Fats & oils

JM Smucker sells strong-performing Crisco for $550m to B&G Foods to focus on coffee, snacking & pet food

27-Oct-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

JM Smucker Co. is selling its iconic line of Crisco oils and shortening to B&G Foods for $550m cash in a deal that allows it to dedicate more resources to its “core growth platforms” while simultaneously strengthening B&G’s small but growing baking...

Velocity Snack Brands unveils new innovations under the popchips brand

26-Oct-2020 By Elaine Watson

Velocity Snack Brands (VSB) – a portfolio company of VMG Partners set up in October 2019 to buy, incubate and grow snack brands – has launched two new innovations under the popchips brand it believes could have broad mainstream appeal.

McDonald’s nudges more people to buy Happy Meals with fruit & veggies through creative marketing

21-Oct-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

By adding healthier sides that are more prominently featured in marketing alongside more nutritious beverages, McDonald’s is chipping away at its goals to offer – and sell – more balanced Happy Meals with simplified ingredients, and less saturated fat,...

Plant-based meat webinar highlights… from Impossible Foods’ global ambitions to those ‘frankly desperate’ Lightlife ads

17-Oct-2020 By Elaine Watson

Impossible Foods is gearing up for market entry in Europe, China and Brazil; Beyond Meat is looking at “any and all plant-based protein sources” as it expands its ingredient toolbox; Meati Foods is preparing to launch fungi-based steaks, and Planterra...

Hooray Foods to debut plant-based bacon at seven regions of Whole Foods

15-Oct-2020 By Elaine Watson

Hooray Foods – which launched its allergy-friendly vegan bacon (no soy or wheat) in restaurants late last year – will make its retail debut on November 1 with a roll out to seven regions of Whole Foods Market.

Israeli startup Zero Egg enters US market with b2b launch of plant-based egg replacement

08-Oct-2020 By Elaine Watson

Following a successful launch in Israel and the Netherlands, Israeli startup Zero Egg is hoping to crack the US market with the launch of plant-based egg alternatives for CPG manufacturers and foodservice operators that it claims blows rivals out of the...

Serenity Kids goes beyond baby food with toddler purees with bone broth, continues rise in natural

01-Oct-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

With today’s launch of a trio of toddler purees with bone broth, emerging children’s food brand Serenity Kids not only expands its reach beyond baby food pouches, but its founders say they hope to further boost the brand’s already fast-rising position...

Introducing the FOOD FOR KIDS 2020 virtual summit: From kids and the plant-based trend to dietary guidelines for infants and toddlers

29-Sep-2020 By Elaine Watson

School closures – and tentative re-openings – have compounded stress levels for families, while COVID-19-induced economic anxiety is also straining household budgets. So how can food and beverage brands come up with enticing – but affordable – recipes,...

General Mills ventures into keto with :ratio

21-Sep-2020 By Jim Cornall

General Mills is launching :ratio – a new keto-friendly product line that marks the food company’s first keto-focused product.

Microbes, the third pillar in the alternative protein industry: ‘The rationale is simple: Fermentation is just more efficient’

18-Sep-2020 By Elaine Watson

Could a suite of microscopic microbial protein factories (yeast, bacteria, fungi, algae) give plants and animals a run for their money?

'The spike in searches for immunity, stress relief, and sleep are off the charts'

Bulletproof raises $13m: 'Searches for immunity, stress relief, and sleep are off the charts'

16-Sep-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Bulletproof has closed a $13m capital raise led by new investors, Beliv and Rocana Ventures, and existing investors, CAVU Venture Partners and Trinity Ventures, to fuel the brand's omnichannel vision of "being present where the consumer finds...

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WEBINAR: Plant-based meat in focus: Join Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, Meati Foods, Planterra Foods, and the GFI

14-Sep-2020 By Elaine Watson

Once a niche market confined to the ‘vegetarian’ section of the freezer aisle, plant-based meat has now moved firmly into the mainstream (and the meat case). But what will distinguish the winners from the losers in this market, how is the toolbox expanding,...

To boldly go… NotCo raises $85m to expand plant-based empire, gears up for US market entry

09-Sep-2020 By Elaine Watson

Santiago-based food tech company NotCo has closed an $85m Series C funding round co-led by Future Positive and L Catterton,* and is gearing up for a move into the US market in late 2020 or early 2021.

Dr. Praeger’s Perfect Turk’y Burger expands appeal to meat-eaters while still placing veggies centerstage

01-Sep-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

As demand for more meat-like plant-based products grows, Dr. Praeger’s Sensible Foods continues to expand beyond the vegetable-forward frozen foods it is best-known for with the launch of the Perfect Turk’y Burger, while still holding the line on its...

Impossible Foods lands in 350 Sprouts stores

31-Aug-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Impossible Foods is rolling out the Impossible Burger to 350 Sprouts Farmers Market stores in 23 states starting this week, bringing its total retail footprint to more than 10,000 locations across the US.