Monsanto says the view of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (part of the World Health Organization) that the herbicide glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans" is at odds with the conclusion reached by “all regulatory agencies...
From all-day grazing to the 20% YoY growth in meat-based snacks, the merits of cricket flour, when and how to raise capital, nutrient density and guerrilla marketing, the FoodNavigator-USA Snacking Trends Forum covered a lot of ground. Here are some of...
Personalised beverage hydration systems, one-of-a-kind bottles, and capsules which can transform a plain glass of water into something else entirely - the marriage of technology and personalisation is changing the way people think about beverages, says...
One out of 13 children in North America has food allergies today compared with one in 50 in 1990, and in the next couple of years, it’s going to be about one in 10, according to allergen-friendly foods brand Enjoy Life Foods.
Beyond Meat - the California-based firm that claims to have unlocked the secret to making ‘near-perfect’ replicas of meat from plants – says its latest innovation, the ‘Beast Burger’, has been a hit straight out of the blocks.
While retail sales of packaged bread have been pretty sluggish in recent years, one company that’s bucking the trend is Oregon-based Dave’s Killer Bread.
Digestive issues after drinking milk are often attributed to milk protein allergy (which can be severe) or intolerance to lactose (milk sugars). But what if both of these have been ruled out and you are still experiencing mild digestive discomfort?
While ‘legacy’ food and beverage brands are laser focused on price, promotion and placement, no amount of financial clout or merchandising wizardry can mask the fact that smaller, sexier, more disruptive, brands are outpacing them. But are CPG’s biggest...
Mark Rampolla: ‘The best time to raise money is when you don’t need it’
What are investors really looking for when they assess a food and beverage business? When it comes to gross margins, is there a magic number? And can you really be in decline when your sales are growing strongly?
The food industry has criticised the WHO’s recommendation to reduce the intake of added sugar for being backed by ‘moderate’ and ‘very low quality’ evidence.
'I wouldn’t say it’s out of the question that we could be a public company'
Multinationals are snapping up smaller, more entrepreneurial brands in the natural or organic food and beverage space faster than you can say ‘because that’s where the growth is’. So will Zevia – one of the fastest-growing non-alcoholic brands in the...
Insights from the 13th Global Food Technology & Innovation Summit
Food and beverage manufacturers must focus research and development activities on creating more nutritious and sustainable food solutions, says Nestlé’s head of global R&D.
Academics have welcomed the WHO’s recommendation to slash added sugar intake to 5-10% of calories – but the food industry has said it is misleading and based on weak evidence.
Vegan, paleo, grass-fed, pasture-raised, ancient grains, and allergen friendly claims are gaining
According to Chicago-based market research firm SPINS, US retail (dollar) sales of foods & beverages rose 1.7% in 2014, while unit sales declined by 0.4%. By contrast, sales of natural and organic brands grew nearly 12%. But where are the opportunities...
'We lack a clear positioning; the shopping experience hasn’t matched what our guests expect'
Some details about Target's food 'reinvention' plan emerged during its Q4 earnings call last week, but more flesh was put on the bones this week as bosses outlined plans to completely "redesign" their food strategy.
Beyond Meat - the California-based firm that claims to have unlocked the secret to making ‘near-perfect’ replicas of meat from plants – says that in future, meat-free products won’t be confined to a ‘vegetarian’ section, but just part of the broader ‘protein’...
Goya Foods has hit back at a study on the safety of 4-MEI in soft drinks by John Hopkins researchers, insisting that the team's data on the caramel color byproduct is 'outdated and inaccurate'.
Just weeks after Unilever dropped its false advertising lawsuit against Hampton Creek Foods over its egg-free spread ‘Just Mayo’, a consumer class action making near-identical claims has been filed in Florida - and then abruptly withdrawn again.
Mid-calorie soft drinks have the potential to gain ground on traditional full calorie drinks – and could eventually become the new mainstream choice, according to Zenith International.
DGAC’s criticism of high intensity sweeteners is “contradictory", says ABA
If the meat lobby isn’t happy with the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s (DGAC’s) recommendations on what constitutes a healthy diet, neither it seems, is the American Beverage Association (ABA), which also issued a statement claiming the expert...
NAMI: Ten pounds of beef provides more complete nutrition than 10 pounds of rice
Recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) report on meat consumption are “flawed” and “nonsensical” and fail to recognize the role that nutrient dense lean meats can play in a healthy balanced diet, says the North American Meat...
DGAC: Public and private sectors must work together to achieve a population-wide culture of health
The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) – an panel of experts tasked with developing recommendations about what Americans should eat – has submitted its report to the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA),...
There have been more than 200 class action lawsuits filed against food and beverage companies over allegedly deceptive labeling since 2012, 60 of which have been dismissed at various stages, and 25 of which have been settled, but none have yet gone to...
US household penetration of plant-based beverages has doubled in five years to more than 30%, with almond milk now accounting for almost 70% of sales and new nut-based milks such as cashew gaining momentum, says WhiteWave Foods.
Kara Goldin: Consumers have evolved faster than the beverage category has
While gaining significant distribution in the beverages market can be tough if you don’t have the might of a Coke or Pepsi behind you, Hint Inc CEO Kara Goldin is “not losing sleep at night wondering when they will call me”, she tells FoodNavigator-USA....
From the steady decline of carbonates to the dramatic rise of energy, the prospects for Keurig Cold and how 7-Eleven evaluates new products, our beverage trend-watching panel debate covered a lot of ground. Here are some of the highlights from the 40-minute...
Hear from the CEOs of Mamma Chia, HonestTea, KeVita, KonaRed, Vertical Water, and Reed's
From the impact of the Safeway Albertsons deal to dubious alcohol levels in kombucha, the CEOs in our beverage entrepreneurs debate on Feb 4 did not hold back. Here are some of the highlights from our 60-minute session, which is now available on demand as...
Food blogger Vani Hari (a,k.a. the ‘Food Babe’) claimed victory on Wednesday after Kellogg said it was “actively testing natural alternatives” to the antioxidant BHT in cereal packaging liners and General Mills said it was “already well down the path...
Lack of scalability still prevents algae and plant proteins from being used as major food sources, according to Mars chief agricultural officer Howard-Yana Shapiro.
A federal appeals court in the District of Columbia has upheld an earlier court ruling in favor of the FTC versus POM Wonderful and claims it made in its advertising. On the flip side, the court also stated that requiring two valid clinical trials to...
Jon Sebastiani: 'It was always going to be a bittersweet moment'
The day when any entrepreneur decides to sell his business is “always bittersweet” KRAVE jerky founder Jon Sebastiani tells FoodNavigator-USA. But joining a company with the horsepower of Hershey will enable it to lead, rather than follow, the renaissance...
Science and an evaluation of risk must inform any regulatory decision on powdered pure caffeine products and not Senators usurping the law, says the Natural Products Association’s Dr Daniel Fabricant.
Business plays a crucial role in meeting sustainable development goals – but it should not lead the social agenda, according to Nestlé CEO Paul Bulcke, speaking at the World Economic Forum’s meeting in Davos.
While uncharitable observers have described Soylent as “only slightly more appealing than an IV bag”, news that the LA-based food substitute firm has just secured $20m in funding and is now generating “millions of dollars per month in subscription revenues”...
The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) safety assessment on caffeine is not necessarily a green light for high caffeine consumption or for long-stalled health claims, according to industry commentators.
US sales of ready to eat popcorn grew 25% to an estimated $750m in 2014
“Tired brands and off-trend categories should take inspiration from the astonishing turnaround in the fortunes of popcorn,” according to a new report from Rabobank International, which reveals that US sales of the bagged, pre-popped, ready-to-eat (RTE)...
Peeled Snacks: If you don’t take time to understand retail buyers, why should they take time to understand you?
Which retail channel is right for your brand? Natural? Club? Convenience? And once you’ve jumped through all the buyers’ hoops, will you still be able to make any money? It all depends on whether you’ve done your homework, one snacking sales expert told...
Two-year time frame 'would almost certainly drive an increase in food prices'
The two-year time frame in which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expects the food industry to switch to new-look Nutrition Facts labels is unrealistic, and “would almost certainly drive an increase in prices of food products”, claims Kroger.
Olam’s $1.3bn deal to acquire ADM Cocoa is likely to have little impact on the price of cocoa ingredients for chocolate makers because grinding capacity is still concentrated with three players.
Midnight cereal chomping, energy-dense sports snacks and on-the-go breakfast replacements are just some of the trends set to shape the snacking market next year, according to Datamonitor Consumer.
The market capital of a wellness industry that aims to promote and maintain good health will vastly exceed the current treatment-focused disease industry, says Dr Lee Hood, MD, PhD, President & Co-Founder, Institute for Systems Biology.
Whether supermarket loyalty cards actually drive loyalty, or provide retailers with killer consumer insights that give them a genuine competitive edge, has long been a source of debate. But the evidence is clear, according to one expert in promotions:...
Trendwatching with Mintel, Euromonitor, Rabobank & Trailblazer Foods
From the 'astounding' reinvention of popcorn as "Millennial friendly, cool and healthy", to the proliferation of apps & devices enabling us to track our calories, sleep and bowel movements, what have we learned about the food culture...
The biggest rise was in products making non-GMO or GMO-free claims
Non-GMO, Kosher, gluten-free, ethical, environmentally-friendly, lactose-free, vegan, no additives/preservatives, and on-the-go claims are all gaining more traction on US food labels; while growth in ‘all-natural’- antioxidant- and low/no/reduced sugar/sodium/fat...
Genetically engineered crops are not a magic bullet and some weeds have become resistant to the herbicide glyphosate (RoundUp) used with selected GM crops, said Monsanto’s chief technology officer Dr Robert Fraley in a debate on Wednesday. But that doesn’t...
SPECIAL EDITION 2014, BEVERAGE SWEETENER INNOVATION
Mintel says the presence of nutritionally beneficial compounds could see stevia-based sweeteners of the future that combine functional benefits as well as calorie-free sweetness.
JK Sucralose - which claims to be the largest sucralose manufacturer in China - has weighed into the debate over sucralose pricing raised by market leader Tate & Lyle.
!['The 400mg [daily] upper limit should also not be understood as a green light for consuming up to five energy drinks a day,' says consumer group BEUC.](/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/news_teaser_medium/7/2/9/6/1956927-1-eng-GB/EFSA-caffeine-opinion-is-not-a-green-light.jpg)
