Flavors and colors

Functional Beverages Webinar Available On Demand Now

Rising demand for functional benefits will help beverage segment hit hard by pandemic to recover

19-Mar-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Shifting shopping habits and channel preferences due to the pandemic hit the non-alcoholic beverage industry hard last year, leading to an overall decline in volume and value, but rising consumer interest in functional options could be a key driver in...

PepsiCo launches Keto-friendly almond flour tortilla chips to counteract ‘noshtalgia’

19-Mar-2021 By Gill Hyslop

Hilo Life is extending its Keto-friendly offering with tortilla chips made from defatted almond flour.

Go big or go home… Flow Water gears up for going-public transaction

18-Mar-2021 By Elaine Watson

Flow Water founder Nicholas Reichenbach launched with some pretty lofty ambitions (cue comparisons to Fiji, Evian, building the ‘Tesla of water’ and becoming an ‘iconic’ brand). But if you’re going to get into a business as capital intensive as bottled...

Register now: Free webinar Wednesday explores the future of the functional beverage market

15-Mar-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Sales of functional beverages are rebounding and have a bright future despite the pandemic shutting down for most of 2020 in-person impulse purchases and food service sales which previously drove the category’s fast growth, according to market research...

'The sparkling water category is still in its infancy,' says Nixie Sparkling Water founder

09-Mar-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

The sparkling water category may seem crowded with products made by CPG giants and offerings from smaller, independently-owned brands, but the reality is that sparkling water is still just a small piece of the overall carbonated beverage category, says...

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.

FARE hails Senate vote on adding sesame to ‘big 8’ allergen list, accelerating process it claims might otherwise take ‘years’

09-Mar-2021 By Elaine Watson

Under a bill just passed in the US Senate, sesame would become the 9th food subject to mandatory allergen labeling in the US from January 1, 2023, accelerating a process already set in motion by the FDA that food allergy advocacy groups claim would have...

'In 10 years, easily 30% of the flavors market could be made from biotech products…’ Synthetic biology and the future of flavor

05-Mar-2021 By Elaine Watson

The first flavors were made from plants, but were gradually replaced by ‘artificial’ alternatives, thanks to advances in synthetic chemistry. By the end of the 20th century, however, natural flavors were back in vogue.

Follow Your Heart CEO on selling to Danone: ‘For us to maintain a leadership role, we needed to accelerate our growth’

03-Mar-2021 By Elaine Watson

Earth Island (Follow Your Heart) co-founder and CEO Bob Goldberg has always had an independent streak, telling reporters over the years he’s happy dancing to his own tune despite periodic overtures from big CPG suitors. Last month, however, he inked a...

Replicating coffee ‘cupping’ with AI: Start-up tracks coffee quality from crop to cup

02-Mar-2021 By Flora Southey

Ag and food tech Demetria says it is pioneering the automated analysis of coffee bean taste using artificial intelligence and data cloud technology.

PepsiCo seeks to disrupt ‘outdated’ non-alcoholic cocktail mixer category with Neon Zebra: 'Cocktail culture is taking hold at home'

25-Feb-2021 By Elaine Watson

PepsiCo is making its first foray into the non-alcoholic cocktail mixers category with the launch of Neon Zebra, aimed at Gen Z and young Millennials (21-34-year olds) who like making cocktails at home, but are looking for more “fun and practical"...

FDA ‘working diligently on final guidance for industry with voluntary short-term targets for sodium’

24-Feb-2021 By Elaine Watson

In 2010, the Institute of Medicine urged the FDA to tackle sodium in processed foods. In 2016, the FDA proposed voluntary guidelines, setting two-year and 10-year goals for 158 food categories… but they were never finalized. So is 2021 – with a new administration...

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....

Van Leeuwen CEO: ‘If I’m going to eat ice cream, I want 18% butterfat with lots of chocolate chips... Just don’t eat a pint of it every day’

19-Feb-2021 By Elaine Watson

The ice cream aisle used to be a lot less complicated. There were national brands, regional brands, a couple of super-premium players, and a smattering of dairy-free. Today, shoppers are presented with a bewildering array of options from lactose-free,...

Givaudan leverages AI for ‘next generation’ product development

19-Feb-2021 By Katy Askew

Givaudan’s flavour business, Givaudan Taste & Wellness, is launching a new tool that leverages artificial intelligence for the ‘next generation’ of product development. “Success comes from combining the output of the tools with the sensitivity and...

Closing the loop in chocolate: Barry Callebaut collaborates on ‘ground-breaking’ process to turn hazelnut shells into vanillin

19-Feb-2021 By Katy Askew

Barry Callebaut has joined forces with Swiss chemistry start-up Bloom Biorenewables to investigate upcycling chocolate side streams. The first result: vanillin produced from hazelnut shells.

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...

Nice-cream pioneer Hakuna Banana, Totes Oats rebrands as Must Love to test broader distribution

16-Feb-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

The co-founders of the fast-growing banana-based Hakuna Banana and oat-milk based Totes Oats nice-cream brands are bringing their better-for-you pints and bars under the new umbrella brand Must Love to better communicate the company’s core values, leverage...

Ingredion signs joint venture with Grupo Arcor in South America

12-Feb-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Ingredion and Grupo Arcor -- a leading confectionery exporter in South America -- have signed a joint venture agreement to broaden food and beverage ingredient offerings in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay.

PepsiCo’s launch of bubly bounce expands foothold in functional beverage space, consumer appeal

12-Feb-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

PepsiCo expands its footprint in the burgeoning functional beverage category with today’s launch of bubly bounce – the first RTD extension of the company’s popular and playful sparkling water line that adds “just a subtle kick of caffeine” to help consumers...

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...

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...

Post Holdings leads $12.5m Series B round at PeaTos: ‘We believe it has a bright future’

01-Feb-2021 By Elaine Watson

Post Holdings – which has just taken a minority stake in plant-based meat startup Hungry Planet - has led a $12.5m Series B round at legume-fueled snack brand PeaTos, which offers a higher protein, higher fiber slant on mainstream extruded snack brands...

Pairing comforting, familiar foods with new global flavors helps consumers ‘travel with their taste buds’

29-Jan-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Consumers continue to seek comfort from food as they navigate the rise of new coronavirus variants, but many also are bored by the same-old, same-old after nearly a year at home – creating an opportunity for products that pair bold new flavors with the...

SimplyProtein CEO: ‘We’re aspiring to be a $100m brand in the next five years’

28-Jan-2021 By Elaine Watson

SimplyProtein – a snacking brand acquired from The Simply Good Foods Company by Toronto-based Wellness Natural last September – is generating double digit growth in the US market and has the potential to grow from a $20m to a $100m brand within five years,...

Siggi’s makes sugar reduction fun, inspirational & convenient with Palate Training Kit

27-Jan-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

A limited-supply Palate Training Kits released today from Icelandic skyr brand siggi’s takes an innovative approach to sugar reduction, which has gained prominence among consumers during the pandemic, but which continues to be stymied by taste and convenience...

HIPPEAS raises $50m: 'We have grown from a disruptive start-up to a true challenger brand'

26-Jan-2021 By Elaine Watson

Chickpea-fueled snack brand HIPPEAS has raised $50m from investment house The Craftory Limited in a financing round consisting of direct investment and secondary purchases of shares from existing shareholders including CAVU Venture Partners.

‘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...

Coca-Cola with Coffee launches in the US

25-Jan-2021 By Rachel Arthur

Coca-Cola with Coffee launches in the US today: championed by the brand as a 'true hybrid innovation that provides the perfect solution for that mid-afternoon pick-me-up, especially in today's work-from-home environment'.

Kerry Taste charts navigate conflicting demands for comfort & adventure, indulgence & function

21-Jan-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

While consumers will continue to seek comfort from familiar, nostalgic and often indulgent flavors as the pandemic drags on in the new year, they also will seek balance from functional ingredients offering health benefits and more adventurous flavors...

Ajinomoto defends MSG as nonprofit petitions FDA to rescind its GRAS status

19-Jan-2021 By Elaine Watson

Ajinomoto has defended the safety of flavor enhancer MSG against claims made in a citizen's petition filed by the nonprofit Truth in Labeling Campaign that urges the FDA to rescind the ingredient's GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status.

As Ocean Spray navigates demand for ‘functional benefits’ it must also balance education, taste

19-Jan-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Successfully meeting rising demand for “functional benefits” goes beyond adding on-trend ingredients with health properties to line-extensions or new products – it also requires brands to navigate a “two-way street” with consumers to balance education...

Slice of Sauce secures Shark Tank investment to bring “mess-free” condiments to on-the-go eating

19-Jan-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Start-up Slice of Sauce’s promise of a “mess-free” eating experience that won’t compromise on flavor or lead to soggy bread while eating sandwiches and wraps on-the-go helped married founders Emily and Cole Williams secure a $200,000 investment from former...

COVID: Smell, taste and the lessons for the food industry

15-Jan-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Almost a year since the start of the pandemic in Europe, many of those infected who reported losing their sense of smell and consequently taste -- even without displaying other symptoms -- still haven’t recovered these senses. What implications could...

Ritual Zero Proof relies on partnerships with Campbell’s V8, others to drive sales without sampling

14-Jan-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

With in store sampling off the table during the pandemic, the non-alcoholic spirits brand Ritual Zero Proof drove “explosive” growth in 2020 and has high hopes for 2021 with help from partnerships with established CPG brands, including most recently Campbell’s...

SuckerPunch Gourmet balances online, instore demands with new look, category-expanding products

13-Jan-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Craft pickle brand SuckerPunch Gourmet’s new look shifts the focus from its iconic prizefighting mascot to the bold flavors and high-quality ingredients that set the brand apart from the competition, while also balancing the visual priorities of in-store...

PepsiCo extends reach, usage of sparkling water brand bubly, SodaStream with new bubly drops

13-Jan-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

PepsiCo is driving incremental growth for two of its hottest brands by bringing together flavored sparkling water bubly and at home water carbonation platform SodaStream to launch a line of bubly drops that will hit store shelves and ecommerce this month.

GUEST ARTICLE: The scoop on all that vanilla flavor litigation

13-Jan-2021 By Robert Guite and Abby Meyer, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP

If your company sells any vanilla-flavored food or beverage product, then you are probably aware of the innumerable class action cases that have been filed over the last 18 months attacking these products – 67 cases by our count. Here, we trace the history...

T. Hasegawa USA acquires Mission Flavors & Fragrances, unveils 2021 food trends report

12-Jan-2021 By Elaine Watson

Cerritos, California-based T Hasegawa USA has acquired Mission Flavors & Fragrances – based in nearby Foothill Ranch, CA – for an undisclosed sum.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Mood boosting beverages, non-alcoholic options rise with ‘sober curious’ movement

11-Jan-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

For many Americans in 2020, pouring a stiff drink at the end of the day – or in the middle of it – was less about socializing with friends and more about coping with the chaos of the pandemic, and while many of the challenges from last year remain – research...

‘Cultural tourism’ opens consumer doors to brands promising global flavors, new experiences in 2021

08-Jan-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Consumer interest in global flavors and new experiences has skyrocketed during lockdowns as they look for ways to escape the monotony of life at home – creating opportunities for manufacturers to push the flavor envelope or leverage “cultural tourism”...

Calypso’s turnaround: New flavors, low-sugar line & fresh look lift King Juice Co.’s flavored lemonade brand

05-Jan-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Despite category-leading velocities and strong heritage branding, sales of King Juice Company’s flavored lemonade brand Calypso were declining mid-single digits when David Klavsons became the new CEO in 2017 -- months after the original founder sold the...

McCormick acquires flavor manufacturer FONA International

04-Jan-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

McCormick & Company has purchased 100% of the shares of natural flavors supplier FONA International for $710m, a deal which will accelerate McCormick’s global flavor growth and “the strategic migration” of its portfolio towards more value-added, health-focused...

Enspice’s vitamins & mineral fortified spice blends offer ‘peace of mind’ without pills or compromise

21-Dec-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

On a mission to combat childhood malnutrition globally, Enspice Children’s Foundation has launched a line of season and spice blends fortified with plant-based vitamins and minerals to help fill nutrition gaps and raise money to feed children around the...

FDA to permit potassium salt as alternate name for potassium chloride on food labels

17-Dec-2020 By Elaine Watson

Four years after receiving a petition urging it to permit a more consumer-friendly name, the FDA has issued final guidance allowing companies to use ‘potassium salt’ as alternate name for ‘potassium chloride’ on ingredient labels.

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...

From Yuzu to Iyokan: Exploring T Hasegawa's Japanese citrus flavor collection

16-Dec-2020 By Elaine Watson

Thanks to a certain pandemic, we didn’t get to go to Japan for the Olympics this year. However, flavor company T Hasegawa is hoping to bring a taste of Japan to consumers in the US with a new collection of sweet, sour, tart and refreshing citrus flavors...

Firmenich spotlights ginger and yuzu as flavors that 'embody the spirit of the times'

16-Dec-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

This past year consumers have changed their eating and drinking habits, opting for products and ingredients they believe provide physical and emotional strength, says fragrance and taste company, Firmenich, which has recently selected ginger and yuzu...

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...