Carbohydrates and fibers (sugar, starches)

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Immunity-boosting ingredients, diets rival comfort food for center stage in 2021

08-Feb-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Even though the coronavirus vaccine is slowly, albeit a bit unsteadily, rolling out, a recently published survey of dietitians predicts Americans in 2021 will continue to seek protection from COVID-19 and its rapidly spreading variants from food and beverages...

Consumer confusion about precautionary allergen labeling underscores need for governmental guidance

05-Feb-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

New research revealing the depth of consumer confusion about allergen labeling underscores a need for clearer, more consistent labeling about the presence of allergens or the risk of cross-contamination in food and beverages, and bolsters support for...

Investing in the Future of Food: Agricycle’s novel supply chain model lifts up impoverish farmers, reduces food waste & steadily supports CPG brands

03-Feb-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

A new business model developed by Milwaukee-based startup Agricycle that combines a vertically-integrated supply chain with a portfolio of upcycled brands is proving that with a little imagination and basic resources small growers can have an outsized...

SimplyProtein CEO: ‘We’re aspiring to be a $100m brand in the next five years’

28-Jan-2021 By Elaine Watson

SimplyProtein – a snacking brand acquired from The Simply Good Foods Company by Toronto-based Wellness Natural last September – is generating double digit growth in the US market and has the potential to grow from a $20m to a $100m brand within five years,...

Super Bowl snacking trends: Frito Lay projects 21% increase in snacking

27-Jan-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

While always an important feature of Super Bowl viewing, Frito Lay's latest U.S. Snack Index poll estimates a 21% increase in snacking among consumers compared to last year's Super Bowl LIV game.

PepsiCo Greenhouse accelerator startup BioLumen teams up with Dr Robert Lustig on ‘super-expanding fiber’ that partially blocks fat, sugar absorption

25-Jan-2021 By Elaine Watson

Structured ‘super-expanding’ natural fibers that can capture fats and sugars in the stomach and prevent their absorption in the small intestine could help reduce calorie intakes and deliver digestive health benefits, claims the CEO of nutritional technology...

‘Sorta sweet’ does not imply low sugar, argues Snapple Beverage Corp as it urges court to toss ‘fanciful’ lawsuit

21-Jan-2021 By Elaine Watson

Does ‘sorta sweet’ imply that a product is low in sugar? Or does it simply mean that it tastes ‘kind of sweet’ (as the maker of StraightUp Tea asserts in a bid to fend off a false advertising lawsuit)?

Sugar blocker: Evolva’s new ingredient obstructs the body’s ability to digest sucrose

21-Jan-2021 By Flora Southey

Swiss biotech company Evolva is launching a natural sugar blocker for food and drink applications. L-arabinose is also a reducing sugar, the company’s head of investor and corporate relations tells FoodNavigator.

Avocados and gut health: Study supports link between daily avocado consumption and increased gut microbiota diversity

06-Jan-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Eating avocado as part of a daily diet may help improve gut health by increasing the abundance and diversity of microbes in the human gut, according to recent research from the University of Illinois (U of I).

Mondelēz acquires Hu Products: 'There's significant opportunity to take Hu to the next level'

05-Jan-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Mondelēz International has acquired full ownership of Hu (pronounced ‘hue’ as in ‘human’) Products, a well-being snack company best known for its premium vegan chocolate bars.

New data shows acacia gum should be classified as a dietary fiber, firms tell FDA in new petition

05-Jan-2021 By Elaine Watson

Purveyors of acacia gum have submitted a new petition to the FDA with additional scientific data to support their contention that it should be classified as a dietary fiber on food labels, highlighting its positive impact on glucose and insulin levels...

2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans 'miss the mark' on added sugar, suggest “shifts” in protein consumption to “add variety"

29-Dec-2020 By Elaine Watson

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines advise Americans to watch their sugar and alcohol consumption but fall short of recommending the drastic cuts recently suggested by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC).

Frontline food industry workers prioritized for next phase of COVID-19 vaccination

21-Dec-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Frontline food industry workers will be among the first to be vaccinated after health care workers and those in long-term care facilities, according to federal guidance approved by the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization...

General Mills forecasts increased at-home eating to be 'new normal' post-pandemic

18-Dec-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

General Mills net sales increased 7% to $4.7bn for Q2 2021 as the company continued to benefit from elevated at-home demand for its core brands within its meals & baking and cereal segments, which grew net sales by 9% for the quarter.

Surging demand and new science to drive prebiotic opportunity in 2021 and beyond

17-Dec-2020 By By Len Monheit, Executive Director, Global Prebiotic Association and Nathan Gray, Science & Technical Director, Global Prebiotic Association

The prebiotic category continues to be buoyed by scientific advances as we deepen our understanding of the microbiome.

Consumers will seek convenience, comfort, health from food in 2021 as they await ‘return to normalcy’

17-Dec-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Encouraged by the first doses of the coronavirus vaccine administered in the US this week, many Americans are eager for a return to normalcy in the new year, but they also recognize widespread inoculation and economic recovery will be slow and so they...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Health, comfort & sustainability will influence flavors in 2021, predicts Symrise

16-Dec-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

As eager as many people are to shut the door on 2020, concerns about the coronavirus will follow us into the new year and continue to influence food and beverage preferences, predict trend spotters with Symrise, who forecast an increase in demand for...

Investing in the Future of Food: Food-tech investments target productivity, quality & sustainability

16-Dec-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Pandemic-fueled consumer demand for food that is healthier, more sustainable, ethically produced and easier to access has fueled a “burst of investment” in food-tech in 2020 that Finistere Ventures predicts will have a lasting impact on the industry long...

What does a ‘healthy gut microbiome’ look like? In conversation with Danone VP scientific affairs, Dr Miguel Freitas

13-Dec-2020 By Elaine Watson

What does a ‘healthy gut microbiome’ look like? And is an ‘unhealthy’ microbiome a corollary of poor health, or directly responsible for certain health conditions? If the latter is true, to what extent can we address these health problems by modulating...

Poppi 'prebiotic soda' sales skyrocket following brand revamp: ‘It’s almost like a fashion statement, people want to be seen drinking it’

08-Dec-2020 By Elaine Watson

“When we went on Shark Tank [in late 2018], Rohan Oza [managing partner at CAVU Venture Partners, who agreed to invest in the business] said to us, ‘I absolutely love your liquid, but I hate the packaging,” recalls Poppi co-founder Allison Ellsworth....

Could warning labels on soda reduce consumption?

08-Dec-2020 By Rachel Arthur

Displaying health warnings on sugar-sweetened drinks could be an effective way of reducing consumption, suggest US researchers, who found a 14.5% decline in consumption among students when warning labels were displayed on drinks in a college cafeteria....

What's the difference between plant-based and vegan? Foodchain ID unveils new certification schemes

07-Dec-2020 By Elaine Watson

While the terms 'plant-based' and 'vegan' might appear to be interchangeable (they both exclude animal products), consumers do not view them in quite the same way, claims Foodchain ID, which has just launched separate 'vegan,'...

New research highlights opportunity to slash fat in Pringles-style potato chips

07-Dec-2020 By Elaine Watson

Research revealing how the starch structure of potato flakes impacts oil uptake during deep frying could enable snack makers to slash the fat content of Pringles-style potato chips by up to a third, say the authors of a new study.

Mondelēz focuses on defending market share gains heading into 2021, 'We want to keep on reinforcing our core,' says CEO

04-Dec-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Mondelēz International is pouring more investment into marketing and media efforts for its legacy brands with a focus on delivering more value to consumers as the company vies to maintain, and possibly gain, further market share in snacking categories...

GALLERY: Plant-based brands and innovations to watch in 2021

04-Dec-2020 By Elaine Watson

Plant-based eggs, bacon, and everything inbetween… check out our gallery of plant-based brands and innovations to watch in 2021, from NotCo and Black Sheep Foods to Gold & Green. There are of course SCORES of exciting brands not covered here; this...

NEWS IN BRIEF

KIND acquires fig bar brand Nature's Bakery

02-Dec-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

KIND's pending acquisition of Nature's Bakery, a family-owned, better-for-you snacking company best known for its soft-baked fig bars, gives the nutrition bar giant and its parent company Mars a stronger foothold in the nut-free snack bar category....

Post Holdings: Rising next wave of COVID-19 cases will bring ‘new challenges’ to supply chains

23-Nov-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Surging COVID-19 cases across the country in the coming three months presents “a very challenging environment,” which threatens near term supply chain viability despite proactive steps to protect employees and automate production, warns Post Holdings...

Uplift Food navigates how to communicate prebiotics and gut health to consumers

18-Nov-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

While consumer understanding of prebiotics may still be in its infancy, basic knowledge around the topic is growing as more food and beverage brands enter the category, finds Kara Landau, founder of prebiotic functional food brand Uplift Food.

Eclipse Foods moves into retail, raises $12m Series A: ‘We’re following the Beyond Meat playbook’

17-Nov-2020 By Elaine Watson

Many plant-based dairy brands are built around ‘hero’ ingredients such as almond or coconut. At Eclipse Foods, by contrast, the mission is to replicate the taste and functionality of real dairy, and the brand, which could span multiple dairy platforms,...

Rip Van rides e-commerce wave: 'We’re one of the fastest-growing brands on Amazon within grocery'

16-Nov-2020 By Elaine Watson

Rip Van Winkle* slept for 20 years and woke up to find the world had completely changed. The founders of Rip Van came up with a snack while studying at Brown University in 2010 (inspired by Washington Irving’s famous fictional slumberer), worked like...

Frito-Lay survey: 300% surge in online holiday food shopping with snacks at the top of grocery lists

16-Nov-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

With the holidays approaching, half of US shoppers surveyed by Frito-Lay said they will be shopping for their holiday groceries online this year (up from 15% in 2019) with snacks being a top item for 77% of surveyed consumers.

Axiom Foods unveils AvenOlait 2.0 oat ingredient

09-Nov-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Axiom Foods has introduced its AvenOlait 2.0 oat ingredient, which is claimed to offer manufacturers of dairy alternatives enhanced functionality and nutrient density, facilitating the "next big wave" of oat-based dairy alternatives.

B&G Foods predicts elevated sales will continue next year: 'Consumers will be working from home even after a vaccine is available'

06-Nov-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Reporting a 22% net sales increase to $495.8m for the third quarter (ended Sept. 27, 2020), B&G Foods continues to benefit from its portfolio of brands and products which are “very well-suited for the stay at home, work at home, cook and eat at home...

The rise and rise of Olipop: ‘Our repurchase rates are astronomical’

03-Nov-2020 By Elaine Watson

Olipop – a functional beverage brand forging new territory in the soda category with 9g fiber per can – is generating “astronomically high repurchase rates,” say its founders, who have picked up significant bricks & mortar distribution during the...

DouxMatok partners with Canadian sugar refiner Lantic to take next-gen enhanced sugar to North American market

28-Oct-2020 By Elaine Watson

DouxMatok, the Israeli firm behind patented technology that makes sugar taste sweeter, has struck a deal with Canadian sugar refiner Rogers Sugar, parent of Lantic, to manufacture commercial quantities of its ‘enhanced’ sugar, with the first products...

Velocity Snack Brands unveils new innovations under the popchips brand

26-Oct-2020 By Elaine Watson

Velocity Snack Brands (VSB) – a portfolio company of VMG Partners set up in October 2019 to buy, incubate and grow snack brands – has launched two new innovations under the popchips brand it believes could have broad mainstream appeal.

Llamaland Organics ramps up awareness for Peruvian superfoods with line of cereals and spreads

26-Oct-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Houston, Texas-based brand Llamaland Organics is introducing American families to a variety of superfood ingredients sourced directly from Peru through approachable and familiar product formats including cereals and fruit spreads.

‘Authentically kid-first’ brand Mavericks Snacks heads to Target after successful debut at Whole Foods

23-Oct-2020 By Elaine Watson

There’s been a lot of innovation in the baby and toddler food market in recent years, and many new brands target Gen Z and Millennials. But kids aged 4-11 often get overlooked, says Mavericks Snacks founder Livio Bisterzo, who hit CPG gold with Hippeas...

FDA invites comment on nutrition labeling of sugars that are metabolized differently than traditional sugars

19-Oct-2020 By Elaine Watson

The FDA – which recently said allulose does not have to be listed as added or total sugar on food labels – is now inviting comment on whether other sugars that are not metabolized in the same way as traditional sugars (such as isomaltulose and D-tagatose)...

Mission MightyMe, CHUM Fruit Bites, Good Feeding to take center stage at FOOD FOR KIDS summit as our 2020 trailblazers

13-Oct-2020 By Elaine Watson

From bubbly probiotic water for kids to chickpea butter, ketchup with extra veggies, and goat's milk toddler formula, entrants to our 2020 FOOD FOR KIDS Trailblazers Challenge showcased innovative new products, brands, and routes to market for healthier...

Study: Early introduction of wheat in high doses may prevent celiac disease in young children

12-Oct-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Introducing high doses of gluten into an infant’s diet beginning at four months of age could prevent them from developing celiac disease, one study suggests – although further research is needed, say researchers.

Steaz hit with lawsuit over ‘lightly sweetened’ claims on beverages featuring 20g added sugar

12-Oct-2020 By Elaine Watson

Describing a beverage that contains 20g of added sugar per serving as ‘lightly sweetened' is deceptive and misleading, claims a proposed class action lawsuit filed against Healthy Beverage Co, maker of Steaz iced teas.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Muniq offers ways to close the race-related health disparity gap with nutrition

12-Oct-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Frustrated that many of the underlying health conditions that increase the risk of contracting COVID-19 disproportionately impact black, indigenous and people of color, the founder of Uplifting Results Lab wants to help close the race-related health disparity...

AIDP expands prebiotic portfolio with Olygose acquisition

08-Oct-2020 By Stephen Daniells

California-based AIDP, Inc has acquired the core technology and related intellectual property of French prebiotic player Olygose SAS.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Organic Trade Association & CPG leaders address ‘existential threat’ of climate change

05-Oct-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Over the last two weeks of September, members of the Organic Trade Association met virtually with 30 legislators on both sides of the aisle from 19 states to advocate for policies that they say will help all farmers mitigate and adapt to climate change,...

Trick or treat: How different will Halloween will be this year?

05-Oct-2020 By Elaine Watson

One in three US households with kids that sent them out trick or treating last year will not be doing so this Halloween due to COVID-19, according to an IRI survey of primary grocery shoppers.

Introducing the FOOD FOR KIDS 2020 virtual summit: From kids and the plant-based trend to dietary guidelines for infants and toddlers

29-Sep-2020 By Elaine Watson

School closures – and tentative re-openings – have compounded stress levels for families, while COVID-19-induced economic anxiety is also straining household budgets. So how can food and beverage brands come up with enticing – but affordable – recipes,...

New proteins, processing technologies could open the door for plant-based seafood to gain share

29-Sep-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Even though seafood alternatives account for only a small fraction of the current total plant-based protein market, it is primed for fast-paced growth and holds the most promise for capturing market share from its animal-based conventional counterpart,...

Brazi Bites launches on Amazon and in Walmart stores: 'We felt we were missing out on a number of consumers'

23-Sep-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Brazi Bites, best known for its frozen gluten-free Brazilian-style cheese bread, is expanding its consumer reach by launching on Amazon and in 300 Walmart stores where the brand can tap into a new base of consumers, said co-founder and CMO, Junea Rocha.

Study: Facts up Front nutrition labels associated with improved nutritional quality

21-Sep-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

An analysis of 21,096 food products from 9,083 brands across 44 categories found an association between Facts Up Front labeling – in which nutrition facts appear on the front of the package in addition to mandated nutritional information on the back of...