The plant-based seafood space has heated up considerably since New Wave Foods co-founder Dominique Barnes first started wondering why plant-based burgers were a thing, but plant-based shrimp wasn’t, back in 2015, but we’ve still barely scratched the surface...
What's in your lunchbox? Healthy meals, snacks and drinks for children
Almost one in three American children is overweight or obese, and one in every 13 has a food allergy.* So how can retailers, packaged food brands and the foodservice industry address these concerns, and develop nutritious and delicious meals, snacks,...
Seaweed-fueled brand Ocean’s Halo is tapping into the ramen noodle craze with new shelf-stable retail meal kits featuring noodles, a single-serve Tetrapak of broth, a spice pack, and a plant fiber-based microwaveable bowl to create restaurant quality...
My/Mo mochi – portable 110-calorie ice cream bites encased in chewy sweet rice dough – are now in almost 10,000 stores from Walmart and Safeway to Wegmans and Kroger after fewer than 18 months on the market.
More often than not, better-for-you products are more expensive than their traditional counterparts – limiting their accessibility to those who can afford higher prices. But online grocer Brandless believes everyone deserves better and to make that possible...
On the surface, consumer demand for global flavors and desire to eat locally appear to contradict, but Chicago-based startup Departure Snacks has found a way to combine the two – creating a synergistic sales model and allowing consumers to have their...
Israeli start-up Aleph Farms' proprietary "three dimensional" process holistically grows all parts of meat - muscle, fat, blood vessels and connective tissue - together, yielding a 'free-range' taste and texture.
'We can accommodate clean meat within the existing regulatory framework...'
Attempts by the US Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) to restrict use of the terms ‘beef’ and ‘meat’ to products from animals ‘born, raised, and harvested in the traditional manner,’ would have a “chilling” effect on innovation “at a time when the global...
'We can produce up to 10,000 cows’ worth of meat with a single biopsy'
Excitement is building as cultured meat approaches commercialization, but “science does not occur in a cultural vacuum” and bringing consumers and regulators with you on the journey is more important than being first to market, says clean meat start-up...
Offering lunchbox products for school children is a natural starting point for companies serving those with allergies because this is one of the most challenging meals and environments, but it also is only a small part of the much-larger problem, according...
Habit meal delivery business on hold as testing and nutrition plan components ramp up
Personalized nutrition platform Habit was originally billed as "food company, not just a recommendation engine." However, delivery of customized fresh prepared meals based on its dietary advice – trialed in the Bay Area last year – is on hold...
Ready-to-eat popcorn is a posterchild of the better-for-you snack movement, but the co-founders of start-up Taali Foods think they can do even better with launch of a line of popped and roasted water lily seeds, which pack more protein and nutrients than...
With one in five Americans suffering from an auto immune disease and looking for ways to manage their conditions through diet, the market potential for foods and beverage that comply with the auto immune protocol is “huge,” and yet relatively untapped,...
Barrel Creek Provisions has undergone a brand transformation to establish itself as a formidable player in the fermented foods category, a market that continues to grow alongside consumers’ interest in gut health and probiotics.
Since closing a $1.1m seed series fundraising round led by Rocana Venture Partners, Après seems to be well on its way to addressing what its founders felt was a clear gap in the market of protein nutrition: the boutique fitness-frequenting woman.
The high bar set by the companies honored late last week at Whole Foods Market’s annual supplier awards ceremony represents not only what it takes to earn a coveted spot on the retailer’s shelves, but also in the baskets of consumers who increasingly...
In a market where fruit and nut-based products own the majority of dollar share in the snacking category compared to vegetables (83% vs. 17%, according to Nielsen), seaweed brands like gimME Snacks may be the type of innovation the category needs to give...
Many parents strive to feed their babies a variety of fruits, vegetables and proteins, but for the most part in the US they shy away from spices – something several up and coming baby food makers want to change.
'We started by looking at where we could really own a category'
Vegan jerky is picking up steam, but hasn’t set the world on fire, yet. And while bacon-flavored potato and corn chips are a staple in the salty snacks aisle, they don’t pretend to replicate the taste and texture of a strip of bacon. But what if you could...
Plant-based meat alternatives mimicking beef and chicken may be getting all the attention right now, but Good Catch Foods, a company aiming to bring a suite of plant-based seafood products to stores within six months, could change the tide of conversation.
On the face of it, the terms ‘vegan’ and ‘plant-based’ might appear to be interchangeable (they both involve avoiding animal products), but consumers do not view them in the same way, reveals new research from food development specialist Mattson.
With a growing Midwest footprint, ready-to-drink (RTD) cold brew coffee brand Blackeye Roasting Co. said it has ‘aggressive’ plans to triple its distribution to 30 states by the end of 2018 and sees c-stores as its secret weapon to reaching a new base...
Annie’s recent launch for Earth month of two limited edition products that are made with ingredients sourced from regenerative agriculture farmers is only the beginning of how the brand plans to build on its iconic organic values to restore degraded soil...
‘Our platform enables us to understand and reverse-engineer all animal products’
Plant-based burger maker Impossible Foods has raised a jaw-dropping amount of money for a food company (almost $400m in debt and equity), albeit one supported by a lot of IP. So what gives its bosses the confidence they can generate the kind of returns...
Edible insects remain a niche in American food culture, but recent moves from two major industry stakeholders – Loblaws and Maple Leaf Foods – suggest they could edge into the mainstream more quickly than many commentators originally envisaged, predicts...
For years pouches of baby food have been all the rage, but now concerns that they may create unnecessary waste are prompting new brands such as Little Roots Puree, to propose new packaging solutions.
The combination of astaxanthin and sesamin (AS) may help promote recovery from mental and physical fatigue, according to a study from Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan.
With a successful series A fundraise of $8 million announced today, nutrition-related data services and analytics firm Nutrino wants to build “the world’s largest and most adaptable nutrition insights platform” in part to help manufacturers track trends,...
The nation’s top selling nut butter - peanut butter - is not actually made from nuts (peanuts are legumes), so if you think about it, a spread made from chickpeas (also legumes) is a logical extension for a category that now includes everything from cashew...
While all eyes are on the store perimeter these days, the meteoric rise of Foodstirs – an organic baking mix brand wooing Millennials - proves that mature center store categories can be equally fertile territory for entrepreneurs, says co-founder Greg...
They struck gold with gelato brand Talenti – sold to Unilever in 2014 for an undisclosed sum – but can Josh Hochschuler and Steve Gill find the winning formula again with their latest foray into the frozen food aisle, Solero crushed fruit bars and pops?
'The most valuable thing we have as a company is trust'
Online natural and organic membership club Thrive Market has made its first foray into temperature-controlled foods via a new range of frozen meat, fish and poultry sourced from suppliers using “ethical and regenerative raising practices.”
Location is key to any business’ success, but for food and beverage startups the best place to set up shop may not be the hottest spot in town – rather it could be one surrounded by underserved populations where the community and company can help each...
Aunt Dottie’s is dropping its company name from its line of Green Joy salad bars in order to expand the snack’s appeal geographically and better “dial in on what the bars do, which is bring joy to eating healthy,” according to the company’s CEO.
Standing out in the kombucha market is becoming more challenging as new players continue to pile in, but there are still opportunities to carve out a distinctive niche in the category, claim the creators of Bambucha Kombucha, who are drawing on their...
After decades of a slow build, the regenerative agriculture movement is finally taking off, thanks in part to the Savory Institute, which has launched the Land to Market verification program, which is designed to help stakeholders not just sustain the...
From roasted chickpeas and flash fried mung beans to extruded pea, chickpea, and edamame puffs, pulse-based snacks are gaining traction, says Snack it Forward CEO Nick Desai. But none of them have delivered the sheer sensory pleasure you experience from...
‘The traditional direct to consumer subscription model reaches a limited consumer base’
A significant percentage of consumers buy into the meal kit concept, but don’t want to commit to a subscription, and want more flexible options to purchase them on- and off-line, says Chef’d, which is rolling out meal kits to 1,500 grocery stores by the...
Industry newcomer Em+Pact is carving out an underserved niche in the $600 million protein bar category by targeting women with products that are crafted to meet their specific nutritional needs and by working with nonprofits to empower them to be “goal...
Americans are snacking more than ever, but not just any bag of chips or candy bar will do. Rather, they want products that are both convenient and nutritious – two boxes that the makers of Truth Bar check with their line of functional nutrition bars.
Does the world need protein popcorn? Why not, says Protes co-founder Krik Angacion, who says his latest innovation is less about giving Americans more protein, than giving them a wider range of options in the protein snacking set (what the world probably...
Cricket-protein bar maker Chapul recently overhauled its packaging to create a “much better hierarchy of messaging,” including clarifying flavors, elevating the value proposition of its ingredients and opting for imagery that encourages consumers to overcome...
An infusion of $1.5 million from new and existing investors announced this month will help Chicago-based COCO5 pursue its mission to bring its lower-sugar, clean-label sports drink to professional and everyday athletes across the US and in Canada.
According to the Tea Association of the USA, sales of tea in the US are growing 3-5% annually, which the co-founder and CEO of Pique Tea attributes to rising consumer interest in plant-based diets, convenience and function beyond simple hydration.
There’s a reason why plant-based yogurts haven’t achieved anything close to the category share of plant-based milks – and it’s not simply that they are newer to market – claims Edward Averdieck, CEO at British coconut yogurt and dessert brand The Coconut...
Spindrift - which has carved a unique niche in the beverage aisle by using just two ingredients: lightly carbonated filtered water and freshly squeezed fruit juice (no sweeteners, no flavors) – has raised $20m in a Series B-2 round.
Celebrity-backed brand This Bar Saves Lives has a simple message: You buy a bar, we’ll donate a live-saving pack of food to a child in need. But is this kind of margin-sapping business model something other less star-studded emerging CPG brands could...
Ancient Nutrition is ready to “grab the proverbial tiger by the tail” with a $103 million investment that will allow it to reach and educate more consumers about its on-trend powdered bone broth, collagen products and a recently launched and already hot...
An infusion of nearly $1 million in seed funding is helping three students from Yale offer consumers the ultimate convenience: a nutrition bar that combines sustenance and caffeine, and a novel text-to-purchase option that allows shoppers to place an...
