First the report, now the class action lawsuits: PepsiCo and Goya Foods - who were both cited in a recent report from product testing firm Consumer Reports about allegedly “concerning” 4-MEI levels in soft drinks - have been targeted in lawsuits filed...
Citing increased consumer and retailer demand for transparency, Cargill rolled out labels on all consumer and bulk ground beef products containing finely textured beef (FTB) starting Jan. 20, 2014. The label “Contains Finely Textured Beef” is printed...
What do genetically engineered soybeans, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and chickens raised with the use of antibiotics all have in common? They are all in products that come with ‘all-natural’ labels.
Sensient Colors has expanded its vegetable juice-derived natural brown colors platform to give customers more options in the wake of a recent report that has reignited the debate over 4-MeI levels in some caramel colors.
Civil litigation over whether GMOs belong in ‘all-natural’ products will continue to clog up US courts owing to the FDA’s refusal to weigh in on this issue, says Mission tortilla chips maker Gruma Corp.
Vegetarians aren’t necessarily looking for alternative proteins or meat analogues, and makers of meat-free meals are embracing a range of trendy flavours and ingredients, says Classic Cuisine’s new product development manager Paul Hunt.
'Marketing can and should be science-driven and scientists are great marketers': VIRUN CEO
BeverageDaily.com Personality of the Year 2013, VIRUN CEO Philip Bromley, reveals his lust for life and how soft drinks can combine ‘want with need’ to kick start the category, in the first part of an exclusive interview.
The US Food and Drug Administration has unofficially announced that it will revise the nutrition facts label for the first time in 20 years. Unsurprisingly, the nutritional community and food industry offered a few suggestions—from serving size vagaries...
A paradigm shift is needed in the study of polyphenols to better understand the bioavailability, bio-activity, and the role of the gut microbiota in polyphenol metabolism and health benefits, say experts from academia and industry.
Health and wellness packaged food and beverages continue to chart strong growth in South America, driven largely by Brazil’s fast-growing middle class.
The FDA says it has “no reason to believe” that 4-MeI - an impurity generated during the manufacture of caramel colors III and IV - poses a health risk at current dosage levels, but says it is reviewing new data to determine whether it needs to revise...
We all know that too much alcohol can make you drunk, but it can also make you fat, say consumer groups who argue that bottles of beer, wine and spirits should come with a Nutrition Facts panel that clearly states how many calories they contain per serving.
Many big brands are “playing a waiting game” right now to see whether moves by General Mills and Post Foods to axe GMOs from iconic brands (Cheerios and Grape Nuts) will have a domino effect, say analysts at Euromonitor International.
American adults are eating out less, using nutrition labels more, and are eating better at home, according to a new report from the US Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service.
Cereals giant Post Foods has unveiled non-GMO verified Original Grape Nuts, just days after General Mills announced it had reformulated Original Cheerios to remove GMOs.
THE FOODNAVIGATOR-USA BUSINESS LEADERS ROUND TABLE DEBATE
The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear a dispute between Pom Wonderful LLC and the Coca-Cola Co. in which Pom accuses Coke of deceptive labeling and advertising for a pomegranate blueberry juice. The case examines whether the Food, Drug and Cosmetic...
After a four-year delay, FDA has at last released a final version of its guidance on liquid dietary supplements. The document doesn’t much change the line of thinking offered in the draft version but does offer more detail and clarification and in general...
It might have enraged those in favor of mandatory GMO labeling, but a leaked document outlining the Grocery Manufacturers Association’s (GMA’s) ideas for a federally regulated 'voluntary' approach to this issue has been praised by one ex-FDA...
A survey of American, British and French consumers by Truvia Natural Sweetener found that French consumers claim to eat the healthiest, while American and British consumers are more likely to reward themselves with food and drink. But all three consumer...
Ben & Jerry’s - which voluntarily agreed to stop using the term ‘all-natural’ on its ice cream three years ago - has scored a legal victory in a case filed just before it axed the emotive phrase from its packaging.
For the first time, the United States Pharmacopoeia is proposing a monograph on a probiotic organism as a food ingredient in the latest series of draft monographs put forward for inclusion in the Food Chemicals Codex.
Kraft Foods has vigorously defended the way it labels its Crystal Light lemonade and iced tea mixes after receiving a letter from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) threatening legal action if it does not stop promoting them as ‘natural’.
AlixPartners survey highlights the potential of health category 'super' consumers
Despite that they comprise just 26% of the population, Americans who spend more than 40% of their food and beverage budgets on health and wellness-related products account for 61% of total spending for the sector, or more than $161 billion annually, according...
As Coke and Pepsi watch their diet soda sales stagnate, the arrows on the sales growth chart on Zevia CEO Paddy Spence’s wall are going in the opposite direction, with growth of his zero-calorie sodas up in the triple digits.
The FDA has written to three federal judges handling civil cases vs food manufacturers over natural claims to “respectfully decline” their request to come to an administrative determination of whether GMOs belong in ‘all-natural’ foods.
One of the most emotive - and politically-charged - claims in food labeling, ‘all-natural’ is also one of the most hotly disputed from a legal perspective.
Anti-GMO activists have reacted with fury to leaked proposals by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) to develop federal rules governing GMO labeling that would pre-empt state-driven initiatives.
The struggle over GMO labeling will push the growth of certified organic products in the US in 2014, according to market research firm Organic Monitor. And at least one major discount grocery retailer is looking to cash in with the launch of a new organic...
The Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents some of the largest food and beverage manufacturers, is seeking approval to label foods containing GMO ingredients “natural”, according to a Dec. 5 letter the GMA sent to the US Food and Drug Administration.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest defended the news media’s "First Amendment rights" in a statement issued Wednesday urging a circuit judge to dismiss the defamation lawsuit Beef Products Inc. filed against ABC News over its coverage...
Industry attempts to self-regulate the advertising of food and drinks on children's television programs are ‘unsuccessful’ and ‘ineffective’, says a new study from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The debate rages on over whether government should have a say in what consumers eat and drink, as the high-profile proposed cap on soda sizes brought the issue into the limelight in 2013. For the trade associations representing the beverage and snack...
What will 2014 bring on the regulatory front for the food and beverage industry? From the stagnant farm bill to the ongoing debate on biotech to consumer confusion on the various forms of sweeteners, trade associations representing the sugar, HFCS and...
NutraClick, a Boston, MA-based nutritional products company, has found success building its business model on a targeted online advertising strategy. The company was so successful, in fact, that a major chain came to them to request they place their products...
The FoodNavigator-USA business leaders round table debate
What are the hottest trends in food and beverage? And are the big bucks really in blue-sky innovation, or have the most successful firms played with an existing concept and just done a better job at executing, marketing and selling it?
Post Holdings continues its aggressive push into the private label and active nutrition categories with the acquisition of Gold Boy Foods Ltd. and Dymatize Enterprises.
What might give the food and beverage industry's regulatory affairs teams sleepless nights in 2014? From more evaporated cane juice lawsuits to proposed changes to the Nutrition Facts panel, stay up to date with this FoodNavigator-USA gallery…
Amid mounting false advertising lawsuits and increased pressure from consumer advocacy groups, the future of the historically vague marketing term "natural" is in question.
As the FDA prepares to conduct consumer research into whole grain labeling statements before it issues finalized guidance for industry, the debate over precisely what should constitute a ‘whole grain’, as well as how the amount of whole grain should be...
More than a third of new products launched in the US yogurt market in the year to September 2013 featured protein claims, according to new data from Innova Market Insights.
Preservatives have a poor reputation among consumers – but that doesn’t mean that natural options are completely off the menu, says Nicole Patterson-Lett, principal analyst at Leatherhead Food Research.
A proposed bill introduced last week by Sens. Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Angus King (I-ME) is calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to amend the calorie disclosure requirements enacted under the Affordable Care Act to exclude grocery stores and...
Just a third (36.4%) of US adults read calorie information when it is available at fast-food and chain restaurants, but 95.4% of those that do read it use this information at least sometimes when making their food choices, according to a new study.
AquaBounty Technologies - which is hoping to become the first company to introduce a genetically engineered (GE) animal to the human food supply - is another step closer after Environment Canada concluded the salmon are not harmful to the environment...
Crisco oil maker JM Smucker says the FDA’s proposal to look again at the GRAS status of partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) in a bid to eradicate artificial trans fats will not materially impact its business.
A new study showing a correlation between high dietary phosphorus intakes and increased all-cause mortality has reignited the debate over the extensive use of phosphorus additives in packaged foods.
HSBC has said that despite challenges market tides deciding the sustainability of the palm oil industry are changing - although an environmental group has published a damning report of the bank’s investment practices.