From veggie powders to sprinkle on your food to artisan dairy-free ‘cheeses’ made from nuts, Sterling-Rice Group (SRG) selects nine natural food trends it predicts will inspire packaged foods and foodservice menus in 2015.
Heinz is urging a Pennsylvania court to reverse a decision by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) allowing Boulder Brands to register ‘Smart Balance’ as a trademark for frozen foods and snacks – a name Heinz claims is “confusingly similar” to...
Hartman Group: Pleasure & distinction bigger drivers than health for premium products
While more premium brands from KRAVE to Noosa are being snapped up by big food companies and private equity firms, not every CPG category has the potential to be driven – or revitalized - by premium brands, according to a new analysis by Hartman Group....
Millennials are more likely to be hungry for new food products than other demographics, with 38% “always looking for new food products to try” versus 31% of total shoppers, according to survey data* from Chicago-based researcher IRI.
The latest outbreak of avian flu has, predictably, prompted a surge in demand for egg replacers. But some industrial egg users are now considering making permanent changes to recipes and menus rather than just making tactical substitutions whenever egg...
Snack makers can boost sales and secure stronger retail relations with data-driven product pairing rather than guesswork, says Nielsen Perishables Group.
Higher beef and pork prices are dragging down grocery sales not just in the meat department, but in the center of the store as well, according to a recent Nielsen survey.
Bakers and other big users of eggs could face major supply shortages if the government does not act quickly to allow temporary imports from more egg-producing countries, claims the American Bakers Association (ABA), which says “25% of industrial egg product...
Walmart is asking meat and poultry suppliers to stop using antibiotics and antimicrobials for non-therapeutic purposes (eg. to promote growth and boost feed efficiency rather than exclusively for treating sick animals) amid concerns the practice may be...
Sales of snacks account for a whopping 40% of the $370 billion U.S. packaged food market and are set to grow 2% annually through 2019, thanks in large part to millennials who eat more snacks than any other group, according to analysis by Euromonitor.
Compared to previous generations Millennials are far more likely to make spur-of-the-moment food decisions and have less well-stocked pantries, say market researchers. But many food retailers are not geared up to meet their changing needs.
Social media strategies need to refrain from insistently pushing brands; but instead add value for consumers, explains Ashley Vinson, head of brand strategy Benelux, Twitter.
Culinary trend-spotting: Where retail & foodservice collide
For the first time, consumers are spending more money at restaurants than on groceries in America, likely reflecting more financial flexibility from savings garnered by shopping at less expensive box stores and from lower gas prices, according to recent...
Pressure on food manufacturers to label genetically modified food and provide non-GMO alternatives is mounting as consumer concern and confusion about the technology increases in response to a deluge of negative messaging about it.
Consumer feedback on Solazyme’s new high-oleic algae oil reveals high acceptance levels, with 98% of healthy oil purchasers sent samples for at-home testing reporting it had a ‘pleasant or no aftertaste’, 87% agreeing it had a ‘cleaner taste than other...
Meet execs from Sparkling ICE, Chobani, Tio Gazpacho, NASA
Imagine a place where you can meet the entrepreneurs behind new food & beverage categories and retail channels; pioneers in the field of nutrigenomics, edible insects, and 3D printing; food law attorneys; investment bankers; and number crunchers who...
Concern about “chemicals” in the food supply is growing among Americans, many of whom are changing how they buy food as a result, according to a recent survey.
More than four out of 10 (43%) American infants aged 12-23 months eat cookies, cakes or pastries on any given day; almost a third (32%) eat chips, popcorn or pretzels; 19% eat candy; and 31% consume soda, fruit or sports drinks; according to dietary intake...
The flavor of Welch’s famous Concord grape no longer is limited to juices, jellies and purees, but can now be found in concentrated fruit pieces and pastes that can easily be formulated into a broad range of products thanks to a partnership between Welch’s...
The world’s biggest food firm, Nestlé, has put reducing food waste firmly on its agenda, announcing plans to help further prevent the issue of food losses and waste around the world at the Save Food Congress.
Trans fat ban / Nutrition Facts Panel overhaul / FSMA implementation
Bakers must be prioritize and collaborate in the face of policy upheaval on nutrition, ingredients and food safety this year, warns the American Bakers Association (ABA).
Recent acquisitions to diversify Post Holdings’ portfolio are paying off more quickly than anticipated, prompting the cereal giant to raise its full year guidance despite a larger than expected negative impact from a supplier that tested positive for...
Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) could be at risk of disordered eating patterns that can lead to obesity and other health problems, say researchers.
Sprouts Farmers Market is accelerating expansion of its deli and prepared food offerings to help drive traffic and mitigate the impact of a tightening supply of high quality produce, which currently drives the majority of store visits.
Net sales at Heinz fell 11.5% in the first quarter, which bosses blamed on tough comparatives, currency impacts, double-digit declines in its North America frozen meals business, and ‘category’ declines in the UK and Italy.
Unable to shake its reputation for being notoriously expensive, Whole Foods Market is changing tack to appeal to less affluent millennials with the launch of a new value-focused chain.
As widely predicted, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) is appealing a federal court ruling denying its bid to halt implementation of Vermont’s GMO labeling law (Act 120) until a lawsuit over the Act is resolved.
The secret to Plum Organics’ rapid ascent to the top of the organic baby, toddler and children’s food industry is its deeply engrained philosophy to “lead with the heart,” the firm’s CEO Neil Grimmer says.
Manufacturers of high-end juices, nutritional shakes and smoothies likely will get more bang from their advertising buck in marketing associated with music, sports, technology and politics, according to consumer research conducted by CivicScience.
New data from Instantly’s Product Watch tool - a "live, crowd-sourced insights engine" which gathers insights from an army of consumers via their mobile phones as they shop – reveals fairly low purchase intent scores on many of the recent launches...
The row over the health and sustainability of meat consumption prompted by the recent Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) report has intensified this week as stakeholders rushed to submit comments on the report ahead of a May 8 deadline.
Rather than choose between food service and retail distribution, start-up Spread the Love The Love Jams & Jellies embraced both, and as a result, it has quickly outgrown its production facility and is ready to level up within one year of launching.
"We’re still only just starting to discover all the amazing things mushrooms can do.”
From a commercial perspective, it’s still early days for myceliation, a process by which mushrooms (or rather, their filament-like roots or ‘mycelium’) can remove bitter compounds and naturally occurring toxins from some of the world’s most valuable crops...
The vast majority of food and beverage launches fail to survive beyond the initial “experimental phase” in part because they expand their distribution too quickly, warns Alan Murray, the CEO of Next Foods.
Attorney: This case could end up in the Supreme Court
While opponents of Vermont’s GMO labeling Act 120 suffered a major setback this week after a federal judge rejected many of their arguments, some attorneys predict the case could ultimately end up in the Supreme Court to settle a long-running debate over...
How do you market plant protein? Until recently, it was all about ‘vegetarian’ options, ‘meat analogs’ or ‘meat-alternatives’, says Lightlife Foods, but today, marketers are presenting their plant-based wares as the first – and best - choice for what...
While some commentators believe it has peaked in popularity, four of the top 10 new CPG products of 2014 were in the Greek yogurt category, suggesting it might be a little early to write it off just yet, according to the latest New Product Pacesetters...
A federal court has rejected an attempt by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and other trade associations to prevent the state of Vermont from implementing its controversial GMO labeling law until litigation over the legislation has been resolved.
Chipotle Mexican Grill has “achieved its goal of moving to only non-GMO ingredients to make all of the food in its US restaurants”, and is now embarking on a quest to eliminate additives such as dough conditioners from its foods.
Four out of 10 consumers claim to be avoiding or reducing genetically modified foods in their daily diets, mainly because they are concerned about the possible impact of GMOs on their health and well-being, according to The Hartman Group’s Organic &...
M+Ms Easter peanut butter eggs, Pillsbury Funfetti spring cake mix and Jif’s new creamy almond butter all garnered high marks in the latest shelf score ranking from Instantly, which measures purchase intent for new products.
Congress needs to strengthen FDA’s oversight of genetically modified organisms before foreign countries, with potentially lower safety standards, begin genetically engineering crops used in finished products that are imported to the U.S., argues an executive...
From a standing start in late 2013 – when it hit shelves in Whole Foods - Hampton Creek’s egg-free spread Just Mayo is now in 21,000 retail locations. But its progress in foodservice has been even more meteoric, says CEO Josh Tetrick, who says a deal...
Europe’s largest frozen foods business Iglo Group has been bought by a pair of US investors for €2.6bn, at 2.4 times return on the original investment made by parent company Permira.
FDA is considering adding pre- and post-market enforcement “enhancements” to the final rule for the process of determining food substances are GRAS – or generally recognized as safe, according to a top agency official.
