What’s the most efficient way to make meat, outside of an animal, at scale? Startups in the nascent cultivated meat space are deploying multiple approaches from hybrid strategies combining cell biomass and plant-based protein, to tissue engineering and...
Biomanufacturing everything from ‘animal-free’ dairy and egg proteins and high-intensity natural sweeteners to heat-and pH-stable red pigments is a hot topic in food tech. But which microbes will be the production workhorses in future, will new cell-free...
Is there such a thing as ‘climate positive’ food, and can we compare products at a glance and determine which is the more environmentally-friendly choice based on claims made on pack?
“It's very frustrating to hear people talk all the time about transportation and power [in conversations about climate change] when right in front of you three times a day, there is a solution that's more impactful,” observed Beyond Meat founder...
Buoyed by a $120m series B funding round, Israeli startup Remilk is building what it claims is the world’s largest precision fermentation facility in Denmark. FoodNavigator-USA visited the firm’s HQ in Rehovot last week to taste some animal-free dairy...
Growing meat from cells in bioreactors instead of living breathing animals should logically be more efficient, as resources are spent on growing only the cells that make up the meat product rather than keeping an animal alive. But it’s never been done...
While sales of plant-based products across the board continue to slide, consumer data from Evergi shows at least one segment is bucking the trend – frozen meals and bowls – an area into which the fast-growing vegan brand Strong Roots is eagerly expanding...
Childhood hunger is a serious problem in the US, so at first blush it may appear flippant that General Mills created a full-sized slide that extends from a giant cereal box into a bowl of heart-shaped Cheerio pillows to raise awareness and funds for the...
While plant-based is still one of the hottest trends in food and beverage, sales and consumer engagement with alternative proteins have slid in recent quarters – prompting some players in the space to rethink their strategy.
While homogenous plant-based patties, nuggets and sausages abound, few currently available meat alternatives recreate the multi-layered experience of biting though skin to release a juicy burst of flavor that is reinforced by a marbling of fat or the...
NFL free agent player and ESPN broadcaster Tim Tebow is joining the ranks of low-sugar, plant-based nutrition bar company NuSkool Snacks, a move founder and CEO Joe Christensen believes will help the brand secure new accounts and distribution.
There is no silver bullet that will singularly transform the economics of cell-cultured/cultivated meat, but technology developed by Israeli startup ProFuse Technology that dramatically speeds up the muscle fiber production process and enhances production...
With 33 years operating in the natural foods industry, national food broker PRESENCE has seen many trends come and go and others grow into long-term growth drivers for the industry.
While retailers’ practice of displaying an overabundance of fresh produce, baked goods, meat and dairy alongside shelves stacked deep with staples effectively boosts sales by enticing consumers to buy more, it also costs the industry a whopping $37m a...
Snacking behaviors evolved in a few key ways over the past few years as consumers balanced familiarity with health and wellness and are now looking to expand and diversify their snacking routines, says Brigette Wolf, VP, global head of SnackFutures at...
In a highly competitive industry in which 80-85% of new products fail in the first two years, natural grocery distributor KeHE consistently picks winners and fosters growth among emerging brands thanks to several key initiatives, including its TrendFinder...
While regenerative agriculture resonates with rising consumer interest in sustainability, it can be difficult to explain in snappy marketing sound bites and callouts – prompting natural and organic meat company Applegate to try a different approach through...
From reishi to lion’s mane, ‘medicinal’ mushrooms are gaining traction in foods and beverages, buoyed by growing interest in adaptogens and immunity, says Four Sigmatic CEO Tero Isokauppila, who caught up with FoodNavigator-USA at the Natural Products...
Above Food has been quietly building a plant-based foods portfolio which spans plant-based seafood to plant-based cheese, and its market presence is about to explode with the unveiling of a disruptive, more sustainable, oat processing technology that...
With fresh leadership and a portfolio intended to address a consumer's every need state, Laird Superfood is on a strong path towards significant long-term growth and profitability, said the company's new president and CEO Jason Vieth at the...
Billed as friendlier on the gut, The a2 Milk Co's milk comes from cows that only produce A2 beta casein protein. But how much science is behind it, and what share could it ultimately take of the US fluid milk market? We caught up with Blake Waltrip,...
Boston-based Motif FoodWorks says it is “very confident” it will prevail in its legal spat with Impossible Foods over a new generation of ‘meaty’ flavors produced by precision fermentation.
Worth an estimated $1.94b globally in 2020 and slated to grow at a compound annual rate of 17.7%, according to Research & Markets data*, the plant-based yogurt category is hitting its stride, even as manufacturers struggle to balance nutrition, mouthfeel...
Tattooed Chef, a rapidly-growing plant-based frozen foods brand, is entering new categories beyond the frozen foods aisle and into refrigerated snack bars and snacking chips.
Kraft Heinz has just teamed up with foodtech startup NotCo to create a joint venture that will develop co-branded plant-based foods across multiple categories, with the first products to launch this year. FoodNavigator-USA caught up with NotCo co-founder...
The temporary freeze on mergers and acquisitions in the food and beverage space seen in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak is long gone as deal making in the segment rebounded in 2021 to levels rivaling pre-pandemic – but many of the companies...
FoodNavigator travels to Paris to take its first bite of a cell-based chicken ingredient, asking the chef: ‘What’s it like to cook with cultivated meat?’
With the holiday season in full swing, Americans who are looking for safe ways to celebrate with friends and family increasingly are turning to dessert boards – a flexible, emerging trend that Dawn Foods says meets evolving consumer demands, has ‘unlimited...
Roquette - a key supplier of protein to Beyond Meat – has opened what it claims is the world’s largest pea protein plant in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada, becoming the first player to operate major pea protein facilities on both sides of the Atlantic....
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist (although it did take a materials scientist) to work out that if you can double, triple, or even quadruple the shelf-life of fresh produce, you can slash food waste, and save money.
While scientists are still unlocking the secrets of the microbiome, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the billions of bugs in our bodies are intimately connected to our health and wellbeing. But how far have we come since Jamie Lee Curtis first introduced...
Fresh Bellies has pivoted away from its original line of HPP fresh baby food and refocused its resources and efforts on the kids snacking category, a decision CEO and founder Saskia Sorrosa says has put the brand on the map in a big way.
As Vejii prepares to go public on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) in the coming weeks, co-founder and CEO Kory Zelickson shares how the company is leveraging its data and consumer insights to create the best plant-based shopping experience for...
Supply chain challenges exacerbated by the pandemic have bolstered consumer interest in buying local to better support farmers, ensure product quality and reduce environmental impact, but many do not want to sacrifice the savings or year-around variety...
Outer Aisle Gourmet – which makes sandwich thins, pizza crusts, and wraps using fresh cauliflower as the #1 ingredient – is gearing up to open its third manufacturing facility to meet growing demand for its grain-free, low-carb products.
When it comes to packaging, is it always clear which is the most environmentally-friendly choice? Mixed material packaging combining high levels of paperboard, for example, is often touted as a greener choice than plastic, but if most of it ends up in...
From plant-based and nutritionally enhanced products to improved sustainability and packaging innovations, the 45 startups participating in FoodBytes! by Rabobank’s Pitch 2021 competition announced today hit on some of the hottest trends and biggest challenges...
For a company with an over 90-year history, Ocean Spray is still in its early days of tapping into the kids beverage category with its Growing Goodness line, a functional line of kids juice products with no added sugar.
Climate change, labor shortages, inflation and strained supply chains threaten manufacturers’ and suppliers’ ability to ethically source, safely produce and efficiently deliver the foods consumers want at prices they can afford -- but what if there was...
The latest consumer price index reveals food prices have climbed 3.4% over the past year, reflecting a slow but steady month over month increase that likely won’t stop any time soon as ingredient, material and labor shortages continue.
Meat, egg, and dairy ‘alternatives’ usually come with qualifying language (plant-based eggs; meatless nuggets, oatmilk). But what should we call next generation products that are not simply mimicking the real thing, but in many cases, are the ‘real’ thing,...
Recruiting and maintaining top talent in the food industry was difficult long before the coronavirus outbreak, but for many retailers and manufacturers labor challenges have intensified during the pandemic as the type of work, where it takes place and...
The premium ice cream business can be pretty brutal – just ask Three Twins, Clemmy’s and Ample Hills – with regional brands now slugging it out with multinationals and a flurry of VC-backed startups in a market offering a bewildering array of options...
The nascent allergen introduction category is gaining credibility, visibility and reach with retailer Target creating in select stores a dedicated section of products that help caregivers conveniently and safely follow clinical guidelines to introduce...
Forced by the pandemic to change where and how they buy groceries, consumers in the past 16 months have been exposed to a wide range of shopping experiences – online and in store, good and bad – which simultaneously eroded their loyalty and raised their...
For a fraction of the price and hassle of in-person sampling or focus groups, the new product discovery and data analytics platform Snack Drop allows emerging brands to offer goods directly to consumers in exchange for honest feedback and detailed information...
Convincing children to eat their vegetables doesn’t have to be a struggle, according to the founders of Tiny Organics, who, with an infusion of $11 million in Series A funding, are helping kids break the sugar addiction with which they are born by replacing...
With a new name and a new fund, Loft Growth Partners – formerly known as 2x Consumer Products Growth Partners for the past 20 years – is looking to invest $60m in six or seven emerging brands that solve complex problems, are led by ‘pathological optimists’...
Poverty in the coffee industry is an “enduring crisis,” despite US consumers’ willingness to pay upwards of $16-$22 per 12-ounce bag of roasted coffee and a premium for products that promise to ethically source beans and pay farmers a fair price.
