Poverty in the coffee industry is an “enduring crisis,” despite US consumers’ willingness to pay upwards of $16-$22 per 12-ounce bag of roasted coffee and a premium for products that promise to ethically source beans and pay farmers a fair price.
US avocado consumption hit record highs at the beginning of 2021, fueled by a recovering economy and continued positive perception of the trendy superfood, reports Rabobank.
New Culture – one of a cluster of startups in the emerging ‘animal-free’ dairy space* engineering microbes to produce dairy milk proteins, without cows – is aiming to launch animal-free Mozzarella in late 2023.
During the pandemic, sales of dairy and animal protein grew off strong foundations, but many of the claims that traditionally drove consumer interest in the categories slowed or performed unevenly – revealing shifting priorities that could influence future...
With nearly one in five Americans now following some type of specialty diet, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the extent to which products appeal to different food tribes can heavily influence sales – but not all diets are...
BIOMILQ – a North Carolina-based startup culturing human mammary cells that lactate – says new tests show its milk is not bio-identical to breastmilk, but is significantly closer to it than any infant formula currently on the market.
Doozy Pots – a plant-based gelato made from organic hemp and oat ingredients and the brainchild of a former Ben & Jerry's product developer – is injecting some differentiation and innovation into the plant-based ice cream and frozen desserts...
CPG brands that invest in restoring healthy farmland can earn more than the goodwill of consumers who increasingly care about sustainability – they also could cash-in on the surge of ESG-earmarked funding and secure high-value assets that will support...
Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods enjoy more than twice the in-store velocity of other plant-based meat brands in the US retail market, "and so we believe this is still very much a two-horse race,” claim analysts at Bernstein, who say some of the...
As shoppers increasingly incorporate more plants into their diets, Whole Foods Market predicts a summer season where plant-based foods and brands take center plate.
After 16 years of blood, sweat and tears building a consumer brand, Hint Inc founder Kara Goldin has been through some ups and downs, and 2020 offered up both in equal measure. But while many beverage brands struggled to adapt in a rollercoaster year,...
Despite significant unmet demand for convenient keto products across categories, consumers who follow the diet are becoming more selective and less willing to settle for options that use low-quality or unhealthy ingredients to meet the diet’s strict macro...
Unilever has partnered with food tech company ENOUGH, which will supply it with mycoprotein to fuel innovation behind its plant-based brands, starting with The Vegetarian Butcher.
As consumers adopt a more flexible and holistic approach to ‘dieting,’ brands have more room to innovate at the ingredient-level through “mindful omissions and swaps” to create products that appeal to shoppers’ lifestyles, according to new research from...
Energy drink manufacturer Celsius Holdings recorded a 101% rise in domestic sales in its first quarter of fiscal 2021. But a pandemic-induced shortage of US-made aluminum cans cut into profitability.
With five times the production capacity available at its newest production facility, Nabati Foods is ramping up production of its plant-based 'cheeze' and meat products and has plans to introduce its latest innovation, plant-based eggs, later...
As just one part of consumers' larger definition of health and wellness, weight management has become less about the number on the scale and part of a broader holistic definition of what it means to be healthy, says Shelley Balanko, Ph.D., senior...
As inflation threatens to crest double digits for CPGs by the end of the year, consumer price sensitivity also is increasing while volume consumption is decreasing – creating an “uncertain, idiosyncratic and uneven” market in which manufacturers must...
Consumers are awakening to the idea that their dietary choices impact climate change, and while some already consider environmental sustainability when selecting products many more say they would if they had more information – creating a unique marketing...
While many of the grocery shopping and eating habits adopted during the pandemic remain elevated compared to before the coronavirus outbreak, some are beginning to erode as the threat of COVID-19 subsides and local economies – including restaurants and...
Food and beverage brands hoping to capitalize on growing consumer interest in health and wellness may be better served by promoting what is in their products versus what isn’t based on new research from the International Food Nutrition Council.
Oatly – which made its debut as a public company today (Nasdaq ticker: 'OTLY') after an IPO that raised $1.4bn – has started producing its first products from its new plant in Ogden, Utah, this month, opening up new capacity to meet surging...
Terviva – a California-based firm commercializing ingredients from low-input, high-yielding Pongamia trees – has raised $54m in equity capital,* with an additional $24m in equity and debt capital to follow this quarter, and announced a collaboration with...
Cognitive decline over time may be inevitable, but according to the husband and wife team behind the recently launched whole food functional beverage blend Memore, feeding the mind the right nutrition early and often not only could delay onset and slow...
Despite an uptick in snacking and consumption of indulgent foods and beverages during the pandemic, the number of Americans dieting last year held steady compared to previous years – but their approaches and motivations shifted to reflect changing pressures...
Nutritional Growth Solutions (NGS) and its Healthy Height brand is entering the kids snack bar category with a bar line that balances research-based, “growth-boosting” nutrients with a kid-approved flavor profile.
Daring Foods – a startup seeking to punch above its weight in the plant-based chicken category via a lower calorie product with a shorter, cleaner, ingredients list and bold branding – has closed a $40m Series B round led by D1 Capital Partners, and supported...
Hershey - which recently outlined a strategy to expand its reduced sugar offerings via in-house R&D, acquisitions, and licensing or partnership deals - has struck a deal to acquire fast-growing ‘no sugar added’ chocolate brand Lily's Sweets for...
Eat Just Inc.'s GOOD Meat division has secured $170m in new funding to scale production of its cell-cultured chicken (and R&D into other animal protein including beef and pork) in North America and Asia through multi-million dollar investments...
Amid the steady stream of plant-based meat and dairy launches, new innovations hitting shelves this quarter include zero sugar dairy milk from Maple Hill Creamery, yerba mate from Honest Tea, and rice cooked in bone broth, ready-to-eat in 60-seconds,...
With an infusion of $5m in series A funding, the bagless tea brand Tea Drops continues to push the boundaries of tea with innovative new products that offer convenience and a unique experience that supports consumers’ evolving emotional needs.
Recognizing that the most common reason Americans want to reduce their animal protein consumption is to improve their health, Sweet Earth is diversifying its selection of plant-based meat alternatives – and the ingredients that go into them – to better...
Coca-Cola has announced it will be discontinuing Coca-Cola Energy in North America, a beverage brand the company introduced early last year to establish a foothold in the energy drink category dominated by the likes of Monster Energy and Red Bull.
The long-awaited end of the pandemic may be nearing in the US as vaccine distribution expands and new government guidance rolls back some mask and social distancing requirements, but for the CPG industry, some of the challenges that arose and accelerated...
PepsiCo's Gatorade is rolling out its newest brand, Gatorlyte, featuring a five-electrolyte blend to promote "rapid rehydration" and give athletes another option to fuel their workout, said Gatorade's head of brand strategy, Carolyn...
A sweeping collection of convenient and accessible new products from Del Monte Foods rolling out this summer takes the company into new categories and channels to meet the rising consumer demand for plant-based products, purposeful snacks and time-saving,...
Eat Beyond Global Holdings, which has acquired a slew of alternative protein food brands in the past year, has made an investment in Daydream Drinks, a hemp and adaptogen-infused sparkling water brand based in Canada.
Carbon labeling for food and beverage may be coming faster than originally predicted, and soon may hold more sway with consumers than other popular certifications as the ongoing pandemic accelerates consumer interest in sustainable diets, predict industry...
Following its launch of chocolate products in November 2020, BeyondBrands' GoodSam Foods has introduced direct-trade coffee beans grown by small, family-owned farms in Colombia who use regenerative farming techniques.
Cell-cultured meat pioneer Memphis Meats is rebranding as UPSIDE Foods as it gears up for a small-scale consumer launch of its first product – chicken – by the end of the year, pending regulatory review.
The unprecedented shift to ecommerce during the pandemic and predictions that many consumers will continue to buy groceries online even after it is safe to return to retail stores has elevated the importance of an omnichannel strategy – but according...
Target has expanded its private label offering with the launch of Good & Gather Plant Based, responding to soaring demand for plant-based products from customers, said the retailer.
Baby and toddler food brand Raised Real – which has built a loyal following with its direct-to-consumer subscription business – is making its first move into bricks & mortar retail via a deal with Target, which is stocking six SKUs in its freezer...
SnackFutures, Mondelēz International's innovation and venture hub, has selected nine well-being snack brands to participate in its inaugural CoLab startup engagement program.
More than a year out from the onset of the pandemic, and Kellogg's organic net sales remain elevated at +4% for Q1 2021 (compared to Q1 2020) largely driven by growth of its frozen foods portfolio.
Synergy Flavors (part of Carbery Group) has acquired savory flavor and ingredient supplier, Innova Flavors, from Griffith Foods Worldwide, ramping up its savory product development of plant-based alternatives.
Hain Celestial’s baby food brand Earth’s Best “picked up significant distribution” in the company’s third quarter despite a congressional report released in February alleged there are ‘dangerously high’ trace levels of metals in baby foods produced by...
Beyond Meat posted a 11.4% increase in net revenues to $108.2m in the first quarter (ended April 3) and a net loss of $27.3m, with solid growth in retail (+45% to $81.025m) dented by declines in foodservice (-34% to $27.139m), although execs say they’re...
Ingredients giant DSM has teamed up with San Diego-based startup Debut Biotech to explore the potential of its ‘cell-free’ biomanufacturing platform, a next-generation manufacturing process it claims could unlock new opportunities to biosynthesize a far...
BrightFarms has opened its latest indoor farm in Hendersonville, North Carolina, capable of producing 2 million pounds of lettuce per year in the Southeast US region which currently has limited options for indoor-grown leafy greens on store shelves, says...
