Fats & oils

Hershey leans into value, flavor with Kit Kat, Reese's, Jolly Ranchers

14-Oct-2024 By Deniz Ataman

The multinational candy maker aligns with shoppers’ interest in value-oriented products reflected through its Reese’s and Kit Kat brands, while Jolly Ranchers' brand refresh features new textures and formats.

Reformulation is rife in F&B but consumers aren't sold yet

11-Oct-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Brands are reformulating to improve nutritional value and reduce or remove ‘unhealthy’ ingredient levels. But this is not always a vote winner with customers. Why?

Future Food-Tech 2024

Do consumers want alternative raw materials?

10-Oct-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Alternative raw materials aim to provide sustainable versions of commodities, including cocoa, coffee and palm oil, that are both integral to food and linked to deforestation. Will consumers accept them?

UPF linked to type 2 diabetes - what does this mean for industry?

09-Oct-2024 By Donna Eastlake

New research has linked ultra-processed foods to type 2 diabetes. How will this latest blow impact the food and beverage industry and is reformulation the only solution?

Unsaturated vs saturated fats, Dietary Guidelines on dairy, meat & plant-based oils

02-Oct-2024 By Deniz Ataman

The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) determined the relationships between saturated fat and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the roles of dairy, red meat and plant-based oils with findings from last week’s meeting indicating benefits of reducing...

Pumpkin spice innovation to fall for: From Oreos to Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes and everything in between

16-Sep-2024 By Gill Hyslop

As we dive into the world of new product development (NPD) in this seasonal segment, it's clear that pumpkin spice is more than just a fleeting trend.

NPD Trend Tracker: From spooky treats to Christmas sweets

16-Sep-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Discover the latest product innovations in the world of food and beverages.

USDA certification for meat, poultry flavors from T. Hasegawa helps meet demand for complex, authentic & clean-label options

12-Sep-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Consumers are less willing to settle for basic flavor profiles, such as “beef” or “chicken,” and instead want increasingly complex and authentic options – like braised short rib or barbecued wings, according to flavor giant T. Hasegawa, which now can...

Lantana Foods aligns with eco, health trends in hummus rebrand

11-Sep-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Lantana Foods’ hummus rebrand features a bolder label and fully recyclable packaging to align with health-forward and environmentally conscious consumers.

USDA survey underscores critical role of federal program in reducing US food insecurity

06-Sep-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Despite a majority (86.5%) of US households reporting they felt food secure for the entirety of 2023, government food assistance programs are critical to ensure the remaining 13.5% (18 million) households have access to healthy foods, according to a USDA...

The rise of 'Summerween' expects to boost confectionery sales

29-Aug-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Core holidays like Halloween are being planned for earlier by consumers who are simultaneously looking for value in their holiday preparations and a desire for extended celebrations, which gives brands an opportunity to offer more assortments, formats...

Bertolli taps into better-for-you, quick cooking trends with olive oil spray for air fryers

23-Aug-2024 By Ryan Daily

Bertolli released a cooking spray designed for air fryers to expand the use of olive oil in the US through product innovation that taps into easy-prep cooking and healthy eating trends, Maca Garau, US VP of marketing for Deoleo (the brand’s parent company)...

Should US tighten nutritional, promotional standards for baby, toddler food?

21-Aug-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Researchers are calling on US policymakers to regulate more tightly the nutrition and promotion of packaged infant and toddler foods after discovering most products for young children sold in the country do not meet international dietary recommendations,...

Flavors, authenticity, consumer connection to drive food & beverage

15-Aug-2024 By Deniz Ataman

From indulgent treats to non-alcoholic alternatives, consumers are craving brands that provide nostalgic flavors, better-for-you benefits and authentic brand connections - trends that are set to grow into 2025, according to several reports.

Snack attack: Is Mars’ $35.9bn bet on Kellanova the key to dominating the healthier snacks market?

15-Aug-2024 By Gill Hyslop

The mega payout by Mars, Inc. for Kellanova is driven by the candy giant’s desire to expand its footprint in the fast-growing market for healthier snacks, which is underpinned by consumer preference that is shifting away from traditional packaged foods...

New Product Development

What’s hot in confectionery? New Product Development from Mondelēz and Bazooka Candy

14-Aug-2024 By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe

From Cadbury’s ‘fast start’ on Christmas to a pop-up return of the Caramac, meet the latest confectionery launches disrupting the industry

Price-conscious snackers seek value, global flavors in-store

13-Aug-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Price-conscious consumers are increasingly seeking healthier yet affordable snack options and shopping for new global flavors in-store, creating a significant opportunity for brands and retailers to develop more engaging and diverse offerings, according...

Premium snacking NPD: Elevating cravings with gourmet, better-for-you snacks

12-Aug-2024 By Gill Hyslop

Ramping up the premium snacking experience involves curating high-quality, gourmet ingredients and emphasizing sophisticated, unique flavors that cater to discerning palates. This approach not only enhances the sensory pleasure of snacking but also elevates...

Startup Spotlight

Brightland CEO on building an olive-oil brand ‘brick by brick’ to expand into Whole Foods

08-Aug-2024 By Ryan Daily

Who says no to distribution at Whole Foods? Brightland shares its strategy behind its launch into the natural foods retailer after declining two previous offers, as the company seeks to differentiate itself from the olive oil category with a modern design...

Inside Europe’s fight against fake olive oil

08-Aug-2024 By Megan Tatum

Squeezed supplies and higher prices have triggered a spate of olive oil fraud across Europe in recent months, with a knock-on impact on producers and consumers.

IFT FIRST 2024

Alianza Team demonstrates AI’s potential for creating custom lipids faster at IFT FIRST

07-Aug-2024 By Ryan Daily

Colombia-based ingredient company Alianza Team revealed its AI platform Oleum, which is designed to speed up the development process of tailor-made lipids, at the 2024 IFT FIRST event in Chicago, the company’s Chief Growth Office Maria Mashali told FoodNavigator-USA.

IFT FIRST 2024

Butter Buds expands beyond butter, focuses on dairy concentrates

29-Jul-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Butter Buds, a supplier of dairy concentrates and flavor solutions, is rebranding itself to reflect its expanded product line and focus on meeting the evolving needs of the dairy and non-dairy markets, Mike Ivey, national sales director at Butter Buds...

IFT FIRST 2024

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Trends at IFT’s Startup Pavilion include upcycled ingredients, clean label preservatives, novel proteins and more

29-Jul-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

The Startup Pavilion at the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual Food Improved by Research Science and Technology (IFT FIRST) in Chicago earlier this month featured cutting-edge solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing the food system,...

How the push for ‘seed oil free’ is heading to Europe

26-Jul-2024 By Megan Tatum

Concerns around the health impacts of seed oils have migrated from the US to Europe. Could seed-oil free claims be on the rise?

Should extra virgin olive oil receive Nutri-Score ‘A’?

12-Jul-2024 By Flora Southey

Since extra virgin olive oil boasts multiple health benefits, is it deserving of a higher Nutri-Score ranking?

How much progress has really been made on sustainable palm oil production?

10-Jul-2024 By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe

As Ferrero is applauded for its efforts in sourcing sustainable palm oil, Greenpeace says the rest of the industry has a long way to go

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...

Weight loss drugs may be melting US ice cream demand

01-Jul-2024 By Teodora Lyubomirova

Demand for frozen dairy products in the US has been declining for decades. Consumers' growing interest in GLP-1 weight loss products is putting further pressure on demand.

Beyond sugar, salt, fat: Rethinking ultra-processed foods and reform

27-Jun-2024 By Deniz Ataman

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans Advisory Committee is considering how the industry should approach ultra processed foods (UPFs) – including nomenclature and infrastructure.

SAUZ seeks to re-awaken the pasta sauce category with a Gen Z focus

19-Jun-2024 By Deniz Ataman

SAUZ’s pasta sauces, made with premium ingredients and natural flavors, are designed by founders Troy Bonde and Winston Alfieri to bring flavor and convenience to consumers’ kitchens, while disrupting a stagnant category, they told FoodNavigator-USA.

Schwan’s Company invests in manufacturing facility to expand Asian food category

05-Jun-2024 By Deniz Ataman

U.S.–based Schwan’s Company and CJ Foods, its South Korea-based subsidiary, purchased a 142-acre site in Sioux Falls, S.D., for its 700,000 square-foot production facility to support its Korean food brand, bibigo, using modernized automated production...

Plant-Based 3.0 webinar: Tune in May 29 to discover what consumers want from meat alternatives, how to deliver on their taste, texture, appearance & nutrition demands

28-May-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Nearly two-thirds of Americans are willing to swap meat for plant-based alternatives, and more than half have tried an alternative protein – but of those that have tried, nearly a quarter have not done so a second time, according to research cited by...

Sustainable alternative to palm oil developed through fermentation

24-May-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

With palm oil’s links to deforestation under increasing scrutiny, a new start-up is developing an alternative through fermentation - using side streams as feedstock.

‘I’ve heard of ultra-processed food, but can’t explain it’: Demystifying UPF confusion

30-Apr-2024 By Flora Southey

What ‘ultra-processed food’ means to one consumer may not be what it means to another.

Startup Spotlight

Nourish Ingredients expands in animal-free specialty fats with Creamilux for dairy

18-Apr-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Nourish Ingredients, a pioneer in the emerging ‘animal-free’ speciality fat segment, is expanding into non-dairy with the debut of Creamilux – a low-inclusion lipid that recreates the rich, creamy mouthfeel, taste and emulsification properties of dairy...

Startup Spotlight

‘Back end’ logistics may not be as ‘sexy & fun’ as consumer branding, but they are key to securing shelf space, says Pretty Tasty Tea exec

28-Mar-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Bovine collagen infused Pretty Tasty Tea may be new to the functional beverage space, after launching in February, but the team behind the beauty-from-within brand includes industry veterans with deep expertise in distribution strategy and retail management...

Assessing safety of food additives from state to the national levels

28-Feb-2024 By Deniz Ataman

The recent passage of the California Food Safety Act, which bans several food additives in the state, created a template for other states to introduce similar legislation, warn food toxicologists Craig Llewellyn and James Coughlin during a recent webinar...

Is macauba a rainforest-friendly alternative to palm oil?

13-Feb-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Palm oil is cheap to produce in large quantities but unsustainable production methods, notably deforestation, means the bad can far outweigh the good. As a result, brands are increasingly distancing themselves from the use of irresponsible palm oil in...

FDA affirms fast-approaching deadline to remove few remaining uses of PHOs in food

14-Dec-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Nearly a decade after FDA determined partially hydrogenated oils in foods are no longer Generally Recognized as Safe, the agency confirmed in a Federal Register notice today that Dec. 22 is the effective date for the revocation of partially hydrogenated...

Futureproofing the Food System

Watch this week: FoodNavigator-USA’s digital summit explores trends in food-tech, food as medicine and the circular economy

13-Nov-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

This week, join FoodNavigator-USA and stakeholders across the supply chain, including Eat Just, The Hartman Group, Oishii, NotCo, Instacart, NIQ, Consumer Brands Association, FMI – The Food Industry Association, Cargill and more for our three-day Futureproofing...

US butterfat is experiencing a resurgence – and trade opportunities await

09-Nov-2023 By Teodora Lyubomirova

CoBank lead economist for dairy Corey Geiger believes the ‘butterfat boom’ is set to provide exciting opportunities for dairy producers and consumers alike.

Don DiMasi joins Yali Bio, focuses on scaling up designer fat ingredients

07-Nov-2023 By Deniz Ataman

As designer fat supplier Yali Bio's first senior vice president of engineering and biomanufacturing, Don DiMasi will focus on expanding the company's biomanufacturing capacity and developing new processes to economically scale up fermentation...

‘It is crucial for consumer acceptance’: Replacing animal fats in plant-based food

18-Oct-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

While with any food, ‘taste is king,’ texture is also extremely important, especially in products aiming to mimic meat. For optimal texture, many manufacturers argue, animal fats, which contribute significantly to the texture of real meat, must be replicated...

Futureproofing the Food System: What will it take to deliver on the promise of alternative proteins?

17-Oct-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Between FDA and USDA greenlighting the sale of cultivated chicken in the US, the ground-breaking of a large-scale precision fermentation facilities and advances in molecular farming, 2023 has been a banner year for novel protein production. But the path...

Scentian Bio synthesizes insect biosensors to improve quality control processes for food and beverage

13-Oct-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Insects can offer the food and beverage industry more than a rich protein source – their heightened scent and taste capabilities can also help manage quality control, according to Jonathan Good, CEO of Scentian Bio, which has digitized their smell receptors...

California Food Safety Act signed into law, bans four food additives by Jan. 2027

10-Oct-2023 By Deniz Ataman

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the California Food Safety Act on Oct. 7, 2023. The statewide legislation, the first of its kind in the US, “will prohibit any food product manufactured, sold, delivered, distributed, held or offered for sale in...

Nourish Ingredients teams with Boston Bioprocess to scale animal-free specialty fats

20-Sep-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Nourish Ingredients, a frontrunner in the burgeoning ‘animal-free’ specialty fat segment, is teaming with Boston Bioprocess to efficiently scale the most “potent fat molecules” responsible for replicating the “animalic” aroma, flavor and taste of meat...

Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

Consumer Brands Association urges DGAC to develop more research on ultra-processed foods

13-Sep-2023 By Deniz Ataman

The Consumer Brands Association is pushing back against the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s intention to explore the health impact and future role of ultra-processed foods in the American diet, noting at a meeting hosted by HHS and USDA yesterday...

Melt&Marble creates animal-free fats to help close taste gap between alternative, animal proteins

31-Aug-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

To help close the taste-gap between alternative proteins and their animal-based counterparts, food-tech startup Melt&Marble is expanding and improving the selection and performance of available animal-free fats, which it says ultimately will help...

ELAVI expands its gut-friendly portfolio with plant-based cashew butter jars

21-Aug-2023 By Deniz Ataman

On trend with the healthy indulgence movement, ELAVI launches its low sugar, gut-friendly and plant-based cashew butter jars, adding to its existing portfolio of nut butter packets and snack bars.