Sustainability will not factor into the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, say the US Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, prompting praise from the meat lobby and anger from environmental and consumer/health advocacy groups.
Can a bunch of food-tech start-ups really ‘fix the broken food system’, feed 9bn people by 2050 and ‘disrupt’ the food industry with a killer app? Maybe, but they might be better off focusing on more tangible goals, according to investment experts gathered...
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) will go to court on Thursday (Oct 8) in a last-ditch attempt to convince judges that a GMO labeling law due to come into effect in Vermont next year should be blocked until litigation over the legislation is...
While ditching ‘artificial’ ingredients may not transform the fortunes of flagging legacy brands, consumer survey data from Instantly suggests it may give consumers a warmer and fuzzier feeling about them, and convey the impression (deservedly or otherwise)...
The tortoise - rather than the hare – is often the winner in the retail food and beverage industry, says Hartman Group’s SVP James Richardson, PhD, who says we can all learn lessons from six disruptive brands in health & wellness, from Hint Water...
While cynics observe that biodynamic cane sugar is still sugar, and gourmet Himalayan pink salt is still good old sodium chloride, it’s a fact that trends which might seem to have niche appeal are increasingly heading to the mainstream, and that a small,...
Whole Foods Market has challenged allegations by animal rights group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), that the standards to which it holds its meat and poultry suppliers “barely exceed common industry practices”.
One brand of bottled water is much like another, right? Wrong. Whether your preference is 'artisanal' spring water naturally filtered through volcanic rock or electrolyte infused ‘performance’ water, the premium segment is “on fire”, and celebrity-backed...
The American Egg Board (AEB) has rejected allegations by Hampton Creek that it “engaged in numerous illegal activities” in order to undermine the San Francisco-based firm, which is now calling for a Congressional investigation into the AEB’s behavior.
'Nowadays, a food crisis starts when the Food Babe is on line two'
In an era of shorter consumer attention spans and heightened suspicion about food science, the packaged food and beverage industry can take a page from the world of pop culture and bring food science down to earth with humor and proactive transparency.
Cocoa flavanols have been tied to lowering blood pressure and heart disease risk in new research by a Mars-backed project, but study authors say chocolate is too calorific to be a delivery vehicle.
While supporters of Rep. Mike Pompeo’s Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act (HR1599) welcome its proposal to create a national standard for non-GMO claims, the Non-GMO Project says this would confuse shoppers by creating a competing label underpinned by...
With its gourmet savory yogurts now gracing shelves at 800-900 stores in the US, Blue Hill is now looking to challenge the nation’s palate again, this time with a new range of veggie- and fruit-packed drinkable yogurts that it hopes will bring the brand...
Unilever is searching for radical new ways to understand what consumers really want, Kraft Heinz is looking for novel sources of sustainable oils, and Mondelez is on a mission to find ‘label friendly’ natural mold inhibitors and low-cost ways to tackle...
If current trends continue, almondmilk will account for an astonishing 19% (dollar share) of the US retail dairy and dairy alternative beverages market in 2019, predicts Packaged Facts. However, plant-based products still only account for a tiny fraction...
While Unilever dropped a false advertising lawsuit over egg-free spread Just Mayo last year amid an avalanche of bad PR, the FDA has picked up where Unilever left off with a warning letter advising brand owner Hampton Creek it is playing fast and loose...
Co-founder: 'The deal we have done means we retain control'
While news that Coca-Cola and Goldman Sachs’ merchant banking division have invested in organic juice brand Suja probably didn’t shock anyone that’s been tracking its jaw-dropping growth trajectory, it’s hard to believe that Suja is still less than three...
60-second interview: Greg Kaminski executive research chef, Synergy Flavors
What's hot and what's not in the world of flavors? Elaine Watson caught up with Greg Kaminski, executive research chef at Synergy Flavors, to get the lowdown on Marcona almonds, rhubarb, ginger, and Shishito peppers.
A large consumer study* from market researcher Health Focus International spanning 16 major consumer markets includes this pretty jaw-dropping statistic: 87% of consumers globally think non-GMO foods are ‘somewhat’, or ‘a lot’ healthier.
Beverage industry superstar Bai Brands – which hit the headlines this week with the launch of antioxidant-infused Antiwater – has also attracted the attention of plaintiff’s attorneys in California, which claim it played fast and loose with food labeling...
Activist-investor William Ackman’s 7.5% stake in Mondelēz International should inject life into a sweet and snack major that has been struggling for the past two years, says the innovation head at Mintel.
American households - and eating habits - are changing, and food marketers need to catch up, says the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) in its 2015 US Grocery Shopper Trends report. Here are 10 things that caught our eye...
Foods and beverages carrying a 'local' label appear poised to become the leading symbol of trust and transparency to consumers as the authenticity halo of such terms as 'organic' and 'natural' lose momentum, claims market...
From the challenges of sourcing organic milk, to the threat 'alternatives' milks pose to the dairy sector and the 'scary' promotional dynamics of the yogurt category, the FoodNavigator-USA Dairy Innovation Forum covered a lot of ground....
Lawsuits have echoes of POM v Coke case, says attorney
WhiteWave Foods has been accused of falsely advertising its Silk almond milk by the same legal firm suing Blue Diamond over the way it markets Almond Breeze, and as the cases are near-identical, the judge handling them has consolidated them into one class...
Meet the people behind a2 milk, Yasso, Smári Organics, Tarte Foods, and good culture
ConAgra Foods has urged a California court to throw out a lawsuit* alleging it misled consumers with the '0g trans-fat' claim on its Crunch 'n Munch popcorn, and stressed that the FDA's recent decision to revoke the GRAS status of...
'There’s going to be little tweaks in the direction of better-for-you because it isn’t just a niche group like granola people, it’s everybody'
The alternative chip craze has exploded with a flurry of root veg and plant products on shelf, but can they compete with or even kill off the infamous potato chip?
Consumers found algae oil to have a 'cleaner taste than other cooking oils’
There are lots of pretty cool things about algae oil, from its clean flavor and stability to its striking nutritional profile (unprecedented levels of healthy monounsaturated fat, low saturates and zero trans-fat). But one factor that really sets it apart...
While celiacs – by necessity – are pretty clued up about gluten, most Americans are less well-informed, with a sizable number erroneously believing rice and potatoes contain gluten, according to a new survey.
UPDATED: The FDA is proposing that manufacturers include a percent daily value (DV) for added sugar on the Nutrition Facts panel – set at 10% of total energy intakes (calories) - in addition to listing the amount of added sugar (in grams).
GMA: 'HR 1599 protects the consumer from a costly and confusing 50 state patchwork of labeling laws'
The US House of Representatives has passed the industry-backed voluntary GMO labeling bill - The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act 2015 - by 275 votes to 150, and rejected all four amendments it was asked to consider.
No self-respecting food conference would be complete these days without a session on edible insects. But are they a gimmick or a serious source of alternative protein? FoodNavigator-USA editor Elaine Watson headed to the 2015 IFT show in Chicago to find...
The steady decline of grocery retailer A&P “speaks to the lack of permanence of a corporate entity - no matter how large it gets - when it fails to innovate, fails to adapt to the changing consumer landscape and creates a cumbersome, stifling bureaucracy”,...
There are two bills about GMO labeling floating around Congress, but the momentum appears behind the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015. Here are eight things to know about the Act.
The Sparkling ICE brand notched up sales of more than $500m in 2014, is on course to top $600m in 2015, and has a fighting chance of reaching its well-publicized target of $1bn in 2018, assuming it can secure the shelf space it deserves, says Kevin Klock,...
Check out our gallery of highlights from the 2015 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) annual meeting & expo in Chicago, spanning 3D printing, edible insects and cultured meat, to the future of food (when we'll be "editing living organisms...
Industry bodies around the globe have slammed a US study which attributes 184,000 deaths a year to sugary drinks, saying its authors fail to show cause and effect or prove a direct link with beverages.
Mars Chocolate North America is going against the industry tide by backing the World Health Organization's guidance that added sugar should account for under 10% of a person's daily calories.
Grains, according to the author of best-selling book Grain Brain, are “silent killers”. Not only are they making us fat, says Dr David Perlmutter, “but even healthy ones like whole grains can cause dementia, ADHD, anxiety, chronic headaches, depression,...
While turmeric is still a novel ingredient to many Americans, it’s only a matter of time before it moves from the niche to the mainstream of US food culture, predicts Temple Turmeric founder Daniel Sullivan, who has set his sights on conquering the conventional...
Pope Francis has weighed into the debate over GM crops, arguing that while he doesn’t believe there is any “conclusive proof that GM cereals are harmful to human beings”, he worries about their effects on the ecosystem, and argues that they have resulted...
While the FDA has given the food industry until June 2018 to phase out partially hydrogenated oils, its June 16 final determination that PHOs are not GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) has given plaintiff's attorneys ammunition for a new wave of...
Devastating though the latest outbreak of Avian flu has been to the US egg industry, it does not appear to have dented consumer confidence in eggs, says the American Egg Board.
As widely expected, the FDA has finalized plans to revoke the GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status of partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) in a bid to eradicate artificial trans fats from the US food supply. However, it says manufacturers may petition...
Food ingredients produced using ‘synthetic biology’ techniques – such as Evolva's vanillin, which is made from genetically engineered baker’s yeast - do not qualify for the Non-GMO Project Verified stamp, says the Non GMO Project.
Diet-health inferences that rely on memory-based dietary intake surveys such as USDA’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) are “essentially meaningless”, argues a new study highlighting consistent disparities between what - and how...