As the plant-based food sector continues to grow (up 11% in dollar sales in 2019 to $5bn), the category has become an integral part of many grocery retailers’ store assortments, marketing, and promotional strategies, according to The Good Food Institute...
Dutch nutrition research and innovation firm Nutricia has announced it will support a series of research projects taking place around to world over the following weeks to help define nutrition guidelines to help speed up the recovery of COVID-19 patients.
Several high-profile lawsuits challenging the legal status of CBD products have been stayed (effectively put on ice until the FDA outlines a regulatory path forward for CBD in foods & supplements) or voluntarily dismissed in recent weeks.
After years of living in the shadow of well-funded and aggressively marketed pistachios, almonds and walnuts, Oregon hazelnuts are now ready to inspire manufacturers and consumers as the star ingredient in new products thanks to a new cultivar and a steady...
Icelandic brand Good Good, which makes no-sugar-added jams, syrups, and a chocolate hazelnut spread sweetened with stevia and erthyritol, has closed a $3m Series A round of investment led by Icepharma, AtonJL and Svanhildur Nanna Vigfusdottir along with...
When it comes to flavor, pistachios consistently rank as Americans' favorite nut, says trade association American Pistachio Growers (APG). However, new research suggests the green-hued nuts also have intriguing anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties.
Which delivery formats for CBD are most successful at Vitamin Shoppe? How do you market a CBD beverage? And what will distinguish the winners from the losers in this nascent market? Checkout what our panel of experts had to say in our May 20 Where next...
The National Advertising Division has ruled that GSK must stop calling some of its Benefiber prebiotic supplements ‘100% natural.’ It’s a ruling that could be viewed as troublesome for other prebiotic ingredients.
With the invention of peanut coffee, fifth generation peanut farmer James Harrell found a way to combine in one product the rich history and future of his hometown of Suffolk, Va., which as the headquarters for Planters Peanuts was once known as the ‘peanut...
Global ingredients company ADM and beef producer Marfrig have agreed to create PlantPlus Foods, a plant-based protein joint venture serving North and South American markets.
Los Angeles-based Butterfly is adding some variety to the nut butter category with its functional, yet "fun and delicious" nut butters that come in experimental flavors such as chocolate reishi and savory rosemary.
“Gut feelings” often form the foundation of startups, but to scale a business successfully, especially in times of crisis, entrepreneurs need more than that – they need data that shows where their brand fits in the competitive landscape and where consumers...
Tokyo-based cell-cultured meat company IntegriCulture has raised JPY 800m (US$ 7.4m) in a Series A round that will help it advance its mission of ‘democratizing cellular agriculture’ and build a production facility to take slaughter-free foie gras to...
Allergen-friendly plant-based cheese brand GOOD PLANeT Foods has raised $12m in a series A round led by Cleveland Avenue, and supported by GreatPoint Ventures, Tasseo Consumer, Stray Dog Capital, and Lever VC.
New data from the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) and SPINS shows that US retail sales of plant-based meat, cheese, tofu, and tempeh outpaced total food retail sales for the 16 weeks ending April 19, 2020.
The uneven impact of the coronavirus on sales of food and beverage brands of different sizes has created an opportunity for smaller and emerging companies to drive consumer awareness by advertising on Amazon at a scale that previously would not have been...
Apeel Sciences – the Santa Barbara-based firm behind an invisible plant-based edible skin that can dramatically extend the shelf-life of fresh produce – has raised $250m in a funding round led by GIC that gives it a valuation north of a billion dollars.
With many food manufacturers experiencing difficulties in sourcing some ingredients during the pandemic, the FDA is allowing temporary flexibility in food labeling requirements enabling them to make minor formulation changes without updating labels, provided...
Rebellyous Foods – a Seattle-based startup that has been targeting high-volume foodservice accounts with plant-based chicken nuggets – has made a dramatic pivot to retail with the launch of family-packs at select retailers in the Pacific Northwest.
Seaweed is well established as a source of thickeners and emulsifiers such as carrageenan and agar and has carved out a small segment of the healthy snacks aisle, but it could also give rivals a serious run for their money as a source of plant-based protein,...
Plant-based dairy brand Miyoko’s Creamery – which built an artisan cheese brand based on cashew nuts but has since introduced new products featuring legumes and oats - is experimenting with a novel ingredient that’s naturally high in protein, and developing...
Nearly a quarter (24%) of consumers have taken their grocery shopping online in the months of March and April 2020 compared to 6% in 2019 highlighting the need for retailers to provide a seamless shopper experience between in-store, pickup, and delivery...
Reports arguing high dose Vitamin D supplementation could treat COVID-19 are based on speculation and are a risk to public health, warns a team of scientists from across the globe.
Hormel Foods saw organic net sales increase 20% for its grocery products (SPAM, SKIPPY, Hormel chili, and Hormel Compleats microwave meals) and registered a 12% rise in net sales for Jennie-O Turkey products offsetting a decline in foodservice sales in...
The boom in hemp cultivation after the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill has created a supply bulge that the industry is still working through, observers say.
New claims creeping into the hemp/CBD space are indicative of the some of the unsolved regulatory issues that continue to distort the market. These include claims of ‘zero THC’ and ‘no CBD isolate.’
The economic uncertainty caused by the coronavirus has pushed many investors into a protective mode that precludes new deals, but raising capital during the pandemic still is possible – it just requires entrepreneurs to more clearly define their value...
As news continues to break about more workers at grocery stores and meat and poultry packing plants contracting coronavirus, consumer concern about employee health and their access to food and beverage during the pandemic is on the rise again after a...
A new ad-spot on TV and social media created by Hershey's in-house agency addresses one of the side-effects of mask wearing during the coronavirus pandemic.
The FDA, USDA and EPA have launched ‘Feed Your Mind’, a new Agricultural Biotechnology Education and Outreach Initiative that aims to increase consumer awareness and understanding of genetically engineered foods (GMOs).
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused brands to look at their direct-to-consumer (DTC) businesses with fresh eyes, including emerging brand PeaTos, which launched its own DTC site, BetterSnacks.com, to fulfill Americans' at-home snacking needs and desire...
Children’s brands that previously relied on “the nag factor,” impulse purchases or being the reward parents give children to behave in stores are pivoting their marketing to target adults now that most families send only one adult to the grocery store...
The middle of a global pandemic when many consumers are filling their grocery carts virtually may seem like a strange time to expand distribution in brick-and-mortar stores, but for the vitamin enhanced water brand KidsLuv the timing of its current rollout...
Walmart US e-commerce sales grew 74% in the first quarter (13 weeks to May 1), driven by strong demand for its expanded grocery pickup and delivery services offered during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hemp-infused beverage brand Recess (strapline: ‘calm, cool, collected’) has launched a new direct-to-business wholesale online platform and an updated direct to consumer site to make it as easy as possible to get the product into people’s hands.
Higher costs associated with serving school meals to needy children during the coronavirus pandemic paired with reduced program participation are generating “crippling financial losses” that could compromise efforts to serve students next year unless...
Check out FoodNavigator-USA’s latest gallery of new products, from avocado puffs and keto sandwich cookies, to sparkling beverages infused with vitamins and minerals from Talking Rain.
JUST (Eat JUST, Inc.) has partnered with Michael Foods, a subsidiary of Post Holdings and one of the largest egg processors and suppliers, to bring plant-based JUST Egg to millions more consumers in the US.
How is COVID-19 impacting the hemp-derived CBD market? Are consumers turning to CBD to address anxiety during these times, or when it comes to functional foods, beverages and supplements, are they more likely to spend money on products they believe have...
While consumer interest in where food comes from and how it is produced has been growing in recent years, an organic industry leader says the coronavirus pandemic has turbocharged shoppers’ interest in local, organic and sustainably produced products...
While the coronavirus outbreak may have initially sidelined new food and beverage launches as retailers scrambled to stock the basics, and stay-at-home orders slowed research & development, one investor predicts “a burst of innovation” from existing...
The number of US households who reported shopping online for groceries rose dramatically in March when the pandemic hit, and stayed consistently high for the month of April, reveals new data from Brick Meets Click.
Sales growth in most snack and nutritional bar segments – categories associated with convenience, on-the-go consumption and sports - has dropped sharply since coronavirus hit, with the biggest drops in performance nutrition (-20% in March/April), meal...
Califia Farms is moving into new territory with the launch of plant-based butters - its first foray into the fats & oils category - and Protein Oat, a line of plant-based milks with a comparable level of protein to dairy milk per serving.
The Organic Trade Association is calling on the US Department of Agriculture to help ease mounting pressure on the organic supply chain posed by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic by increasing flexibility for inspections and the disbursement of funds related...
Energy drink manufacturer Celsius was able to quickly transition its marketing to online, streaming events which helped it to report a strong quarter, even as the face to face marketing it had relied on came to a hard stop.
Crop improvement company Benson Hill has contracted 30,000 acres of land in the US to grow its non-GMO ultra-high protein soybeans, which it claims deliver high nutrient density while maintaining competitive yields.
