Drinkable soup brand Tio Gazpacho has made its first executive hire with the appointment of beverage industry veteran Matt Merson as VP general manager. FoodNavigator-USA caught up with founder Austin Allan at the Specialty Food Association’s Winter Fancy...
Faba Butter uses aquafaba – the viscous liquid left over from cooking chickpeas – to bind water, coconut oil and a plant-based liquid oil to create a vegan buttery spread claimed to blow rivals out of the water. Elaine Watson caught up with brand owner...
Bored of popcorn, but looking for something equally light on the snacking front? Lotus Pops – a popped lotus seed snack on show at the Winter Fancy Food Show – meets consumer demand for guilt-free snacks that still deliver on taste and texture, claims...
The nut butter aisle has expanded well beyond the humble peanut in recent years, with almond, cashew and hazelnut options in many retailers. But walnuts present more of a challenge, says new market entrant Wellnut Farms.
From entrepreneurs pioneering new farming methods and food technologies, to big brands adjusting to the changing landscape, FOOD VISION USA 2017 brought together a wide cross-section of industry players to explore how the industry is facing the challenges...
Geltor seeks to disrupt gelatin market with potentially game-changing animal-free alternative
As anyone that’s tried a vegan gummy bear lately will tell you, it’s incredibly hard to replicate the unique properties of gelatin, a gelling agent derived from animal skin, bones and connective tissues used in everything from candies to Jello. But what...
The first commercial products from Hampton Creek’s clean (aka cultured) meat production platform – launching at the end of 2018 - will be in the poultry family, and could be targeted at retail and foodservice customers, says the company, which has just...
While household penetration of plant-based alternatives to meat in the US is only a small a fraction, innovation and sales in the category are poised for growth and could mirror the trajectory of plant-based milks, predicts a senior scientist with the...
The majority of millennials (72%) seek experiences over material objects: motivating beverage brands like Perrier to test out-of-home, multi-sensory marketing to effectively target a mobile generation of consumers, says CEO of Kinetic Worldwide North...
Undeterred by savory yogurt’s failure to find traction in the US, the ever optimistic start-up The Chaat Co. is evolving its portfolio and branding to better meet American consumers where they are and to reinforce its original mission to be a broad-based...
Chobani quietly withdrew its Oats and savory meze dip lines amid lackluster sales… but both concepts have legs, and will return, in some form, to the US market, says president and COO Tim Brown.
Consumers with sensitivities to cow’s milk who have begrudgingly forgone dairy-heavy comfort foods such as pizza and mac & cheeses or turned to plant-based options but miss the taste and texture of “real dairy” now have another option: Funny Farm’s...
Grasshoppers have several distinct advantages over crickets as a food ingredient, claims Dror Tamir at Israeli edible insect start-up Hargol FoodTech, who caught up with FoodNavigator-USA editor Elaine Watson at FOOD VISION USA in Chicago.
The stubborn rise of obesity rates in America despite the launch of a wide-range of calorie-restricting ‘diet’ products and exercise plans underscores the difficulty of weight loss, but emerging research on the role of the gut microbiota in the battle...
The arrival of 2017 may have marked the end of the year of the pulse, but new products featuring lentils and legumes continue to flood the market and gain traction with consumers thanks to the many benefits they offer, including weight management, heart...
As the war on sugar gains momentum, plant-based beverage company Califia Farms is cutting back the sugar content across its product portfolio by 40% while still offering consumers who want something sweet options that are more in-line with World Health...
New research on the health benefits of pistachios to help manage gestational diabetes could open up a whole new consumer group for the nut and the products that contain it, according to researchers and nutritionists who spoke at the Food & Nutrition...
Pasta is often passed over by consumers who perceive it as having ‘too many carbs,’ or not being nutritionally dense or simply taking too long to prepare – but Barilla is making it a snap to make as part of a healthy meal with its new Ready Pasta pouches.
Animal agriculture in the US is often criticized for its heavy environmental impact, but data from the National Dairy Council tells a very different story – one of farmers using technology to improve the sustainability of their lands and dairy production....
Annie's unveils ‘Your House. Your Snacks’ social media campaign
While General Mills’ group sales have been pretty lackluster of late, its natural and organic brand Annie’s – which notched up double-digit growth in measured channels in the latest quarter – continues to attract new consumers, with household penetration...
The Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED) continues to commission key studies to support the quality and efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids, with recent meta-analyses of the health benefits starting to impact policy and regulatory conversations.
In America we tend to think more is better, but when it comes to solving the rising problem of malnutrition or hidden hunger – fortifying foods with higher levels of vitamins and minerals or creating supplements with nutrient levels that far exceed the...
Tumbling soda sales have opened the door to the mainstream market for a variety of functional beverages that were previously relegated to the natural channel, including kombuncha sales of which, according to one entrepreneur, grew 41% to $534 million...
As recently as two years ago, bone broth was virtually unheard of by the masses, but now it is seemingly everywhere with newcomers crowding the category and pushing early players such as Bonafide Provisions to innovate to stay ahead of the competition.
Which ingredients should be classified as dietary fibers and why? Elaine Watson caught up with Dr Dennis Gordon from North Dakota State University (NDSU) at the IFT show in Las Vegas as the FDA considers petitions from suppliers of everything from inulin...
Canadian bug powder supplier Entomo Farms is still doing most of its business with snack food companies, but VP Darren Goldin – chatting with FoodNavigator-USA at the IFT show - envisions a future where frozen raw insects (as well as the roasted and milled...
"The conversion away from partially hydrogenated oils is really an opportunity to re-engineer cakes themselves," says Corbion as it launches SweetPro, a new line of trans fat-free emulsifiers that allow manufacturers to swap expensive bakery...
To many consumers, ‘processed food’ is just another term for ‘junk food.’ It’s hard to define, but we know it when we see it (Twinkies). But do we know a ‘highly processed’ ingredient when we see it, and how much processing is too much? Elaine Watson...
The controversial requirement to list added sugar on the nutrition facts panel has divided the industry. Though different parties may disagree on whether or not the move is good or bad for the industry, many agree that it will certainly change the landscape.
One product that generated quite a buzz at the IFT show this year was NuBana green banana flour from International Agriculture Group (IAG). Elaine Watson caught up with VP marketing and business development (and resistant starch guru) Rhonda Witwer to...
Producing ‘clean’ meat by culturing cells – instead of raising or slaughtering animals - is a new frontier in food production, but will it require a new regulatory framework, and what should we call it? Elaine Watson caught up with one food law attorney...
Consumer demand for products that are authentic and ethnic is not only prompting brand manufacturers to innovate it is also raising the competitive bar at retailers, according to industry experts.
Between 1 to 3 million people in the United States follow the paleo diet, and yet relatively few packaged products comply with the regime – making it a market brimming with potential that once tapped could quickly drive brand awareness and sales, according...
As the issue of food waste rises in prominence in the US, industry players are stepping up to the plate to save scraps and reduce waste, including Baldor Specialty Foods, which recently undertook an ambitious food waste reduction plan called Sparcs.
More than a hundred representatives for the organic industry descended on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, last Thursday to extol to legislators the benefits of their industry to the US economy and ask for additional funding and help expand organic practices...
According to the nonprofit Feeding America, 126 billion pounds of food is wasted each year in America – a staggering number that prompted USDA and EPA to challenge producers, manufacturers and consumers to help reduce food loss and waste by 50% by 2030.
Sports nutrition is a booming industry, with Euromonitor estimating a value of $7.4bn in the US. When we went to the streets and asked a few gym-goers what they buy, to no surprise, it was all protein.
Thermoplastic resin producer Braskem has partnered with Clemson University in the US and Rio Grande do Sul Federal University (UFRGS) in Brazil to create intelligent packaging which can change color if a product is unfit for consumption.
Launching a food business takes more than secret family recipe – it also takes money, equipment, space and in-depth knowledge about regulations, distribution and marketing, which can be hard for some startups to coordinate by themselves.
The idea of eating a burger grown in a lab rather than from a cow raised on a farm and slaughtered for its meat may sound like something out of a science fiction story set far in the future, but in reality the commercialization of so-called “clean meat”...
In many ways, the conversation about GMOs has been a debate about good versus evil, but ingredient supplier Cargill wants to shift the discussion to one simply about choice – a goal that one executive says can only be achieved if manufacturers and suppliers...
While SmartLabel is still in its relative infancy, manufacturers are flocking to the technology to help them provide the in-depth information that today’s consumers want as part of the clean label movement, but which might not fit on product packaging.
Assuming FDA does not delay the deadline for the new Nutrition Fact label as requested by industry, then large companies have slightly more than a year left to overcome challenges associated with added sugar, the new definition of dietary fiber, changes...
Today’s consumers want products that are natural, sustainable and environmentally friendly, but manufacturers hoping to appeal to these values face significant threats from lawsuits alleging greenwashing and evolving regulations and enforcement efforts...
If freeze-dried fruit conjures up images of space food, or brightly colored soggy bits floating in your breakfast cereal, you should buy a bag of Crunchies, and reassess, says CEO Scott Jacobson, who says that when it comes to fruit & veggie snacks,...
Annie's sales set to reach $400m in fiscal 2017, says president
While some commentators baulked at the $820m General Mills parted with to get its hands on Annie’s, the brand has gone from strength to strength since the deal closed in late October 2014, with sales set to reach $400m this fiscal year, and household...
Americans may be becoming more adventurous in what they eat – seeking international flavors and products – but some retailers and buyers are hesitant to stock these types of new products for fear that they won’t sell once they are on store shelves.
Starting and growing a company is hard – especially in the highly competitive food and beverage industry, but Austin, Texas-based accelerator SKU is tipping the odds of success in favor of entrepreneurs with its “proven blend of mentorship, community,”...
McDonalds, Panera and other high profile food service companies took notable steps last year to introduce “healthier” chicken products, but frozen poultry product producer Hip Chick Farms thinks more can done and it is stepping up the plate to push change...
