Back to the Roots want to go beyond providing consumers with packaged food that has a simple ingredient list – it wants to give them the exact recipe so they can recreate the product; and big names in the food and tech world want to help the company do...
Winston Lee: 'We're caramelizing milk and sugar together and then culturing it'
When Winston Lee started pitching Tarte Asian Yogurt to retailers three years ago, the market had already hit peak Greek, he says: “Buyers were already looking at what's next after Greek. If you weren't already a brand on the shelf, you had...
Multicultural wellness ingredients are emerging as a tie that binds the diverse desires of multiple generations together, according to the latest Packaged Facts’ Culinary Trend Tracking Series report.
It may not have hit prime time yet, but it’s only a matter of time before hemp is as big as chia in the US food and beverage market, predicts the co-founder of one snacking company determined to put the protein-packed seed on the map.
Grain companies are working with Denver-based MycoTechnology to explore how mushrooms’ filament-like roots or ‘mycelium’ could help create new value-added opportunities in the cereals market by transforming the nutritional profile of wheat and other grains.
'We have retained a cult-like following even as we have gone mass market'
When Julie Smolyansky became president and CEO of kefir market leader Lifeway Foods in 2002 after the sudden death of her father (its founder), the stock went into freefall as investors feared the 27-year old wasn’t ready to run a public company. They...
A $1.5 million investment from EcoEnterprises Fund will enable NurturMe to expand its line of quinoa-based children's food as well as its social mission as a B-Corporation to improve sustainable agriculture in South America, a company executive said.
A poll* of more than 4,200 US consumers conducted in April 2015 by CivicScience shows Americans believe that ‘preservatives / chemicals’ are significantly more harmful to their heath than added sugar, saturated fat and sodium.
Snyder’s-Lance has joined forces with Mediterranean Snacks to create a co-branded snack pack containing hummus and pretzels as part of its drive towards meal solutions, its marketing head says.
Dollar sales of Chobani’s Simply 100 Greek yogurts have grown 25% in the first five months of 2015 vs the same period last year, while unit sales are up 28%, says the firm, which is re-launching the range with ‘blended’ formulations (rather than fruit-on-the-bottom)...
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.
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....
Snack makers can boost sales and secure stronger retail relations with data-driven product pairing rather than guesswork, says Nielsen Perishables Group.
Potato chips, tortilla chips and cheese snacks are performing strongly in the US retail market, despite growing demand for healthier snacking options. However, the big winners in the snacks aisle this year have been ready-to-eat popcorn, meat snacks,...
With an eight-year stint in sales and brand management at PepsiCo on his resume, David Luks knew a fair bit about the beverages market when he launched Honeydrop in 2009. But it quickly became clear that selling Diet Pepsi and selling a product no one...
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.
Packaged Facts is predicting continued double-digit growth for almond milk in the next five years, and reckons it could increase its dollar share of the US retail dairy and dairy alternative beverages market from 5% in 2014 to 19% in 2019.
It’s not just the high fat, salt or sugar content of processed foods that is driving obesity and diet-related illnesses – the lack of food diversity is killing our gut flora, claims one researcher.
Biena dry roasted chickpea snacks are about to roll out nationally at Target
When Poorvi Patodia first started pitching roasted chickpeas to retail buyers in 2012, not everyone was convinced they could be a mainstream hit. Today, they are gracing shelves in 3,000+ stores from Sprouts to Stop & Shop and are about to go into...
Just scaling up alone without fundamental changes to farming practices could decrease costs by 25-50%
While cost is a barrier – and regulatory issues need ironing out – mainstream food manufacturers “have been way more open to this [using edible insects in their products] than you would probably think”, says the founder of the world’s largest insect-based...
Plant waters such as aloe, birch, artichoke, maple, cactus, and almond water are starting to challenge coconut water’s pedestal, with NPD in this emerging category booming, according to Innova Market Insights.
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...
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...
Cocoa flavanols are an ingredient that has been poised at the edge of the runway for a few years now. A new large-scale, long-term study into their cardiovascular and cognitive function benefits that is entering its recruitment phase may help provide...
From teablets (tablets of compressed tea leaves you drop in your mug, minus the bag) to tea made from coffee leaves, the tea market is a hotbed of innovation. FoodNavigator-USA headed to the World Tea Expo in Long Beach, CA to bring you some highlights…
Almond milk sales continue to grow in the double digits, while cashew milk is gaining momentum, but what about peanut milk? There’s no major commercial product out yet, but a concept is being developed, says the National Peanut Board (NPB).
30 years ago, nuts were perceived as the nutritional equivalent of candy. Today, they are widely recognized as a nutrient powerhouse. But why are peanuts – which have unique health and sustainability credentials – still perceived by some consumers as...
Zevia – a zero-calorie carbonated beverage line sweetened with stevia, monk-fruit and erythritol – has removed colors from its entire product range, including colas, and put every SKU through the non-GMO Project verification process.
Consumers are familiar enough with pulses for bakers to seriously consider incorporating the ingredient into industrial breads, says Best Cooking Pulses.
Premium organic packaged food manufacturer WhiteWave Foods raised its guidance for 2015 following strong first quarter sales driven by innovative line extensions and recent product launches.
'Millennials are increasingly health conscious...'
Only a small fraction of the hundreds of nutrition bars that launch in the U.S. annually will survive the first year, but among those that have are Kuli Kuli Bars, thanks in part to their unique nutrition profile and the manufacturer’s strong social mission...
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.
The maker of Forte Gelato hopes to expand its consumer base beyond health-conscious shoppers, recovering patients and athletes to reach the mainstream consumer by repackaging its high-protein, low-fat dessert into pints.
A bill proposing warning labels on sugar-sweetened beverages that would alert shoppers in California to the risk of diabetes, obesity, and tooth decay, has died in the committee stage.
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.
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...
B&G Foods’ strategy to grow by expanding its footprint in the center of the store is succeeding even though it seems counter-intuitive at a time when other manufacturers are trying to reach consumers along the store’s perimeter.
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...
Sales of snacks are poised for significant growth in the U.S. in the next five years, but for the category to reach its full potential, manufacturers need to go beyond new product launches to fully exploit all opportunities for growth, according to a...
US retail sales of Matcha green tea powder surged 54.9%* in 2014, while sales of ready-to-drink products leaped up $253.1% (albeit from a small base), reveals a new report arguing that the bright green, nutrient-packed tea is “not a passing fad, but a...
‘This is one step up the ladder of desperation to remain relevant’
While cynics might paraphrase PepsiCo’s move to axe aspartame from Diet Pepsi as ‘Pepsi replaces one very unpopular artificial sweetener with another slightly less unpopular artificial sweetener’, it highlights the challenge facing big soda marketers,...
Another competitor has arrived in the specialized sphere of insurance for dietary supplement companies in the United States with a new program offered by Beazley Group, a worldwide insurance provider with headquarters in the United Kingdom.
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...
