Are reasonable consumers being misled by companies using the term ‘evaporated cane juice’ (ECJ) to describe dried sugar cane syrup (aka sugar) on product labels? And should this issue be determined by the FDA or the courts?
In the 2nd major development this week in the debate over whether foods made with GMOs can be labeled ‘natural’, a NY judge handling a multi-district lawsuit vs Frito-Lay says she will not refer the matter to the FDA, as her counterparts have done in...
The FDA is planning a consumer study to find out whether fortifying snack foods with vitamins or other healthy ingredients and shouting about it on pack could lead shoppers to believe that a diet of nutrient-enriched junk food is nutritionally viable.
The issue of caffeine in foods has gained momentum recently, with calls by political leaders to FDA to address what they consider to be a growing public health risk. A commentary posted yesterday by Michael R. Taylor, FDA's deputy commissioner for...
While there’s been a lot of buzz around the FDA’s recent approval of spirulina extract as a natural blue food color for candy and gum, WILD Flavors says its fruit-juice-derived blue color - which has been on the US market since 2009 - has broader applications...
A new entrant is set to stir up the long stagnant shelf stable meat replacement market. Neat Foods, a Lancaster, PA-based startup, will debut its line of vegan, gluten- and soy-free, non GMO meat replacements at the upcoming Expo East trade show in New...
In 2006, the FDA issued draft guidance designed to ensure food manufacturers were all singing from the same hymn sheet when making whole grain labeling statements. Seven years later, we are still waiting for the finalized guidance, and comments to the...
GMO laws are vague and this is driving up ‘all natural’ class action lawsuits but consumers need to do more to steer the conversation, says cereal and snack maker Barbara’s, who recently settled a case to the tune of $4m.
Big interview: Jay Klein, founder & CEO, Action Candy Company (PÜR Gum)
You don’t launch a new brand in the gum category by calling the buyer at Walmart and asking nicely for some shelf-space at the checkout between Juicy Fruit and Trident, observes the founder of aspartame-free PÜR Gum.
Big interview, Yves Potvin, founder and CEO, Garden Protein (Gardein)
Despite all the recent hype about plant-based protein, the frozen meat alternatives category was stuck in a bit of a rut until pretty recently, says the man behind the fastest growing brand in the market.
Given that one in three American adults is expected to develop type 2 diabetes by 2050, foods and supplements targeting pre-diabetics and type 2 diabetics would appear to have enormous potential. So why isn’t the ‘healthy blood glucose’ market exploding?
Sales of organic products rose 13% to $11.2bn in the year to July 6 in the US retail market, with the highest growth found in shelf-stable meats, poultry and seafood (+61%); followed by baby food (+34%); and shelf-stable functional beverages (+33%); according...
Booming consumer desire for GMO-free products has been the driving force behind Barbara’s efforts towards non-GMO certification, says its vice president of marketing.
General Mills’ iconic home-cooking brand Betty Crocker is supporting same-sex marriages - a risky but smart move for an essentially conservative brand, an analyst says.
Will the FDA put us all out of our misery and make a decision asap on whether GMOs belong in foods marketed as ‘natural’, as judges handling class action lawsuits over this issue are hoping?
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc., a major dietary supplements and organic foods retailer, has reported 30.5% sales growth and double digit comparable store sales growth in the third quarter of fiscal 2013.
WhiteWave Foods has filed a motion to dismiss the latest in a “tsunami of lawsuits” alleging consumers are being misled by the use of the term ‘evaporated cane juice’ (ECJ) to describe dried sugar cane syrup (aka sugar).
Boulder Brands, the firm behind two of the biggest names in gluten-free, Udi’s and Glutino, is talking to one of America’s largest coffee chains, and one of its largest donut chains, about launching gluten-free bakery items.
What precedent might it set if firms are forced to label foods made using new technologies, even if the end product does not differ in any meaningful way from foods developed by ‘traditional’ methods?
After years in the draft stage, the US Food and Drug Administration has finalized its rule defining the term “gluten free” for voluntary food labeling. The final version contains no surprises, but will bring certainty to a market in which many firms have...
If you plot them both on a graph, the rise in diagnosed cases of autism correlates closely with the rise in sales of organic foods. So do organic foods cause autism? Of course not.
New research from Cargill shows that when parents are making purchase decisions, they don't view food categories as narrowly as a food manufacturer might.
A year after Starbucks announced it would stop using crushed bugs to color its Frappuccinos following a petition on Change.org, Dannon has been urged to remove carmine in its yogurts by The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which is backing...
If you are interested in how the FDA determines the safety of genetically engineered (GE) animals for human consumption, here's some light reading for you.
Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) is settling a US court case over the use and marketing of antioxidants in 7UP and has cut them from drinks, while paying plaintiff lawyers $237500 in fees.
A week after California judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers put a class action lawsuit (Cox vs Gruma Corp) on ice for six months to let the FDA determine whether GMOs belong in foods marketed as ‘natural’, a judge in Colorado has followed her lead in a similar...
A lawsuit filed in Hawaii alleges that Cargill is misleading shoppers by marketing its Truvia retail products as ‘natural’ as the Reb-A steviol glycosides they contain are "highly chemical processed" and the bulking agent used (erythritol) is...
Two leading trade associations representing the natural products and dietary supplements sectors have clarified their stance on GMO labeling this week, with the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) favoring voluntary disclosure of the absence of...
Coca-Cola says it is confident it will prevail in a deceptive marketing lawsuit filed more than four years ago alleging it misled consumers by promoting Vitaminwater as a healthy ‘nutrient-enhanced water beverage’.
Day three of the show began with a lively education session on genetically engineered crops - and whether to label foods containing ingredients derived from them - (standing room only), followed by a final whistle-stop tour of the expo floor to see what’s...
On day two of the IFT show in Chicago, the FoodNavigator-USA team headed once more unto the breach (well, the show-floor) at McCormick Place to check out the latest developments in food and beverage development, labeling and regulation.
ACTION WILL REIGNITE ROW OVER WHETHER FDA SHOULD BETTER DEFINE 'NATURAL'
PepsiCo brand Naked Juice will stop using ‘all natural’ to describe its products due to lack of detailed regulatory guidance around the word ‘natural’, after agreeing to settle a class action for $9m.
FoodNavigator-USA's intrepid editorial team headed to the windy city to chew the fat (or maybe replace it with algae) with the great and the good of the global food industry, and keep up to speed with the latest developments in everything from open...
Lawyers defending food industry clients in consumer class actions over whether GMOs belong in 'natural' products say courts should follow a California judge's lead and let the FDA determine this matter once and for all, so such cases stop...
As part of FoodNavigator-USA’s probe into natural colors for our Natural & Clean Label Trends 2013 online event, Elaine Watson caught up with Tammi Higgins, Natural Colors Commercial Development Manager at FMC BioPolymer.
Food innovation, from concept to consumer brand, will soon be the focus of a new television show, with ‘Supermarket Superstar’ giving entrepreneurs the opportunity to compete for a spot on supermarket shelves.
healthyAisles - a merchandising system enabling retailers to highlight products containing attributes from ‘low sodium’ to ‘good source of calcium’ via customized shelf tags and other tools - is now used in more than 5,000 stores across the US.
Big interview: Dr Roger Beachy, CEO, Global Institute for Food Security
One of the founding fathers of agricultural biotechnology, best-known for his pioneering research on virus-resistant plants, Dr Roger Beachy caught up with FoodNavigator-USA to give us his perspective on the current debate over the role of GM crops in...
Is it a safer bet to say 'Made with natural ingredients' than 'All-natural' on pack? Are consumers in the UK and the US looking for different cues on a label to determine if something is natural or wholesome? And did you know that...
Big interview, Gregory Jaffe, Director of Biotechnology, CSPI
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has made a name for itself by tackling the food industry’s big guns on everything from artery-furring entrees to misleading label claims. But where does it stand on genetically modified organisms (GMOs)?
A Fortune 500 manufacturer is looking for partners to help it find more consumer-friendly clean-label non-aqueous solvent technologies to sue in its ready-to-drink beverages.
Hershey will face a class action lawsuit alleging it misled consumers through antioxidant labeling claims after a US court refused to consider its protective order as part of an attempt to dismiss the case.
The beleaguered boss of AquaBounty Technologies says Sen Lisa Murkowski's attempts to force mandatory labeling of his firm's genetically engineered (GE) salmon are "another setback" in what has been a "dreadful experience",...
Big interview: Ted Nixon, chairman and CEO, DDWilliamson
Founded in 1865 - the year Lincoln was assassinated - DDW has been in the food colors business for an astonishing 148 years. But there’s no room for complacency, CEO Ted Nixon tells Elaine Watson during a visit to the firm’s HQ in Louisville, KY.
Special edition: All-natural: How clean is your label?
The term ‘natural’ has been used to mean so many things that it means less all the time, except as a starting point for class action lawsuits. But tell consumers you’re getting rid of artificial preservatives and you’ve telling them something meaningful,...
USDA certified organic on a food label means something concrete. ‘Natural’ or ‘clean label’ mean something rather more fluid. But while the stream of lawsuits over ‘natural’ claims suggests more clarity is needed - particularly on GMOs - some general...
Kellogg has been hit with a deceptive advertising lawsuit over ‘made with real fruit’ claims on its Super Mario fruit snacks, three years after being rapped over the knuckles by an industry ad watchdog over similar claims on Pop Tarts.
