An FDA-issued alert from frozen dessert brand Dream reiterating that some of its products contain traces of milk also warns other plant-based product manufacturers that they may need to go beyond legally mandated allergen warnings when it comes to dairy...
Virtually unheard of by many consumers as recently as just last spring, the bone broth category is “heating up” and there is “massive opportunity” for early movers in the space despite an early and mounting surge of competition, according to one player...
A new survey found that there was disconnect between what consumers think labels like organic, antibiotic-free, or ‘no added hormones’ mean, and what the labels actually mean.
Spring has finally sprung, which means birds are chirping, crops are blooming and bees are pollinating – at least those that survived the winter, and the varroa mites, damage from pesticides, the dearth of natural food sources and problems related to...
As carbonated soft drinks’ long supreme reign over the beverage industry continues to slip amid fears of consuming too much sugar, sales and distribution of healthy, better-for-you and functional alternatives are gaining traction to fill the void.
The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) has launched legal action against several US biscuit manufacturers and retailers for allegedly failing to warn consumers about the high levels of acrylamide (AA) in their products.
Startup Misfit Juicery is taking a two prong approach to the growing threat to the juice category posed by consumers’ increasing concern about sugar, and in doing so is setting itself apart from the competition.
A new Whole Grain Stamp from Oldways Whole Grains Council gives manufacturers another tool to standout on store shelves and tap into consumers’ rising interest in products made with whole grains, and in particular ancient grains.
From certification seals to romance text to website blog posts, many packaged food and beverage brands put a lot of thought (and resources) into creating convincing nutrition-related arguments to persuade buyers. But among Millennials, only 26% of them...
Despite increasing competition in the meat snacks category, startup and recent graduate of the Chobani incubator Chops Snacks sees significant potential for its soft-chew jerky and future products, according to the co-founder.
A trio of government agencies will work together in the next five years to improve methods for pinpointing the source of foodborne illness outbreaks as part of ongoing analytic efforts to improve food safety, according to a new strategic plan released...
California-based SweeGen has received a GRAS no objections letter from the FDA for the use of its Bestevia branded Reb-M - manufactured from stevia leaf extracts converted to Reb M using enzymes – for use as a general purpose sweetener for food and beverage...
While the FDA’s radio silence on plant ‘milk’ labeling implies to some that it's comfortable with terms such as ‘almondmilk,’ the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) says the agency has a legal duty to enforce federal standards of identity...
Today’s consumers want products that are natural, sustainable and environmentally friendly, but manufacturers hoping to appeal to these values face significant threats from lawsuits alleging greenwashing and evolving regulations and enforcement efforts...
Americans may be becoming more adventurous in what they eat – seeking international flavors and products – but some retailers and buyers are hesitant to stock these types of new products for fear that they won’t sell once they are on store shelves.
Success of allulose in Mexico shows what’s possible in the US if added sugar labeling rules change, says Tate & Lyle
Allulose – an ultra low-calorie sugar found naturally in jackfruit and figs that Tate & Lyle is making in commercial quantities from corn using enzymes – has got some high profile advocates including Quest Nutrition, but would gain significantly more...
McDonalds, Panera and other high profile food service companies took notable steps last year to introduce “healthier” chicken products, but frozen poultry product producer Hip Chick Farms thinks more can done and it is stepping up the plate to push change...
Synthetic biology, or GMO 2.0 as some are calling it, has vastly more penetration in the marketplace than was previously believed. That’s the takeaway from the assembly of the first list of such ingredients.
Many successful entrepreneurs extol the value of work-life balance when they talk about getting a business off the ground, but at the recent graduation of Chobani Food Incubator’s first class of food and beverage companies, the yogurt company’s CEO and...
An electric vehicle uses a very different propulsion system to the internal combustion engine, but it also has four wheels, and gets you from A to B, which to most consumers, makes it a 'car.' So isn't it time to apply the same logic to...
After years of struggling to balance energy drinks and sleep aids, Americans are beginning to turn to adaptogens in herbal teas to help meet and “harmonize” their bodies’ needs, according to the co-founder of Pukka, an herbal tea and supplement company.
Meat and dairy often get a bad rap on the sustainability front, but not all animal production systems have the same impact on the planet, says EPIC Provisions co-founder Taylor Collins, who reckons that “the next big movement in food is coming in the...
There is a “tremendous parallel” between the emerging consumer demand for improved animal welfare in the US and the organic food movement, including notable business opportunities and significant challenges, according to Whole Foods Market CEO John Mackey.
With a goal to become “the Little Debbie of the natural snacks industry,” Nature’s Bakery is expanding its portfolio beyond its flagship Fig Bar line, and overhauling its branding to ensure the company name isn’t lost among the multiplying stock-keeping...
The Chicago-based brand may have eight varieties of packaged grass-fed beef products, but CEO Lenny Lebovich asserts his company is not a meat company. “We don’t view ourselves as a meat company, we view ourselves as a consumer product company that happens...
KIND Snacks expands into the children’s food segment for the first time with a riff on fruit snacks that directly tackles many parents’ complaints about the category.
Despite organic’s strong appeal with double-digit year-over-year growth since the early 1990s, and the promise of a significant premium price over that of its conventional counterparts, many American farmers are hesitant to jump on board – creating a...
To better support its transition from online-only sales to distribution at brick and mortar stores, wellness brand Aloha is unveiling at Expo West a massive rebranding along with new, reformulated and recategorized products that better align with consumers’...
Snacklins started out as “a joke gone too far,” according to a co-founder, but the growth of the plant-based take on pork rinds is nothing to laugh at – thanks in part to its ability to bring together two booming, and seemingly polar opposite trends:...
The respective size of the companies inevitably invites ‘David vs Goliath’ analogies, but tiny HPP baby food maker Once Upon a Farm may well prevail in a trademark dispute with CPG giant Abbott Laboratories, according to legal experts.
Contrary to what some may believe, farmers who grow genetically modified crops are “not the devil with horns,” and do have the planet’s and consumers’ health and best interests in mind when they select which seeds to plant and harvest, a Maryland farmer...
Drawing on extensive consumer research, The Campbell Soup Co.’s GMO disclosure labels on packs and online could serve as a model for USDA in crafting the mandatory national bioengineering label standard and other companies looking for solutions.
General Mills’ splashy commitment last year to double the number of organic acres it sources from by 2019 not only is a strategic business move to boost sales, but part of a larger effort to “do the right thing,” according to the company’s organic ambassador.
For years, carbonated soft drinks were the go-to choice for Americans to quench their thirst and boost their energy, but in recent years the category has begun to falter – creating an opening for a bevy of innovative beverage brands to emerge, according...
Increased funding for research to improve production tops the organic industry’s wish list of policy actions that it wants legislators and regulators to consider as they begin in earnest the long process of reauthorizing the Farm Bill, which is slated...
POM v Coke got there, but will another high-profile food litigation case – this time over GMOs and 100% natural labels on cooking oil (Briseno v ConAgra) - also end up in the Supreme Court?
The rapidly changing face of America and the growing influence of multicultural households on the mainstream population demand retailers revise their marketing and stocking strategies to better meet evolving consumer demands, new research from Nielsen...
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...
Despite increased transparency into how food is sourced, who makes it and how, much of the research on which nutrition policy is based and how it is funded remains notably opaque – a situation that the founder and CEO of KIND Healthy Snacks wants to change.
Building on the momentum of FDA’s recent guidance that women and children should eat more fish, several seafood manufacturers are launching new products that could help the industry come closer to clearing the remaining barriers that have long blocked...
PepsiCo: ‘We listened to the CSPI out of concern for our consumers’
PepsiCo will make several modifications to the way it labels and markets Naked Juice, in an agreement that ends litigation filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) in October.
Citing an uptick in multi-state foodborne illness outbreaks and their high cost to consumers and manufacturers alike, the Government Accountability Office reiterates its 40-year argument for a single, unified food safety system – this time under the Executive...
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...
Standards of identity are designed to protect consumers, not stifle competition, says GFI
More than 46,000 people have signed a Good Food Institute petition urging Senator Tammy Baldwin and Congressman Peter Welch not to pursue the passage of the Dairy Pride Act, which the GFI argues, is both “anti-competitive” and “unconstitutional.”
From restaurants’ fixation with ghost peppers to the presence of sriracha on dining tables across the country and chili pepper in everything from snack chips to hot chocolate, it is probably safe to say that America is obsessed with all things spicy.
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...
Legislation aimed at redirecting food that would be wasted to hungry Americans would make it easier for stakeholders to donate food and reduce the risk that consumers prematurely throw away food that they erroneously believe has spoiled.
After observing trade shows, lab test requests, and online forums on food and health, BioChecked executive director Scott Prentice and his team thought the timing was right to launch a 'non glyphosate' certification.
Typically considered smooth and creamy, the idea for most Americans that ice cream also could be chewy might seem like a stretch – and it is. Literally.
Manufacturers and brands will need to be more flexible in their approach to packaging in 2017 to better reflect the previously unexpected blending of ingredients, flavors and usage occasions that are emerging to ensure the products deliver the best experience,...
