Leading CPG companies including Unilever, Hershey, and General Mills have urged the FDA to look again at the way some sugars such as tagatose and isomaltulose are labeled on the Nutrition Facts panel in the wake of recent changes to the way allulose is...
Plant-based dairy brand Miyoko’s Creamery has raised $52m in a series C round led by PowerPlant Partners ($40m) that will help fund marketing and innovation at the firm, which generated a 70% increase in revenues in 2020, and is gearing up to launch an...
As the Delta variant of the coronavirus sweeps across the US, Tyson Foods said Tuesday that it would require its 120,000 US workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by November – making it the first major meat packer and largest food company so far to...
The a2 Milk Company – maker of ‘tummy-friendly’ milk containing only A2 beta-casein protein - is continuing to generate double-digit growth in the US market while overall US retail sales of dairy milk continue to decline, says the company, which is planning...
As difficult as navigating shifting consumer demand and strained supply chains was immediately following the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020, the hardest part may still be ahead for the food and beverage industry as the uneven recovery and ongoing,...
By Rob Guite, Abby Meyer, and Abby Miles, Sheppard Mullin
President Biden’s recent executive order, ‘Ensuring the Future is made in all of America by all of America’s Workers,’ may encourage food & beverage companies to highlight their all-American credentials on-pack. However, claims about a product’s origin...
Albertsons is willing to entertain a second round of price increases “where warranted and legitimate” as several CPG brands continue to struggle with mounting inflationary pressures that have exceeded their expectations and outstripped any cushion introduced...
It has become “increasingly common in virtually all industries for short seller firms to target a company with accusations that drive down its stock price, which is then followed by a shareholder plaintiff firm pouncing on the stock drop with a class...
A brand described as “only slightly more appealing than an IV bag” by one uncharitable observer when it first gained a cult following among Silicon Valley programmers as a powdered meal replacement, Soylent has steadily evolved its format, product line...
US retail sales of packaged tea have been sluggish in recent years, with Nielsen data* showing a flat market until 2020, when covid prompted a 16.8% surge, before everything slowed back down again. Celestial Seasonings, however, has maintained double-digit...
The pandemic prompted the first positive growth in US retail volumes of fluid dairy milk for years (+2.1% in 2020). However, a corresponding drop in away-from-home consumption meant overall volumes were flat (-0.1%) in 2020 and are predicted to drop -4.5%...
Should the food industry always yield to consumer demands, especially when those demands can be conflicting and at odds with other values, such as sustainability and environmental impact?
The emotional and physical toll taken by the pandemic has reshaped Americans’ palates – pushing them to try more adventurous flavor profiles, including more floral and earthy botanicals that were once niche in the US, embrace yuzu and step-up their heat...
While a recent probe into Oatly’s accounting practices and a flood of tech money going into food has raised questions about valuations in the space, zero-sugar soda brand Zevia has a solid track record of growth, a clear consumer proposition (great taste,...
The European Food Safety Authority was asked to review the link between sugar consumption and various diseases. The results are in: “Based on the risk of developing chronic metabolic diseases and dental caries, the intake of added and free sugars should...
Wander around leading UK food retailers and you’ll see aisles of fresh prepared meals, soups, salads and desserts, dominated by private label. So, will the US market move in the same direction?
While a recent Congressional Subcommittee report alleging “dangerous” levels of heavy metals in leading baby food brands “brought the issue of toxic contaminants to the fore,” it also “shocked and confused parents of young children,” said a senior FDA...
A bill put forward by Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, to decriminalize marijuana includes language on CBD that has been welcomed by supplement industry stakeholders.
Wicked Kitchen – a plant-based brand developed by chefs and mushroom enthusiasts Derek and Chad Sarno that has been a hit in the UK – is hoping to make a bigger splash this side of the Atlantic after securing $14m in a Series A round co-led by Unovis...
Shares in Swedish oatmilk maker Oatly – which went public in May – dropped sharply on Wednesday following a report from New York based activist investor and short seller Spruce Point Capital Management arguing that “the walls are collapsing on Oatly’s...
PepsiCo’s net sales surged 20.5% to $19.22bn in the firm’s second quarter, zipping past expectations of $17.96bn, thanks in part to increased consumer mobility boosting demand for the firm’s iconic beverages at restaurants, events and across channels...
As legislators continue to negotiate an infrastructure deal, the Consumer Brands Association urges democratic leaders to include the creation of a federal Office of Supply Chain Resiliency to address ongoing challenges exposed and magnified by the pandemic...
Wellmune – a branded beta glucan ingredient claimed to ‘prime’ the innate immune system, the body’s first line of defense against invasion by pathogens – is attracting growing interest from food and beverage brands as well as supplement products as immunity...
Nestlé USA’s online sales grew more than 160% in 2020, with e-commerce sales accounting for 40% of its US growth, but there are still a ton of opportunities to reach more shoppers online, chief strategy officer Mel Cash tells FoodNavigator-USA as the...
New data from Placer.ai tracking foot traffic at America’s leading food retailers shows that traffic at Whole Foods – while rebounding - remains lower than it was in 2019, while many rival grocers have staged a stronger recovery.
Oatmilk or oat drink? Plant-based cheese or cultured nut product? A report from the House Committee on Appropriations “encourages the FDA to provide clarity around the labeling of plant-based foods that use traditional meat, dairy, and egg terminology,”...
Accounting for 20% of US consumers with an estimated direct buying power of $143bn, Gen Z is not a generation to be glossed over by brand marketers, says IRI, characterizing this young cohort as technologically savvy with an underlying practical streak...
Facing higher than previously expected inflation, flavor and spice giant McCormick & Company anticipates raising prices in late 2021 even as it pursues other cost savings and revenue management – a refrain that has been on repeat this year by most...
Packed with protein, shortfall nutrients, antioxidants and more, dairy is well-positioned to meet rising consumer demand for functional foods and beverages, but a seemingly blasé approach to marketing and on-pack claims is holding the category back from...
Harmless Harvest and majority stakeholder Danone Manifesto Ventures (DMV) are exploring opportunities to take the organic coconut water into international markets, says CEO Ben Mand, who says the San Francisco-based brand also has the potential to stretch...
“Inflation has been dramatic in the locust bean gum market and we do believe the situation is now at a tipping point for customers,” says CP Kelco, a leading supplier of hydrocolloids and other texturizing ingredients.
The FDA is aiming to release long-awaited voluntary sodium reduction goals and draft guidance on the labeling of plant-based milk alternatives in the next 12 months.
A global consumer study* funded by ‘animal-free’ dairy startup Formo (previously LegenDairy) suggests consumers are surprisingly open to trying and buying cheese featuring dairy proteins made via microbes instead of cows after reading a detailed description...
A combination of supply chain disruptions and surging demand for sugar alternatives has created a very tight market for selected specialty sweeteners - notably erythritol and crystalline allulose – with some firms reporting shortages, longer lead times,...
More than 450 exhibitors and 8,000 attendees traveled to the Sweets & Snacks Expo in Indianapolis last week for one of the first in-person food and beverage tradeshows since the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020 to showcase two years of product innovations...
China looks likely to be the world’s largest consumer market of cultivated meat due its population size and government support, but a long, arduous journey lies ahead before this becomes a reality, according to an industry expert.
The price of locust bean gum – a clean-label thickener and stabilizer from carob seeds used in everything from Philadelphia cream cheese to Planet Oat oatmilk – has more than doubled over the past year, as demand continues to exceed supply, prompting...
As children transition away from breast milk, infant formula and other milk as their primary source of nutrition to a diet more reflective of their family’s, they are increasingly vulnerable to micronutrient deficiencies, according to research recently...
Less than a month after Mondelez revealed it was performing a strategic review of its gum business, triggering speculation about a possible divestment, the CPG giant appears to be reasserting the value of its brands in the category while simultaneously...
Cell-cultured meat pioneer UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats) has brought in high-flying PepsiCo exec Amy Chen as its chief operating officer as it prepares to launch its first consumer product – UPSIDE chicken – later this year, pending regulatory...
Unilever experienced an “explosion” in the growth of non-dairy ice cream when it introduced products through mainstream brands such as Ben & Jerry's and Magnum, according to global ice cream EVP Matt Close. But getting plant-based proteins to...
Attempts to put plant-based meats “in the same category as Twinkies” because they are both “processed foods,” should be dismissed as “meat industry propaganda,” Impossible Foods CEO Dr Pat Brown told delegates at the Future Food Tech alternative proteins...
By Matthew Walker, managing director, S2G Ventures
A market with a variety of alternative meat sources provides ultimate flexibility for the consumer, and several emerging technologies have a role to play in the meat supply chain of the future.
Months ago, many may not have even been aware of the existence of this cannabis compound. Today, Delta-8 is the fastest-growing category of hemp products, with US sales of products listing Delta-8 jumping 144% from a year earlier, according to cannabis...
Sales of non-alcoholic beverages last year rose across categories, including segments that were stubbornly flat pre-pandemic, as consumers looked for ways to recreate at home beverage rituals they once enjoyed while dining out or on-the-go, according...
California’s olive oil producers are clashing over proposed state legislation on olive oil labeling that supporters say is essential to ensure consumers are not being misled, and critics say is a blatant attempt to restrict competition.
