Cereals and bakery preparations

Startup Spotlight

Sugar Bliss CEO: Cutting short pitch meetings could pave the way for long partnerships

25-Jul-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Given how little time entrepreneurs have during most pitches, intentionally ending the meeting a few minutes early may sound counterintuitive, but the founder of the bakery and packaged cookie company Sugar Bliss says this gives potential buyers or investors...

Startup Spotlight

From bootstrapping to big box store shelves: Love+Chew CEO shares tips for growth

18-Jul-2024 By Ryan Daily

Vegan cookie company Love+Chew is controlling its destiny by not accepting venture capital (VC) funding and finding success at Costco in the process, brand CEO and founder Lauren Chew told FoodNavigator-USA during a Startup Spotlight interview.

PepsiCo reveals finalists for 2024 Greenhouse Accelerator Program: Juntos Crecemos Edition

12-Jul-2024 By Ryan Daily

PepsiCo named the finalists for this year's Greenhouse Accelerator Program, featuring eight brands that create products inspired by Hispanic heritage and tap into consumer demands for better-for-you and functional foods and beverages.

PepsiCo sees slowdown in US salty snack business, plans to ‘make disciplined commercial investments’

11-Jul-2024 By Ryan Daily

PepsiCo’s second quarter 2024 earnings released this morning, revealing new challenges to its Frito-Lay North America business, as company Chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta vows to tap into consumer demand for zero-sugar and functional products and increase...

Summer Fancy Food Show

Bread is back: Better-for-you, artisanal and take-and-bake options coax consumers to back to the bakery

11-Jul-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Bread is back after being demonized for years as high in calories and carbs and low in nutrition, innovative bakers are bringing to market bagels, buns and brioches that are high in fiber, protein, healthy fat and, of course, flavor.

IFT FIRST

Startup Pavilion at IFT FIRST showcases sustainable, better-for-you solutions

09-Jul-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

The Startup Pavilion at the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual Food Improved by Research Science and Technology (IFT FIRST) conference in Chicago this month will feature 100 food and tech businesses ranging from pre-seed to growth stage featuring...

GNT showcases rainbow of natural food-dye possibilities at IFT FIRST 2024

09-Jul-2024 By Ryan Daily

Food ingredient company GNT is demonstrating the full range of its natural color capabilities at IFT FIRST next week, as CPG companies continue to assess the impact food dye regulations might have on their need to reformulate, Alice Lee, technical marketing...

From Ozempic to functional ingredients: Upcoming webinar explores how healthy snack brands meet demands for nutrition, convenience, flavor

02-Jul-2024 By Ryan Daily

On-the-go consumers are turning to healthy snacks to satisfy their cravings for taste, functionality and convenience, as better-for-you snack brands capitalize on interest in GLP-1 drugs by introducing products that promote satiety and address different...

Summer Fancy Food Show

Soup-to-Nuts Podcast: Bold flavors, complementary pairings and easy customization emerge as top trends at the Summer Fancy Food Show

01-Jul-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

At the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City last week, health claims were downplayed and flavor came first – for real – followed by personalization with more brands offering consumers ways to dial up or down the heat, tang, funk and other characteristics...

Summer Fancy Food Show

Consumers want cleaner-label, better tasting gluten-free options in more categories

27-Jun-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Gluten free may not be as trendy as it once was, but the call-out continues to resonate with consumers as the quality, quantity and variety of products making the claim continue to improve – as showcased by brands across categories at the Summer Fancy...

Hero Bread raises $21m to fuel retail expansion of better-for-you baked goods

26-Jun-2024 By Ryan Daily

Hero Bread is using $21 million in series B funding to reinforce its retail footprint as more consumers demand more nutritious and healthier baked goods, including through direct-to-consumer (DTC) channels, company CEO YuChiang Cheng told FoodNavigator-USA....

Summer Fancy Food Show

Startup CPG offers entrepreneurs essential tools for building a packaged food business

25-Jun-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Building a packaged food or beverage business from scratch can be expensive and overwhelming for entrepreneurs, but Startup CPG is making it a little easier with a suite of free tools, extensive networking opportunities and a safe space for founders to...

From Shark Tank to social media: How a puffcorn disruptor has gone from startup to a $10m brand in just four years

12-Jun-2024 By Gill Hyslop

While homegrown startups frequently use ABC’s investment reality series to springboard their brand, Like Air Snacks already had a solid retail presence and was pulling in more than $5m in sales. So, what did its appearance on Shark Tank really achieve?...

EQUII’s complete-protein bread hits Hy-Vee shelves, as brand tees up further staples innovation

10-Jun-2024 By Ryan Daily

Venture-backed bread company EQUII is launching in 88 Midwest Hy-Vee stores — more than doubling its retail footprint — as it demonstrates the potential of fermentation to create better-for-you versions of classic pantry staples, brand Co-founder and...

General Mills doubles down on branding to offset delay in volume recovery across CPG

30-May-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Full volume recovery for packaged food could take upwards of 18 months as consumers struggle to adjust to higher prices due to inflation – requiring CPG companies to be more flexible and reinvest in their brands as they did during the pandemic, and forcing...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Spate leverages machine intelligence to identify, separate emerging trends from fads

30-May-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Today's niche diets, social media blips and internet search spikes could be tomorrow's must-have functional ingredients, breakout snacks or new kitchen staples -- the trick is spotting them early and knowing whether they represent long-term...

Sweet Loren’s expands portfolio with gluten-free puff pastry, pizza, pie doughs

30-May-2024 By Ryan Daily

Better-for-you snack brand Sweet Loren’s is expanding its product portfolio with a series of ready-to-use pizza, pastry and pie doughs as the company taps into demands for clean-label treats and ready-to-use foods, company CEO and Founder Loren Castle...

CVS’s expanded, rebranded private label snack line blends functional, fun & flavor

30-May-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

CVS is putting the ‘fun’ in functional food with the launch of more than 40 snacks, beverages and grocery items with trendy flavors and ingredients consumers want, including probiotics, fiber, protein and superfoods like turmeric and goji berries under...

Are protein bars and powders damaging to gut health?

21-May-2024 By Donna Eastlake

High-protein products and gut health represent two of the biggest food trends of the last decade, but is one bad for the other?

Oobli partners with Grupo Bimbo to bring sweet proteins to baked goods

16-May-2024 By Ryan Daily

Biotech company Oobli signed a formal agreement with Grupo Bimbo to supply the baked goods manufacturer with sweet proteins — the first major step in the startup establishing itself as an ingredient provider.

Organic Trade Association's Organic Week Summit

Organic sales ‘bounce back to a higher growth rate’ to reach nearly $70bn in 2023

16-May-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

New data from the Organic Trade Association shows organic sales “bouncing back” after a post-pandemic and inflation-induced slowdown in incremental grown in recent years, with research from SPINS suggesting the products best positioned to seize this growth...

Hain Celestial slashes SKUs, braces for a ‘longer than expected’ return to growth

13-May-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Hain Celestial is slashing its portfolio and consolidating its operating footprint to “unlock savings” and “further de-leverage the balance sheet” as part of a broader “Hain Reimagined Strategy,” but the four-prong plan may take longer than expected as...

WK Kellogg’s 3-prong strategy slows sale & volume decline, paves way for possible full-year gains

08-May-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Cereal maker WK Kellogg’s year-over-year sales continued to decline but are slowly improving quarter-over-quarter as is the gap between its price and volume, suggesting its new marketing model and supply chain management strategies are working to deliver...

What legacy will Ardent Mills CEO Dan Dye leave behind?

07-May-2024 By Gill Hyslop

Under Dye’s stewardship, the US’ biggest flour miller has enjoyed significant growth, making numerous acquisitions, expanding its capacity and building out its Emerging Nutrition alternative grains business and regenerative agriculture program.

Kellanova’s return to ‘full commercial activity,’ debut of Netflix’s Unfrosted movie promise strong results for full year

03-May-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Kellanova’s ramped up commercial activity is paying off – helping the snack giant drive higher volume and sales amid challenging macro and industry conditions, which in turn helped convince retailers to accept price hikes, smaller pack sizes and other...

Natural Products Expo West

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Snack trends at Expo West from better-for-you and portion controlled to indulgent and gluten-free

25-Apr-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Nearly a third of Americans are self-described “health-conscious snackers,” according to new research by YouGov, which also found 35% of healthy snackers are willing to spend more than $50 on snacks each month.

Startup Spotlight

Myna Snacks targets gamers as stepping stone to everyone ‘behind screens’

25-Apr-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Contrary to popular belief, not all video-gamers are happy to chug energy drinks and devour junk food for fuel – rather most eSports enthusiasts want convenient, tasty snacks that will not compromise their competitive edge by compromising their health.

Snacks from the Sea readies Kelpie Chips for retail push with new packaging, formulation

25-Apr-2024 By Ryan Daily

Snacks from the Sea is moving beyond e-commerce with the help of new packaging and product formulations to make kelp’s health and sustainability more widely appreciated in the US, brand founder Jennifer Murphy told FoodNavigator-USA.

Sweet, savory snacks win in 2023, age influences purchase channel, Circana finds

25-Apr-2024 By Ryan Daily

Consumers are finding more ways to eat their favorite snacks, as younger shoppers increasingly turn to quick-service restaurants for a convenient option for in-between meal occasions, Circana shared in its annual snack report.

USDA caps added sugar in school meals, but pulls back on sodium, milk restrictions

25-Apr-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

In nutrition guidelines published in the Federal Register April 25, the US Department of Agriculture for the first time capped added sugar in school meals, but pulled back on proposed restrictions for sodium, milk and refined grains that school nutrition...

PepsiCo struggles with slower US volumes in Q1 2024, challenges persist in beverage business

24-Apr-2024 By Ryan Daily

PepsiCo is sticking with its fiscal 2024 guidance, after releasing its first-quarter results yesterday, which showed fresh challenges for the food and beverage giant as volumes decreased across its core US businesses amid fierce competition and ongoing...

Mondelēz’s CoLab Tech accelerator seeks startups with ‘cutting edge technologies of the future’ focused on personalized nutrition, sustainability

24-Apr-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Mondelēz International wants to team with early-stage startups through its CoLab Tech program to develop “groundbreaking” technology that can accelerate its Vision 2030 Growth strategy and meet consumer demand for personalized nutrition and products that...

Forward Consumer Partners makes first purchase with Firehook Bakery acquisition

18-Apr-2024 By Ryan Daily

Private-equity firm Forward Consumer Partners acquired artisan baker, Firehook Bakery, marking the first acquisition of the company’s $425m initial fund, the firm’s founder and managing partner, Matt Leeds, told FoodNavigator-USA.

Natural Products Expo West

Mondelez: As snacking becomes more ‘purposeful' portion control becomes key

12-Apr-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Nearly nine out of 10 consumers snack daily to fuel their busy days, carve out a mindful moment of ‘me time,’ and connect with family and friends – but according to Mondelez International’s recently released 5th State of Snacking report, what they are...

Startup Spotlight

DEUX founder discusses ‘year of retail,’ growing with Sprouts, Target

11-Apr-2024 By Ryan Daily

Better-for-you sweet snack brand DEUX is making 2024 “a year of retail" with its recent expansion in Sprouts, while tapping into larger permissible indulgent trends, brand Founder and CEO Sabeena Ladha shared with FoodNavigator-USA during a Startup...

Hain Celestial sells Thinsters to J&J Snacks, downplays further divestitures

10-Apr-2024 By Ryan Daily

Hain Celestial sold cookie brand Thinsters to J&J Snack Foods for an undisclosed amount in an all-cash deal announced this week as part of the its overarching growth strategy.

Doughlicious leverages manufacturing capability to support US Whole Foods expansion

08-Apr-2024 By Ryan Daily

Following a successful US regional launch at Whole Foods last year, UK-based Doughlicious is rolling out its frozen cookie dough and gelato bites nationwide, as the company leverages its manufacturing capabilities to grow its global retail presence, company...

Natural Products Expo West

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Buckwheat gains traction as nutrient-dense, climate smart ingredient

08-Apr-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Despite buckwheat’s status as a superfood staple in many parts of the world, including as the base for soba noodles in Japan and in kasha in Ukraine, the protein- and fiber-packed pyramid-shaped seed has struggled to secure a stable spot in the US diet...

Natural Products Expo West

Spring Foods offers fresh bread minus preservatives, artificial flavors thanks to innovative packaging, traditional baking techniques

04-Apr-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Brand building platform Spring Foods is on a mission to revive what it says is the lost flavor, nutrition and virtue of bread with the launch of Essential – a certified organic, ready-to-bake bread line that is building on the success of the company’s...

Natural Products Expo West

Expo West trendspotting: Functional benefits, purity testing help justify premium pricing as consumers navigate economic challenges

19-Mar-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Emphasizing the value of exisiting products appeared to trump breakthrough innovation this year at Natural Products Expo West where many companies either introduced smaller sizes of existing SKUs to lower the entry point or more prominently called out...

Natural Products Expo West

Gluten-free category expands with breakfast options, cauliflower-crust pizzas

19-Mar-2024 By Ryan Daily

Feel Good Foods, Schär, Brazi Bites, and other gluten-free brands showcased breakfast items, pizzas, breads, and other products at Natural Products Expo West last week, as companies lean on innovation to grow the category.

Mmmly launches Wefunder campaign to support better-for-you cookie retail expansion

18-Mar-2024 By Ryan Daily

Better-for-you cookie brand Mmmly is seeking capital through the crowdfunding platform Wefunder as it readies for a nationwide expansion, brand founder and CEO Nicholas Naclerio told FoodNavigator-USA.

Base Culture finds clean-label opportunity in the shelf-stable bread aisle

13-Mar-2024 By Ryan Daily

Clean-label bread maker Base Culture expands beyond the frozen aisle with its first line of shelf-stable products, tapping into consumer demand for preservative-free and nutrient-dense foods, CEO Johnny Heiselberg told FoodNavigator-USA.

Natural Products Expo West

King Arthur 'unlocks' weeknight baking with savory bread mix kits, enhances-sustainability with regeneratively-grown Climate Blend flour

13-Mar-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Consumer interest in baking and sourdough, which spiked during the pandemic before dipping slightly as the world reopened, is resurging with a particular interest in savory options and simplified weeknight solutions, according to King Arthur Baking Company....

From ‘flakes for dinner’ to possible heart attack-inducing fortification: Is it all just a storm in a cereal bowl?

07-Mar-2024 By Gill Hyslop

WK Kellogg Co CEO’s controversial suggestion of Frosted Flakes for dinner has triggered a fracas from all sectors. The breakfast cereal sector is also dealing with reports that its fortification of niacin (a common B vitamin) is more damaging than helpful...

WK Kellogg Co. unveils its Feeding Happiness platform, focuses on three-tiered sustainability initiatives

04-Mar-2024 By Deniz Ataman

With the goal of improving food and nutrition access for Americans while reducing environmental impact, WK Kellogg Co.’s Feeding Happiness is a framework for sustainable business, Sarah Ludmer, chief wellbeing and sustainable business officer at WK Kellogg...

Mondelez North America poised for growth after ‘fixing’ its foundation to focus on value creation, not cost reduction

27-Feb-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Mondelez has “fixed the foundations” of its North American business and is now poised to “unlock new opportunities” in the region with a four-prong plan that executives say will deliver low- to mid-single-digit revenue growth in the coming years.

Winter Fancy Food Show

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Sustainability takes center stage in storytelling

26-Feb-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Sustainability may not be as highly prioritized as taste or price in purchase decisions for food and beverage, but research suggests it is increasingly important to consumers -- especially younger shoppers who are coming into their buying power.

General Mills reaches ‘transition point’ with digitization investments ready to pay off

23-Feb-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

General Mills is ready to “unleash” the growth potential of its carefully constructed digital capabilities, including e-commerce, data-driven marketing and supply chain digitization, in which it has made “significant investments” over the past five years,...

Protecting children from deceptive food advertising: The scope of NY’s S213-B bill

21-Feb-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Recently proposed legislation in New York seeks to expand the state’s deceptive food advertising regulations to include safeguarding children who may be susceptible to excessive consumption of unhealthy goods, but lawyers with the firm Venable argue the...