Limited access to processing facilities is a top contributor to food waste, and a major hurdle that blocks mid-sized food and beverage businesses from scaling to the next level – two challenges that startup Matriark Foods is hoping to bypass with a unique...
Brands’ acquisition and retention of new customers – and investors – increasingly hinges on their ability to provide experiences and a sense of community that can help relieve customers’ emotional strain due to limited contact with others during the drawn-out...
The light shined by the pandemic on the toll the food system is taking on the environment and the people who grow, process and deliver food is turbo-charging already mounting consumer demand for products that are organic, responsibly sourced, clean label...
As consumers settle into pandemic-living and establish new shopping and cooking habits, they increasingly are looking for more than nutritional sustenance from food and beverage products – they also want a deeper, emotional connection that one branding...
Encouraged by strong third-quarter sales online and in stores as well as net sales in the period that grew twice that of a year ago, Sprouts Farmers Market is “financially stronger than ever,” and on track to double its business by 2025, according to...
Proposed rules regulating the sale of ingestible products containing hemp-derived cannabinoids in New York have been hailed as “pragmatic” and “rational” by brands attempting to navigate the regulatory minefield in the absence of federal regulations.
New research from General Mills suggests cereal is shaking free from some of its negative stereotypes as consumers look for relief from pandemic-related pressures, including balancing tighter budgets due to lost jobs, wanting to maintain their families’...
Kids are drinking less milk and juice as they get older, but what are they drinking instead, and is it good for them? How do parents evaluate what types of drinks are good for kids? What are parents looking for on food labels?
Despite less frequent trips to the grocery store and a history of general consumer unease with purchasing fresh food online, sales of fresh food continue to climb driving new growth to the category, reveals Deloitte's The Future of Fresh: Patterns...
Do children like oatmilk and Beyond Burgers? Research* shows that US families with children over-index for plant-based milk and yogurt sales and that parents of children under 18 are more likely to think that plant-based proteins are healthier than animal-based...
Influenced by feelings of stress and anxiety, shifting priorities caused by the ongoing pandemic, and changes in social connectivity, consumers are taking a more holistic and proactive approach to health and wellness, according to a new report from ADM....
After discovering a “staggering level of exposure” of fast food, candy, soda and other unhealthy branded foods and beverages on YouTube videos featuring and targeting young children, researchers from New York University are calling on the Federal Trade...
A year since launching its Chiber natural preservative made from chitosan, a biopolymer extracted from mushrooms which prevents spoilage in a variety of products including plant-based dairy alternatives, Chinova Bioworks has solved another issue facing...
Houston, Texas-based brand Llamaland Organics is introducing American families to a variety of superfood ingredients sourced directly from Peru through approachable and familiar product formats including cereals and fruit spreads.
The US Food and Drug Administration has taken action against two companies that claim their products can help prevent children from developing food allergies. The claims turn the products into unapproved drugs, the Agency claims.
The European Parliament has voted to ban dairy-related terms for plant-based alternatives. An amendment proposing to ban ‘meaty’ terms for vegan products, however, has not passed – much to the sector’s delight.
Good Catch has launched nationwide in Canada, where its frozen plant-based seafood entrees and appetizers are available at 640 locations from retailers including Loblaws, Provigo, Dominion, and others.
Building off the landmark LEAP (Learning Early About Peanut Allergy) study, food allergy advocacy group FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education), is launching the SEED (Start Eating Early Diet) study exploring early introduction of multiple allergenic...
While the ongoing pandemic has caused many venture capitalists to hit pause or slowdown, other investors and even consumers increasingly are interested in supporting growing businesses and diversifying their portfolios as illustrated by a surge in crowdfunding.
Albertsons Companies saw total revenue grow 11.2% to $15.8bn during Q2 2020 (12 weeks ended Sept. 12, 2020) driven by strong digital sales growth (+243%) and a growing base of loyal consumers who are gravitating towards the retailer's private label...
Cacao currently may be most prized by manufacturers and mainstream consumers for its beans to make chocolate, cocoa and cocoa butter, but the fruit and shell surrounding the bean also are packed with nutrients and potential, which famed chocolatier Oded...
The FDA – which recently said allulose does not have to be listed as added or total sugar on food labels – is now inviting comment on whether other sugars that are not metabolized in the same way as traditional sugars (such as isomaltulose and D-tagatose)...
Heavily influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, Whole Foods Market has unveiled its top 10 food trends for 2021, which include revitalized “epic” breakfast meals and culinary-inspired baby food, to growing consumer adoption of fringe cooking oils and food...
Cell cultured meat startups and conventional meat companies have written to USDA’s food safety and inspection service (FSIS) urging officials to gather more data before publishing a proposed rule on how cell-cultured meat and poultry products should be...
Cooking inspiration and education are emerging as powerful marketing tools for food and beverage brands and retailers as consumers who are tired of preparing the same-old, same-old at home for the past seven months of the pandemic look for new recipes,...
Partnership for a Healthier America and the Produce Marketing Association are expanding their COVID-19 Fresh Food Fund in a duel effort to ease food insecurity exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic and create a new market for produce that might otherwise...
Launched earlier this year, global multi-brand plant-based food company The LIVEKINDLY Collective has closed a $135m capital raise led by Blue Horizon Corporation to accelerate and increase capacity for its planned 2021 US launch.
Entrepreneurs desperate for capital or unsure of the best path forward for growth may be tempted to overlook dismissive or demeaning comments from potential investors, but the co-founder of the fast-growing brand SkinnyDipped warns these are huge red...
How are parents coping with the COVID-19 pandemic in their households when it comes to feeding their kids? Has the extra time spent at home given families more opportunity to cook and experiment with new recipes, or has the anxiety left parents scrambling...
Frustrated that many of the underlying health conditions that increase the risk of contracting COVID-19 disproportionately impact black, indigenous and people of color, the founder of Uplifting Results Lab wants to help close the race-related health disparity...
In partnership with Indiana-based technology startup ClusterTruck, Kroger is repurposing around 1,000 square feet of retail space at select stores to meet consumer demand for quick, freshly-prepared, restaurant-quality meals delivered to customers'...
Food allergy protection company, SpoonfulOne, and the Duke Clinical Research Institute, are launching a digital randomized controlled trial recruiting 1,500 healthy babies to investigate the feasibility of early allergen introduction.
Four companies have teamed up combining their beverage commercialization expertise to launch IncuBev, a multi-phase service offering to assist beverage brands with the challenges of product development and commercialization.
PepsiCo reinforces its commitment to its three-pronged “Faster, Stronger, and Better” strategic framework Oct. 1 as it comes off a better than expected third-quarter in which its beverage business rebounded and pandemic-fueled demand for snacks and packaged...
With today’s launch of a trio of toddler purees with bone broth, emerging children’s food brand Serenity Kids not only expands its reach beyond baby food pouches, but its founders say they hope to further boost the brand’s already fast-rising position...
While many Americans embraced the creativity of cooking at home as a welcome distraction during the early days of the pandemic, six months of prepping multiple meals a day, seven days a week is taking a toll – prompting some consumers to look for more...
School closures – and tentative re-openings – have compounded stress levels for families, while COVID-19-induced economic anxiety is also straining household budgets. So how can food and beverage brands come up with enticing – but affordable – recipes,...
The idea of “doing good” as a company is quickly evolving from “nice to have” to “must have” for fundraising food and beverage businesses as investors and industry strategics increasingly integrate and place more weight on environmental, social and governance...
As plant-based protein gains acceptance with mainstream consumers, manufacturers and investors are looking beyond the flash of new brands to consider the needs – and marketing opportunities – around services and ingredients that support increased production...
Spiceology, Inc., a privately held, direct-to-consumer spice company, has closed a $4.7m round of financing led by retail and grocery executive Ty Bennett, with participation by the Cowles Company, Kickstart Funds III & IV, and angel investors to...
While uncertainty around the reopening of America in 2021 complicates predicting at-home versus away-from-home consumption for the full year, General Mills expects retail sales of its CPGs to remain higher than pre-pandemic levels for at least the next...
Moving forward, Uncle Ben’s will be known as ‘Ben’s Original,’ says brand owner Mars Inc, which like several leading CPG players including PepsiCo (Aunt Jemima) and Conagra Brands (Mrs Butterworth’s), has been under pressure to address racial stereotypes...
Sophie’s Kitchen is heading to the frozen food aisle at 400 Walmart stores this month with vegan crab cakes and vegan breaded shrimp, in a move CEO Dr Miles Woodruff says provides a further proof point that plant-based seafood has the potential to move...
Daring Foods – a startup seeking to punch above its weight in the plant-based chicken category via a lower calorie product with a shorter, cleaner, ingredients list and bold branding – has closed an $8m Series A funding round led by VC firm Maveron, taking...
To create a “perfect food system” that can feed more people with fewer resources in the next 50 years, the food industry needs to turn 180-degrees away from long-considered “best practices,” including focusing on high yield crops, concentrating production...
US retail sales of refrigerated kombucha and other fermented beverages edged up 2.4% to $703.2m in measured channels* in the year to July 12, 2020, with dollar sales up 5.1% in the conventional (MULO) channel but down -6.1% in the natural channel, delegates...
An analysis of 21,096 food products from 9,083 brands across 44 categories found an association between Facts Up Front labeling – in which nutrition facts appear on the front of the package in addition to mandated nutritional information on the back of...
With $2M in just-announced seed funding, a “junk free” promise and a bright, modern packaging that trades heavily in on-trend buzz words, recently launched Bellway aims to bring new life – and a younger generation – to the sleepy fiber segment.
