Senoymx says it expects either PepsiCo or flavor house Firmenich to commercialize proprietary sweet taste modifier Sweetmyx S617 in 2014 but is tight-lipped over who will be first to market.
Ice cream co engaged in ‘David & Goliath’ lawsuit vs Nestlé alleging unfair competition
As Kraft’s CEO recently observed, smaller, more agile players seem to be better at coming up with exciting new products than many CPG giants, for whom innovation is often more about trade management than addressing genuine consumer needs. But if this...
This does not prove that stevia isn't ready for prime time, say experts
There are lessons to be learned from Coca-Cola’s abortive attempt to introduce a new ‘natural’ sweetening system to selected Vitaminwater products, say formulation experts. But they are not necessarily about stevia.
Sugar is sugar, say bakers, our bodies don't distinguish between 'naturally occurring' and 'added' varieties
A row is brewing over the merits of including ‘added sugars’ on the Nutrition Facts panel, with critics arguing that our bodies don’t distinguish between ‘naturally occurring’ and ‘added’ sugar - and neither should food labels - and supporters saying...
A diet that is very similar to the traditional Mediterranean diet is associated with lower body weight and fat percentage in children; however such diets are not common among children in Mediterranean countries, say researchers.
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) on Wednesday introduced a bill that would require a mandatory tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in a contentious move aimed at curbing the “dual” crises of obesity and diabetes.
A custom algorithm developed by University of Washington researchers that breaks down fast food restaurants (FFRs) by segment and meal type finds that children get most of their fast food calories from burger restaurants, though just 14% of children’s...
Added sugars account for 14.1% of total energy intakes for Americans
While we tend to assume that fast food outlets (the bottomless soda cup) contribute a disproportionate amount of added sugar to the US diet compared with store-bought groceries, new data shows that the reverse is actually true.
Just a week after Mexico banned commercials for soda, snacks and confectionery products during cinema showings of children’s movies and during children’s TV programming, Mexican authorities say ads for Nestlé, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Hershey´s and Holanda products...
Nearly one in three (30%) children and adolescents in the US misperceive their weight status—the equivalent of 9.1 million youth, according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Find out what's hot and what's next in the beverages aisle
Will tea replace 100% juice in your child's lunchbox? And what's the next $1bn beverage brand? Find out what our panel of beverage entrepreneurs thinks at our free-to-attend online forum kicking off at 11.30am EDT tomorrow.
Mexico announced last week that it was restricting television advertising on high-calorie food and soda in an effort to stem the rising tide of obesity. Registered dietitians weigh in on the impact of the measure, which is the farthest any country has...
FDA proposals to change the way serving sizes are calculated to better reflect real-life eating behavior could encourage some people to eat even more unless the wording is changed or the move is accompanied by strong consumer education, behavioral science...
Proposals don't consider a product's overall nutritional value, says professor
FDA proposals to overhaul the Nutrition Facts panel on food labels are “strong” and “likely to make an important contribution”, says former FDA commissioner David Kessler, M.D. “But I believe they don't go far enough.”
Fourteen years after Unilever spent $2.3bn (€1.7bn) to buy Slim-Fast, it has sold up for an undisclosed sum to a private equity player. Analyst and author Julian Mellentin tracks the decline of a mega-brand and considers what he sees as a category in...
PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi says she didn’t want a short-term ‘cut, slash and burn’ policy that would have seen the company make enormous earnings from 2006 despite the upset her long-term nutritional foods focus caused some investors.
What is the future of ‘naturality’ on product labels? Are sin taxes and warning just policy tools disguised as a consumer advocacy? And should health and wellness be part of every brand’s messaging?
New York’s highest court has refused to reinstate New York City’s controversial limit on the sale of large sugary beverages, effectively killing the city’s final appeal.
A novel ‘enzymatic enhancement’ process that can convert low grade stevia extracts into high purity Reb A could transform the economics of stevia production and help California-based Stevia First stand out in the market, claims its boss.
Will Keurig Cold really turn the soft drinks market on its head? Can natural sweeteners pull diet soda out of its funk? And what’s the next coconut water?
The Honest brand could extend well beyond the ready-to-drink tea category into a wider array of beverages and even foods, says the co-founder of Honest Tea, which posted a 27% surge in sales to $112m in 2013, and is growing even faster this year.
Can anything top protein? What’s a “silver consumer” and why should we care? Would salty caramel work in a soft drink? Innova Market Insights teased a very full agenda of trendwatching presentations at next week’s Institute of Food Technologists’ (IFT)...
Coca-Cola has confirmed that the sugar level in its new stevia-sweetened beverage Coca-Cola Life may vary considerably in different markets, with the UK version containing a lot more calories than the version sold in Argentina, for example. Meanwhile,...
US dairy consumption patterns “have shifted away from plain fluid milk to highly processed forms of dairy that are little more than vessels for salt, sugar, and fat”, while cash from the dairy checkoff scheme is being used to promote ‘junk foods’ such...
Eating instant oatmeal for breakfast may help to manage hunger better than the leading oat-based, cold cereal, says a new study funded by Quaker Oats with implications for weight management.
Jerry Bello - the founder of Veggie straws maker Sensible Portions (sold to Hain Celestial in a multimillion dollar deal in 2010) - remembers the exact moment when he stumbled across something he reckons could be an even bigger snack food hit.
As the number of overweight and obese people worldwide continues to climb, policymakers and public health officials are scratching their heads over how to stimulate healthier food choices among consumers.
Research from the University of Liverpool found that including prunes in weight may control diets and even improve weight loss. But can the dried plum get past its image problem?
Nearly three quarters (70%) of countries worldwide improved their food security in the past year, according to data from the 2014 Global Food Security Index jointly presented by DuPont and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). But the global threat obesity...
The founders of Bitsy’s Brainfood, which has launched a new line of childrens’ breakfast cereals to go with its cookies, used their experience as mothers and working with kids in eductation and nonprofit organizations to drive their goals for the brand,...
A recent analysis of more than 1,500 cereals, including 181 marketed for children, by the Environmental Working Group found that a person eating an average serving of cereal a day for a year ends up consuming 10 pounds of sugar.
Consuming diet sodas along with a weight loss program may lead to shedding more pounds than when water alone is consumed along with the weight loss program, says a new study from the University of Colorado and sponsored by the American Beverage Association.
In line with the goals set forth by FDA’s proposed Nutrition Facts updates, consumers find proposed labels easier to read in less time and perceive food and beverage products with larger serving sizes to be less healthy, according to a study from the...
Sugar has a direct effect on risk factors for heart disease, and is likely to impact on blood pressure, independent of weight gain, according to new analysis of 39 clinical trials.
The steady climb in worldwide obesity rates is often dually attributed to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle and the energy content of modern diets, with a growing body of research linking increased sugar consumption with higher body weight (see here...
Ahead of the June 4 vote on whether New York City delis and restaurants should be allowed to serve large sugary beverages, FoodNavigator-USA caught up with Lisa Young, RD, PhD of New York University on the importance of more radical approaches to curbing...
Specific foods consumed by young children are resulting in excessive intake of saturated fat and sodium in their daily diets, according to new findings from the 2008 Nestle Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS).
Two amicus (friend of the court) legal briefs have been filed in support of New York City’s proposed cap on sugary drink portions, saying the rule is a sensible step toward stemming the tide of obesity, diabetes and other diet-related chronic illnesses.
All classes of obesity in US children have increased over the past 14 years, according to a study published in JAMA Pediatrics. A physician specializing in food, nutrition and metabolism told FoodNavigator-USA he wouldn’t rule out stronger measures like...
Earlier this month, a California Senate committee approved a bill to mandate warning labels on sugary beverages. As SB 1000 awaits votes in the Senate Committee on Appropriations later this month before a full Senate floor vote, the question of public...
Dollar sales of diet soda plunged 9.5% in the four weeks to April 12, while sales of regular soda fared hardly any better (- 2.4%), as Americans sought out other options from energy drinks (+8.9%) to sparkling water (+24.5%), according to the latest Nielsen...
As the class-action lawsuits pile up amid growing public health concerns over obesity and ongoing labeling debates, one has to wonder: Is Big Food going the way of Big Tobacco? And who should regulate food and beverage industry marketing? Companies, government...
For the latest edition of FoodNavigator-USA’s What do you do? series, we caught up with Bunge Oils North America's head of innovation for a (slightly over) 60-second interview on what he’s learned from 23 years in lipid research and innovation, the...
As the focus has switched from fat to sugar as public enemy #1 in the battle against obesity and diabetes, juice - once promoted as a healthy alternative to soda - has been unfairly caught in the crossfire, claim manufacturers.
First Lady Michelle Obama has called it “liquid sugar” and the World Health Organization warns that much of our sugar intake is “hidden” in processed food and beverages such as soda (a 12-ounce can contains 10 teaspoons). As public health officials continue...
Rates of type two diabetes have rocketed in recent years, with poor diet and a lack of exercise largely to blame. But as dietary guidelines for people with diabetes are the same as for the general population, and the FDA doesn't think diabetics need...
Leading stevia supplier PureCircle posted a (much reduced) net loss of $1.9m in the six months to Dec 31, 2013, while sales surged 32% to $34.9m over the same period. (In the same period in 2012, net losses were $6.9m.)
Mondelēz International said it may include a pledge to reduce sugar in its new health & wellness program, but only if the World Health Organization (WHO) makes its latest sugar advice formal.
