Cereals and bakery preparations

Quinn secures $10m to advance regenerative farming, increased transparency & new snack launches

21-Jul-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

After growing steadily across channels on and offline, better-for-you snack brand Quinn is poised to enter its “next phase of growth” with $10m in series B funding announced today that will support upcoming new product launches, expanded distribution...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: QVC, live-streaming help brands drive discovery, trial among at-home shoppers

19-Jul-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Live-stream shopping is emerging as a new frontier for food and beverage brands as homebound consumers during the pandemic looked for safe ways to discover products and stock their pantries and brands seek novel ways to tell their stories and drive trial...

Gerber expands sustainability goals to test potential nutritional benefits of regenerative agriculture, further reduce carbon emissions

15-Jul-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Childhood nutrition giant Gerber is teaming with the Rodale Institute and Michigan State University to test whether more sustainably grown food is not only better for the earth, but also for children, as part of an ambitious, multi-prong commitment to...

PepsiCo aims to build on surging Q2 net sales of 20.5% with better-for-you beverages, snacks

13-Jul-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

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...

NEWS IN BRIEF

Private equity firm completes acquisition of Kodiak Cakes

02-Jul-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Private equity group, L Catterton, has completed its acquisition of better-for-you, protein-powered waffle and pancake mix brand Kodiak Cakes.

Investing in the Future of Food: SnackMagic's Snack Drop offers inexpensive sampling, data analytics to help emerging brands test innovations, understand consumers

30-Jun-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

For a fraction of the price and hassle of in-person sampling or focus groups, the new product discovery and data analytics platform Snack Drop allows emerging brands to offer goods directly to consumers in exchange for honest feedback and detailed information...

Keto, a long-lasting trend? New keto product launches double in past year

28-Jun-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Now a few years on the mainstream diet scene, the keto market continues to grow with an uptick in new product launches in the past year, according to Mintel data.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Emerging confection trends track pandemic-based desire for escape, connection & safety

28-Jun-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

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...

ReGrained’s SuperGrain+ earns first upcycled food certification to ‘catalyze demand’ for growing industry

17-Jun-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Upcycled food pioneer ReGrained continues to pave the way for the fast-growing but still nascent industry by becoming the first business with an ingredient certified by the Upcycled Foods Association – a move the company founder says will help “catalyze...

Serenity Kids raises $7m to reach beyond the “elite, crunchy consumer” and expand into mainstream

15-Jun-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

With an infusion of $7m in series A funds, baby food challenger Serenity Kids hopes to prove its high-fat, meat- and vegetable-based purees, grain-free puffs and bone broths “are not just for the elite, crunchy consumer,” by expanding distribution and...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: What do consumers consider ‘healthy’ and how does that stack up to the truth?

14-Jun-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

While the pandemic shined a light on the role of diet and nutrition in health and wellness, it also revealed that most consumers don’t have a firm – or even loose – idea of what constitutes healthy – underscoring a need for more research and better education...

Campbell Soup Co: “The name of the game for ’22 is going to be remain pretty agile and nimble”

11-Jun-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Campbell Soup Co. executives were braced for a tough third quarter as vaccinated consumers began eating at home less just as the company cycled past the peak pantry stocking phase of the pandemic from a year ago, but even they appeared surprised by how...

'Do we really need another snack bar?' asks Rabobank

10-Jun-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Does the market need another snack bar? In short, probably not, but it may be time for a reset of the bellwether category, says Nicholas Fereday, senior analyst, consumer foods at Rabobank.

Heavy metals in baby food: 86 lawsuits and counting as Beech-Nut decides to exit infant rice cereal category owing to inorganic arsenic concerns

10-Jun-2021 By Elaine Watson

At least 86 lawsuits have now been filed against firms named in the recent Congressional Subcommittee report on heavy metals in baby food, including Beech-Nut Nutrition, which has just announced plans to exit the infant rice cereal category citing difficulties...

BMJ study: Plant-based, pescatarian diets “may be considered for protection against severe COVID-19”

08-Jun-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Following a nutrient-dense plant-based or pescatarian diet could protect against severe COVID-19, according to researchers who found healthcare workers at high risk of exposure to the coronavirus were less likely to experience severe infections if they...

Mondelēz doubles down on digital and personalized marketing, explores expanded channel distribution

04-Jun-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Mondelēz is doubling down on digital marketing and increased distribution across channels as it continues its transformation from a 'margin-centric' business to a more 'consumer-centric' company, according to CEO Dirk Van De Put.

Coca-Cola: Brands with heavy or perishable items can still leverage e-commerce

04-Jun-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Brands with heavy, bulky and perishable products that are difficult or expensive to ship direct-to-consumer need not write-off e-commerce as cost prohibitive or lag behind competitors in other consumer categories when it comes to online sales penetration,...

J.M. Smucker: 'We are emerging from the pandemic a much stronger company'

03-Jun-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Working against tough-to-beat comparables from the previous year when consumers were in full pantry-loading mode, J.M. Smucker reported an 8% decline in net sales to $1.92bn in Q4 2021 compared to the same period last year.

Post buys TreeHouse cereal business for $85m

02-Jun-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Post Holdings has acquired TreeHouse Foods' ready-to-eat (RTE) cereal business for $85m.

Virtual Natural Products Expo West

Consumers weigh vegan & specialty diet attributes differently based on category, SPINS data shows

01-Jun-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

With nearly one in five Americans now following some type of specialty diet, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the extent to which products appeal to different food tribes can heavily influence sales – but not all diets are...

Whipstitch Capital: CPG innovation is benefiting from a 10-fold investment increase in ESG funds

28-May-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

CPG brands that invest in restoring healthy farmland can earn more than the goodwill of consumers who increasingly care about sustainability – they also could cash-in on the surge of ESG-earmarked funding and secure high-value assets that will support...

Defy Foods: Keto dieters want healthy options with high-quality ingredients, good fats and fewer sugar alcohols

27-May-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Despite significant unmet demand for convenient keto products across categories, consumers who follow the diet are becoming more selective and less willing to settle for options that use low-quality or unhealthy ingredients to meet the diet’s strict macro...

Virtual Expo West

‘Diet’ is no longer about preparing for swimsuit season, it is ‘a tool for well-being … to achieve broader goals of feeling healthy and high-functioning’

27-May-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

As consumers adopt a more flexible and holistic approach to ‘dieting,’ brands have more room to innovate at the ingredient-level through “mindful omissions and swaps” to create products that appeal to shoppers’ lifestyles, according to new research from...

News In Brief

Retail sales of organic food & beverages rose 12.8% in 2020, with sales of organic flour and baked goods up 30%

25-May-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Consumer shifts in cooking and eating habits during the pandemic more than doubled the growth rate of organic sales in 2020 compared to before the coronavirus outbreak, helping to drive up retail sales of organic products 12.4% to $61.9bn, according to...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Airly’s ‘climate-friendly’ snacks trailblaze path for more sustainable eating

24-May-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

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...

IFIC: Keto tumbles as basic calorie-counting becomes Americans’ top diet of choice during pandemic

19-May-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

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...

Healthy Height targets growing kids snack bar market with functional, ‘picky-eater approved’ bars

19-May-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Nutritional Growth Solutions (NGS) and its Healthy Height brand is entering the kids snack bar category with a bar line that balances research-based, “growth-boosting” nutrients with a kid-approved flavor profile.

Clif Bar CEO: We are ‘well on our way with plans to transform the business’ with new executives, ad campaign

19-May-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Clif Bar & Company is moving forward with its “next stage of purpose-driven growth and expansion” with today’s launch of a fully integrated marketing campaign that reaches beyond the company’s typical consumer base of ultra-athletes to appeal to active...

“Carbon score is the next big thing,” predicts CGC co-head, industry experts gathered by FoodBytes!

13-May-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

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...

NEWS IN BRIEF

B&G Foods appoints new president and CEO

12-May-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

B&G Foods -- parent company to household name brands including Ortega, Green Giant, and Crisco -- has appointed Kenneth C. “Casey” Keller as its next president and CEO, effective June 14, 2021, replacing B&G Foods’ interim president and CEO, David...

Investing in the Future of Food

Catalina Crunch: D2C brings brands of all sizes closer to consumers, more effectively guides innovation

12-May-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

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...

Mondelēz SnackFutures' CoLab startup engagement program announces first class of snack entrepreneurs

10-May-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

SnackFutures, Mondelēz International's innovation and venture hub, has selected nine well-being snack brands to participate in its inaugural CoLab startup engagement program.

Kellogg's MorningStar Farms and Incogmeato brands bolster Q1 2021 sales growth

07-May-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

More than a year out from the onset of the pandemic, and Kellogg's organic net sales remain elevated at +4% for Q1 2021 (compared to Q1 2020) largely driven by growth of its frozen foods portfolio.

Private label growth falls behind branded food for first time in a decade – driving need for new strategies

06-May-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Despite historically enjoying rapid gains during economically challenging periods, like the pandemic, private label growth fell behind branded products in all but a few niche food and beverage categories during the past year – a role reversal that hasn’t...

Mondelēz emerges from pandemic 'stronger than ever', says CEO

28-Apr-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Mondelēz International is continuing to see healthy demand for its core snacking brands, proving that industry-wide sales spikes for packaged, shelf-stable products were more than just a COVID-inspired blip, said chairman and CEO Dirk Van De Put.

Acosta: Frozen food sales continue to outpace overall food, signaling a long-term shopping shift

23-Apr-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

As consumers looked to keep kitchens stocked between fewer grocery trips during the early days of the pandemic, frozen foods emerged as a breakout winner that continues to outperform overall edible sales even as restaurants begin to reopen and shoppers...

EverGrain and Bright Future Foods team up to develop ‘climate-friendly’ snacks

22-Apr-2021 By Elaine Watson

EverGrain, a barley ingredients company backed by brewing giant Anheuser-Busch that makes proteins and fibers from AB InBev’s spent grains; and Bright Future Foods, a subsidiary of Post Holdings utilizing oats grown on zero CO2 emission farms; are teaming...

USDA undertakes ‘top to bottom assessment’ to identify, repair ‘supply chain-bottlenecks and vulnerabilities”

22-Apr-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

The US Department of Agriculture is asking for help conducting a “top to bottom assessment” of the US food system in an effort to avoid the empty store shelves, food waste at farms and destruction for animals due to broken supply chains experienced in...

Better Brand’s “Grain-changing Technology” takes the guilt, not the pleasure, out of refined carbs

21-Apr-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

For many consumers a freshly toasted bagel is a source of joy, comfort – and guilt, but thanks to food-tech startup Better Brand Inc.’s proprietary Grain-changing Technology, Americans can soon enjoy a clean label option that tastes and functions like...

Hungry Planet raises $25m to meet ‘pent up demand’ for plant-based meat beyond burgers, sausage

19-Apr-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

After finetuning a diverse range of plant-based meat and seafood that goes far beyond the burger- and sausage-heavy offerings of today, Hungry Planet is ready to ramp up production and distribution of all nine of its proteins across retail, foodservice...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Grain consumption is up – but will the momentum sustain post-pandemic?

19-Apr-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

After being demonized for decades and hitting a 30-year low in 2019, per capita flour consumption is on the rise again thanks in part to consumers’ increasingly sophisticated understanding of diet and health and their duel desire to fill their plates...

PepsiCo Q1 sales clear last year’s pandemic-inspired surge with innovations in snacks, energy drinks

15-Apr-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

PepsiCo sales during the first three months of the year sailed passed the high bar set last year when the pandemic inspired pantry loading, despite challenges during the quarter, including temporary business disruptions due to the severe winter storms...

New CEO: “HIPPEAS has all the tenets to become a household name and a true lifestyle brand”

15-Apr-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

With this week’s appointment of industry veteran Paul Nardone as the new CEO of HIPPEAS, the organic chickpea snack brand is building an all-star executive team with a strong track record of high-profile exits to help it leverage pandemic-inspired shifts...

‘Blockbuster year’ for snacking innovation on horizon after product launches slowed during pandemic

13-Apr-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

This year promises to be a “blockbuster year” for snacking innovation after 2020 saw drastically fewer new products hit stores than previous years, but of those that did launch the best sellers catered to Americans’ pandemic-influenced demands – portending...

Conagra benefits from sustained and elevated at-home demand in Q3 2021

12-Apr-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Still benefiting from a sustained consumer shift to at-home eating over a year past the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Conagra has registered a nearly 10% increase in organic net sales for Q3 2021 compared to the same period last year.

Clio Snacks debuts snackable parfait bars: ‘The bar category will continue to grow if innovation is injected into it’

07-Apr-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Fresh snacking brand Clio Snacks – known for its chocolate covered Greek yogurt bars – had a breakout year in 2020, says VP of marketing Rachel Moore. This year, the company is ramping brand awareness and customer trial with its newest product innovation:...

Investing in the Future of Food: Alchemy FoodTech makes “bad carbs good” with unique fiber blends

07-Apr-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Startup Alchemy FoodTech is arming manufacturers of baked goods, pasta, rice and other products high in refined-carbs with a new weapon in the war against carbs led by advocates of the keto, paleo and other low-carb diets.

Consumers want clearer, more consistent product information to facilitate omni-channel shopping

06-Apr-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

As more consumers adopt a “research-online-buy-offline” approach, providing accurate, consistent product information across channels and on packaging is essential for driving discovery, initial trial and repeat purchases – and yet, most manufacturers...

Investing in the Future of Food: RCV Frontline sees potential for startups to fill innovation demand post-pandemic

31-Mar-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

A new early-stage venture capital fund sees significant upside for financing food and beverage startups that may be too small for many other VC investors, but which in a few years could help meet “pent up demand” for innovation from large CPG players...

Soup-to-Nuts Podcast: What is the best way to reach consumers during and after the pandemic?

29-Mar-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

The coronavirus outbreak fundamentally changed how food and beverage brands are connecting with consumers – from abruptly halting live sampling and in-store promotions to altering the types of messaging consumers want to hear.