News & Analysis on Food & Beverage Development & Technology
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast
Price hikes to boost profits are out in 2025 as CPG companies embrace more consumer-friendly strategies to drive growth, including one that could dramatically reconfigure the playing field
The final guidance affirms previously proposed caps for lead in packaged baby and toddler food that public health advocates complained did not go far enough – spurring calls for state action
Optimizing resources can help reduce food waste and protect brands’ reputations across the supply chain
The ultra-processed foods lawsuit could completely shake-up the food and beverage industry, if successful. But will it be?
Biggest trends of 2024 and what to expect in 2025
Economic pressures in 2025 will continue to impact consumers’ shopping habits as private label and premium products grow, but all is not lost for mainstream brands that can stand out through strategic partnerships with foodservice and targeted social...
Convenience wakes up the morning routine for consumers, with 90% of morning meals prepared in under 15 minutes, according to Circana.
A US lawsuit alleges major food companies engineer UPFs to make them as addictive as possible to consumers, especially children.
2024 has thrown some big challenges at the plant-based industry, leading to suggestions it’s in decline. But the sector has weathered the storms and is emerging stronger. So, what’s next for this enduring trend?
Grocery’s foodservice segment addresses high consumer demand for value-added convenience even though retailers must shoulder more cost increases even as inflation eases.
Startup Spotlight
Pistachio spread brand Pistakio landed key retail partnerships despite a last-minute formula change driven by logistical challenges — a feat made possible by the founders’ pistachio expertise and their commitment to filling a gap in the nut butter market.
Mood food for mental wellbeing – How can industry capitalize?
Brands marketing foods and ingredients for mood management must navigate a complex regulatory landscape by understanding functional claims, relying on strong scientific evidence and staying informed on emerging trends to market their products effectively...
When going up against legacy players that dominate the shelf, new brands can justify shelf space by highlighting the unmet consumer demand they fill, as illustrated by low-sodium, high-flavor pasta sauce startup Yo Mama's.
FDA’s fiscal year 2025 priority deliverables for the Human Foods Program emphasize transparency and accountability amid state funding cuts and resource constraints.
Originally intended as a treatment for diabetes, GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic could be set to turn the food and drink industry upside down.
Kraft Heinz has cut its full-year 2024 forecast following a third-quarter net sales slump, as price hikes worked against the food major by dampening consumer demand.
An outbreak of listeria is hitting the lunchmeat category — driving down dollars and volume sales — as consumers still rely on the deli department for quick meals and globally inspired flavors, as shared in a recent International Dairy Deli Bakery...
Olfactive Biosolutions' Protenx Weight Loss is a patented (US 12,102,664 B2) line of natural food ingredients and additives that target weight loss and blood sugar reduction that could help brands meet the growing demand for functional foods in the GLP-1...
Pasta sauce brand SAUZ increased its manufacturing to produce 250,000 jars as it lands in 1,825 Target locations in addition to debuting a new flavor.
Startup Spotlight
West African frozen meal and sauce brand Ayo Foods’ expanded from 200 retail doors to more than 20 retailers nationwide through a combination of cold calling and working with brokers to land shelf space.
Long gone are the days when salt and pepper were sufficient seasonings for most Americans – now US consumers want bold flavors that will take their tastebuds on a global adventure, giving rise to a new class of frozen meals, sauces, spice blends and even...
Sauces, condiments and spices are offering consumers convenient ways to experiment with global flavors at home, as the seasoning category becomes one of the fastest-growing in specialty foods, driven by the rise in home cooking and the demand for bold,...
Kraft Heinz executives want credit where credit is due for “dramatically” transforming the business in the last four years against a challenging backdrop pocked with inflation, supply challenges and shifting shopping habits by adopting practices often...
In a market where consumers relentlessly pursue health but are weighed down by varied lifestyles, brands and retailers should create convenient, health-focused products that seamlessly fit into consumers’ busy lives, Maria Arand, director of...
Researchers are calling on US policymakers to regulate more tightly the nutrition and promotion of packaged infant and toddler foods after discovering most products for young children sold in the country do not meet international dietary recommendations,...
By adopting AI to improve inventory and production planning, grocery retailers are gaining a competitive edge in the profitable fresh food department, as highlighted by FMI - The Food Industry Association's Fresh Foods report.
Summer Fancy Food Show
Pasta is evolving to fit consumer preferences for convenient and accessible cooking at home, while creating improved taste, texture and packaging, according to category players showcasing at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City last month.
SAUZ’s pasta sauces, made with premium ingredients and natural flavors, are designed by founders Troy Bonde and Winston Alfieri to bring flavor and convenience to consumers’ kitchens, while disrupting a stagnant category, they told FoodNavigator-USA.
As the media landscape has become more fragmented in the past ten years, social media has emerged as one of the most influential sources of information on the consumer path to purchase and many companies are shifting advertising dollars accordingly – but...
U.S.–based Schwan’s Company and CJ Foods, its South Korea-based subsidiary, purchased a 142-acre site in Sioux Falls, S.D., for its 700,000 square-foot production facility to support its Korean food brand, bibigo, using modernized automated production lines.
RollinGreens expands it plant-based meat portfolio with the launch of shelf-stable bowls featuring the company’s flagship M’EAT and CHIC’Ken protein, Lindsey Cunningham, co-founder and CEO, told FoodNavigator-USA
Heritage Grocers Group operates 115 locations across four banners in six states, “adjusting to the local customer needs” of the Hispanic market by offering affordable groceries, including prepared and fresh foods, Adam Salgado, the group’s chief...
Startup Spotlight
Laoban Dumplings pays homage to traditional Chinese flavors and ingredients that combine convenience, quality and flavor in its line of homemade-style frozen dumplings and an upcoming launch of bao buns explained Patrick Coyne, the company’s co-founder...
In nutrition guidelines published in the Federal Register April 25, the US Department of Agriculture for the first time capped added sugar in school meals, but pulled back on proposed restrictions for sodium, milk and refined grains that school nutrition...
Natural Products Expo West
The debut of breakfast brand Evergreen’s Waffles 'N' Bites at Natural Products Expo West last month taps into a growing consumer demand for handheld and “snackable quick breakfast formats,” and frozen quick options, which Innova Market Insights suggests...
Future Food-Tech
Berlin-based food-tech startup Nosh.bio is overcoming capacity constraints that have hampered other fermentation-derived alternative protein players by developing a proprietary production process that is “minimal, scalable and sustainable” and by teaming...
With an infusion of $52m in Series B funding closed last month, Serenity Kids will drive growth and innovation to provide diverse, nutritious baby food inspired by global cuisine.
Mason Dixie Foods' transition from foodservice to retail, including Whole Foods and Costco, allowed the brand to tap into whitespace in frozen breakfast foods with a healthy halo and clean label, Ayeshah Abuelhiga, the brand’s founder and CEO, explained...
Natural Products Expo West
Consumers increasingly want food that is not only good for them, but also good for the planet and those who work the land, which is why Daily Harvest is teaming with industry leaders and USDA to help more farmers – including small-scale BIPOC farmers –...
Consumers seek frozen foods to reduce waste and as a cost-effective nutrition source, creating opportunities for brands to reimagine options for the nearly $78bn frozen food department, according to Conagra Brands’ recent Future of Frozen Food 2024 report.
The discontinuation of Eat Just Inc.'s Just Mayo and Just Ranch products in 2020, despite market success, was a strategic play to “put every bit of energy into JUST Egg,” the company’s flagship animal-free liquid egg alternative, before relaunching the...
As Las Vegas prepares for the estimated $215bn economic growth from the additional 215,00 visitors for the Super Bowl, CPG companies and retailers have a significant opportunity to feature value-added offerings for viewers across the country, according...
Subscription meal company, Thistle, held off on investing in its brand identity since it launched a decade ago to prioritize ingredient procurement and recipe development for its weekly plant-based menus that “don’t sacrifice on taste,” Ashwin Cheriyan,...
Dollar General leverages AI-based automated-ordering software Shelf Engine to efficiently bring more fresh produced to its shelves, reduce food waste and ensure stocked shelves in the process.
![[Video] Partnership between Earth Fare and GenoPalate may be the "future of the grocery industry"](https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/resizer/v2/PNJETVEGTROBTGECDXXAMRXOMM.jpg?auth=d2900bd6c26b6287f4c55b6ded14063a9445cdb9c12584dfdf009a1d3fbcff11&width=294&height=165&smart=true)
Organic grocer, Earth Fare, collaborates with GenoPalate, a DNA-driven nutrition platform team up to offer personalized prepared meal kits and supplement blends that are tailored to users' genetic data, integrating both nutrition technology with in-store...
Daily Harvest's debut of its GLP-1 Companion Food Collection as part of its quick-to-prep January Jumpstart plan includes “meals made with only real foods that are calorie-conscious while delivering ample vitamins and minerals,” Carolina Schneider, MS,...
Conagra Brands no longer expects a modest increase in organic net sales in fiscal year 2024 – rather it is bracing for a 1-2% decline over last year along with tighter margins and a lower earnings per share due to a “slower pace of volume recovery” than...
Tyson Foods celebrated the much-anticipated grand opening of a new 325,000-square-foot fully-cooked food production facility in Danville, Va., last week – marking a significant milestone in its “bold,” multi-point plan to improve its performance, which...
FDA, USDA and EPA want to make it easier for producers, manufacturers, retailers and food service providers to give to those in need nutritious food that would be wasted by offering financial incentives and tax credits to encourage donations, developing...
In this week’s NPD Trend Tracker, we have a range of festive products, including a festive wrap, festive ice-cream flavours and a pie containing an entire Christmas dinner. We also have a new flavour from Tate & Lyle, a wholegrain spelt from Merchant...
Operators implementing Fresh Blends’ self-serve frozen beverage units into their stores “don’t have to worry about prepping or cross contamination or waste,” explained Adam Rains, national program director, Fresh Blends, to FoodNavigator-USA. The company...