Not so long ago, cheese alternatives were pretty grim. They were a poor substitute for the real thing, and something most people unable or unwilling to eat regular cheese could manage without.
The acquisition of pork and meat producer Smithfield Foods Inc. for about $4.8 billion by Shuanghui Group can create a global leader in animal protein, say top executives at both companies.
Consumers are becoming less interested in mid-market products, and are trading down for basic groceries and trading up for premium brands that matter most from an emotional and social perspective, says a new report from Rabobank.
Westin Foods has expanded its Health and Wellness division with the acquisition of a majority interest in Dominex and its vegan and vegetarian eggplant offerings.
From 2000 to 2007, around 34-36m Americans were classified by the government as ‘food insecure’. In 2008, that figure shot up to 49m, where it has stayed, stubbornly, ever since. And almost 17m of them are children.
Given the choice, most consumers say they prefer to get their nutrition from eating ‘real’ food - not popping pills - and ideally, foods ‘naturally’ rich in the desired nutrients.
Industry efforts to reduce and/or remove trans fats from food products have led to progress, but this progress is slowing, and the industry must continue its effort to reformulate, says a new report from Harvard School of Public Health.
KeHE Distributors is expanding its non-ambient US warehouse space to keep pace with ‘high double digit growth in frozen,’ and frozen gluten-free in particular, the company tells us.
From Nike’s Bill Bowerman being inspired by a waffle iron, to studying the behavior of herding cows for the redevelopment of Times Square, cross-pollination of ideas from different fields can generate big rewards.
While four out of 10 consumers say they are trying to avoid or reduce intakes of certain fats and oils, cholesterol, sodium and sugar, only one in 10 actually looks for this kind of information on menus when dining out, according to NPD Group.
A survey of more than 5,000 users of a leading online food ordering service shows that 88% buy lunch at least once a week and a quarter buy lunch every day.
Groupe Danone has acquired a 92% stake in US-based organic baby food company Happy Family, saying that it intends to step up development of the company and its brands.
While peanut flour has been around for years, recent interest in protein - particularly the plant-based variety - has sparked renewed interest, particularly in the nutritional bars market, according to one leading supplier.
A new analysis of sodium levels in 480 packaged and restaurant foods over the period 2005-2011 provides further evidence that voluntary approaches to sodium reduction have not delivered the across-the-board reductions required to meet government targets.
The percentage of energy derived from snacks in the American diet has increased from 12% in the late 1970s to 24% in 2009/10 as more people graze throughout the day rather than sitting down to three square meals, according to analysis of National Health...
WhiteWave Foods’ almond-based beverages and foods business has continued to show “torrid growth” in the first quarter of 2013, and is now approaching the size of its soy milk business.
The price differential between Hain Celestial’s brands and mainstream grocery brands will close over time as the big guns in consumer packaged goods come under increasing pressure to source non-GMO ingredients, predict bosses at the organic and natural...
Drug stores, club stores and the foodservice market could be the next big areas of opportunity for gluten-free, according to Boulder Brands, which owns two of the biggest names in the sector: Udi’s and Glutino.
Women are about 15% more likely to order dishes featuring fruit than men when eating out, and 35% more likely to order dishes featuring coconut, according to new data from digital food ordering service GrubHub.
An Abbott Laboratories shareholder proposal to remove genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) from its natural products - including its Similac infant formula range - has been rejected, the company has revealed.
Leading food manufacturers and retailers have joined forces to launch a consumer education campaign designed to change the way consumers think about frozen foods.
Consumers expect to see added sugar in donuts and candy bars. But when they discover reams of it in dried fruits, juices and other products marketed as healthy foods, they feel shortchanged, and rightly so, according to one nutrition expert.
Unilever should put its spreads business ‘on notice’ if things don’t improve, says one analyst after Unilever posted another set of quarterly results where strong growth in personal and home care was offset by a weak performance in food, notably spreads.
On day two of the 2013 Food Technology & Innovation Forum in Chicago, R&D bosses from the world's biggest food and beverage companies learned how Unilever gains consumer insights online, what Nestlé thinks about biotech crops and how McDonald's...
Children from different cultures prefer different levels of fat and sweetness in foods and drinks, suggests new research that calls into question the idea that all children are predisposed to fatty and sugary tastes.
Nestlé USA has launched a new initiative called ‘Balance Your Plate’ after data from NPD Group revealed that US consumers meet the dietary guidelines on average on just seven days out of 365 (less than 2% of the time).
At 270.7lbs, Americans eat more meat per capita* than any other nation (with the exception of the carnivorous folk of Luxembourg, who get through a whopping 301.4lbs). But they are eating less than they used to, says market researcher Packaged Facts.
In part two of this FoodNavigator-USA special looking at the OC&C index of the world’s top 50 CPG companies, we look at which emerging markets present the juiciest opportunities for food and beverage firms.
Strip out inflation from the revenue growth of some of the nation’s leading food and beverage manufacturers in their domestic market, and you are left with some pretty lackluster figures.
In the absence of a clear legal definition of ‘natural’, food marketers seeking to avoid legal challenges over it refer to a variety of sources for guidance.
Further research on artificial trans fat and heart health is not necessary, claim the authors of a new review – but there is a need for more research in several other areas related to trans fat.
Kraft officials spent an hour yesterday with blogger Vani Hari (aka the Food Babe) discussing a petition urging the company to stop using artificial colors Yellow #5 and #6 in its Mac & Cheese, but says it is satisfied that they are both safe and...
A meeting yesterday in Washington DC, among three major stakeholders in the food industry and in food policy gave a snapshot of what progress has been made in the years-long process in reducing sodium in the American diet.
An outbreak of E.coli O121 has sickened 24 people from 15 states, according to the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS).
While there is a good chance that sales of finely textured beef (FTB) will pick up again in time, Cargill’s production still remains significantly below where it was before the ‘pink slime’ media frenzy erupted almost exactly a year ago today, says the...
Only one in ten US consumers gets the recommended amount of fiber, but fibrous whole grain ready-to-eat (RTE) cereals can boost daily intake by around 14%, a new study finds.
While extra virgin olive oil is currently basking in positive PR in the wake of the recent PREDIMED study on the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, canola’s nutritional credentials also received a boost this month after new research suggested it can...
An "unusual" class action lawsuit alleging that shoppers are being misled by 'zero fat' and 'zero calorie' claims on Parkay Spray because they are based on “artificially small serving sizes”, is unlikely to make much headway, predict...
Adding traffic light symbols as well as calories to menus is a more effective way of encouraging diners to choose lower-calorie foods than listing calories in isolation, according to a new study.
While the Cornucopia Institute is attempting to re-ignite the debate about the safety of carrageenan with the publication of a new report urging shoppers to avoid it, no new scientific evidence has been presented to support its arguments, say firms supplying...
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has welcomed the decision of the world’s biggest sovereign wealth fund to pull investment from certain palm oil companies – but has disagreed with its divestment from firms that are on the path to RSPO certification.
The only pragmatic and workable solution to help beat the global health battle against obesity and non-communicable diseases is for industry and policy makers to work together to reformulate processed foods with better nutritional values, says Jack Winkler.
Four out of five US consumers believe that frozen foods are ‘highly processed’ (which carries negative connotations in most people’s minds), according to new research from ConAgra Foods.
Manufacturers of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products have a new weapon in their arsenal against Listeria monocytogenes as the USDA adds liquid sodium propionate to its list of approved antimicrobials.
