Functional coffee and tea brand Clevr Blends is taking a “deep, not wide” approach to growing beyond its direct-to-consumer (DTC) roots and into Target, brand founder and CEO, Hannah Mendoza, told FoodNavigator-USA during a Startup Spotlight video.
Startup élevé distinguishes its adaptogenic sparkling water brand in a saturated market through its vintage-inspired packaging, natural ingredients and distribution, co-founders and CEOs Tanya Major and Dianna Aguilar tell FoodNavigator-USA in this episode...
The discontinuation of Eat Just Inc.'s Just Mayo and Just Ranch products in 2020, despite market success, was a strategic play to “put every bit of energy into JUST Egg,” the company’s flagship animal-free liquid egg alternative, before relaunching...
Better-for-you confection newcomer Rotten’s early distribution gains since it launched in September underscores an unmet consumer desire for candy that cuts back on sugar and artificial ingredients, but not the fun.
Finding a reliable manufacturer that can meet product specifications and has production capacity that aligns with supply needs is one of the biggest challenges brands face, but a new matching platform launching today could simplify and dramatically shorten...
Winner of the first season of Netflix’s Snack vs. Chef show, Lauryn Bodden, is taking her award-winning noodle snack concept from TV screens to store shelves with the official launch of S’NOODS, as she shared in the recent episode of FoodNavigator-USA’s...
While many entrepreneurs adopt a “sky’s the limit” mentality, few literally reach it the way that Whoa Dough did when American Airlines began offering its first class passengers the company’s better-for-you, plant-based and protein-packed cookie dough...
The founder of startup Harken Sweets, which launched earlier this month, wants to “nutritionally overhaul” the candy bar category by using “the power of the date fruit,” like how she helped Caulipower reinvigorate the pizza category with the “power of...
Nick Bertram, the recently appointed CEO of Flashfood, an app-based platform that links consumers with discounted groceries in their vicinity, discussed with FoodNavigator-USA how the company's rebranding, driven by robust data insights, will expand...
A new report from personalized nutrition and health consulting company Nlumn highlights findings from the first U.S. consumer study focused specifically on personalized nutrition consumers.
The frozen dessert aisle may feel frozen in another time to some consumers who are looking for clean labels but who are often confronted by long ingredient lists with preservatives, additives, processing aids and emulsifiers that are unfamiliar and may...
Plant-based milk brand milkadamia moves into the refrigerated set and proves “less is more” with the debut of its organic Artisan macadamia milk and blends line that skips the fillers and gums common in many non-dairy beverages and responds to a growing...
Female-founded startup Evergreen is ready to go head-to-head with legacy players that currently dominate the $1.2 billion frozen waffle set with a brightly-colored, playful new look and an updated recipe packed with fruit and vegetables that promises...
While the vegan cheese category continues to face headwinds in the market, South Korea-based startup Armored Fresh is turning to its technology to address taste and price challenges, company VP Andrew Yu told FoodNavigator-USA in a Startup Spotlight video...
Organic grocer, Earth Fare, collaborates with GenoPalate, a DNA-driven nutrition platform team up to offer personalized prepared meal kits and supplement blends that are tailored to users' genetic data, integrating both nutrition technology with...
Participating in Costco’s RoadShow and interacting directly with consumers to sample its gut-friendly, cashew dessert spreads gave WOC-founded startup ELAVI insights that would have “cost thousands of dollars” to acquire elsewhere, allowing it to make...
Food-tech investment is staging a comeback in 2024 as investors focus on sustainability, including plant-based meat technologies and companies, Nadav Berger, founder of venture capital (VC) firm PeakBridge, shared during the first part in a two-part video...
Private-equity firm Forward Consumer Partners started 2024 with an oversubscribed $425m debut fund, at a time that the private equity markets might be opening to food and beverage companies, Matt Leeds, managing partner at private equity firm Forward...
Riverside Natural Foods, the parent company of MadeGood and GOOD TO GO, is tapping into the need for allergen-free snacks at all hours of the day, as the company is staying focused on business fundamentals to grow its brand in the new year, company president...
A recent white paper published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) on the sustainable production of nutritious foods through processing technology highlights how various processing techniques can improve food and nutrition security. Yet the challenge...
Pioneering the growth of nutrient-dense duckweed in its indoor farm, Israeli start-up Green Onyx launched its flagship product, Wanna Greens, to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard SpaceX. The mission allows them to test their innovative cultivation...
High-quality consumer data is essential to successfully innovating and marketing new CPG products – but it is also expensive and difficult to obtain via traditional research methods, and it can take so long to gather and analyze that it could be out of...
Beverage startups need to prioritize strategic merchandising, promotions, and digital strategies over rushing to get on store shelves to grow their brand, advised Bill Sipper, consultant and manager partner at Cascadia Managing Brands, in an interview...
Plant Press founder Ariana Farahani took to the stage at the BevNET LIVE event this week to share her brand’s vision for a clean energy drink during the New Beverage Showdown, as the brand readies for retail expansion with the help of a $1.2m seed round.
While Plenty will continue growing leafy greens in its 100,000 square foot Compton, Calif., facility to retailers like Walmart, the indoor vertical farm heads for the East coast to Richmond, Va., where it will use Driscoll’s genetic know-how to grow flavorful...
Tyson Foods celebrated the much-anticipated grand opening of a new 325,000-square-foot fully-cooked food production facility in Danville, Va., last week – marking a significant milestone in its “bold,” multi-point plan to improve its performance, which...
Addressing convenience, value, sustainability and of course, flavor, Explorer’s line of cold brew coffee and chai concentrates offer consumers a variety of caffeine levels to personalize their coffee experience. Explorer’s founder, Cason Crane, sat down...
FoodNavigator-USA sat down with Stacey Dean, USDA’s deputy undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services (FNS) to discuss how the agency is working to improve access for over six million eligible families not currently utilizing WIC based on...
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is readying food and beverage professionals for the future of AI with several educational courses designed to provide instructions and insight on getting started with AI and how it might impact the industry moving...
Snack maker Calbee rolled out a private-label concept brand Rio Rancho and showcased its snack manufacturing capabilities at the 2023 Private Label Manufacturing Association event, Tim Bateman, chief commercial officer for Calbee America, shared during...
Increased scrutiny of environmental sustainability claims by regulators and competitors has many brands turning to third-party certifications to reassure consumers about claims’ veracity and to protect against litigation – but recent movements in the...
Bakery&Snacks caught up with ABA president and CEO Eric Dell at iba - a leading trade fair for the bakery and confection industry - where the American Bakers Association (ABA) had teamed up with Bakery Equipment Manufacturers and Allieds (BEMA) and...
The growing food as medicine movement has the potential to support not just the health of patients who are managing diet-related disease, but also that of the planet and local economies depending on how the food is grown and sourced, industry stakeholders...
As the concept of “food as medicine” gains traction, doctors, dietitians and insurers already active in the space are keen to distinguish the difference between “better-for-you” products and those proven to effect a health change and therefore worthy...
Despite notable advances in alternative protein production in 2023, including clearing regulatory hurdles, increasing capacity and expanding distribution, the segment faces significant hurdles, including questions about safety, sales and its ability to...
Bethany Gomez, managing director of the Brightfield Group, spoke with NutraIngredients-USA about the difficulties the cannabidiol industry is experiencing when it comes to defining itself.
Ivy Farm Technologies invites FoodNavigator to its pilot plant in Oxford, UK, to talk cultivated meat production, sustainability credentials, and plans for regulatory approval.
CPG brands are responding to consumer demand for better-for-you beverages with a bevy of claims from energy to gut health that are driving overall category growth, Becca Henrickson, category development and planning manager of beverages for NOAM at Tate...
Energy drinks might be on the cusp of the next better-for-you evolution, which will see natural sweeteners gain over sugar and artificial alternatives, as the market overall continues to see high demand and strong unit growth, Scott Dicker, market insight...
Coca-Cola addresses high traffic trash disposal – and by extension stubborn recycling challenges – in c-store locations by featuring Olyns' reverse vending machine that collects and sorts plastic, aluminum and glass packaging during the National...
Cooler Screens is hoping to transform retail media through its AI-enabled smart screen solutions. Arsen Avakian, CEO of Cooler Screens, spoke with FoodNavigator-USA at the National Association for Convenience Stores show about how brands can use the technology...
As brands ramp-up innovation to meet burgeoning consumer interest in upcycled products, industry stakeholders must overcome sourcing hurdles by modifying the supply chain from what the Upcycled Food Association describes as a “linear progression where...
When most people think about protein, they think about meat, dairy – maybe legumes – but food-tech newcomer Equii wants them to also think about bread, including its portfolio of soft, sliced white and multi-grain loaves that are packed with 8 to 10 grams...
Once relegated to the bottom shelf in the back corner of a store or hidden among the sparkling water or cocktail mixers, non-alcoholic beer, wine and spirits are breaking free from the stereotypes of who drinks them and when, and in doing so are setting...
With the launch of a new AI-powered data engine, pioneering decarbonization emissions platform Planet FWD continues to accelerate CPG companies ability to evaluate and neutralize their environmental impact, including stubborn and hard-to-mange Scope 3...
The diversity, availability and sales of plant-based foods continue to grow, despite the high-profile struggles of meat alternatives, and as they do, the Plant Based Foods Association is preparing to lead stakeholders into the next phase of the industry’s...
While most Americans love a sweet treat, many don’t love the accompanying spike in their blood sugar and inevitable crash that follows – forcing them to choose between an indulgence and their health.
Sugar has emerged as public enemy No. 1 among consumers and FDA is looking for sugar reduction strategies at the behest of the White House – and yet, most Americans still want moments of indulgence with many people justifying them as much-needed support...
Sitting between Greek yogurt and soft cheese, labne (sometimes spelled labneh) has the potential to be the next big dip in the US – potentially rivaling long-time creamy favorites Ranch and French Onion but with a better-for-you positioning – but first,...