Dairy-based ingredients

Maple Hill president on grass-fed potential, those USDA grants, and why the ultra-filtered zero-sugar line could come back

20-Oct-2022 By Elaine Watson

While US retail sales of fluid milk have been stubbornly declining despite a brief covid-fueled boost in 2020, we’re still just scratching the surface of the grass-fed dairy opportunity, says Jim Hau, the new president at 100% grass-fed organic dairy...

Kroger to acquire Albertsons for $24.6bn solidifying its position as #2 grocery retailer with 11.8% market share

14-Oct-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Supermarket giant Kroger is merging with Albertsons Companies Inc. (Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco), bolstering its position as the second largest food retailer in the US with an estimated 11.8% market share behind Walmart at 17.1%.

Nature’s Fynd dairy-free cream cheese hits Sprouts stores nationwide

12-Oct-2022 By Elaine Watson

Nature’s Fynd - a startup growing protein-packed food from microbes with a fraction of the environmental footprint of meat or dairy – is rolling out dairy-free cream cheeses to Sprouts nationwide.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: From food as medicine to sustainable packaging – trendspotting at Expo East

10-Oct-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Natural Products Expo East may not be as big as its West Coast counterpart, but the 18,500 registered attendees and more than 1,200 exhibitors who convened in Philadelphia earlier this month for the annual conference were just as enthusiastic and the...

Yasso on track to hit $300m in sales in 2023, 'Without question this could be a half billion dollar brand or more,' says CEO

05-Oct-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Frozen Greek yogurt brand Yasso has surpassed $200m in retail sales this year, but the real growth is just on the horizon as it embraces its national brand status becoming the #4 frozen novelty at retail and #1 fastest-growing brand across the total...

SlimFast unveils new packaging, ads, intermittent fasting line, to ‘position the brand for a return to growth in 2023’

05-Oct-2022 By Elaine Watson

As the brand name suggests, none too subtly, SlimFast is a brand you tend to think of when you want to lose weight, fast. But in a food culture where ‘wellness’ is in, ‘dieting’ is out, and even the word ‘slimming’ can make you sound like an ‘80s throwback,...

Introducing the FoodNavigator-USA digital summit: Futureproofing the Food System Nov 15-17

01-Oct-2022 By Elaine Watson

The western diet – and the food system that underpins it – is becoming increasingly unsustainable, for the health of humans and the planet. So how do we futureproof the food system to deliver healthier, more sustainable products that nourish our bodies...

Who is being hit hardest by inflation? Less-healthy older adults, poll finds

30-Sep-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Record-high levels of food inflation are impacting different segments of the population differently, with those over the age of 50 who rate their physical or mental health as 'fair' or 'poor' struggling the most, a recent poll conducted...

Dairy cows at higher welfare risk than beef cattle – study

29-Sep-2022 By Teodora Lyubomirova

Dairy herds are more likely to experience worse welfare than cattle raised solely for beef, a multi-national study has revealed.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: ‘There hasn’t been a better time for small brands to help transform the CPG industry’

26-Sep-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

As consumers navigate rising inflation, out-of-stocks due to lingering supply chain and labor challenges and contemplate the potential impact of their purchases on the environment and workers, they are more willing to push aside old loyalties and try...

SPECIAL REPORT: Bioengineered food labeling: ‘They kind of shot in the middle and missed every constituency’

23-Sep-2022 By Elaine Watson

Advocates arguing for greater transparency about the use of GMOs in food scored a minor victory this month after a district court told USDA to re-work the digital disclosure portions of the bioengineered food labeling law, which came into effect in January....

50% more protein, 50% less sugar: fairlife brand reaching a quarter of US households, says VP. ‘Demand is at an all-time high’

22-Sep-2022 By Elaine Watson

A value-added success story in a category that has been in steady decline for years, ultra-filtered milk category pioneer fairlife - which became a billion-dollar retail brand in 2021 - is now reaching a quarter of US households, says the Coca-Cola-backed...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: How can plant-based protein overcome sliding sales, better meet consumer demand?

19-Sep-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Plant-based meat alternatives continue their downward slide with sales, units and volume all dropping in July from a year ago – a trajectory that IRI data crunched by 210 Analytics shows was set in motion months ago, but which doesn't shake at least...

Nestlé teams with Perfect Day to pilot animal-free milk – elevating the concept with its clout, scale

12-Sep-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Nestlé is dipping a toe into the increasingly crowded but still highly fragmented and nascent animal-free dairy category by teaming with startup Perfect Day to use synthetic biology to create a milk-like beverage from genetically engineered microflora...

Chobani drops IPO plans, for now: ‘Given the current market conditions, we have decided to withdraw’

03-Sep-2022 By Elaine Watson

Chobani has withdrawn its IPO proposal 14 months after filing a draft registration statement with the SEC, citing current market conditions.

‘Carbon neutral’ dairy co raises $12m

02-Sep-2022 By Elaine Watson

Organic pasture-raised dairy co Neutral Foods – which is billing itself as a ‘carbon neutral’ brand through a combination of carbon reduction initiatives and offsets - has raised $12m in a series A round led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures.

Cheese flavors lead savory snacking category, finds Kerry

31-Aug-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

In the bellwether category of savory snacks, cheese-flavored options are outpacing the overall segment in new product launches and consumer preferences, finds new research from Kerry.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Kraft Heinz to sell B2B powdered cheese business to Kerry for $107.5m

30-Aug-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Kraft Heinz announced a definitive agreement to sell its B2B powdered cheese business to global food ingredients manufacturer Kerry Group for $107.5m.

‘Traumatic and devastating’: Organic farmers cope with fallout from Danone exit

25-Aug-2022 By Teodora Lyubomirova

In August 2021, Danone North America announced it was severing ties with 89 organic dairies from the northeast. DairyReporter speaks to NODPA’s Ed Maltby to find out where the affected farmers stand one year on.

Inflation disproportionately impacts lower-priced items, finds Euromonitor

23-Aug-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

While inflation has impacted the entire food and beverage industry, recent data from Euromonitor shows that in certain categories the price of lower-priced items has increased exponentially compared to more modest price increases on higher-priced premium...

Organic Valley edges closer to carbon neutral goal thanks to grazing, organic farming practices

22-Aug-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

By focusing on organic farming practices and grazing, the family dairies that contribute to Organic Valley have significantly lower carbon footprints than those that follow conventional practices – bringing the brand closer to its goal of being carbon...

Why are food prices continuing to go up while inflation eases in other categories?

15-Aug-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Notoriously thin operating margins in the food supply chain will likely keep manufacturers and retailers from incrementally lowering prices even as input costs begin to come down – preferring instead to wait until the economic landscape stabilizes and...

Food prices continue to climb, prompting some shoppers to rethink grocery budgets

11-Aug-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

While overall inflation in the US cooled slightly in July, giving hope to some economists that financial pressures may be peaking, food prices continue to climb at their fastest rate in more than 40 years – suggesting the economic recovery still has a...

Rao's Homemade sauces 'well on track' to become a $1bn brand, says Sovos Brands CEO

08-Aug-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Well represented in key at-home eating categories of sauces (Rao's Homemade), yogurt (Noosa Yoghurt), and frozen entrees (Michael Angelo's and Rao's), Sovos Brands highlighted the performance of the company's largest brand Rao's...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: What does ‘plant-based’ mean to consumers? FMI investigates

01-Aug-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

As consumer interest in ‘plant-based’ products has grown in recent years, so too have products proudly proclaiming their status as such – but what does the term actually mean, and how influential is it really?

Kefir family feud cools down, but Lifeway Foods corporate governance committee to 'oversee a review of strategic alternatives for the company'

29-Jul-2022 By Elaine Watson

The family feud over who should lead Illinois-based kefir maker Lifeway Foods and how it should be run has moved into a calmer phase, with an agreement between the company and key shareholders Edward and Ludmila Smolyansky that will keep CEO Julie Smolyansky...

Kraft Heinz will ‘redeploy’ more promotions as supply chains, inflation slowly improve

28-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

As supply chains slowly recover and some commodity prices recede, Kraft Heinz says it will offer more “mutually beneficial” promotions with retailers, coupons and other deals to soften the impact of recent price hikes on increasingly budget-conscious...

Unilever trades market share for dollar sales growth to fund reinvestment in brands

27-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Unilever isn’t worried about losing market share or volume as it pushes through aggressive price hikes to offset inflation and build reserves that it can use to invest in advertising, R&D and capital expenditure for long-term gains, according to company...

Lifeway Foods sees positive uptick in sales across portfolio: 'Kefir remains the backbone of our business'

25-Jul-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Illinois-based kefir company Lifeway Foods, which has been the subject of inner family feuding related to its leadership*, reported +16.7% net sales growth for the full year ending December 31, 2021 compared to 2020.

IFT First

Revela Foods debuts at IFT to offer ‘one stop shop’ for flavor innovation, processing

22-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Through the merging of three companies with a combined 175 years of experience in innovation, Revela Foods debuted at IFT First in Chicago this month with the simple idea that “life is complicated – food doesn’t have to be.”

Mintel at IFT First: ‘We see fiber moving into the mainstream,’ but new messages, formats and categories are key'

20-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Fiber may be best known for improving regularity and most commonly associated with older consumers, but the multifunctional ingredient is getting a makeover thanks to a slew of new products touting its other benefits and targeting shoppers across generations...

Summer Fancy Food Show

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: ‘We’ve gone past the optional phase’ -- sustainability is mandatory

18-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

As noted in the opening session of the IFT FIRST conference in Chicago last week, the food that brought us together during the pandemic and which fuels us everyday is in a crisis as climate change intensifies – pushing companies to weave sustainability...

5 trends from Summer Fancy Food: From veggie-enhanced non-dairy cheese to convenient baking solutions to keto-friendly snacks and booze-fueled treats

08-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Invigorating sleepy segments, tackling persistent category challenges and balancing consumer desire for taste, convenience and experience, companies at the 66th Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City late last month showcased innovative solutions to...

IFT First preview

Oat milk under the microscope: Research presented at IFT analyzes the popular beverage

07-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

As consumers’ love affair with oat milk continues to drive high double-digit, year-over-year sales food scientists are exploring how they can further enhance the beverage’s most beloved attributes, including its health benefits, sustainability and shelf...

Price rises in key grocery categories 'far exceeding' general inflation rate: NielsenIQ

07-Jul-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Inflation is impacting the average price of goods across the grocery store with price growth rates up double digits for some top-selling categories in the last 12 months ending in May 2022, according to the latest retail sales data from NielsenIQ.

Remilk teams up with Israeli food giant CBC Group to create animal-free dairy line: 'We can be as cheap as animal protein by 2024'

06-Jul-2022 By Elaine Watson

Animal-free dairy startup Remilk has teamed up with Israeli Coca-Cola bottler CBC Group - which also owns leading dairy processor Tara Dairy - to develop a line of drinks, cheeses, and yogurts featuring 'animal-free' dairy proteins for the Israeli...

Nestlé develops ‘healthier’ cheese with research partner NIZO: ‘The fat-reduced cheese is a near-equivalent to full-fat Edam’

29-Jun-2022 By Flora Southey

Designed for frozen pizza, the fat-reduced Edam has ‘all the flavour, melting behaviour and shreddability’ of the full-fat version.

Summer Fancy Food Show

Packaging innovations help wake up sleepy categories by adding fun, convenience

28-Jun-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

By leveraging packaging innovations that increase fun and flavor while decreasing mess and monotony, startups at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York this month are waking up sleepy categories, expanding their segments’ traditional user bases and standing...

Summer Fancy Food Show

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Specialty cheese expands beyond special occasions as economy tightens

27-Jun-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

To offset the threat of commoditization and keep consumers from trading down or stepping away from the dairy case to save money as the economy tightens, specialty cheesemakers are moving beyond traditional formats, flavors and packaging that may be intimidating...

Chinova Bioworks secures $6m to expand production, application of clean-label, mushroom-based preservative

23-Jun-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Canadian food-tech startup Chinova Bioworks is ramping up production of its natural mushroom-based preservative Chiber with the opening of a new production facility this fall and expanding its applications with help from a $6m series A fundraise announced...

Soaring butter prices put dairy market and retail prices under pressure, report finds

21-Jun-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

High milk prices are having a down stream effect on other dairy products with the price of retail butter outpacing nearly all other consumer goods, according to a dairy market analysis by CoBank.

As inflation hits, consumers opt for store brands and exhibit some trade down behavior, says Kroger CEO

17-Jun-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Kroger is seeing inflation heavily impact the way consumers are shopping at its stores, with many choosing more store brands and selecting fewer premium products (eg. switching from beef to pork), says CEO Rodney McMullen.

Mars unveils ‘earth-friendly’ animal-free dairy chocolate brand CO2COA: ‘We believe there is a sizable consumer opportunity in this space’

16-Jun-2022 By Elaine Watson

Mars is dipping its toes into the emerging animal-free dairy space with the launch of a lactose-free milk chocolate brand called CO2COA featuring Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa and Perfect Day’s non-animal whey protein, which is made by genetically...

Startups hit back at Non GMO Project attempt to discredit emerging ‘animal-free dairy’ category

14-Jun-2022 By Elaine Watson

‘Animal-free dairy’ startups have hit back at what they claim are attempts by the Non GMO Project and others to discredit the emerging technology by mischaracterizing it as dangerous, unregulated and bad for the environment.

Online sales drop by $1bn from April to May 2022 fueling migration towards mass channel shopping

13-Jun-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Total online grocery sales dropped on a monthly basis to $7.1bn in May 2022 (down from $8.1bn in April 2022), but are still slightly above (+1.7%) the same period last year, according to the latest Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey, which...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Dairy’s sustainability story from recycling water to fueling cars

12-Jun-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Between cows’ burps and manure and their land, water and feed requirements, the dairy industry is often blamed for adding substantial greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, and contributing to monocropping, soil degradation and water pollution.

Nestlé driving progress on dairy emissions: ‘We believe in the goodness of milk’

07-Jun-2022 By Katy Askew

Nestlé is expanding initiatives to reduce the environmental footprint of its largest raw material by volume: dairy.

Barry Callebaut: Mindful indulgence fuels next wave of chocolate consumption

06-Jun-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Consumers are taking a more mindful approach when it comes to chocolate consumption by balancing their cravings for indulgence with a growing interest in various better-for-you attributes whether it be health related or environmental, says global chocolate...

Health concerns drive plant-based meat and dairy consumption, Euromonitor survey finds

02-Jun-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

What is driving consumers to eat plant-based meat and dairy alternatives? According to Euromonitor International's 2022 Voice of the Industry survey, a desire to feel healthier and avoid long-term health risks are ahead of environmental and animal...

USDA investments to ‘transform’ food system could shift power between large, established players and small, mid-sized challengers

02-Jun-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Announcing the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars across the supply chain, the US Department of Agriculture says it hopes to rebalance the food system’s historic focus on efficiency with much-needed resiliency so that the country is better...