling feature.
It might not have attracted as much media attention as quinoa or chia, but sorghum – a home-grown gluten-free grain that is every bit as attractive in the nutritional and sustainability stakes - is steadily gaining traction in food applications, not least...
An energy bar, jam, and even gelato—these aren’t food items often associated with pulses and legumes. But undergraduates, graduates, and professionals showcased that pulses are capable of far much more than we give them credit for.
Special K has continued to drag down the performance of Kellogg’s US snacks segment – and the business says it is planning ‘more aggressive’ changes to the brand in the coming year.
Sprouts Farmers Market is aggressively expanding its private label program, particularly in the deli area in order to “enhance our position as a ready-to-eat destination,” CEO Amin Maredia said this week.
While fiber hasn’t quite reached the same superstar status as protein, consumer interest in the ingredient is rising rapidly as they look for ways to manage their weight while still enjoying food and beverages with high quality taste and familiar mouthfeel.
It’s taken five years and a reported $80m (€72m) of research, but the meat-free burger that “bleeds” has finally arrived. The company behind it, Impossible Foods, believe its similarities to meat in texture, taste and smell make it a breakthrough product.
TerraVia – formerly known as Solazyme – has been telling reporters (and investors) that algae is the next big thing in food for years. But when will it really start to change the game?
Manufacturers have been ‘cleaning up’ food labels for years, but the pressure to oust 'unpronounceable' ingredients has now become so great that important vitamins and minerals (which often have chemical-sounding names) are also being ditched...
A lot has changed since Abraham and Mahala Stouffer transformed their buttermilk and biscuits stand in 1920s Ohio into a chain of restaurants spanning the rustbelt, which then expanded into one of the first frozen TV dinner giants in the nation by the...
Powerplant Ventures - a venture fund led by Mark Rampolla (founder, ZICO), Kevin Boylan and T.K. Pillan (co-founders, Veggie Grill) and Dan Beldy (formerly head of Disney’s venture arm) –has closed a $42m fund aimed at “emerging plant-centric companies.”
New NGS DNA testing methods will replace PCR, predicts Clear Labs
As the Non-GMO Project states on its website, ‘GMO-free’ claims are “not legally or scientifically defensible due to limitations of testing methodology" coupled with cross-contamination risks. In future, however, that could change as testing methods...
Consumers increasingly are seeking products that they are simple, with ingredients that they can pronounce, benefits that thy understand and minimal processing, but as a leading Mintel analyst noted at IFT’s Food Expo in Chicago “simple” isn’t always...
Milled whole cricket powder is probably the best known bug-derived food ingredient aside from red food color carmine. But what other delights might edible insects yield for food formulators? Elaine Watson caught up with bug enthusiast Dr George Cavender...
Targeting the crossfit, yoga, and barre-enthusiasts (and the like), prepared meal provider Power Supply relies heavily on local chefs and the local fitness community to differentiate itself in the bustling meal subscription category.
After carving out a niche in the competitive baby- and toddler food categories with its quinoa-based products, NurturMe is ready to expand its portfolio and reach with new ingredients, products and distribution with the help of a $3.7 million investment...
‘Rare sugars’ are becoming a buzz phrase in Japan, but interest in the US is currently limited to industry insiders, with allulose increasingly an ingredient of interest, say representatives from Matsutani.
A class action lawsuit accusing Coca-Cola subsidiary Odwalla of misleading consumers by using the term ‘evaporated cane juice’ (ECJ) on labels is now back in play in the wake of the FDA’s finalized guidance – and is likely to be joined by scores of others,...
What’s the next Just Mayo, KRAVE, or Sparkling ICE? If you’re looking for some entrepreneurs to watch over the next couple of years, check out CircleUp’s 2016 list of the 25 most innovative consumer brands of 2016, 15 of which are in food/beverage.
While Americans may increasingly want to cook authentic, ethnic cuisine in their kitchens, most do not have the time track down hard-to-find ingredients or master unfamiliar culinary techniques that are needed to properly prepare a dish from another culture.
Manufacturers reformulating to meet consumers’ growing demand for products without preservatives now have another tool at their disposal following PLT Health Solutions’ and Flavor Solutions, Inc.’s July launch of PhytoShield Flavor Enhancer.
'This isn’t a novelty, it’s serving a fundamental need.'
Meal kits – which enable consumers to cook restaurant-quality meals at home without having to do any of the legwork – could easily be a $60bn dollar market as consumers build them into their weekly routines, predicts the CEO of San Francisco based Sun...
Terms like ‘foodstagramming’ ‘digital grazing’ and ‘food porn’ may have entered our lexicon recently but the phenomenon is far from new, say researchers - but could the sheer saturation of picture perfect food today be sparking unintended consequences?
In keeping with its mission-based foundation of “making better food for more people,” Chobani is now accepting applications for its new Food Incubator Program to help entrepreneurs and small food companies grow their businesses.
You can trademark words, phrases, symbols and designs, so what about #hashtags? It's relatively new territory in the world of intellectual property law, but it's well worth doing, say Rebecca Cross and Allison Hagey at law firm BraunHagey &...
Meal kit delivery service Chef’d sets itself apart from increasingly stiff competition and advances its mission to “cultivate and curate experiences of love through food” by teaming with the American Diabetes Association to offer easy-to-make dishes designed...
The common belief among new parents that homemade baby food is healthier than store bought options isn’t always true, according to new research published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
Consumer demand for products and companies that “do good” – such as donate a percentage of sales to a non-profit, follow environmentally friendly practices or meet religious needs – continues to rise and in doing so illustrates that doing good is not...
SuperMeat is working on cultured chicken liver meat, minced meat and chicken breast meat
Cultured meat may be a novelty today, but it could be a food staple in the future, predicts Israeli start-up SuperMeat, which claims to have developed a process enabling cells to grow more rapidly with fewer inputs than rivals, without using animal serum.
A new ‘Made with Pulses’ logo has been unveiled at the IFT show in a bid to help food and beverage manufacturers flag up their use of beans, dry peas, lentils and chickpeas – which are gaining traction as awareness grows of their nutrition and sustainability...
While backyard barbeques and picnics are hallmarks of prime grilling season, which is in full swing now, marketers can extend grilling’s appeal and their sales beyond the end of summer by tapping into tailgating, suggests new research from Acosta.
US retail sales of plant-based foods & beverages grew 3.4% to $4.9bn in the year to June 12, 2016, with particularly strong growth in cheese alternatives and refrigerated nut milks, according to new data from SPINS.
The US House of Representatives has voted to pass a federal GMO labeling bill (306:117 votes) that would pre-empt and nullify all state-led GMO labeling laws including the one that has just come into effect in Vermont.
