How clean is your label, and who decides - plaintiff's attorneys or Whole Foods Market? Are ‘all-natural’ claims still resonating with consumers or are other on-pack cues more important? And do shoppers understand the difference between natural and...
Natural claims on food and beverage products appear to be leveling off, according to recent product launch data from market research firms Datamonitor and Mintel.
Pure Via labels will be amended, but 'natural' claim will stay
10 months after Cargill agreed to settle a class action lawsuit alleging it was misleading shoppers by marketing consumer products under the Truvia brand as ‘natural’, the firms behind rival stevia brand Pure Via have agreed to settle a similar lawsuit.
UPDATED - Quorn Foods has launched a vigorous defense of its fungus-derived meat substitutes in the wake of a fresh attack from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which says the FDA “should have pulled this dangerous product off shelves...
The FDA has approved a petition from LycoRed seeking the green light to use higher levels of tomato lycopene to restore color to processed meats, giving manufacturers of sausages, deli meats and jerky an alternative to synthetic FD&C Red #40 and bug-derived...
Nearly twice as many Americans say they are actively trying to avoid fat in their diet (56%) as those who say they’re actively avoiding carbohydrates (29%), according to a Gallup Consumption survey of 1,013 adults conducted last month. Still, fewer Americans...
Given the recent concerns surrounding safe supply of chia seed coupled with rising consumer demand for minimally processed ingredients, Anne Brown, general manager of Glanbia Nutritionals’ Next Generation Grains processor, says manufacturers can’t underestimate...
A new patent application that covers the efficient and sustainable production of sweeteners including Rebaudioside M (Reb M) using fermentation technology has been published by Evolva and Cargill.
Demand for the sustainable oil is rising faster than supply for the first time as total sales of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) reach more than 2.4 million metric tonnes (MT).
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) has sent a letter to senior trade officials within US President Barack Obama’s administration as part of its mission to get Japan to eliminate tariffs on US pork.
The small guy can still win in the snacks aisle, says Jim Schneider
The ‘Saratoga chip’ - a snack food sensation first cooked up in 1853 by George Crum in Saratoga Springs, NY - was ultimately overwhelmed by the might of Herman Lay’s potato chip. 160+ years later, however, America’s original kettle chip is staging a comeback,...
Product was tested by a reputable third party lab, says Whole Foods
Whole Foods has been hit with new class action lawsuits in Pennsylvania and New Jersey accusing it of significantly understating the sugar content in its 365 Everyday Value plain Greek yogurt, just days after a lawsuit making the same allegation was filed...
400 representative products tested for 4-mei levels
UPDATED Aug 22: The FDA has conducted new tests to determine exposure to 4-mei (4-Methylimidazole) via consumption of products containing caramel colors III and IV, and plans more to assess exposure from other sources such as brewed coffee and roasted...
AquaBounty Technologies - which is hoping to become the first company to introduce a genetically engineered (GE) animal to the human food supply - posted net losses of $3.5m in the six months to June 30, up from a loss of $2.1m in the first half of 2013.
Consumers have more negative views towards sugar-sweetened drinks, and show less preference for them, when they come with concrete images of the amount of sugar they contain, suggest researchers.
The Californian Assembly has approved a bill which serves to reduce the use of antibiotics in livestock, but industry groups say it is unlikely to make a difference.
Taking a significant minority stake in Monster Beverage Corp rather than launching a full-scale takeover is a smart move on Coca-Cola’s part, boosting its participation in one of the beverage sector’s fastest-growing categories but providing a ‘hedge’...
Analyst: Top CPG firms not delivering on innovation, falling back into promotional trap
As several CEOs have recently observed, big brands are not getting so much bang for their promotional buck these days. But in the current climate, targeted trade spending is a must to retain market share, although other strategies must be pursued in the...
Coca-Cola and Monster Beverage Corp have entered into a strategic partnership which will see Monster assume control of Coke’s energy brands and Coke assume control of Monster’s non-energy brands. Coca-Cola will also take a 16.7% stake in Monster.
Youngevity International, a multilevel marketer of nutritional supplements as well as a bulk coffee roaster, reported big increases in net revenue and gross profit in its second quarter of 2014, driven mostly by organic growth aided by acquisitions.
Powerful Yogurt is preparing to launch a high-protein yogurt drink that it says harnesses continuing demand for both Greek yogurt and high-protein beverages.
Recent advances that allow the precise editing of genomes have raised the possibility that fruit and other crops might be genetically improved without the need to introduce foreign genes, according to researchers.
The US Food and Drug Administration this week launched its National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) 2011 Executive Report, which showed both increasing and decreasing trends.
Survata is 'democratizing' consumer insights, says CEO
Until pretty recently, food marketers looking to test new product ideas, brand names or pack designs could look to friends, family, and colleagues for cheap - though notoriously unreliable - feedback, or expect to spend serious time and money on hiring...
Retailers that offer an attractive packaged salad range are more likely to attract high-spending ‘foodies’ to their stores, says Packaged Facts, citing data showing that bagged salad shoppers are much more likely to pay extra for healthier products, try...
Senoymx says it expects either PepsiCo or flavor house Firmenich to commercialize proprietary sweet taste modifier Sweetmyx S617 in 2014 but is tight-lipped over who will be first to market.
The USDA has said global wheat supplies for 2014/15 will hit record highs, which is good news for stability but quality will be critical for industry, says an analyst.
Kellogg has become the second food major to respond to a damning Oxfam report with a climate change revamp that pledges to disclose global greenhouse gas emission targets by December 2015.
Selling everything from coffee flour to ‘Chimp Food’, egg white chips, artichoke water and kids’ tea, here's FoodNavigator-USA's latest pick of entrepreneurs to watch in the US food and beverage market.
Settlement offers injunctive, but not monetary, relief (Coke required to amend labels but consumers won't get any money)
Coca-Cola has agreed to settle a series of 'copycat' lawsuits accusing it of deceptively marketing Vitaminwater. But the lawsuit that inspired them all - filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest in 2009 - is still pending, as the...
It’s been a busy summer for Hampton Creek. After just six months on the market and $30mn raised in funding from the likes of Bill Gates and Yahoo cofounder Jerry Yang, its plant-based mayonnaise brand Just Mayo is the No. 1 selling mayo at Whole Foods...
A new trade organization has formed with the mission to define what 'natural' means. The nascent Organic and Natural Health Alliance (ONHA) plans to go about defining that attribute in a way that is unique in the natural products business in...
Nestle USA is poised to launch a 26-serve Nescafe ‘to go’ liquid coffee concentrate that consumers can add to water to create RTD coffee on demand, along the same lines as its Nestea liquid water enhancer.
Vermont’s new GMO labeling law (Act 120) does not violate the First Amendment because the disclosures it mandates are “purely factual” and the law “does not require manufacturers to state a particular viewpoint, such as whether GE foods are good or bad”,...
Retailers are going to reduce the space given to legacy brands
Leading CPG companies are like huge ships that cannot change course quickly enough to address evolving consumer trends, claims the boss of Boulder Brands (which owns the Udi’s Gluten-Free, Earth Balance and EVOL brands). But unless they make some bold...
Interview with John Eldridge, 30-year CPG industry vet and Guiding Stars strategy consultant
Almost eight out of 10 popcorn products launched in the US in the 12 months to June 2014 were on a 'health' platform of some kind, according to Innova Market Insights.
