Meat, fish and savory ingredients

USDA pushes for more timely SNAP payments that account for a third of retail grocery sales

12-Feb-2024 By Deniz Ataman

SNAP households are a major contributor to F&B sales, with 70% of SNAP dollars going towards food and beverages, according to Circana data, yet problems with late and inaccurate payments by states hinder access to food for the 42 million participants...

Hungryroot grows 40% YoY, expands curation of healthy foods

09-Feb-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Generating $333m in net revenue and more than $9m in profit, Hungryroot attributes its growth to its AI-driven “core personalization” of users’ food preferences and an expanded inventory in its three facilities, explained Alex Weinstein, the company’s...

Super Bowl ranks high among holiday weekends, snacks take center stage

08-Feb-2024 By Deniz Ataman

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...

Tyson Foods’ decision to shutter less efficient chicken plants, beef facilities pays off with strong Q1

06-Feb-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Tyson Foods’ multi-point plant to improve its performance, including “right-sizing” its footprint by shuttering older, less efficient chicken plants and several fresh meat case-ready facilities, is paying off as the protein packer reported better-than-expected...

Arizona next state to propose cultivated meat censorship

02-Feb-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Arizona, along with Florida and Texas, is the next state to propose stringent laws like censorship and bans for cultivated meat products, running the risk of “stifling the free market and their state’s economy," Curt Chaffin, GFI's director...

Regenerative agriculture, renewable energy is ‘best path forward’ for reducing Scope 3 emissions

31-Jan-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Upstream and downstream activities that indirectly impact a company’s Scope 3 emissions may be difficult to measure, but a collaborative investment between stakeholders will help improve environmental impacts long-term, Brian Nash, vice president of corporate...

USDA invests $11.5m to reduce food waste from landfills

31-Jan-2024 By Deniz Ataman

USDA’s investment will go towards 38 cooperative agreements “that support innovative, scalable waste management plans to reduce and divert food waste from landfills,” according to the organization’s statement.

To grow or not to grow: Bovine cells engineered to produce their own growth factors in cultivated meat production

31-Jan-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Cultivated meat needs growth factors in order for its cells to grow. These are usually added to the cell culture media at considerable expense, impacting potential for commercialisation. New research, however, has shown that edited bovine cells can produce...

‘Plant-based downturn isn’t halting innovation’: Beneo talks 2024 alt protein strategy

30-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

The ingredients supplier outlines its two-pronged alternative protein strategy, which it is betting on to reignite demand for plant-based meat.

Super Bowl LVIII: The products, ads expected to make big plays during game day

29-Jan-2024 By Ryan Daily

With the Super Bowl two weeks away, consumers are preparing their grocery lists and budgets for the big game day, as CPG brands ready their ads and promotions with the anticipation of receiving a volume boost the week after the game.

‘People want to eat meat,’ SCiFi Foods CEO on first production run, potential of cell-cultivated meat

26-Jan-2024 By Ryan Daily

Food-tech company SCiFi Foods inches closer to releasing its hybrid meat product that consists of a blend of cell-cultivated beef and plant proteins, upon completing its first commercial-scale production run, company co-founder and CEO Joshua March told...

Regulatory greenlight for cultivated beef leaves EU sector ‘hopeful’

26-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

The world’s first regulatory approval for cultivated beef has been granted in Israel. For EU cultivated meat stakeholders, is the greenlight yet another sign the EU – which has yet to approve such a product – is falling behind? Or does it hold promise...

IFF to improve alternative meat capabilities, invests in Coperion’s HME technology

24-Jan-2024 By Deniz Ataman

By investing in Coperion’s high-moisture extrusion (HME) technology, which improves sensory attributes like texture and appearance of plant-based meat alternatives, IFF will incorporate its flavor and ingredient expertise from its Re-Imagine Protein Innovation...

Dietary Guidelines Advisory Subcommittees collaborate on diet simulations for diverse populations

23-Jan-2024 By Deniz Ataman

The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee's (DGAC)Health Equity Working Group and Food Pattern Modeling and Data Analysis subcommittees provided details on its pilot program to develop dietary intake patterns for American Indian and Alaska Native...

Kroger reformulates prepared foods, hones in on private label products

23-Jan-2024 By Deniz Ataman

As grocery prices are predicted to decelerate, with an expected increase of 1.2% this year, Kroger’s strategic reformulation of its deli and bakery goods is focused on expanding value and convenience for its shoppers with a focus on flavor, quality and...

‘Mass customisation’: New 3D printing tech brings more flexibility to alternative meat and seafood production

23-Jan-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Austrian start-up Revo Foods is well known for its 3D-printed fish and meat whole cuts. Now, it has announced technology that can work continuously and produce a variety of products simultaneously, introducing significant flexibility into the production...

Cultivated eel that ‘melts in your mouth’? How Forsea mimics ‘tender, succulent’ texture of fish and seafood

22-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

Eel meat is unlike any other: it is fatty, tender, and ‘almost melts in your mouth’, explains Roee Nir, co-founder and CEO of Forsea Foods. The start-up is working to mimic these attributes with stem cells in a lab.

What is the environmental impact of cultivated meat?

19-Jan-2024 By Deniz Ataman

While the verdict is still out on the sustainability of cultivated meat production, a panel of experts during the Tufts University Cellular Agriculture Day on Jan. 11 in Boston, Mass., are optimistic, citing the need for expansive data sets on more diverse...

Grocery stores lose sales share to value-focused retailers as consumers continue to seek deals

19-Jan-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Traditional grocery stores lost sales across categories to value-focused retailers in 2023 as most consumers sought deals to offset higher prices even as inflation steadily slowed over the year and many acclimated to prices and felt better about their...

UC Davis opens alt protein center to fill ‘the impending gap’ between meat demand, production

17-Jan-2024 By Ryan Daily

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) is launching its Integrative Center for Alternative Meat and Protein (iCAMP) this week, as the center brings together various academic groups and industry stakeholders to advance alternative meat science...

USDA: 'We will need cellular agriculture' to reach climate, food innovation goals

17-Jan-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Sustained government support and transparent scientific research, such as USDA’s landmark grant to Tufts University’s National Institute for Cellular Agriculture program, can energize cellular agriculture R&D and renew attention from the private sector,...

Chilau Foods turns to crowdfunding to expand distribution, cracks lid on packaging innovation

12-Jan-2024 By Ryan Daily

Southern-inspired stew and flavor-base company Chilau Foods launched Wefunder crowdfunding campaign to fuel its retail expansion, as the company leverages packaging innovation to create a more accessible product, company founder Michael Anderson told...

From tuna to plant-based fish, how brands are expanding the canned fish category

11-Jan-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Poised to grow to $50.47bn by 2030, the global canned seafood market is driven by consumer demand for nutrient-rich foods, like protein and fatty acids, and longer shelf-life, per Grandview Research data. Notably, canned tuna, with its high nutritional...

Egg prices jump as avian flu spreads, pushing up overall food prices, CPI reveals

11-Jan-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

The Consumer Price Index released today shows the price of eggs is climbing again as producers scramble to contain a highly contagious outbreak of avian flu that the US Department of Agriculture estimates has infected more than 50 flocks in the last 30...

Precision versus personalization: AHARA explores a “new frontier” in nutrition

10-Jan-2024 By Deniz Ataman

With the rising popularity of personalized nutrition plans, AHARA’s app takes personalization one step further through precision nutrition, a combination of machine-learning, evidence-based nutrition science and an international advisory board to verify...

Eat Meati’s expansion into Target bucks retailer trend to downsize alternative proteins

10-Jan-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

At a time when many retailers are cutting back on the assortment and number of plant-based proteins they stock, fungi-based newcomer Meati continues to gain retail shelf space with the launch of four of its whole-cut MushroomRoot cutlets and steaks in...

When are ‘best’ claims puffery versus misleading? NAD weighs in on case brought against Old Trapper by Link Snacks

09-Jan-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Whether advertising something as “best” is protected as puffery or requires substantiation depends on the context and whether the claims are presented “monadically” or are comparative or quantifiable, according to an advertising watchdog that reviewed...

Alpha Foods responds to ‘tumultuous year for plant-based’ with Chicken Run partnership, focus on profitability

08-Jan-2024 By Ryan Daily

Alpha Foods is shrugging off a challenging year for the plant-based meat market, as it expects to receive a boost with the help of a recent licensed partnership with the creators of the Chicken Run film franchise, Shingly Lee, director of marketing for...

Not all ultra-processed foods impact health the same way, research suggests

04-Jan-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Intensifying criticism of ultra-processed foods without nuanced consideration of their nutrition could unfairly tar some plant-based meats and milks that “compare well with their animal-based counterparts,” which may be viewed more favorably because they...

Cal-Maine invests in cage-free eggs as sales plummet due to lower egg prices, bird-flu outbreak

04-Jan-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Despite a one-two punch of lower egg prices and an avian flu outbreak that caused Cal-Maine Foods’ profits to plummet more than 90% in its second quarter of 2024, the fresh egg supplier remains optimistic about and committed to expanding production of...

Givaudan and UC Berkeley release new research on maximising alt-protein efficiency

04-Jan-2024 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

The duo’s latest white paper, “10 Alternative Protein Pathways: Opportunities for Greater Efficiency”, provides insights into how the sector can make plant-based products more affordable and sustainable.

Prop 12 ban on food from animals in 'extreme confinement' goes into effect despite ongoing pushback

03-Jan-2024 By Deniz Ataman

California’s Proposition 12, which prohibits the sale of food products sourced from animals living in “cruel and extreme confinement,” went into effect this week after giving retailers until Dec. 31, 2023, to sell any remaining “non-compliant pork products...

Danone, JM Smucker divestments & Cal-Maine acquisition reflect push to reshape, rebuild portfolios as industry stocks struggle

03-Jan-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

A trio of acquisitions and divestments in the packaged food industry at the turn of the new year suggest companies are taking a proactive and aggressive approach to rebuilding their businesses by reshaping their portfolios after industry stocks overall...

UMAMI Bioworks advisor Jennifer Bushman emphasizes need for storytelling to strengthen cultivated seafood industry

02-Jan-2024 By Deniz Ataman

A holistic integration of cultivated meat for non-human consumption is essential to “stabilize the depletion of natural resources,” according to Jennifer Bushman, a new advisor for the cultivated seafood company UMAMI Bioworks.

Wild-caught Alaska pollock and Pacific hake show promise as a sustainable protein source

19-Dec-2023 By Deniz Ataman

As plant-based food continues to grab consumers’ attention for its lower environmental footprint, wild-caught Alaska pollock and Pacific hake could be a compelling sustainable protein source, with data showing both species emitting fewer carbon emissions...

Springdale Ventures raises $40M for Fund II, targets early-stage CPG brands

19-Dec-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Nearly doubling its size since 2019, the Austin-based venture capital firm secures its new funding round with backing from returning limited partners, family offices, entrepreneurs, and athletes.

How do we measure the success of regenerative agriculture?

19-Dec-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

A more granular approach to regenerative agriculture that considers farmer's experience and the local landscape will help drive positive outcomes for people, nature and climate says Regen10

Cottage cheese has a moment in dairy, prepared items heat up deli category, Circana data shows

18-Dec-2023 By Ryan Daily

The dairy market lifted slightly in units in November thanks to cottage cheeses growth, as deli slumped slightly in units and dollars month-over-mont but had gains from prepared items like pizza, Anne-Marie Roerink, president of 210 Analytics, shared...

AHARA partners with Instacart to streamline shopping for personalized nutrition

15-Dec-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Precision nutrition and food-tech platform AHARA's integration with Instacart allows users to easily add nutritionist-recommended items to their grocery lists on the food delivery platform.

‘The promise of plant-based foods has not changed,’ Tofurky CEO talks post-acquisition strategy

14-Dec-2023 By Ryan Daily

Nearly a year after its acquisition, Tofurky is capitalizing on the synergies with its parent company Moringa Nutritional Foods as the brand prepares to grow its retail and global presence despite headwinds facing the plant-based market, company CEO Jaime...

News in Brief

Delay in organic animal welfare standards recalls rule’s long journey

13-Dec-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

The hard-fought and long-awaited Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards final rule has been delayed, yet again, and while the change is “minor” and due to a technicality, it recalls the many other delays and near-deaths the rule has endured since work...

No bones about it, Kettle & Fire’s broth promotes regenerative farming for meat industry

12-Dec-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Kettle & Fire supports regenerative farming by sourcing bones from suppliers that have defined land management practices for each animal, Victoria Belinsky, the company's senior director of brand marketing told FoodNavigator-USA. The company...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Perdue Farms’ embraces transparency to improve animal welfare

11-Dec-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

After Perdue Farms received unsolicited but ultimately what it characterized as “fair” criticism for its approach to animal care years ago, the protein producer began inviting annually animal welfare advocates, farmers, academics and stakeholders from...

Will plant-based protein rebound in 2024? Chunk Foods, Konscious Foods CEOs share perspectives

07-Dec-2023 By Ryan Daily

The plant-based protein market has faced a year of headwinds from slumping unit sales to lower investments, but companies like Chunk Foods and Konscious Foods are hoping to tap into underserved markets in the US to grow, as the entire industry prepares...

'AI is not the future, it's the present,’ Tastewise’s CMO discusses speeding up industry's digital transformation

07-Dec-2023 By Ryan Daily

AI has the power to speed the food and beverage industry's digital transformation, as companies leverage it for product develop and to forecast upcoming trends, Jacques Botbol, CMO of Tastewise, told FoodNavigator-USA.

Tyson Foods opens high-tech chicken facility to accelerate growth, boost efficiency

06-Dec-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

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...

Changing menus, focus on sustainable production: COP28 focuses more on food

30-Nov-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

The food and beverage industry is inherently linked to the climate crisis, responsible for at least a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. The COP28 summit, held this year in Dubai, UAE, focuses more significantly on food than in previous years.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Snacking increases but innovation needed for long-term growth

29-Nov-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Snacking in the US continues to climb, according to data from Circana, despite predictions that a surge in the frequency and sales of snacks during the pandemic was unsustainable and would revert to pre-COVID levels as consumers returned to in-person...

Stacking plant-based meat up against the real thing: ‘Often it has a slightly better nutritional composition’

29-Nov-2023 By Flora Southey

A report finds that plant-based burgers, meatballs and bacon alternatives are healthier than their meaty counterparts, but animal meat scores better for chicken chunks, chicken fillet, and schnitzel.