While sports drinks are often loaded with sugar and can pack a hefty caloric punch, convincing people to replace them with water or unsweetened options may be more difficult than persuading them to ditch other sugar-sweetened beverages, including soda,...
Fresh off closing a $3.9m seed funding round* led by Unovis Asset Management, Paragon Pure is debuting its OléPBM alternative fat technology made from rice bran oil, which it claims outperforms palm and coconut oils in plant-based meat products.
Higher grocery prices across categories are starting to take a toll on consumers as they pull back on premium cuts of meat, overall animal protein volume and seek less expensive, value options, Tyson Food executives reported during the company’s third...
Well represented in the key at-home eating categories of sauces (Rao's Homemade), yogurt (Noosa Yoghurt), and frozen entrees (Michael Angelo's and Rao's), Sovos Brands highlighted the performance of the company's largest brand Rao's...
Sustainability “is probably on slide two or three of every customer presentation now,” notes Ingredion, but how can consumers cut through the PR noise to make meaningful comparisons between brands? Checkout our final gallery of trends at IFT FIRST exploring...
Boston-based food tech firm Motif FoodWorks has promoted its CTO Dr Michael Leonard to the role of CEO, effective immediately, as current CEO Jonathan McIntyre moves to an advisory role in the company.
A week after warning of falling profits due to consumers pulling back on spending to offset rising food and gas prices, Walmart is laying off hundreds of corporate staff in a move some fear signals a cooling job market and increased risk of recession.
Sugar reduction is still top of mind for most US consumers, but their motivations for purchasing low- and no-sugar beverages have shifted from weight management and dieting pursuits to achieving a sense of general wellbeing, claims Howard Telford, head...
Despite being a nutrient powerhouse with more fiber and protein per serving than quinoa and nearly twice the amount of iron as a 3-ounce sirloin steak, sorghum hasn’t quite crossed into mainstream territory with most consumers. But that could soon change,...
Despite the difficult economic reset underway in the capital markets and lingering supply chain challenges, rising inflation and the growing threat of a recession, investors are still interested in the food and beverage space, according to one investment...
On Capitol Hill last week, hemp industry stakeholders and Congressional leaders frustrated by FDA’s lack of regulations for CBD and other hemp-derived compounds since the 2018 Farm Bill authorized commercial production of the crop, explored how the 2023...
Recent applications work has demonstrated that Merit Functional Foods’ Peazazz pea protein isolate – in combination with an enzyme called transglutaminase - can replace methylcellulose, a binding and gelling ingredient widely used in meat alternatives...
Net sales in Amazon's physical stores - Whole Foods Market, Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go - grew 12.5% year-on-year to $4.72bn in Q2 2022 and grew 2.8% vs Q1, 2022.
As consumer interest in ‘plant-based’ products has grown in recent years, so too have products proudly proclaiming their status as such – but what does the term actually mean, and how influential is it really?
Fine chemicals co DIC and San Diego-based startup Debut Biotech are developing a vibrant natural red color that is heat-stable, light-stable, and stable across a wide pH range, using a novel hybrid approach combining microbial fermentation and ‘cell-free’...
The IFT First 2022 show floor was abundant with companies touting their upcycled ingredients and other exhibitors highlighting plant-based meat and dairy innovation. Take a look at some of the trends highlighted at the show this year.
According to a new draft guideline from the World Health Organization (WHO), non-nutritive sweetener consumption is associated with metabolic syndrome, something proponents of diet sweeteners say shows correlation, not causation, and merely reflects the...
In the face of inflation and consumer price sensitivity, Mondelēz International saw positive volume growth and price resiliency across its snacking portfolio especially in its core areas of snacking and chocolate, reported chairman and CEO Dirk Van de...
Israeli start-up Gavan Technologies has developed a novel continuous extraction method that utilises the entire plant. FoodNavigator caught up with CEO Itai Cohen to learn more.
Two incompatible trends – increasing interest in seafood and climate change – are opening the door for the alternative seafood market, but for this emerging segment to reach its full potential, stakeholders must better align their go-to ingredients with...
Well-known for sugar alternatives, including stevia and monk fruit, Layn Natural Ingredients has steadily expanded its portfolio with a full line of functional botanicals that can now easily be explored through a just-launched online ingredient library...
Canada-based Merit Functional Foods says it has overcome one of the biggest hurdles facing plant-based protein in ready-to-drink protein beverages: sediment and grittiness.
Something is rotten in the coffee industry, and it is holding back the crop from reaching its full potential and contributing to the climate change that threatens future production of the popular beverage and the economic livelihoods of the farmers who...
Through the merging of three companies with a combined 175 years of experience in innovation, Revela Foods debuted at IFT First in Chicago this month with the simple idea that “life is complicated – food doesn’t have to be.”
So-called ‘alternative proteins’ – from upcycled barley and canola protein to animal-free whey made in fermentation tanks using genetically engineered microbes – were a hot topic at IFT First in Chicago. But with US retail sales of some meat alternatives...
In the hierarchy of nutrition labeling, over half of consumers (58%) say they check total and added sugar content followed by the type of sweetener (52%) used in a product, claims Cargill.
Facing sharp criticism in the media that FDA’s approach to food safety is “broken,” “Byzantine” and a “ridiculous joke,” the agency is undertaking a “top to bottom” review of the “structure, function, funding and leadership” of its food program, agency...
Kroger-owned meal kit company Home Chef is expanding its southeast footprint with a new dedicated 181,000-square-foot production facility in Georgia to support its growing customer base.
Frustrated with FDA’s “inefficient decision making,” reliance on “inexperienced and undertrained” inspectors and “split and siloed” approach to food safety and oversight, the Consumer Brands Association this morning reiterated its call for the agency...
Fiber may be best known for improving regularity and most commonly associated with older consumers, but the multifunctional ingredient is getting a makeover thanks to a slew of new products touting its other benefits and targeting shoppers across generations...
“The NASA food system used on the International Space Station is more than adequate,” delegates at IFT First were told in a packed education session last Tuesday. “But a mission to Mars won't allow the resupplying of food and the crew won't...
From more efficient production of rare sugars tagatose and allulose (and intriguing new possibilities with D-allose), to ‘enhanced’ sugars, and a mystery disaccharide that behaves like sugar, but is metabolized very differently, check out part one of...
Online grocery sales totaled $7.2bn for June 2022, tracking ahead of the same month last year (+6%) and slightly above May 2022 figures (+1%), according to the latest data from Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey.
In the battle against food waste, most industry players are only addressing part of the problem, claims Aidan Mouat, CEO and co-founder of Chicago-based Hazel Technologies, who says through the company's proprietary shelf-life extension technology,...
As noted in the opening session of the IFT FIRST conference in Chicago last week, the food that brought us together during the pandemic and which fuels us everyday is in a crisis as climate change intensifies – pushing companies to weave sustainability...
Non-nutritive sweeteners such as stevia and sucralose are not a panacea, but new recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) questioning their value do a “disservice to public health” by failing to recognize their role in sugar/energy reduction...
While still a growing $7.4bn industry, plant-based foods have some significant hurdles to overcome around formulation especially in the area of fat content, according to Mintel.
Once associated with refreshment and relaxation, the crack of a can or hiss of gas following the twist of bottle top is becoming a source of anxiety for some consumers who associate it with single-use plastic, broken recycling systems and unwanted litter.
Viral video-sharing app TikTok may be best known for the seemingly infinite clips of teenagers dancing to catchy songs in inconvenient places like the middle of the street or a department store aisle, but the social media platform is much more – and when...
As Belgian startup Paleo ups the ante in the meat alternatives space with a suite of meaty-tasting heme proteins from multiple animal species it aims to commercialize in 2023, FoodNavigator-USA caught up with CEO Hermes Sanctorum to talk mammoth myoglobin,...
Bonumose – a Virginia-based startup with patented technology it claims could enable the mass market adoption of rare sugars which have exciting benefits but currently come with a hefty price tag – is gearing up to start commercial production of tagatose...
Benson Hill is seeing surging demand for its non-GMO ultra-high protein soy flour, which is now in full-scale commercialization mode thanks to a new industrial facility and partnerships with major food manufacturers including Kellogg.
Even though PepsiCo beat Wall Street expectations in its second quarter and saw organic revenue growth soar 13%, prompting it to bump-up its full-year revenue expectations, the beverage and snack giant stopped short of also raising its earnings per share...
After being demonized as high-carb and maligned with foggy grain-brains and gluten sensitivities, pasta consumption, which had been flat and declining for years pre-COVID, bounced back during the pandemic with unprecedented growth as consumers looked...
While homogenous plant-based patties, nuggets and sausages abound, few currently available meat alternatives recreate the multi-layered experience of biting though skin to release a juicy burst of flavor that is reinforced by a marbling of fat or the...
PepsiCo has made progress in a number of areas of its business around regenerative agriculture and nutrition targets under its PepsiCo Positive (pep+) plan, the company's ESG program launched last year.
Bel Group – the multinational firm behind cheese brands Babybel, The Laughing Cow, and Boursin – has teamed up with Superbrewed Food, one of a clutch of startups in the biomass fermentation space, to develop cheeses for the US market incorporating its...
Invigorating sleepy segments, tackling persistent category challenges and balancing consumer desire for taste, convenience and experience, companies at the 66th Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City late last month showcased innovative solutions to...
Backed by a $100m investment from Anheuser-Busch InBev, upcycling startup EverGrain is entering into large scale production of its barley protein with a new 130,000-square-foot facility in St Louis capable of churning out 7,000 tons of protein isolate...
San Diego-based startup Debut Biotech has teamed up with Korean firm GeneChem to develop a series of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) – health-promoting carbohydrates found in human breastmilk – that have never been commercialized before, using a novel...
