One cigarette won’t kill you, observes pediatric neuroendocrinologist and sugar’s arch-nemesis Dr. Robert Lustig, but 10,000 cigarettes over 10 years just might. Processed food is also poisoning us, it’s just doing it much more slowly, contends Lustig,...
As inflation threatens to crest double digits for CPGs by the end of the year, consumer price sensitivity also is increasing while volume consumption is decreasing – creating an “uncertain, idiosyncratic and uneven” market in which manufacturers must...
Consumers are awakening to the idea that their dietary choices impact climate change, and while some already consider environmental sustainability when selecting products many more say they would if they had more information – creating a unique marketing...
While many of the grocery shopping and eating habits adopted during the pandemic remain elevated compared to before the coronavirus outbreak, some are beginning to erode as the threat of COVID-19 subsides and local economies – including restaurants and...
Kombucha market leader GT’s Living Foods has withdrawn its CBD-infused Dream Catcher functional beverage line, with founder GT Dave acknowledging that regulatory uncertainty and a slightly confused consumer proposition both played a role.
Cognitive decline over time may be inevitable, but according to the husband and wife team behind the recently launched whole food functional beverage blend Memore, feeding the mind the right nutrition early and often not only could delay onset and slow...
Despite an uptick in snacking and consumption of indulgent foods and beverages during the pandemic, the number of Americans dieting last year held steady compared to previous years – but their approaches and motivations shifted to reflect changing pressures...
From grim footage of workers mistreating cows to environmental concerns, consumer perceptions of the dairy industry are not universally positive, acknowledges Chobani president Peter McGuinness. But adding dairy to the sectors covered by Fair Trade certification...
The long-awaited end of the pandemic may be nearing in the US as vaccine distribution expands and new government guidance rolls back some mask and social distancing requirements, but for the CPG industry, some of the challenges that arose and accelerated...
CBD products manufacturer CV Sciences has recorded a sharp decline in revenue, mirroring reports of an overall contraction in the market for hemp extract products.
On May 6, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued a scientific opinion concluding that titanium dioxide (E171), a whitening pigment used to color everything from gum to sauces, “can no longer be considered safe as a food additive.” So what does...
Carbon labeling for food and beverage may be coming faster than originally predicted, and soon may hold more sway with consumers than other popular certifications as the ongoing pandemic accelerates consumer interest in sustainable diets, predict industry...
The unprecedented shift to ecommerce during the pandemic and predictions that many consumers will continue to buy groceries online even after it is safe to return to retail stores has elevated the importance of an omnichannel strategy – but according...
An infusion of $10.5m in seed funding will accelerate the consumer life sciences company GEM’s mission to overhaul the $140.3b supplement market by replacing “reductionist” pills, tablets and candies with whole food bites designed to improve the health...
Both sides have claimed victory in the latest installment of an increasingly acrimonious legal dispute* between Beyond Meat and its former co-manufacturer Don Lee Farms triggered by the early termination of an exclusive five-year supply agreement the...
The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) has clarified the term ‘postbiotics’ in a statement that responds to the scientific groundswell and growing number of postbiotic applications.
While the pandemic has helped fuel a business boom for much of packaged food and beverage industry, not everyone in the sector has benefited – with women and female-run small businesses in particular taking a hard hit that could have devastating long-term...
As inflation continues to pick up across grocery categories, Sprouts Farmers Market is offsetting most of the impact by confidently passing cost to consumers through its selection of unique, attribute-led, hard-to-find products that appeal to those seeking...
With demand for rare sugar allulose currently exceeding supply, Tate & Lyle has informed some partners that it is withholding supplies of the sweetener until further notice, FoodNavigator-USA understands.
Impossible Foods is heading into K-12 schools across the US this month via pilot programs in California, Washington, and Oklahoma ahead of a wider K-12 market entry in the fall, after securing a Child Nutrition Label for its burgers from the USDA's...
Thanks to advances in synthetic biology, with the right set of instructions, an army of microscopic little food factories (yeast, fungi, bacteria, algae etc) can now make animal proteins without animals, from collagen and egg albumin to whey protein if...
Impossible Foods has applauded a decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the FDA’s approval of soy leghemoglobin (aka 'heme') - the star ingredient in its plant-based burgers - as a color additive.
Asian plant-based meat sensation OmniPork is gearing up for a nationwide retail and foodservice launch in the US market later this year after debuting in a handful of restaurants in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Honolulu to celebrate Earth Day.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has requested detailed information from four of the companies named in the recent Congressional report into heavy metals in baby food on their approach to monitoring inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal – the...
While adaptogens and nootropics are central to the calming and functional benefits of Moment’s trio of botanical beverages, they take a backseat in marketing, which focuses first on the behavior modifications and lifestyle the brand promotes – a strategy...
Relying on historical usage of botanicals to help sell functional foods and beverages is no longer enough as consumers become increasingly sophisticated in how they approach and vet products to help boost their immunity, provide stress relief and reinforce...
With digital commerce sales accelerating during the pandemic and expected to climb from $35 billion to more than $250 billion by 2025, Danone North America is reallocating traditional marketing dollars to online in a bid to better drive consumer engagement...
Recognizing that risings costs are squeezing food and beverage margins as the pandemic continues, Albertsons will accept – to an extent – price increases that several large CPG players have warned in recent weeks are coming down the pike.
The popular recipe and home cooking platform Epicurious is dropping beef from its repertoire going forward in favor of more plant-based options to amplify the conversation about sustainable diets, stem the steady uptick in beef sales in the US and give...
The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) is “proving to be confusing as well as onerous for food manufacturers,” says FoodChain ID, which has just launched a compliance service* to help firms get their ducks in a row ahead of the January...
Visitors to BioMilk’s website are asked a simple question: ‘What is milk?’ a question that - until relatively recently - had a pretty obvious answer: the white stuff lactating mammals produce. Today, however, there’s plant-based milk; there are products...
Oatly posted a net loss of $60m in 2020 on sales up 106.5% year-on-year to $421.4m, reflecting its continued investment as it ramps up production and aggressively expands into new markets, according to a prospectus published ahead of its initial public...
Despite the interruption in civil litigation prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, “more new class action lawsuits were filed against the food and beverage industry—220* cases [+23% vs 2019]—than in any other year of the past decade,” according to an analysis...
Spencer Sheehan – a prolific plaintiff’s attorney in food litigation circles most recently making waves with a flurry of lawsuits over vanilla labeling – has turned his attention to flavored water, with a proposed class action alleging Whole Foods Market...
While a downturn in sales for snack bars in the past year suggest consumer demand has softened, snacking behavior has hit a fever pitch and innovation in this set is hotter than ever as brands evolve to meet shifting consumer demands.
Compliance with the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) – which requires firms with annual sales of >$2.5m to label ‘bioengineered’ foods, beverages, and supplements – is mandatory from January 1, 2022. So is the industry up to...
It’s well-known that the smaller the salt crystals, the saltier they taste, which means less is more, an enticing proposition for snack makers looking to reduce sodium. However, simply finely grinding table salt and sprinkling it on potato chips won’t...
US retail sales of plant-based milk surged 21.9% to $2.542bn in measured channels in the year to Jan. 24, 2021, while sales of plant-based cheese and yogurt (far smaller categories) were up 43.6% to $233.9m and 16.4% to $346.2m respectively in the year...
The Campbell Soup Co. is flipping the script on “diversity and inclusion” to focus first on inclusion on the grounds that an inclusive environment will better attract and sustain diversity.
Provisions of the recently signed American Rescue Plan that acknowledge and seek to right systemic racism perpetuated by the US Department of Agriculture and others against generations of Black US farmers will benefit the entire agriculture sector, USDA...
The ABV threshold at which kombucha switches from a non-alcoholic beverage to what is effectively 'beer' for tax purposes is currently set at 0.5%. The KOMBUCHA Act, reintroduced to Congress by Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3) and Senator...
“By 2035, every tenth portion of meat, eggs, and dairy eaten around the globe is very likely to be alternative,” says a new report from Boston Consulting Group and Blue Horizon Corporation predicting alternative proteins could account for 11% ($290bn)...
When it comes to feeding children, caregivers have a wealth of nutritional information at their fingertips that they say they understand, and yet most children fall short of the recommended intakes of fruit, vegetables and whole grains and consume too...
Even as more Americans are vaccinated and some local economies begin to reopen, recent consumer research suggests many of the shopping changes consumers adopted during the pandemic are here to stay, including a heightened focus on safety, financial health...
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Shifting shopping habits and channel preferences due to the pandemic hit the non-alcoholic beverage industry hard last year, leading to an overall decline in volume and value, but rising consumer interest in functional options could be a key driver in...
When former Annie’s president John Foraker joined fresh baby food startup Once Upon a Farm in 2017, it was doing less than a million dollars. Last year, revenues were north of $30m, he says, and while there have been some bumps along the road, the “brand...
Sales of functional beverages are rebounding and have a bright future despite the pandemic shutting down for most of 2020 in-person impulse purchases and food service sales which previously drove the category’s fast growth, according to market research...
The environmental NGO says many certification schemes – covering palm, soy, and timber – enable ‘destructive business to continue as usual’. Palm Oil Monitor has fought back, questioning Greenpeace’s motives: ‘Make no mistake, this is an attack on palm...
With the pandemic’s impact on the economy and food insecurity in America expected to outlast the threat of the current coronavirus, stakeholders are calling on legislators to rethink how food and funds through nutrition programs are disbursed – changes...
Known for its strong track record of helping emerging brands, like KIND, Bare Snacks and Spindrift, become household names, private equity firm VMG Partners is on the lookout once again for new investment opportunities after securing $850m for its Growth...
