As US consumers embrace a healthier lifestyle focused on prevention rather than treatment, they increasingly are turning to the natural and organic channel for products that are clean, natural and have added health benefits.
As recently as 15 years ago, most Americans had never heard of hummus, or even its base ingredients of chickpeas and tahini. But now the dip is a staple in many US homes and makes common appearances in lunchboxes, at picnics and on many restaurant menus.
Consumer demand for local food and beverages is no longer a niche market – rather it is fully mainstream. But an outgrowth of this trend that is just starting to peek over the horizon is a “do-it-yourself” food and beverage movement, according to market...
Grass-fed claims on products are a beacon for consumers who are health-conscious, want minimally processed food and care about animal welfare, and as such manufacturers increasingly are using them on products across categories and channels to drive up...
Seafood checks many of today’s on-trend boxes, including being high in lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids, sustainable, natural and minimally processed – yet consumption of it in the US continues to fall, prompting manufacturers and public health advocates...
Trends may come and go, but they often don't stay gone forever -- rather most eventually cycle back in vogue, as is the case with the current focus on “ancient wisdom,” and time-tested, traditional cooking techniques and ingredients that are influencing...
Finding solutions to reduce sodium, sugar and calories in finished products is essential as regulators and consumers demand healthier products – but the increasing desire for “clean labels” adds a complicating twist to the process of sourcing suitable...
Consumer demand for products and companies that “do good” – such as donate a percentage of sales to a non-profit, follow environmentally friendly practices or meet religious needs – continues to rise and in doing so illustrates that doing good is not...
Consumers’ increasing demand for healthier options is reshaping the competitive landscape across categories – including indulgent ones such as chocolate, where they increasingly want darker chocolate, nutritious inclusions, and new formats that help them...
With thousands of startups, innovators and established brands packed into one convention center, the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City is a hotbed for spotting emerging and maturing trends in the food and beverage space.
With the effective date for Vermont’s GMO labeling law officially here and the debate surrounding whether and how to identify genetically engineered ingredients in food and beverage continuing to amplify, a recent CivicScience poll uncovered a startling...
Quinoa was one of the first superfoods to take America by storm more than a decade ago, and one of the few such stars to sustain its reign long enough to push past being a fad food to become a staple on restaurant menus and households across the country,...
Sales of plant-based alternatives to animal products may be growing fast, but the road ahead for the industry is far from smooth with several substantial hurdles threatening to hold back the industry, according to key stakeholders.
When many mainstream consumers think of plant-based alternatives to animal products they think of non-dairy milks – and for good reason: it is one of the fastest growing sub-categories and a key driver in the growth of the overall plant-based segment.
Sales of plant-based alternatives to animal products are booming, thanks in large part to improved sensory qualities, expanded availability and increased consumer access to information about their health and environmental impacts, according to category...
Cult personality David Klein speaks to ConfectioneryNews about his new jelly bean business that is seeking online funding through a Kickstarter campaign.
Science should look beyond LDL cholesterol and saturated fat, which have dominated cardiovascular research until now, towards other contributing factors and a food-group approach to guidelines, according to one researcher.
DISPATCHES FROM INTERNATIONAL WHEY CONFERENCE 2014
It's "business as usual" at Minnesota-based cheese and whey ingredients manufacturer Davisco Foods following its recent takeover by Canadian dairy cooperative Agropur.
Popcorn has exploded and thins have sliced into action in snacking – both riding on the wave of being indulgent with a healthy slant, according to Euromonitor International.
At the 2014 Research Chefs Association Conference & Culinology Expo, FoodNavigator-USA caught up with chef Michael Holleman, director of culinary development at artisan grain and legume supplier InHarvest, for a podcast Q&A on trends in pulses,...
5-minutes: Chewing over GMOs with the Snack Food Association
Genetically modified organisms are safe and there is a need and place for them in the market, but manufacturers are removing them for fear of class actions, says the CEO of the Snack Food Association.
Oats, when the supply chain ensures no cross-contamination, are a gluten-free cereal grain. So why haven’t we seen a flurry of oat-based gluten-free options in the global bakery sector? Are they a missed golden opportunity for gluten-free bakery?
Food manufacturers, retailers and other food industry players are failing to connect with consumers who are tuning out of mainstream messaging and infesting their own comms channels, says angel investor, business mentor and philanthropist, Mike Greene.
“I get personal because they [EFSA] get personal to me"
Veteran probiotic researcher professor Gregor Reid is not a happy man. It’s time the probiotic community fought back against those forces that have for too long denied a perfectly valid body of nutrition science in the form of commercial claims. It’s...
5-minute chat with FoodNavigator-USA and BakeryandSnacks
General Mills’ move to go GMO-free on its flagship Cheerios brand has caused quite a stir. But what motivated this reformulation? And how will it play out?
Irish biotech start-up AnaBio Technologies is in advanced negotiations with major infant formula makers interested in its encapsulation technologies that can blend probiotics and minerals into heat treated products at cost-effective prices.
The typically “conservative” North American dairy industry is becoming increasingly "open to innovation", natural ingredients supplier, Chr Hansen, has claimed following the launch of its cheese color, WhiteWhey.
Food manufacturing giant Unilever will work with international non-profit Solidaridad to drive the sustainable development of the sugar cane industry in Central America.
ANUGA TASTE THE FUTURE 2013: 'IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING THE FIRST, BUT THE BEST'
Moshy Cohen from RCCI promises that the firm’s mid-calorie Neo cola with stevia - which took three years to develop - is the ‘best solution’ for regular cola drinkers.
From the 20th International Congress of Nutrition in Granada, Spain
The food industry came under attack last week at the International Congress of Nutrition (#ICN20) for not doing enough to improve the healthiness of its portfolios…unfairly, says Unilever.
Claims like low sodium, low fat and low calorie on snacks are decreasing which seems counterintuitive given action is being taken by manufacturers, said the director of innovation and insights at Mintel.
The world's largest hops company, Barth-Haas group, tells BeverageDaily.com why so-called 'flavor' hops are ushering in a revolution in beer flavors, starting with the craft beer phenomenon in the US but now spreading across Europe and...
Snack firms must battle with frugal consumers, expanded competition and the challenge to remain innovative, exciting and healthy, a leading sector analyst says.
The fight for public health should not be against obesity, but rather the dangerous metabolic conditions that both obese and non-obese people suffer from. And the prime target for those diseases is sugar, says Professor Robert Lustig.
Natural colours have overtaken their synthetic counterparts for the first time ever, and the trend towards clean label products is one of the key drivers according to new data from Mintel and Leatherhead Food Research.
Dried distillers grain, produced during ethanol processing has until now only found use in animal feed. But that could soon change after US researchers developed a way to turn this by-product in to a value-added food grade ingredient.
Rudi Favila, president of mezcal wholesaler and importer Premium Mezcales, tells Ben Bouckley that Oaxacan spirit mezcal can ditch its old man image to stoke spirits across the US and beyond…
Martin Concannon, founder and MD of Kentucky-based consultancy, Lafayette Associates, tells BeverageDaily.com how the media firestorm that followed High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) in recent years was in part whipped-up by social media following a 2004...
Speaking from the show floor of InterBev in Las Vegas, Richard Hall, founder and chair of Zenith International reveals 20 words to sum up themes and trends for the next 20 years, then sums up six decades in six words.
Cott Beverages VP of marketing, Jon Biller, tells BeverageDaily.com that his firm often 'fast follows' where big brands lead, but that retailers are now demanding innovation, as evidenced by a recent first to market launch.
Ingredient distributor Univar is looking to connect with the new generation of R&D professionals in new ways - and is inspiring novel formats for traditional favorites in the process.
New product developers need to be aware that texture has a strong impact on how flavor is perceived and should be considered at the beginning of the NPD process, according to president of TIC Gums Greg Andon.
The food industry is under pressure from all sides to improve the nutritional content of foods intended for children's consumption - and there are big opportunities for companies to get ahead of the curve, according to ConAgra Mills' director...
Fair Trade imports into the US grew 75% in 2011, as food manufacturers look to secure their supply chains through more direct contact with suppliers - and as they bet on growing demand from 'conscious consumers', says Fair Trade USA president...
Solbar is preparing for strong global growth in the wake of its acquisition by farmer agri-cooperative CHS, according to Todd Watson, CHS global protein sales and development manager for food and food ingredients.
Stevia supplier PureCircle has released an analysis of its carbon and water use throughout the supply chain, which it claims could help food and beverage manufacturers to meet their own sustainability targets.
Which flavors are we likely to see more of in the coming year? And what's on the way out? FoodNavigator-USA asked flavor and seasoning experts at the recent Research Chefs Association expo in Texas.
A ruling that will see the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) gain extended access to food industry records will “weed out” those companies that have not been cooperative during food safety incidents in the past.
