San Diego-based flavor innovator Senomyx has entered into a collaborative agreement with PepsiCo to identify flavors with "modifying properties intended to restore the desired salty taste in products with reduced salt".
Who is driving innovation in the food and beverage industry today. Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, or the smaller, more agile companies they are investing in? And is that a bad thing? And is ‘disruptive innovation’ always the best kind? FoodNavigator-USA headed to...
Talking Rain’s Sparkling Ice brand plugs a market gap that Pepsi and Coca-Cola missed, enabling $350m in annual sales to tot up with little to no competition, its CEO says.
The creators of a semisweet cola believe that their healthier approach to indulgence is just the type of disruptive jolt the soda industry needs to get out of its so-called funk.
The use of mobile technologies and social media to connect with real consumers can help manufacturers gain better innovation insights for today and tomorrow, says Chris Cornyn.
Big interview: Ethan Brown and Brent Taylor, co-founders, Beyond Meat
“We’re a meat company that make products from plants”, say the entrepreneurs behind Beyond Meat, which makes "near-perfect replicas of meat" from plants. And they’re thinking big. After all, why settle for a slice of the $600m US meat-alternatives...
Despite a trend toward reduced sugar consumption in the US, many Americans are still getting far too much added sugar in their diets. But how do consumers really feel about sugar? And how should manufacturers address sugar and sugar reduction efforts...
More than half of Americans say they want more protein in their diets, while the percentage that claim to look for protein on the Nutrition Facts panel has increased from 20% in 2009 to 25% in 2013, according to market researcher NPD Group.
A former commodities trader with a passion for snacks, Robert Ehrlich turned Pirate’s Booty into a multimillion dollar brand. But can he strike gold again with his latest product, SexyPop? FoodNavigator-USA caught up with the ‘shaman of snacks’ to find...
As the focus has switched from fat to sugar as public enemy #1 in the battle against obesity and diabetes, juice - once promoted as a healthy alternative to soda - has been unfairly caught in the crossfire, claim manufacturers.
More yogurt innovation, plus Pringles finally does tortilla chips, brainy kids' cereals, South Asian flavors in a convenient package, Ghirardelli minis and more... Check out the latest and greatest food and beverage products hitting store shelves...
PepsiCo was the biggest loser in US carbonated soft drinks in 2013, according to Beverage Digest, with worrying volume and market share loss data contrasting sharply with Monster’s stellar sales.
FDA proposals to revoke the GRAS status of partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) in order to crack down on trans fats will cause massive headaches for gum manufacturers, according to the International Chewing Gum Association.
Attending a series of sessions on sugar reduction during the Institute of Food Technologists’ (IFT) 2014 Wellness conference, a few common themes kept resurfacing: that obesity remains a big problem, and that—like it or not—the sugar industry is assuming...
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has issued a complaint over Kellogg’s Memphis plant lockout, based on federal charges brought forward by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco and Grain Millers (BCTGM) union.
Top brands and new product launches are reaching increasingly segmented consumer groups through targeted, measured innovation, according to market research firm IRI Inc., which released its “New Product Pacesetters” and “Growth Leaders in CPGs” survey...
A labor attorney says there could be a number of reasons behind the Kellogg-BCTGM contract dispute and now that the National Labor Relations Board is involved, worse-case scenario it could end up in the US Supreme Court.
The BCTGM union has accused Kellogg of acting outside the law in its lockout, claiming employment terms held under a master contract can’t be negotiated, but Kellogg says the terms fall under a local, supplemental contract which expired last October.
Diet soda sales remain in a funk according to the latest Nielsen data, with dollar sales in the four weeks to March 15 plunging 7.3%. Regular soda fared somewhat better (+ 0.6%), while energy drinks (+8.3%) and sparkling water (+26.2%) continued to steam...
EXCLUSIVE INSIGHT FROM BCTGM ON KELLOGG MEMPHIS LOCKOUT
Kellogg’s Memphis lockout is unlawful because employment terms are covered by a master contract that cannot be negotiated ahead of expiry in 2015, says the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers union.
The name - Dr Praeger’s Sensible Foods - may not sound very sexy, but the sales figures certainly are, says Larry Praeger, CEO of a frozen food firm enjoying double-digit sales increases year-on-year in a category where many players are struggling to...
If chef-inspired brand LUVO grabbed a lot of the limelight at the recent Expo West show, another exhibitor on a mission to revitalize the frozen case is premium world cuisine brand Saffron Road, which has been generating enviable growth in both the conventional...
Confectioners can reduce reliance on the big seasons with packaging and formats that outlast one day events, licensing deals and distribution at holiday hot spots, according to Jelly Belly.
Sales of Blue Diamond Grower’s retail products - from Almond Breeze to Almond Nut Thins - have surged dramatically over the past five years and now account for nearly $500m in annual revenues, says its CEO.
AquaBounty Technologies - which is hoping to become the first company to introduce a genetically engineered (GE) animal to the human food supply - posted net losses of $4.7m in 2013, up from $4.4m in 2012.
While General Mills’ decision to rid Original Cheerios of GMOs has generated an enormous amount of publicity, it has not, apparently, translated to the top line.
How does an $8 bn packaged food and beverage business known for everything from condensed soup to fresh juices, skillet sauces to packaged snacks navigate the dynamic world of culinary trends? By building a team of chefs, marketers, food scientists and...
The makers of Third Street Chai have leveraged their partnership with Whole Foods Markets into a new line of ready-to-drink teas that will launch nationwide with the natural foods retailer this spring.
The National Advertising Division has recommended that Hershey modify its packaging and advertising for Brookside candies so consumers know the product is made with fruit flavors and not real fruit.
The BCTGM trade union has unveiled a social media campaign against Kellogg over the five-month Memphis lockout that has now entered into a legal phase.
The manufacturer of a ready-to-drink coffee beverage line looks to snag some market share from category-leading Starbucks with a cold brewed line that’s more about the flavor of coffee than masking it with milk and sweeteners.
Mondelēz International said it may include a pledge to reduce sugar in its new health & wellness program, but only if the World Health Organization (WHO) makes its latest sugar advice formal.
Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) says it would be keen to buy or distribute more brands like Capri Sun to expand in still drinks alongside increasing its footprint in Western Europe.
By ‘Whatever happened to my beverage rock ‘n roll?'
PepsiCo must return to its roots as a ‘lean, hard-hitting’ $30bn+ revenue beverage business under standalone management as the current strategy risks destroying its North American arm, Nelson Peltz warns.
Over 100 food industry leaders and senior directors from Europe, Asia and the Americas will soon convene in Cannes, France for the 2014 Food Vision summit to discuss key issues facing today’s global industry, from sustainability to innovation; alternative...
Lindt & Sprüngli has announced plans to double the size of its US headquarters to meet growing consumer demand in the US premium chocolate market, which it says is its biggest and carries the most potential.
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.
Mondelēz is to cut saturated fat and sodium by 10% by 2020, but suggests reducing consumer sugar intake is manageable with portion controlled products and education.
Sambazon - the firm that made açai a household name in the US - has donated $50,000 to Whole Planet Foundation to help fund microcredit for poverty alleviation worldwide.
New data from Nielsen reveals that Chobani’s Simply 100 Greek yogurt already has a 1.3% dollar share of all refrigerated yogurt, just six weeks after its national launch, with distribution still cranking up.
Mars has committed to ending deforestation associated with its palm oil supply by the end of 2015, becoming the latest multinational to do so, alongside Unilever and Nestlé, among others.
Federal charges have been filed against Kellogg and numerous letters sent calling for an end to the Memphis lockout, but the company says a resolution is impossible because the BCTGM union is refusing to negotiate.
The natural products market continues to grow and achieve scale, reaching $150 billion last year and projected to hit $226 billion by 2018—with 68% of that coming from food and beverage products, according to the Nutrition Business Journal.
