As a climate-smart food and beverage market emerges and consumers show a willingness to pay a premium for products touted as climate-friendly, the US Department of Agriculture is taking steps to standardize marketing claims and ensure an even playing...
PepsiCo Frito-Lay has lost its exclusive rights to a unique variety of potato after Indian authorities ruled the American snacks giant cannot claim a patent over its seed.
Comments submitted to USDA over how best to label meat and poultry made from animal cells grown outside of animals reflect the challenge facing US regulators as they seek to nail down nomenclature in this nascent market as startups in the space edge closer...
The fast-growing Australian children’s food and formula brand Bubs is bringing two of its clean-label toddler formulas to the US at a time when fears about heavy metals in baby food are pushing some consumers to reevaluate their loyalty to established...
Short of a Christmas miracle, ongoing port delays and other supply chain disruptions alongside rising inflation and labor challenges will continue long into the New Year – not only threatening holiday sales and deliveries in the short term, but also consumer...
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is ordering nine CPG suppliers, retailers and wholesalers to share proprietary data about how they source, transport and distribute products as part of an investigation opened yesterday into the ongoing supply chain...
Sugar giant US Sugar says it “fully intends to litigate” to prove its proposed deal to acquire rival Imperial Sugar will not result in higher prices and harm sugar buyers after the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an anti-trust lawsuit in a bid to block...
After less than a year on the market, Veryvell -- a sparkling CBD beverage brand launched by a joint venture (Truss) between Molson Coors and Canada-based cannabis and CBD supplier HEXO Corp -- is steadily expanding to new markets, gaining positive consumer...
As expected, the Biden Administration has nominated Dr Robert Califf, MD, as the new FDA Commissioner. Dr Califf previously served in the role during the Obama Administration.
The Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) has fired the latest salvo in the battle over the labeling of plant-based products in its second lawsuit* challenging Oklahoma’s Meat Consumer Protection Act, which it claims “provides no benefit to consumers,...
Parents and caregivers crave information about how best to feed their children, and while they have a lot of resources available via the Internet, health care providers, peer groups and brand marketing – they aren’t always sure what to trust or where...
Most sugary drink taxes have a ‘fatal flaw’, suggest US researchers: they’re only effective at reducing purchases if price tags at stores tell consumers they’re paying the tax.
The CPG industry is facing a potential $3bn loss as temporary pandemic-related stimulus earmarked for groceries was phased out last month – despite the launch of a simultaneous permanent increase in monthly benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance...
FDA reinforces and clarifies advice that pregnant and nursing women and young children should eat fish lower in mercury to support brain, heart and immune health and development, according to updated guidance released by the agency late last week.
Recognizing that what and how parents choose to feed their newborns and toddlers goes beyond just nutrition, Gerber undertook an ambitious investigation into the universal pressures that caregivers face with an eye towards better supporting them as they...
Beginning at conception and continuing through first bites to afterschool snacks and beyond, nutrition plays a pivotal role in children’s brain development, emotional lives, and long-term health – but all too often they aren’t getting all the nutrients...
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has green-lighted the mung bean protein ingredient used in Eat Just’s egg substitute product, paving the way for the company to launch its JUST Egg plant-based alternative in Europe.
After leading the Organic Trade Association as CEO for 13 years, Laura Batcha will step down next spring – leaving a legacy of savvy political acumen and active member engagement that helped the trade group expand the reach, impact, awareness and sales...
'Ultra-processed' food comprises the majority of the average US adult diet, according to a new study by researchers at NYU School of Global Public Health, who suspect the pandemic has further fueled the trend.
The FDA has issued long-awaited final guidance for the food industry outlining voluntary, short-term (2.5 year) sodium reduction targets for 163 categories of packaged, prepared, and restaurant foods.
Frustrated that salmonella infections have held stubbornly steady at more than 1 million cases annually for the past two decades, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is rethinking how and where it tests for contamination, potentially expanding its...
An end to pandemic-related government subsidies last month did not, as hoped, end the labor shortage currently hamstringing manufacturers’ ability to meet the sustained higher demand for food consumed at home – forcing industry to seek other solutions.
A Bill (AB 45) explicitly legalizing the sale of foods, beverages and supplements containing hemp-derived CBD in California has been signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom.
“The potential growth and beneficial impacts of cell-cultured meat and seafood are significant,” but only if the public can have confidence that these products are produced sustainably and safely, which will require ongoing scrutiny of environmental claims,...
Cauliflower-fueled startup Outer Aisle Gourmet has accused bakery giant Bimbo Bakeries USA of a “behind-the-scenes ambush,” which it claims prompted Amazon to delist its fast-growing cauliflower sandwich thins just as Bimbo was preparing to launch its...
As part of a broad effort to reverse an alarming and profound increase in childhood obesity in the US during the pandemic, FDA is seeking to improve children’s diets, and is also taking steps to limit exposure to toxic elements in baby food and reduce...
The ongoing inaction by the US Food and Drug Administration over CBD (cannabidiol) in foods and dietary supplements is having a negative impact on trademark laws, says an industry lawyer.
Interested in meat, dairy, and seafood alternatives? Is all the hype - and the wads of cash - truly justified? Are some formulations (think plant-based cheese and yogurt) really ready for prime time? Are the purchase drivers for plant-based seafood the...
While it has the same number of calories per gram as regular sugar, the tooth-friendly ‘slow-carb’ isomaltulose is metabolized very differently to sucrose, and like allulose, should not have to count towards grams of total or added sugar on food labels,...
US federal regulatory agencies have issued warnings on the availability of delta-8 THC, saying reports of almost 150 recent emergency room visits have mentioned the substance.
By Hannah Crum, president, Kombucha Brewers International
The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating impacts on the US economy, but one industry that has continued to see growth-- and even increased demand, with the renewed interest in health brought on by the crisis-- is kombucha.
The US Food and Drug Administration has announced 12 winners of a challenge aimed at increasing supply chain transparency and traceability for ingredients and whole foods.
The California Legislature has passed a bipartisan bill to establish rules for the production and marketing of CBD/hemp products. Proponents expect Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign the bill into law before the Oct. 10 deadline.
The use of dairy terms such as ‘milk’ to describe plant-based foods and beverages continues to generate heated debate. But what about the use of terms such as ‘natural’ to describe lunch meats or other products from animals raised in intensive factory...
The FDA has approved an aqueous extract of the blue petals of butterfly pea flower (Clitoria ternatea) – a plant native to Southeast Asia – as a color additive exempt from certification following a petition from Sensient Technologies, which described...
The USDA has issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) to solicit comments on how to label cell-cultured meat and poultry as startups in the space edge closer to commercialization, but says it will review labels submitted before the rulemaking...
Beyond Meat has won the latest round in its bitter four-year legal dispute* with former co-manufacturer Don Lee Farms triggered by the early termination of an exclusive five-year supply agreement between the two parties. But the case is far from over,...
Even as economies reopen and consumer mobility increases, demand for CPGs and food consumed at home remains elevated over pre-pandemic levels in many categories, and in some cases exceeds the high demand of the early pantry-stocking days, according to...
An FDA survey investigating the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – a class of human-made chemicals – in nationally distributed processed foods found that of the 167 food samples tested, three had detectable levels of the chemicals....
Don Lee Farms has filed a motion to compel Beyond Meat to share text messages from CEO Ethan Brown in the latest installment of an increasingly acrimonious legal dispute* between the plant-based meat firm and former co-manufacturer Don Lee Farms triggered...
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,...
Walmart is capturing “strong” market share gains in grocery as it continues to hold down prices at a time when other retailers are more aggressively passing through to consumers rising costs due to inflation – making it a formidable competitor but also...
For the first time in decades other than for inflation, the US Department of Agriculture is increasing the basis for which it calculates food assistance benefits allotted under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – a move that will help more...
Is it misleading to call iced tea containing 24g of added sugar per serving (48% of the daily value) ‘slightly sweet’? Not according to a New York judge, who has just dismissed a putative class action lawsuit vs Coca-Cola over Gold Peak Tea.
Worried that biotechnologies, such as those used to create non-browning mushrooms, are inadequately regulated or could be unfairly shunned by the public, a coalition of non-governmental organizations this week published a six-point framework for the “responsible...
While children’s consumption of sugary beverages has fallen in recent years, it still exceeds recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans with rates remaining stubbornly higher among Black and Hispanic adolescents than white students, according...
The US Food and Drug Administration has rejected two New Dietary Ingredient Notifications for CBD ingredients. Industry stakeholders said the fact of the rejections and some of wording used in the letters makes it clear that new legislation is likely...
A judge handling a high-profile lawsuit* over the use of dairy terminology on plant-based products has ruled in favor of Miyoko’s Creamery in its legal spat with the State of California over its use of terms such as ‘butter’ on plant-based products, in...
