While most plant-based categories saw year-over-year unit sales slide last year in the face of higher prices to offset inflation, a handful of categories bucked the trend – including plant-based cream cheese, sour cream and spreads.
Since Omeat raised $40 million in Series A funding in 2022, the company enters the cultivated meat category with founder and CEO Ali Khademhosseini at the helm. Backers include the prominent VCs S2G Ventures, Google Ventures (GV), Bold Capital Partners,...
Sustainability and future-proofing the food system
Creating a more sustainable food system is a massive undertaking that not only requires a contribution from everyone but will require everyone to work together – often through pre-competitive collaboration and public-private partnerships focused on innovation,...
Within plant-based milks, almond may dominate sales and oat may be the fastest growing sub-segment, but an increasing variety of nut-, seed-, legume- and grain-based options are coming to market – simultaneously fragmenting and growing the overall segment.
PepsiCo Beverages North America (PBNA) held a ceremonial groundbreaking for its new 115,000-square-foot distribution facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado this week.
Cultivated meat could debut on upscale restaurant menus in the US in as little as a few weeks or months after the USDA on Wednesday gave the greenlight for UPSIDE Foods and GOOD Meat to sell their “cell-cultured chicken” in the US.
Poultry producer Perdue Farms is shaking up what’s possible with direct-to-consumer offerings with new digital avenues, as it tells a better story about its animal welfare strategy, brand CMO and SVP of e-commerce David Zucker told FoodNavigator-USA in...
Sustainability messages can have a “dramatic amplifier effect” on brands’ reach and appeal when paired with traditional category claims such as “tastes great,” but to fully leverage their power marketers should focus on how sustainability claims benefit...
In today’s era of sustainability, rising ingredient and energy prices, reducing waste by extending shelf life is more imperative than ever. But what implications does this have for clean labels? Where do manufacturers draw the line between extending shelf...
Meat-packing giant JBS begrudgingly agreed to discontinue “aspirational” claims about its goal to reach ‘net zero’ greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 after failing to convince an advertising watchdog that consumers would not interpret the commitment as...
After overcoming a period of declining sales and discontinuation from retailers like Walmart and Walgreens, The Vita Coco co-founder and executive chairman Mike Kirban discussed the company’s operational strategy including brand exposure, reaching consumers...
Snack maker Mondelēz is embracing in-store and digital shopping experiences, as the company is committed to the direct-to-consumer (DTC) model for the long haul, company director of global eCommerce Abhishek Ahluwalia told FoodNavigator-USA in an interview...
Even in the face of widening price gaps, Kraft Heinz is unwilling to bring back the deep-discounts that were prevalent pre-pandemic – preferring instead to elevate and invest more in marketing and R&D so promotions and products are better tailored...
As CPG companies look to boost efficiencies during an economically challenging year, organizations like Bumble Bee Seafood are beginning to revamp their e-commerce strategy with a keen focus on return on investment (ROI) while also looking to streamline...
Ice cream brand Heritage Kulfi is preparing to take its portfolio of South-Asian flavors to the Midwest and Northeast with the help of KeHE’s ELEVATE program, as brand founder Mansoor Ahmed told FoodNavigator-USA.
The move is part of the Special K, Coco Pops and Corn Flakes maker’s drive to become a more inclusive employer: recognising that a university degree doesn’t always have a correlation to the contribution that someone can make within a role.
Sustainability and future-proofing the food system
Alternative proteins hold significant potential to help combat climate change by offering a more environmentally sustainable alternative to animal agriculture – a benefit that could help them unlock much-needed funding and strategic support to refine...
As CPG brands and retailers respond to shifting consumers behaviors -- from trading down to private label to more brick-and-mortar shopping -- they need to put aside preconceived notions of what consumers want and use data and their internal resources...
People who consumed foods with medium and high levels of live microbes had better health markers, including decreased blood pressure, BMI and insulin levels, says a recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition.
Driven by consumer demand for healthy and environmentally sound products, JUST Egg’s pourable and folded eggs are now available in 48,000 retail locations in the US and Canada.
While M&A activity is slower, the total capital invested in 2022 remains similar to previous years, with an increase in venture capital funds in the food and beverage industry, and trends surrounding plant-based food, private label and automation,...
A slight uptick in the price of food at home in May from April after months of steady decline isn’t as worrisome to some industry stakeholders as it could be given year-over-year food prices continued to slow and remained far lower than the double-digit...
T. Hasegawa USA is ramping up its mission to ‘make life taste better’ through next gen tech innovations that not only perfectly replicate the flavours of nature, but pinpoint specific nuances, which could be a game-changer in getting your baked treat...
French ingredients company Roquette has opened up a new food innovation centre, focusing on developing a wide range of foods with a small number of ingredients, prominently pea protein, wheat protein, polyols, soluble fibres and starches. FoodNavigator...
Nearly 2,000 companies and 270 trade groups, including those representing grocers, convenience stores and other retailers that sell packaged food and beverages, are calling for the swift passage of legislation that could lower credit and debit card swipe...
With Climax Foods’ unveiling today of its new plant-based casein Caseed, the biotech startup claims to have cracked the code on recreating the functionality, flavor and performance of dairy cheese – but without the animal and without any of the top eight...
Better-for-you beverage brand Swoon is kicking off summer with two new flavors of its zero-sugar beverage - a Barbie Pink Lemonade and Lemon Iced Tea & Raspberry Iced Tea - as the demand for zero sugar products increases, brand co-founder Cristina...
Despite efforts to upcycle ingredients, promote so-called ugly produce and educate retailers and consumers about how to sell and use food before it spoils, food waste in the US remains at a stubborn 30%, in part due to inaccuracies predicting consumer...
When it comes getting products on shelves, entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds often face unique challenges that major retailers like Target are addressing with their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and incubator programs, Toyin Kolawole,...
The application-based program will deliver two FarmboxRx packages for six months containing a variety of fresh produce and essential pantry items for 200 households. In addition, households will receive information to help them prepare nutritious meals,...
Critical supply chains are finally “normalizing” after the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupted transportation and slowed production, triggering bottlenecks and driving up inflation to 40-year highs, according to a White House report card...
MyForestFoods recently raised $15 million in Series A-2 funding to support the growth of its portfolio across the East Coast, including its mycelium bacon aptly called MyBacon, which was featured at the Vegan Women Summit in New York City May 19. The...
Agriculture cooperative Blue Diamond Growers is partnering with AI-based bioactive company Brightseed to explore the health benefits of nonpareil California almonds, as the nut brand tries to better position itself among health-conscious consumers, looking...
Legislation reintroduced yesterday could add another layer of oversight – and office – for food safety at FDA as the agency reimagines and tries to repair what many consider a broken review system for the nation’s food supply.
Sustainability and future-proofing the food system
Improving the sustainability of the food system is no longer optional from an optics and long-term business perspective, but short-term challenges – including consumer engagement – threaten immediate and mid-range returns and margins, complicating the...
While scaling is a challenge for the plant-based industry, Tindle is focused on leveraging its minimal assets to expand its US presence through meal kits primarily sold online and limited retail launches, JJ Kass, VP of business development and strategy...
Uncrustables maker JM Smucker delivered better than expected net sales and profit margins in its fourth quarter thanks in part to higher prices and the return to market of popular peanut butter brand JIF after a massive recall in the spring of 2022 due...
Natural cereal brand Three Wishes is tapping into a tried-and-true nostalgic flavor for its latest limited-time-offering with s'mores, as the brand looks to capitalize on the demand for better-for-you and allergen-conscious food products, brand CEO...
The company’s manufacturing plant in Bloomington, Ill.n will feature a chocolate processing facility and a Kinder Bueno production line. The plant is expected to strengthen the company’s presence in the US, while showcasing its diverse portfolio, Hugh...
FoodNavigator-USA sat down with Neggst’s CEO, Verónica García Arteaga, during the NYC Vegan Women Summit to discuss the company’s plans to scale up and the brand’s technical considerations in producing a plant-based egg that resembles a chicken egg from...
While the cultivated meat industry has overcome significant upstream processing and regulatory hurdles in the past year, new market research suggests startups still face notable downstream food manufacturing challenges that could place them – along with...
Animal agriculture accounts for more than half of all green house gas emissions from the food system, but asking consumers to cut back for the sake of the environment likely won’t go very far given demand for high quality protein is on the rise as the...
Moroccan food and beverage brand Mina is gearing up to expand in the US and around the globe with a new production facility and plans to enter the snack category with an on-the-go olive snack, brand founder Fouad Kallamni told FoodNavigator-USA.
Apple juice with more than 10 parts per billion of inorganic arsenic along with other factors could trigger enforcement action by FDA, the agency warned yesterday in guidance finalized ten years after it first proposed the limit.
Frozen treat brand Chloe's is going bite-size with its latest ice cream sandwich minis to provide an inclusive indulgence option for consumers looking to cool off this summer, brand CEO and co-founder Michael Sloan told FoodNavigator-USA.
Already a cult-favorite among Gen Z coffee and tea drinkers who prize quality but also want a bit of whimsy, Chamberlain Coffee hopes to expand its appeal, distribution and usage occasions in the coming months with an infusion of $7m in follow-on series...
Sustainability and future-proofing the food system
With between a quarter and a third of human caused greenhouse gas emissions linked to food production and climate change intensifying to a point that its impacting how, where and when key crops are grown, improving sustainability in the food system is...
BeyondSKU - a New York-based accelerator for consumer-packaged goods (CPGs) - has issued a callout for F&B startups to apply for the next programme in in September.