Cereals and bakery preparations

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.

General Mills eyes net price increase as rising costs squeeze margins, but analysts question execution

25-Mar-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

With margins under pressure due to rising commodity and transportation costs, General Mills plans to increase prices going forward, but some investment analysts worry the timing will be off with local economies beginning to reopen and increased competitive...

Investing in the Future of Food: Kroger & Village Capital offer $2.5m & training for upcycling solutions

24-Mar-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

As part of a “moonshot” to end hunger and eliminate food waste, The Kroger Co.’s Zero Hunger Zero Waste Foundation and seed stage funder Village Capital are offering $2.5 million in collective grants and development programming to 10 innovative startups...

IFIC: Picky-eating, price & a disconnect about sources of sugar hinder children’s healthy eating

23-Mar-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

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...

Home baking continues in 2021 giving rise to comfort and wellness trends

22-Mar-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

The trend of home baking, which soared in popularity during the pandemic, is still going strong with sustained elevated sales expected through 2025, according to new market data.

KeHE’s ‘Crazy Good’ campaign underscores its digital-forward innovation, operational support to help retailers, brands grow

18-Mar-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Well-known for its service and compassion, KeHE’s new “Crazy Good” campaign that launched this month seeks to highlight how the food distributor’s other two pillars of “innovation and operational excellence” also can drive growth for its retail partners...

KeHE: ‘Treasure hunting’ may look different post-COVID, but consumers still seek innovation

18-Mar-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Innovation still drives the food landscape even though “treasure hunting” may look different now than before the pandemic sidelined casual in-store consumer browsing and retailers and brands rationalized SKUs to focus on best-sellers to alleviate supply...

Three Farm Daughters seeks to elevate pantry staples with nutrition of GoodWheat

17-Mar-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Three Farm Daughters, a pasta and flour brand launched by three sisters, features Arcadia Biosciences' GoodWheat, a specialty durum wheat variety with significantly more dietary fiber and fewer calories per serving than traditional wheat.

Ardent Mills answers call for keto flour that doesn’t compromise flavor, function or complicate production

16-Mar-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

A new line of grain-based flour blends launching today from Ardent Mills promises to deliver the low-carb health benefits consumers want without compromising taste or texture or requiring manufacturers to install new equipment.

ReGrained proves mainstream market appeal for upcycled foods

15-Mar-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

With a new puffs line in several points of distribution, a line of baking mixes in the works, and plans to convert oat milk byproduct into finished product applications later this year, ReGrained is building a case for the mainstream viability for upcycled...

Target launches premium, indulgent Favorite Day private label line

09-Mar-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

In early April, Target Corp. will introduce Favorite Day, its latest private label food line focused on affordable, sweet and savory indulgence.

Investing in the Future of Food: Manna Tree investors seek emerging brands focused on human health

03-Mar-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

As the ongoing pandemic accelerates consumer interest in the role of nutrition in wellness and underscores the supply chain’s fragility, the investors at Manna Tree Partners are looking for at least three growth stage companies that are revolutionizing...

Consumer Brands Association marks first anniversary with growth, renewed industry trust, on point agenda

02-Mar-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

A sharp increase in the Consumer Brands Association’s membership in 2020 underscores how the trade group’s “pro-consumer, pro-growth agenda” is helping it regain the trust and support of the CPG industry, including some companies that left the organization...

Lawsuits mount over heavy metals in baby food, but do they have legs?

23-Feb-2021 By Elaine Watson

Lawsuits are piling up against companies cited in a recent Congressional report into heavy metals in baby food. But how might courts decide if these complaints have legs, and what can be reasonably expected from food manufacturers given that the FDA has...

Clif Bar adopts ambitious ‘transformation’ to expand portfolio, consumer-reach & sustainability

23-Feb-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Less than a year after taking the helm at Clif Bar & Co., new CEO Sally Grimes is spearheading the company’s first transformation in 30 years with an ambitious goal to double its business to $2 billion and double its positive impact on the world....

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Startups seize fast-growing upcycling trend to drive sales, make social impact

22-Feb-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Upcycled foods and beverages made from ingredients traditionally not consumed by people are gaining popularity with consumers seeking more sustainable diets – creating a fast-growing market opportunity estimated to be worth more than $46 billion, which...

General Mills bets on cereal, ice cream, snack bars & Mexican food as it deploys 4-prong growth strategy

17-Feb-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

At the Consumer Analyst Group of New York 2021 conference yesterday, General Mills unveiled a four-prong strategy to “accelerate” its net organic sales growth 2-3%, expand mid-single-digit margins and deliver mid- to high-single-digit constant currency...

Barleymilk: ‘It’s the first plant-based milk that tastes, nourishes and performs like traditional dairy,’ claims Take Two Foods

15-Feb-2021 By Elaine Watson

Plant-based milk is growing at an impressive clip, although not every subsegment is gaining momentum and not every new entrant has struck CPG gold. Barleymilk, however, has the potential to be a major player, and is every bit as exciting as current category...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Carbon labeling, promises to be carbon neutral, positive emerge as top trend

15-Feb-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Whether or not you believe in climate change or the food industry’s contribution to the greenhouse gasses wrapping the earth and changing weather patterns, plenty of consumers do, and they increasingly are buying products based on their environmental...

Kellogg misses sales mark as it battles supply constraints for Frosted Flakes, MorningStar Farms

12-Feb-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Kellogg Co missed analysts' sales forecast for its fourth quarter of 2020, during which it faced pandemic-related headwinds, including unexpected supply constraints of multiple marque brands and the continued slowdown of at-home purchases as some...

Kraft Heinz enters 2021 with lighter portfolio and agile growth ambitions, announces $3.35bn sale of Planters to Hormel

11-Feb-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Kraft Heinz has ended 2020 on a high note reporting a 6.2% increase in organic net sales and a 27% lift in household penetration in Q4, driven by significant gains in Ketchup, Lunchables, and Ore-Ida.

Knowde launches food & nutrition online marketplace: ‘This is a massive market that is ripe for change’

10-Feb-2021 By Elaine Watson

San Jose-based Knowde – a b2b online marketplace for chemicals, ingredients and polymers - is moving into the food and nutrition industry, enabling R&D and procurement professionals to research and compare products, connect with suppliers, request...

Unilever unveils ambitious 5-prong plan to drive 3-5% sales growth in coming years

09-Feb-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Investors appear skeptical of Unilever’s ambitious five-prong plan to drive sales growth of 3-5% in the coming years after it saw only a 1.9% increase in sales in 2020 and a 5.8% decline in underlying profits in a year when many CPG companies saw significantly...

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...

‘Wellness’ inspires emotionally-soothing indulgent snacks along side immunity-boosting options

26-Jan-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

As the pandemic expands consumers’ definition of wellness to include not just physical fitness but also emotional welfare, they increasingly are seeking snacks that balance both – opening the door for products that are nostalgic and indulgent as well...

NEWS IN BRIEF

Tate & Lyle receives Non-GMO Project Verification for crystalline allulose ingredient

20-Jan-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Tate & Lyle has received Non-GMO Project Verification for the crystalline form of its DOLCIA PRIMA Allulose sweetening ingredient.

Baby Gourmet poised for US expansion, new product development after acquisition by Hero Group

20-Jan-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Leading Canadian organic baby food brand Baby Gourmet is eager to expand its manufacturing capacity and bring its organic meals and snacks for babies and toddlers into the US after joining Hero Group’s “goodness of nature” portfolio, which also includes...

KIND Snacks updates packaging to reflect America’s diversity, donates to support racial equality

12-Jan-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Black Lives Matter supporters may not be taking to the streets or grabbing headlines as often as they were last summer, but the social and racial injustices that drove them their persist, which is why KIND Healthy Snacks is deepening its commitment to...

Cost-conscious consumers’ embrace of bulk packaging, private label reshapes competitive landscape

07-Jan-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

More consumers suffering from the economic fallout of the pandemic will prioritize value when grocery shopping this year – forcing brands to rethink packaging and fueling private label innovation and sales that will reshape the competitive landscape,...

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.

Consumer demand for products that nourish mental health, offer time-saving convenience on the rise

17-Dec-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

The emotional and physical strains caused by events in 2020 have shined a light on the need for and accelerated development of foods and beverages that not only nourish consumers’ physical bodies, but their mental health as well, according to Rabobank...

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...

Surging COVID cases trigger another wave of stockpiling, threatening inventory, but not like in Spring

15-Dec-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

As the current wave of coronavirus cases crests the peak of the first, consumers once again are stockpiling essentials, although many manufacturers do not anticipate as great a sales lift as they saw in March and April at the beginning of the pandemic....

Rabobank: Increased transparency, digitation needed to reinforce supply chain against future threats

11-Dec-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

While the food supply chain bent to accommodate weaknesses revealed and intensified by the coronavirus outbreak earlier this year, next time an unexpected threat arises the industry might not be so lucky unless it increases transparency and digitization...

Investing in the Future of Food: Ag-tech attracts record funding in 2020 for supply chain, production challenges exposed, intensified by pandemic

09-Dec-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

While the pandemic may have slowed the flow of venture capital funding in some segments of the packaged food and beverage industry earlier this year, analysis from Finistere Ventures shows it threw open the tap for the food- and ag-tech sectors, which...

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,'...

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...

J.M. Smucker to divest Natural Balance premium pet food business in $50m deal

04-Dec-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

J.M. Smucker Co. has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Natural Balance premium pet food business to Nexus Capital Management in a cash transaction valued at approximately $50m.

Kraft Heinz focuses on renovation over innovation to keep new consumers gained during pandemic

03-Dec-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Kraft Heinz is pulling back on innovation in favor of renovating well-established, iconic brands to which consumers have flocked during the coronavirus pandemic in an effort to maintain household penetration gains made in the last nine months of lockdowns,...

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....

Rising food prices push consumers to consider alternative proteins, DIY sourcing and locally grown

02-Dec-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Faced with rising food prices and stagnant or reduced income during the pandemic, Americans are embracing a more DIY-approach to sourcing and cooking food to save money, and are less tolerant of waste that they believe could help feed the hungry, according...

JM Smucker confident it can meet demand ‘uptick’ as COVID-19 surges, despite tight inventory

25-Nov-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

As cases of COVID-19 resurge nationwide, retailers are bracing for another round of potential stockpiling and increased consumer demand by ordering more product – a trend that could strain production at plants already operating at capacity, suggests JM...