When it comes to eating meat in the US, chicken, without a doubt, is the main attraction with Americans consuming an average of 91 pounds last year – that is nearly double the roughly 50 pounds of pork and 55 pounds of beef consumed in the same period,...
How deep into the supply chain do consumers expect food manufacturers to delve when it comes to label claims about genetic engineering (or its absence), and do they realize that not all non-GMO claims mean the same thing?
While most agricultural industry leaders gathered on Capitol Hill yesterday urged lawmakers and the current administration to tread lightly when it comes to renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, some indicated specific areas for improvement.
In an about-face, Blue Apron’s stock is surging on the strength of positive investor ratings published earlier this week, but the meal kit company’s initial rocky start in public trading still could have a negative long-term impact on competitors’ ability...
FDA’s decision to greenlight a qualified health claim connecting macadamia nuts to the reduced risk of heart disease despite the ingredient’s saturated fat content suggests the agency may give manufacturers a little slack to make health claims as long...
Is Lidl’s ‘Preferred Selection’ private label “confusingly similar” to Kroger’s ‘Private Selection’? Or is Kroger’s recent trademark infringement lawsuit against Lidl merely an opportunistic bid to derail a rival’s US market entry?
For many Americans grilling is more than a means to put dinner on the table – it is a way to celebrate special occasions and everyday joys with friends, family and neighbors – creating an extended marketing opportunity for brands and retailers alike,...
Using a novel nutrition rating system, such as Guiding Stars, could give retailers and food service chains a competitive edge by creating the perception they offer more of the healthy, fresh foods that today’s consumers increasingly want, new research...
Tumbling soda sales have opened the door to the mainstream market for a variety of functional beverages that were previously relegated to the natural channel, including kombuncha sales of which, according to one entrepreneur, grew 41% to $534 million...
Artisanal jerky brand KRAVE launched its first ever televised national ad campaign this week, a testament to how the brand, and the category, has matured.
As palates in North America change and acidified foods become more acceptable, space is created, too, for additives such as pectin that can handle specific pH regimes.
Ethical claims on food and beverages sold in the US are almost as ubiquitous as the Nutrition Facts panel and while they are not legally mandated by FDA like nutritional information, some manufacturers might feel like they are just as obligatory given...
Leading trade groups for the retailer and food service industries are suing New York City to stop inspectors from holding their members responsible for posting calorie counts for prepared “restaurant-type food” ahead of a similar federal rule that has...
General Mills has won a lawsuit alleging its Nature Valley granola bars cannot be labelled “100% natural” as they purportedly contain traces of herbicide.
As recently as two years ago, bone broth was virtually unheard of by the masses, but now it is seemingly everywhere with newcomers crowding the category and pushing early players such as Bonafide Provisions to innovate to stay ahead of the competition.
As consumers continue to seek new flavors and experiences, Coca-Cola is exploring the booming US meal kit market in a new partnership with Chef’d that offers co-branded meal kits with complementary Coca-Cola brands.
The long-raging debate over whether cutting carbs or cutting fat is a better way lose weight is a false dichotomy, according to new research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that found successfully shedding pounds is less about...
Entrepreneurs whose families immigrated to the US increasingly are bottling the flavors of their culture in marinades, sauces and spreads to satisfy not only their cravings for foods from their heritage, but to make international cooking at home more...
By Jay W. Connolly, Edward F. Maluf and Owen Wolfe, attorneys, Seyfarth Shaw
One of the hottest topics in the food, beverage and dietary supplement industries, for both producers and advertisers, remains the disclosure of genetically modified organisms, or ‘GMOs,’ in these products.
Nutrition-packed, environmentally sustainable and already notoriously well-known – although partly for the wrong reasons – hemp is well positioned to become one of the next big superfood superstars in the US.
Despite recent innovations and strong sales in the plant-based milk category, many products are low in desirable nutrients and high in unwanted “superfluous ingredients,” such as gums and starches, which leave the category vulnerable to an exodus but...
Competition in the roasted chickpea snack segment is heating up as more players enter the field, including newcomer Lebby Snacks, which stands apart from the others by offering a soft and chewy – but still roasted – version of the legume rather than the...
When Salem, North Carolina-based bakery Dewey’s decided two years ago to create a line of clean ingredient crackers and cookies – including a soft-baked variety that also had a long shelf life of at least six months, some experts told CEO Scott Livengood...
Growing demand for products that support gut health is fueling rapid growth in sales of fermented beverages, but for kombucha to hold on to its pole position in the category and reach its full market potential, manufacturers must improve labeling compliance...
Which ingredients should be classified as dietary fibers and why? Elaine Watson caught up with Dr Dennis Gordon from North Dakota State University (NDSU) at the IFT show in Las Vegas as the FDA considers petitions from suppliers of everything from inulin...
Convenience is a dominating factor influencing which foods and beverages shoppers in Mexico buy – even beating out innovation and authenticity, which also weigh heavily in the decision-making process, according to a recent Culinary Visions Panel.
Glyphosate (the active ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide RoundUp) will be added to California's Prop 65 list on July 7, 2017, meaning warning labels will be required from July 2018. But what, if anything, does this mean for packaged foods that might...
Founded during the recession by two “ultimate underdogs” who needed to pay their mortgage to save their farm, the gourmet food and lifestyle brand Beekman 1802 epitomizes the American dream and US value of giving a helping hand to those in need who are...
Premium coffee and brain-boosting nootropics are big business in the US and by combining the two Kimera Koffee is cashing in on the trends while also offering consumers significant savings.
As the tenacious gluten-free trend continues to grow and mature into a market behemoth in the US, it is paving the way for the emergence of two trends that both claim to reduce the risk of inflammation and offer increased nutrient density despite opposing...
Startup Vega Coffee wants to create a “more equitable coffee experience” by empowering small-holder farmers to roast and sell their own beans directly to consumers through a subscription at a higher profit margin than their unroasted green beans would...
Three years after Sunwarrior set its protein powder apart from the competition by switching to a smaller, easier to grab and store square tub, it continues to lead the category in innovative packaging with a new collapsible scoop that clicks inside a...
Arla Foods has been ordered to halt its new $30m ‘Live Unprocessed’ ad campaign – which makes a virtue of using milk from cows that have not been fed the growth hormone rBST - in the wake of legal action* filed by rbST maker Eli Lilly (Elanco).
The Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg today announced purely plant-based products cannot, in principle, be marketed with designations such as ‘milk’, ‘cream’, ‘butter’, ‘cheese’ or ‘yogurt’, which are reserved by EU law for animal products.
As widely expected, the FDA is to extend the compliance dates for the Nutrition Facts label final rules to give manufacturers more time to prepare, although it has not yet said what the new deadlines are.
Attorney: ‘Slapping another undefined term on packages that could be attacked legally’ is risky
A new 'clean label' certification scheme has been launched in the US market as the concept of ‘clean’ eating continues to gain traction. But will CPG brands embrace the ‘Go Clean Label Certified’ logo, and are there risks to using a term that...
A tale of two plant ‘milk’ lawsuits: Court stays Whitewave lawsuit, but dubs near-identical case vs Blue Diamond as ‘patently implausible’ and throws it out
A lawsuit alleging Silk almondmilk is falsely advertised as nutritionally equivalent to dairy milk has been stayed by a judge on primary jurisdiction grounds, while a near-identical case filed by the same law firm over Almond Breeze has been thrown out...
The Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) is looking into ways to regulate whole grain labeling, with a definition expected to be ready for public comment by the end of the year. But should it follow US or European criteria, or come up with something...
Arla Foods has defended its new ‘Live Unprocessed’ ad campaign – which makes a virtue of using milk from cows that have not been fed the growth hormone rBST - in the wake of legal action filed by rBST maker Eli Lilly alleging the ads are “built upon a...
The number of class action filings against food and beverage companies dipped from 158 in 2015 to 145 in 2016, largely due to a drop off in ‘natural’ lawsuits, but food manufacturers remain vulnerable to legal action on a host of other fronts, from slack...
Sargento attorney: This case is without legal basis and speculative
Should dairy brands using milk from cows that may have consumed GM feed or been treated with rbST be allowed to market their wares as ‘natural’? Not according to the latest in a new wave of false advertising lawsuits arguing that products utilizing genetic...
FDA guidance continues to be used as a 'roadmap for class action lawsuits'
Very different outcomes in two near-identical lawsuits over evaporated cane juice labeling serve as a reminder that when it comes to food labeling, your website is every bit as important as your packaging label from a legal perspective. They also serve...
Flavored water brand Hint Inc has urged a California court to stay (put on ice) a high-profile lawsuit accusing it of falsely advertising its wares as ‘all natural.'
As part of a larger strategy to reduce the US deficit, the Trump Administration wants to help the agriculture sector “punch above its weight” by promoting trade, providing an affordable workforce, easing regulatory burdens and including it in the infrastructure...
More than a hundred representatives for the organic industry descended on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, last Thursday to extol to legislators the benefits of their industry to the US economy and ask for additional funding and help expand organic practices...
Breakfast has long been known as the most important meal of the day, but when people are eating it and what they are reaching for is quickly evolving and as such creating both challenges and opportunities for manufacturers of packaged products, according...
Will the July 2018 deadline for compliance with the new Nutrition Facts panel stand? Will federal GMO labeling regulations stop GMO-related lawsuits? And will the FDA nail down ‘natural’ anytime soon? FoodNavigator-USA headed to the American Conference...
According to the nonprofit Feeding America, 126 billion pounds of food is wasted each year in America – a staggering number that prompted USDA and EPA to challenge producers, manufacturers and consumers to help reduce food loss and waste by 50% by 2030.
The seafood industry is “fundamentally broken” and crowded with businesses beholden to “old school thinking” that fails both the oceans and the consumers, according to Ken Plasse, the CEO of a Fishpeople, which claims to be a different kind of seafood...
