Today’s consumers claim to want bold, authentic flavors, but many still shy away from unrecognizable foods – giving manufacturers the difficult task of presenting new products or flavors in a familiar way that still respects their authenticity.
Anyone who has shopped with children knows they heavily influence grocery purchases, but with advertising directly to kids frowned upon by many adults, children’s food and beverage manufacturers must embrace less direct strategies that balance what parents...
Adding “activity equivalent” labels to packaged food could help fight the obesity epidemic more effectively than listing calories alone, argues a top public health advocate.
Retail giant Walmart and baked sweets manufacturer Otis Spunkmeyer join the swelling ranks of companies switching to cage-free eggs, but both are doing so cautiously with long timelines that likely take into account concerns about potential supply shortages...
An infusion of $1.5 million will help vegan meal delivery startup Veestro fully take advantage of growing consumer demand for organic, plant-based food and ready-to-eat meals delivered to their doors.
As the nascent bone-broth category comes into its own, early pioneers in the space are rebranding with professionally polished packaging that communicates their products’ benefits and points of differentiation to better take advantage of the segment’s...
Though not everyone is convinced that the dietary rot set in once we stopped hunting and gathering and started to grow crops and raise animals for food, there’s no doubt that the ‘Paleo’ diet is gaining traction, and Caveman Foods – the brainchild of...
Manufacturers and retailers need to reconsider their approach to trade promotions based on new research that found the lift from the once effective strategy is at its lowest level in five years.
'We want to be clear what we stand for and ‘all-natural’ is not clear'
Good Food Made Simple – one of a new wave of companies on a mission to revitalize the frozen food aisle - is transitioning its burritos and wraps to a 'made with organic ingredients' platform and ditching the much maligned term ‘all-natural’...
As the number of health-conscious consumers increase, so do the number of brands touting a healthier alternative to what’s out there. Here’s an update from brands in this category that we’ve covered before.
Consumers slowly but increasingly are trusting food companies and perceiving them as transparent as more manufacturers explain how they source and make products, but a significant portion of shoppers remain wary – indicating industry still has work to...
It is no secret that the cereal aisle is struggling with Euromonitor estimating a 19% drop in sales in 2015 compared to 10 years earlier and a projection to lose another $1 billion in sales in the next 10 years.
Portion sizes on the front of pack don't correlate with Nutrition labels on the back, says study
A picture speaks a thousand words, so it stands to reason that we’re more likely to rely on the image on the front of a food label than the hard data on the back when we serve ourselves what we think is an appropriate portion, says new research*. But...
'Our enforcement priorities will focus on willful violations of the labeling law'
In a memorandum on the new GMO labeling law coming into force in Vermont in July, attorney general William H. Sorrell says enforcement action will “focus on willful violations of the labeling law” and that there will be a six-month safe harbor period...
Retailers and manufacturers that want to meet consumers’ growing demand for food free from preservatives need to rethink their strategies for packing, shipping and stocking products, suggest the husband and wife team behind Grain-Free JK Gourmet.
Despite doctors’ recommendations to eat more fish for its many health benefits, many consumers steer clear of tuna – an affordable, sustainable source of omega-3s and beneficial nutrients because they are worried about mercury.
BraunHagey & Borden LLP sets up practice group to target emerging food brands
Failure to seek legal advice when you launch your business can prove ruinous later on - especially when you are trying to raise money, or engineer an exit - says law firm BraunHagey & Borden LLP, which is setting up a new practice group to provide...
First was Campbell Soup, then General Mills, Mars and Kellogg... and now ConAgra Foods has become the latest major food company to roll out GMO labeling nationwide in order to comply with a law coming into force in Vermont on July 1.
Clif Bar – a company that helped transition the bar category from strictly slick slabs of finely blended ingredients to one with products made from recognizable grains and inclusions that more closely resembled real food – is at it again with a new line...
Kellogg has joined CPG giants Mars, General Mills, and Campbell Soup in opting to roll out GMO labeling nationwide in order to comply with a GMO labeling law that comes into force in Vermont in July.
Assured Bites Inc.’s launch of Hello, Peanut! in early March gives caretakers a much-needed tool with which they can confidently, safely and systematically introduce children to peanuts to reduce the risk they will develop a potentially deadly allergy...
Explosive consumer interest in functional beverages and bold flavors have prompted retailers in the natural channel to pack their shelves with national and regional brands of kombucha – completely saturating the category and limiting the growth potential...
It famously persuaded the Supreme Court that there was a case to be heard in 2014, but POM Wonderful this week failed to convince a California jury that Coca-Cola willfully misled consumers by marketing a product comprised almost entirely of apple &...
CFSAF: 'Gen Mills was forced to make decision because of Senate’s failure to act'
It was prompted by pragmatism, rather than an ideological shift, but General Mills and Mars have resolved to roll out GMO labeling nationwide as Congress has proved unable to hammer out a federal solution that all stakeholders can get behind before new...
Fruit chip maker Bare Snacks is overhauling its packaging to create an iconic brand block on store shelves that will better standout from the competition and communicate to consumers its core values of “simplicity, transparency and nothing bad for you,”...
Organic and Non-GMO claims are both gaining strong traction on US food and beverage labels, while there has been a slight decline in the percentage of new launches featuring 'natural' claims, according to Mintel.
Ruffles may have ridges, but now so too do popchips – and with significantly less fat and fewer calories than the conventional competitor the better-for-you brand is in a strong position to capture today’s more health-conscious consumer.
Sen. Pat Roberts’ GMO labeling bill (S. 2609) has been defeated in the Senate (48:49), as lawmakers proved unable to hammer out a compromise that all stakeholders could get behind in the race to create a federal GMO labeling standard before new laws take...
By Jacob Harper, attorney, TroyGould PC, Los Angeles
Eating Parmesan is not going to leave you swallowing splinters. But you’d never know it after reading articles such as, ‘The Parmesan You Sprinkle on Your Penne Could be Wood,’ ‘FDA Warns the Parmesan You Eat May Be Wood Pulp,’ and ‘Yes, Parmesan Cheese...
PepsiCo is expanding its ‘PepsiMoji’ campaign across more than 100 markets this year, championing the use of a ‘universal language system’ to engage with consumers worldwide.
The top complaint of most consumers of the increasingly popular meal kits is the extensive individual containers needed for each prepared ingredient and the waste generated by packaging for doorstep delivery, but Terra's Kitchen has a solution.
Boston-based start-up Farmwise – the maker of veggie fries - has triumphed at New Hope's pitch slam event at Expo West, which pitted entrepreneurial food and beverage brands against each other in a range of categories from bone broth to HPP babyfood.
Individually wrapped snacks and bars have revolutionized how busy Americans eat by offering on-the-go convenience, but their current, standard size range also could offer too many calories, suggests the CEO of Zing Bars.
Manufacturers of meat alternatives, tofu, tempeh, nut milks and vegan dairy replacements have a new champion in their corner and in Washington to help them level a playing field that currently is crowded with animal-based product lobbyists.
True Foods Inc. wants to make everyday foods “healthier, more delicious and better for our world” by packing them with more vegetables and less added sugar – an ambitious mission to which consumers are responding enthusiastically judging by the startup’s...
Boulder, Colo.-based startup Love The Wild wants to revolutionize how Americans approach eating fish by making it easier to cook at home and more environmentally sustainable to raise.
Calculations by researchers at Purdue estimate 102,000 hectares of US forest and pasture would have to be converted to cropland if GMOs were eliminated, but anti-GMO organizations argued that the study isn’t valid.
An injection of $2 million in Series Seed funds will help startup ELEMENT Snacks “reinvent rice cakes into fun snacks” by enabling it to expand distribution and roll out new packaging and branding, the company announced March 3.
Bill requires mandatory GMO labeling but would not require front of pack ‘warning’ statements
Two days after Senator Pat Roberts’ voluntary GMO labeling bill got the green light from the Senate agriculture committee, Senator Jeff Merkley* (D-OR) has introduced a ‘common-sense’ alternative he claims will please supporters of mandatory GMO labeling,...
American’s demand for protein shows no sign of slowing in 2016, but it is evolving to focus more on plant-based options, according to a new report from Packaged Facts.
Fewer Americans are reaching for sugar sweetened beverages, but consumption remains high – prompting a call for more aggressive measures to further reduce ingestion, according to new research released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A bill that would pre-empt state laws that mandate GMO labeling (such as Act 120 in Vermont) and set up a federal voluntary labeling system instead, has passed in the Senate Agriculture Committee 14:6, but faces an uphill battle when it goes to the Senate...
An infusion of $2 million in Series Seed capital will help Bandar Foods bring increasingly popular Indian flavors to mainstream Americans’ everyday life through modern food technology and platforms, the company announced March 1.
Standup, reclosable pouches are the way to go in the frozen food aisle, which currently is filled with bags that lay flat or boxes with bags inside that don’t reclose, says Rebecca Peress, founder of food startup SWAP.
Collaborative research by Fair Trade USA and Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) suggests 59% of consumers recognize the Fair Trade Certified label, compared to 38% in 2012.
California judge tosses Chipotle GMO labeling lawsuit
A California federal court has dismissed a high-profile lawsuit alleging Chipotle falsely advertised its food as non-GMO. And while it has given the plaintiff leave to amend her suit, it has made it clear she will have to come up with a stronger argument...
LaLoo’s Goat Milk Ice Cream may be healthier for people and planet than more traditional cow milk varieties, but it is still an indulgence, which is why the brand’s new marketing campaign encourages consumers “to get out and move their hooves,” the company’s...
Think Jerky is bringing the 100-calorie pack to the hugely popular jerky category as a way to make the snack even more portable and to help consumers better reflect on what and how much they eat.
Normally about this time of year the airwaves and social media begin to buzz with messages about getting ready for bikini season or offers to help consumers shed the last few stubborn holiday pounds with special diet foods – but increasingly these types...
