Celebrity-backed AQUAhydrate has doubled its distribution over the past 18 months from around 30,000 to 60,000 outlets by appealing to a broad set of ‘everyday warriors’ it claims are seeking out more premium products and aspirational brands in the bottled...
Two California state senate bills would mandate controversial warnings on some foods and beverages, and if enacted could start a domino effect among other like-minded states, potentially creating a patchwork of laws and compliance headache for national...
When the Arctic Apple hits select store shelves this month as one of the first products genetically modified for consumers’ benefit, it will serve as a line in the sand for the tug of war between the non-GMO movement and the future of food innovation.
By Mark Miller, PhD. Chief Science Officer, Healthy Directions
The old discussions about the causes of obesity are becoming lame. Certainly it is true that societies are gravitating to large serving sizes, that processed food lacks specific micronutrients and we exercise a lot less. However do these factors adequately...
The trend towards continuous grazing throughout the day will create new ‘multi-temperature’ snacking opportunities for manufacturers as a ‘tapas-style’ approach to eating gains momentum, predicted panelists at the FoodNavigator-USA/BakeryandSnacks snacking...
The bone broth category (shelf-stable and refrigerated) is pretty small in the scheme of things, but it’s growing rapidly, with US retail sales more than tripling to $19.7m in the 52 weeks to Jan 22,* fueled by a small but highly engaged set of health...
Pea protein-fueled brand Ripple has weighed into plant-based ‘milk’ debate with a provocative new media campaign that challenges the nutritional and environmental credentials of dairy milk, but also brands almond milk a ‘sham,’ and argues that when it...
Kevin Klock: ‘Now we have created a real brand identity’
Talking Rain Beverage Co has unveiled a $37m national ad campaign that president Kevin Klock says will give Sparkling ICE a stronger brand identity – something it has historically lacked, despite its meteoric growth (estimated retail sales have surged...
Sales of natural and organic products may be steadily increasing – and even outpacing that of the overall food industry – but three main barriers continue to hold them back from their full potential, suggest new research.
Intestinal bacteria can accelerate the development of Alzheimer's disease, say researchers who suggest their findings could open new opportunities for preventing and even reversing the disease through the gut.
Forty years ago, the US cottage cheese market was twice the size of the yogurt market. Today, yogurt (at $7.68bn) is seven times bigger in dollar terms than cottage cheese (down 1.7% to $1.1bn in retail sales in 2016 according to Nielsen data). So have...
Pasta Chips, Bow Ties, on course to generate revenues of $15m in 2017
Snack brands that want to break through the $2-3m revenue barrier have to appeal to mainstream shoppers as well as trend-setters in New York or L.A. says serial snacking entrepreneur and CPG veteran Jerry Bello, who says his latest innovations – Pasta...
Bolthouse Farms expands its footprint in the crowded dressing category with the launch of a new premium line that fills the whitespace in the unexpectedly bare overlap between organic and better-for-you options.
The dairy lobby is justifiably frustrated about the widespread use of dairy-terms (milk, cheese, yogurt) to describe plant-based products, but it also needs to focus on its own game to understand why sales of fluid dairy milk are declining, argues The...
The Dairy Pride Act, which seeks to crack down on the use of dairy-derived labels for plant-based products on the grounds shoppers are being misled, is a “solution looking for a problem,” claims the marketing boss of one of the leading players in the...
According to retail data company Packaged Facts, “food industry marketers are astutely churning out a variety of healthier, yet still decadent, frozen treats to please modern American consumers.”
While most Americans remain unfamiliar with drinking vinegar, the category is gaining traction and could be the next kombucha if manufacturers work together to promote its many benefits and uses, according to one segment player.
CAUGHT ON CAMERA AT THE 2017 WINTER FANCY FOOD SHOW
If pulse-based snacks (made with beans, peas, chickpeas, or lentils) were seen as niche, ‘natural,’ products a few years ago, they are firmly in the mainstream in 2017, says the CEO of one firm on a mission to make beans “accessible, delicious and affordable.”
Once restricted to a handful of products, such as yogurt, probiotics are enjoying unprecedented popularity and are popping up in unexpected places with many bold health claims, but not everything consumers or manufacturers hear about probiotics is true.
If the novelty factor surrounding edible insects has worn off somewhat, consumer interest in protein – particularly where there is a sustainability story to tell – continues to grow, says Denver-based start-up Lithic Nutrition, which packs 15g of protein...
High levels of added sugar should disqualify foods from being able to make health claims, or nutrient content claims such as ‘healthy’ or ‘high fiber,’ argues a citizen’s petition filed last week by the nonprofit advocacy group the Union of Concerned...
CAUGHT ON CAMERA AT THE 2017 WINTER FANCY FOOD SHOW
In regular water, hydrogen is bound to oxygen (H2O) making it "difficult for our bodies to enjoy the [antioxidant/anti-inflammatory] benefits of hydrogen," claims the company behind Hfactor, which contends that dissolving hydrogen gas into water...
As the deadlines for regulations painstakingly developed under the Food Safety Modernization Act begin to go into effect, compliance by producers, suppliers and manufacturers alone will not be enough to stop food borne illness outbreaks, a top FDA official...
CAUGHT ON CAMERA AT THE 2017 WINTER FANCY FOOD SHOW
Labeling conventions in plant-based ‘dairy’ are a hot topic right now, with two leading players (Almond Breeze and Silk) hit with false advertising lawsuits this week, and a Senate Bill urging the FDA to enforce standards of identity for milk, cheese...
Billed as a “product sampling community” and influencer marketing company, Social Nature wants to take the time-honored and go-to strategy of in-store demonstrations into the digital age for a “better, cheaper and more direct way to target and acquire...
Kraft Heinz has teamed up with Oprah Winfrey to form Mealtime Stories LLC, a joint venture that will debut with ready-to-eat refrigerated products across multiple categories.
The nonprofit Seafood Nutrition Partnership (SNP) has announced the availability of new online education programs and resources aimed at teachers and individuals to promote the benefits of a seafood-rich diet.
Consumers’ growing familiarity with the health benefits of nuts and seeds paired with their versatility is inspiring manufacturers to seek new varieties, uses and packaging for the ingredient – propelling it into a starring role in the American diet in...
Atkins Nutritionals Inc. might be best known for making low-carb foods and beverages for weight management, but a new marketing campaign that explains how carbs can lead to weight gain could breathe new life into the diet – and product sales – by connecting...
Vegetables will shine as a rising star in the juice industry in 2017 as consumers look for ways to reduce sugar and increase functional benefits, predicts a top executive working with the international juice maker Biotta.
Cargill and FDA have jointly announced a new validated method for measuring the levels of plant sterols and stanols in foods and dietary supplements. The method, developed over a number of years, is simpler, more accurate and less prone to error, experts...
FDA and USDA push forward a strategy to modernize how genetically modified organisms are regulated that was created in part with the Executive Office of the President under the Obama Administration even as President Trump took office with the promise...
New guidance and an easy-to-use reference chart from EPA and FDA encouraging Americans – especially pregnant and nursing women and parents of young children – to eat more fish could boost sales of seafood products, including ready-to-eat and easy-to-prepare...
The US chocolate confectionery market is set for a 1% volume decline between 2016 and 2021 as Americans’ GDP per capita is set to fall while the category is caught in an “anti-sugar crossfire”.
In today’s highly competitive landscape, many food and beverage manufacturers try to set their brands apart by tapping into consumers’ desire for products that not only are better for them but also better for the planet or for society.
MAIO, an indulgent tasting yet better-for-you alternative to conventional mayonnaise, is the latest test product to come out of C-Fresh's innovation team and its unique approach to incubating products on a small scale before expanding.
Often dominated by candy, soft pretzels, nachos and highly processed meats, concession stands at school events could be fertile ground for better-for-you snack and beverage manufacturers to boost sales and exposure to young consumers who are developing...
“We did everything you’re not supposed to do,” observes the COO of Primal Kitchen, which exploded out of the blocks with a sugar-free avocado oil-based mayo in February 2015, notched up revenues of $13.2m in 2016, and is expecting to almost double that...
A “striking” increase in the consumption of no- and low-calorie sweeteners over 13 years combined with conflicting data on their connection to obesity, diabetes and other health issues escalates the need for more research on their chronic health effects,...
With an investment of $2.5 million from Aqua-Spark, startup seafood meal kit maker Love The Wild hopes to change the way Americans eat fish and perceive aquaculture farming, which has a notoriously bad reputation.
Beans, chickpeas, lentils, key to next-generation of plant-based dairy
A patent application from General Mills shows it is experimenting with legumes such as chickpeas, adzuki beans, fava beans and lentils to create non-dairy ‘milks;' eggless mayonnaise and dips; and cultured legume based products such as cheeses, yogurts,...
In recently revised guidance on ‘healthy’ label claims, the FDA changed its stance on total fat, but it should also make other changes in order to allow nutrient-dense foods such as eggs to be marketed as ‘healthy,’ says United Egg Producers.
While Americans are becoming more adventurous in what they eat, they often still need a lot of convincing to try something new – especially if they haven’t heard of it before and don’t know what it will taste like, how it will impact their health, how...
While growth in the US yogurt category fell into negative territory in 2016, Chobani's US operation notched up double-digit sales and volume growth last year, driven by a strong performances from Flip and the core cups range and a successful move...
Ambitious sodium reduction targets for the next two and 10 years laid out by FDA in draft voluntary guidance released last summer not only could save lives, but they could generate huge cost savings based on new research published this week in The BMJ.
