Will big food companies increasingly buy in innovation and serve as scale up platforms for more 'authentic' small brands they didn’t create, or can they make their legacy brands resonate with new generations of consumers? Here’s what we learned...
Consumers are looking for cues signaling ‘clean’ and ‘natural’, but they don’t necessarily expect to see those words on food labels, and may even be suspicious of brands that use them on pack, says Hartman Group.
Held at the W hotel in Chicago Nov 13-15, FOOD VISION USA brought together a glittering array of speakers from big and small food brands, spanning topics from food e-commerce and meal kits to clean-label trends, clean meat, hydroponics and whether the...
Hispanic shoppers buy significantly more natural, organic and better-for-you items than the overall US population, which suggests manufacturers in the space could generate even higher sales by targeting the demographic, according to new research from...
Monk fruit is still more expensive than stevia, but significant progress is being made on tackling the pricing and regulatory issues that have historically held the market back, says Layn Corp, a leading supplier of monk fruit and stevia based natural...
After giving the frozen section the cold shoulder for years, consumers’ attitudes towards the category could be thawing out as manufacturers and retailers better tell the segment’s story around convenience, clean label and food waste reduction, new research...
Field Trip - which burst onto the premium jerky scene in 2010 and expanded into the meat sticks market in 2016 – is entering the pork rinds category later this year to target consumers looking for an alternative to potato chips in the salty snacks aisle.
As the war on sugar gains momentum, plant-based beverage company Califia Farms is cutting back the sugar content across its product portfolio by 40% while still offering consumers who want something sweet options that are more in-line with World Health...
Pasta is often passed over by consumers who perceive it as having ‘too many carbs,’ or not being nutritionally dense or simply taking too long to prepare – but Barilla is making it a snap to make as part of a healthy meal with its new Ready Pasta pouches.
The entrepreneurs behind the startup Revelé Gelato thought health-conscious consumers seeking to indulge in frozen dessert faced an unfair decision: choose between high quality, recognizable ingredients that typically come with a higher fat and calorie...
60-second interview: Stephen Cobbe, R&D director, dairy, Kerry
Less sugar, more protein, a cleaner label, savory flavors, and new formats from farmer’s cheese bars to ambient moon cheese… What’s keeping dairy formulators busy these days? FoodNavigator-USA caught up with Stephen Cobbe, R&D director, dairy, at...
Annie's unveils ‘Your House. Your Snacks’ social media campaign
While General Mills’ group sales have been pretty lackluster of late, its natural and organic brand Annie’s – which notched up double-digit growth in measured channels in the latest quarter – continues to attract new consumers, with household penetration...
Fruit infused water brand Hint has until February 2, 2018, to conduct a settlement conference* to resolve a legal dispute with plaintiffs who have accused it of misleading shoppers with its ‘all natural’ claims.
The judge handling a putative class action lawsuit* over ‘natural’ claims on Annie’s salad dressings, has stayed the case (put it on hold) on primary jurisdiction** grounds, and speculated that the FDA is likely to address the use of the term natural...
Building a new food and beverage brand – even with a packed contacts book and years of industry experience under your belt - is not for the faint-hearted, says Forager Project founder Stephen Williamson, who spent a decade as CEO of Odwalla before Coca-Cola...
Consumers increasingly view clean label as about more than avoiding ‘artificial’ ingredients, according to a new survey from Kerry, which also reveals that some ingredients previously considered safe bets in clean label formulations, such as natural flavors...
For all the hub-bub around bold and exotic flavors, the success of Jolly Time’s Blast O Butter microwave popcorn for the past 20 years is a good reminder of the power nostalgia and familiarity can play in driving ongoing sales.
With vanilla bean prices skyrocketing in recent months, interest in alternatives with natural and clean label credentials is intensifying in mature markets in Western Europe and North America, although demand for artificial vanillin is still growing in...
Mexico is eager to follow America’s growing demand for more protein, probiotics and fiber, but lower income levels could hold back consumers and create challenges for manufacturers, according to one industry insider.
Thanks to its stable nature and absence of a genetically modified variety, sunflower oil is in a good position to replace partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), according to the National Sunflower Association.
Bored of beef jerky? New York City-based start-up Beyond the Shoreline has an intriguing alternative: a plant-based mix of sugar kelp, mushroom stems, nutritional yeast, brown rice flour, sea salt and pea protein, which is due to hit the market in January...
Nestlé has said that it wants to deliver “industry leading volume growth” by leveraging key consumer trends. The company detailed exactly how it intends to achieve this at its investor summit in London yesterday (26 September).
Elmhurst Milked is hoping to make a splash in the burgeoning plant-based dairy arena with ‘milked peanut’ beverages that offer more protein, less sugar, a creamier mouthfeel and a noticeably shorter, cleaner, label than other nut milks, with products...
What began as a hobby for a 15-year-old girl, now is blooming into a bustling family business as Abby’s Better Nut Butter rapidly gains sales and distribution thanks in part to its clean labels, better-for-you angle and unique flavor combinations that...
Ever-lasting foam in ice cream or beer without artificial stabilisers? Swiss researchers have "for the first time" developed a novel strategy to make foam bubbles last "essentially ‘forever".
Consumers are notoriously fickle, but their ongoing demand for beverages that are healthy and natural is paving the way for several sustained sub-trends that not only show immediate growth potential but also long-term payout, according to Google trends...
When it comes to meeting consumers’ growing demand for protein, animal-based products continue to reign supreme in the US and Canada for now – but plant-based options are gaining traction and hold significant sales potential, according to the market research...
New research published by the Organic Trade Association connecting parenting to increased organic purchases suggests sales of organic could see a significant boost in the coming years as more millennials, many of whom already favor organic, have children.
After a month of hints about pursuing an “exciting and terrifying” new opportunity in organic food, former Annie’s CEO John Foraker has finally gone public about his plans to join refrigerated babyfood brand Once Upon a Farm, alongside actress Jennifer...
Amazon can be an “insanely disruptive” platform for challenger brands willing to put in the time and effort to understand how to maximize their prospects on the site, says Pyure Brands, which is giving far larger rivals a run for their money in the stevia-based...
Kabaki purple tea – made from a phytonutrient-rich purple-hued cultivar grown in Kenya – could follow RUNA’s playbook by bringing something disruptive to the US ready-to-drink tea market, while at the same time improving the livelihoods of small growers,...
Much of the focus for growth of plant-based proteins in the US to date has been on alternatives to meat and cow’s milk, but new research from Euromonitor International suggests significant potential lies in the frozen desserts and emerging protein snacks...
Natural food colors: expensive, unstable, muted, and weird-tasting, right? Wrong, says Sensient Food Colors, which caught up with FoodNavigator-USA to address some common concerns about natural colors and highlight growth opportunities, from caramel color...
In general, talking about how a food or beverage is processed is not a way to win the hearts, minds and money of today’s consumers, who increasingly want products that are fresh, made with clean ingredients and as close to their natural state as possible.
Recognizing most Americas have a love-hate relationship with vegetables, Garden Lites is introducing a series of new products that either celebrate or hide vegetables to help ensure all consumers can hit their recommended five a day.
Contrary to suggestions in a federal lawsuit filed against USDA earlier this month, the agency currently is reviewing a feasibility study exploring how electronic or digital disclosure, such as QR codes, might impact consumers’ ability to easily identify...
Even though sales of groceries online are minuscule compared to brick and mortar stores, online snack subscription service UrthBox sees significant potential in ecommerce for food and beverage and hopes to attract more consumers to the channel with launch...
Innovation in the baby food aisle has come in waves. First came jars, then shelf stable pouches, and most recently a new generation of HPP (high pressure processed) refrigerated brands carving out a premium niche in the category. But could freeze-drying...
When it comes to food and nutrition, there are some ideas that we’ve accepted as common sense: Water is good. MSG is probably bad. Sodium in general isn’t great, but sea salt is a plus. Garlic is tasty. And what the heck is lecithin?
Assuming that there are suitors willing to top Corbion’s $20m stalking horse bid for the algae-fueled company, an auction for some or all of TerraVia's assets will take place on September 11 in New York at the offices of Davis Polk & Wardwell...
When Nourish Snacks decided earlier this year to ditch its old white packaging in favor of bold patterns and bright colors it did so not only to standout better, but also to help consumers feel happy about choosing a better-for-you option and not like...
Despite continued pressure from the on-the-go lifestyles that dominate today’s culture and have fueled the rise of convenience foods, packaged snacks and quick service restaurants, new research shows many consumers are beginning to shun these options...
Chicago-based RXBAR’s new kid’s line is now available in 3,000 stores nationwide, providing a smaller version of the fastest growing bar by dollar growth in the natural and conventional channels, per measurement by market analytics firm Nielsen.
Hope Foods has raised $7.4m by selling the 59,000sq ft industrial building in the Colorado Technology Center in Louisville, Colorado, where it manufactures its organic hummus and dips, to California-based Adler Realty Investments – and has struck a long-term...
It’s hard to think of a company where mission and brand are more intertwined than RUNA, which was forged around an ingredient - guayusa - that created a powerful point of difference for an emerging beverage brand, but also generated income for small farmers...
San Diego-based Chosen Foods' flagship products—100% Pure Avocado Oil, Chosen Blend Oil, and four Avocado Oil Mayo flavors—have been certified ‘Glyphosate Residue Free’ from The Detox Project.
PepsiCo is seeking to patent a technique of producing the sugary-tasting steviol glycoside Reb M via an enzymatic method that delivers "higher purity at a lower cost.”