The food and beverage sector is navigating a confluence of shifting consumer preferences, regulatory scrutiny and financial recalibration, as illustrated by Beyond Meat securing $100 million and launching unbreaded chicken pieces, consumers’ growing interest in gut health despite knowledge gaps, and pushback over FDA’s focus on synthetic dyes and enforcement priorities.
Beyond Meat continues to press on amid declining category sales
Beyond Meat aims to grow its business with its recent unbreaded chicken pieces launch followed by securing $100 million in funding.
Beyond Meat expands its chicken portfolio with the launch of new unbreaded pieces across 1,900 Kroger stores nationwide as the plant-based meat brand seeks to right-side its business. The launch comes as the company secures $100 million from Unprocessed Foods, LLC – an affiliate of the non-profit organization Ahimsa Foundation which advocates for plant-based diets – to reduce debt and turnaround its business amid declining category sales.
Earlier this year, the company announced its recapitalization strategy, including equity raises, debt restructuring and attracting new investors, to secure growth and restore market confidence.
The company also raised $46.7 million through an at-the-market (ATM) offering by selling 9.75 million shares of common stock in Q4 2024. The additional capital was allocated for automation and optimized operations and production.
Read the full story here: Beyond Meat doubles down on plant-based chicken with Beyond Chicken Pieces
Consumers are looking for gut health products but are unaware of health impacts
Interest in gut health is surging among consumers, but most still lack awareness of how it connects to broader wellness areas like immunity and mental health, according to a recent Danone North America survey.
While Google searches for ‘gut health’ have more than doubled over the past three years, a 2024 Danone study conducted by KRC Research reveals that 41% of consumers are unfamiliar with the gut microbiome, and half are unaware of its role in gut health.
Despite the global digestive health market reaching $51.62 billion in 2023 – with projected growth of 8.3% CAGR through 2030, according to Grand View Research – consumer knowledge gaps remain significant.
More than half of Americans are unaware of the gut microbiome’s connection to immunity (56%) and mental health (63%), with awareness declining slightly since 2021.
Additionally, 54% don’t recognize its role in healthy aging, 61% in sleep quality and 73% are unaware that the microbiome develops in early childhood.
Danone says these findings underscore the need for greater consumer education on the microbiome and the foods that support it.
Read the full story here: Gut health is important to consumers, but do they know why?
FDA focus on synthetic dyes and chemicals could overshadow other obligations
The FDA’s increased focus on synthetic dyes and chemicals in food is drawing praise from some advocates, but criticism from others who warn it may detract from more pressing regulatory needs.
Former FDA Deputy Commissioner Jim Jones has raised concerns that the agency’s current emphasis on eliminating synthetic dyes and chemicals from the US food supply may divert attention from other critical responsibilities, such as preventing foodborne illnesses and implementing updated nutrition labeling standards.
Jones, who recently resigned, criticized the administration’s approach as lacking effective enforcement mechanisms, suggesting that the rapid push to remove synthetic dyes could undermine the FDA’s broader food safety and regulatory functions.
Read the full story here: Could RFK Jr.’s obsession with dyes and ‘chemicals’ threaten FDA’s core functions?
