Flavors and colors

Juni sparkling tea blends cultures, benefits for body & mind from adaptogens, nootropics

05-Sep-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

For many Americans living a fast-paced, on-the-go lifestyle, the meditative benefits of slowly sipping a hot mug of tea may be out of reach, but the health benefits and feeling of refreshment that come from a beverage brewed with adaptogenic, nootropic...

Tillamook leans into cheesy, premium brand positioning to grow into frozen entree segement

31-Aug-2023 By Ryan Daily

Dairy producer co-op Tillamook County Creamery Association is taking its premium and cheesy message to the frozen food aisle, adding mac and cheese and pizzas offerings, as the company continues to explore opportunities to expand its presence geographically...

Machu Picchu wants to clean up energy drinks from ingredients to marketing for broader appeal

30-Aug-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Energy drink newcomer Machu Pichu’s dual marketing message of finding balance and connecting to nature and community sets it apart in a category that heavily promotes extremes and individual gains, as does its organic flavor technology and natural caffeine...

Aura Bora grows into conventional channel with help of botanical interest, multipacks

30-Aug-2023 By Ryan Daily

Natural sparkling water brand Aura Bora is taking its premium, culinary-inspired sparkling beverages beyond natural channels as more consumers demand botanical-infused drinks, brand CEO Paul Voge told FoodNavigator-USA.

DSM-Firmenich discusses opportunities, formulation challenges of working with adaptogens

30-Aug-2023 By Ryan Daily

CPG brands innovating with botanicals and adaptogens to meet consumer demand for functional foods and beverages to improve their moods, alertness, and other areas of their lives, must overcome formulation challenges, two DSM-Firmenich representatives...

Nissin Foods goes to the flavor extreme with chili-infused Geki noodle launch

29-Aug-2023 By Ryan Daily

Just in time for its 65th anniversary, Nissin Foods is going to the flavors extreme with its new Geki line of chili-infused noodles, as the company readies for more product innovation, the company’s senior VP of marketing, Priscila Stanton, told FoodNavigator-USA....

Carbonated soda market goes with its gut in responding to consumer demands

25-Aug-2023 By Ryan Daily

In an effort to reduce their sugar intake, many consumers are shaking up how they drink soda, opting for lower or no-sugar options with key functional benefits like gut health over the traditional sugary sodas, Salomi Naik, head of innovation at Ai Palette,...

Blank Slate Kitchen spices up at-home cooking with line of Sichuan chili oil, zhug

23-Aug-2023 By Ryan Daily

Amid rising demand for spicy global flavors, Blank Slate Kitchen is looking to tap into the growing demand for natural Sichuan chili oils, while also raising awareness around zhug hot sauce, brand founder and owner Alex Sorenson told FoodNavigator-USA....

[Webinar] Better-for-you beverage brands meet the moment with functionality, flavor, nutrition

22-Aug-2023 By Ryan Daily

Consumers today are not only satisfied with great-tasting, affordable and nutritious beverages; they also want products that fit into their lifestyles and provide a range of functional benefits from energy, focus, and even heart, brain, and immune system...

Ice cream volumes soften in 2023 as consumers demand more fruity flavors, NIQ finds

18-Aug-2023 By Ryan Daily

With the summer ice cream season almost over, the market is facing fresh challenges as consumers pushback on discretionary spending, driving down volume, and look for more sustainable and high-quality products, Sherry Frey, VP of total wellness for NIQ,...

Calbee launches Harvest Snaps flavor with Walmart, focuses on growing Japanese snack brands in US

17-Aug-2023 By Ryan Daily

Snack brand Calbee is growing through a two-pronged approach: driving its core US brand Harvest Snaps at the same time as elevating its Japanese snack brands to a new level among US consumers, company CCO Tim Bateman told FoodNavigator-USA.

[Video] Virginia Dare celebrates 100 years, discusses vanilla sourcing challenges at IFT FIRST

14-Aug-2023 By Ryan Daily

At IFT FIRST 2023, food ingredient company Virginia Dare blew out the candles on the birthday cake and celebrated 100 years in business, as it showcased its range of ingredients in a host of beverages..

NatureBox is betting on big flavours to boost the snacks scene

01-Aug-2023 By Gill Hyslop

From pickled strawberries to black tahini and the complex heat of ethic spices, the subscription-based healthy snack producer contends that staying on top of flavour trends will be key in grabbing a piece of the $100bn action.

Creating the future of food: Omega Ingredients CEO, food futurist discuss trends, sustainability

25-Jul-2023 By Ryan Daily

When it comes to creating the tastes of the future, food and beverage CPG companies aren't only tackling the demand to meet consumer ever-evolving taste preferences in a global economy, but they are grappling with making the supply chain more sustainable...

Synergy Flavours launches concentrated flavour range for protein bars

20-Jul-2023 By Olivia Haslam

Synergy Flavours, the provider of taste solutions, has introduced a new range of concentrated flavours specifically designed for protein bars.

News

Nestle introduces 'breakthrough' sugar reduction technology

17-Jul-2023 By William Dodds

Food and drink processor Nestle has rolled out a new technology which its claims can reduce the sugar content of ingredients.

PepsiCo raises full-year guidance on portfolio performance, braces for challenges in sports and energy categories

13-Jul-2023 By Ryan Daily

PepsiCo beat second quarter expectations with its Frito-Lays and PepsiCo Beverages North America divisions posting double-digit organic revenue growth, but the company faces several challenges across its business, especially in the energy and sport drink...

Summer Fancy Food Show

Jack & Friends charts new ‘inclusive’ path for plant-based jerky to better meet taste, nutrition expectations

11-Jul-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Plant-based meat snack alternatives – and sales – are climbing as new players, including startup Jack & Friends, enter the market with vegan options that better mimic the taste, texture and chew of their animal counterparts, while also offering a...

Summer Fancy Food Show

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Six trends to watch from the Summer Fancy Food Show

10-Jul-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

At the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City late last month emerging and established brands were going back to basics with simplified ingredients, streamlined packaging, clear cut benefits and natural – if not always familiar – flavor profiles.

Summer Fancy Food Show

Levelle Nutrition launches to ‘empower female athletes with fuel formulated for her physiology’ and messaging that goes beyond ‘getting skinny and looking sexy’

10-Jul-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Even though women make up half of marathon runners, only 2.5% of sports nutrition products explicitly target them, and those that do tend to be more expensive and tend to be rated poorly, forcing many female athletes to compromise their health by consuming...

Recreating the boba-shop experience at home: Bobabam CEO Apu Mody talks brand’s growth strategy

07-Jul-2023 By Ryan Daily

With more than 30 years of experience in the CPG world with companies like Del Monte, Mars, and Lenny & Larry’s, Apu Mody joined boba beverage startup Bobabam as the CEO earlier this year to grow the brand’s retail presence and capitalize on the demand...

Summer Fancy Food Show

Functional beverages must balance consumer, environmental benefits with price

07-Jul-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

The functional beverage category is growing at a rapid clip as consumers look for fast, easy ways to support their on-the-go lifestyles and their health, but not all ingredients, products and platforms are created equally and the segment faces significant...

Coffee startup ansā looks to make a “good cup of coffee” more sustainable with novel roasting technology

29-Jun-2023 By Ryan Daily

Tech startup ansā is in the business of creating a good cup of coffee in all senses of the word with its unique roasting method and consumer appliance that circumvents the need for traditional roasters; all in the pursuit of a greener cup of Joe, company...

Sensory superiority: Taste, smell and texture remain key, despite growing interest in functionality – Symrise

26-Jun-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Taste remains paramount if consumers are going to be tempted to try and repeatedly purchase healthier and more functional products, claims ingredient giant Symrise.

Kraft Heinz eschews deep discounts to offset price hikes in favor of investing in marketing, R&D

16-Jun-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Even in the face of widening price gaps, Kraft Heinz is unwilling to bring back the deep-discounts that were prevalent pre-pandemic – preferring instead to elevate and invest more in marketing and R&D so promotions and products are better tailored...

Sustainability and future-proofing the food system

Positioning alternative proteins as climate-tech solution will unlock additional funding

15-Jun-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Alternative proteins hold significant potential to help combat climate change by offering a more environmentally sustainable alternative to animal agriculture – a benefit that could help them unlock much-needed funding and strategic support to refine...

Not just an orange but a Clementine orange: Next gen flavour tech zeros in on specificity and intensity

14-Jun-2023 By Gill Hyslop

T. Hasegawa USA is ramping up its mission to ‘make life taste better’ through next gen tech innovations that not only perfectly replicate the flavours of nature, but pinpoint specific nuances, which could be a game-changer in getting your baked treat...

'Zero sugar isn’t a trend,’ Swoon co-founder discusses beverage evolution, Barbie collaboration

12-Jun-2023 By Ryan Daily

Better-for-you beverage brand Swoon is kicking off summer with two new flavors of its zero-sugar beverage - a Barbie Pink Lemonade and Lemon Iced Tea & Raspberry Iced Tea - as the demand for zero sugar products increases, brand co-founder Cristina...

Givaudan releases AI Customer Foresight platform, focuses on digital transformation in 2025 strategy

05-Jun-2023 By Ryan Daily

Swiss-based flavor house Givaudan is using AI-based capabilities with its Customer Foresight platform to predict upcoming market trends and provide opportunities to co-collaborate with CPG brands on new and innovative food and beverage products, Nandita...

Sweets & Snacks Expo

Snack marketing for multicultural consumers

02-Jun-2023 By Deniz Ataman

As brands seek cultural fluency to develop products for different demographics, Kellogg’s presentation during the Sweets & Snacks Expo explored the various nuances of the multicultural and generational differences of the American snack consumer, specifically...

Sweets & Snacks Expo

How retailers can enhance impulse purchases in-store and online

31-May-2023 By Deniz Ataman

While e-commerce impulse buys are evolving, in-store purchases are still critical in capturing snack and candy consumers—with the self-checkout lane offering tremendous potential growth for both brands and retailers, Kathy Risch, senior vice president,...

Tracking the change: Mondelēz is delivering on bold Snacking Made Right goals

30-May-2023 By Gill Hyslop

From 100% sustainably sourced palm oil to slashing food waste internally by 25% to upping the diversity mix across its executive leadership, the Oreo maker is on track with its mission to lead the future of more sustainable snacking.

Pasta Noodles Co. looks to differentiate in RTE with rapid-cook technology

30-May-2023 By Ryan Daily

The Pasta Noodle Company is shaking up the ready-to-eat (RTE) space with a trio of options inspired by classic Italian dishes, created with natural ingredients and ready to eat within two minutes, company founder Paolo Internicola told FoodNavigator-USA....

Non-alcoholic market is at an “inflection point,” Ritual Zero Proof CEO discusses growth

22-May-2023 By Ryan Daily

Non-alcoholic spirit brand Ritual Zero Proof is tapping into the demand for more artisanal and craft mocktails with the release of its aperitif, as the overall market sees new growth from health-conscious and younger consumers, brand CEO and founder Marcus...

Cholula looks to spice up salsas, seasonings in first-ever category expansion

22-May-2023 By Ryan Daily

Cholula is expanding outside the hot sauce category with the release of three salsas and three taco seasonings, as spicier and bolder flavors become an increasingly important part of McCormick & Company’s business, the company’s VP of North America...

Celsius hits $1bn brand status with PepsiCo's help

18-May-2023 By Ryan Daily

Better-for-you energy drink brand Celsius leverages its PepsiCo partnership to reach $1bn in sales while exploring how to bring consumers into the category with unique flavors, CEO John Fieldly shared during the Goldman Sachs Global Staples Forum this...

Sports performance, natural products providing new opportunities for energy drink market, SPINS finds

17-May-2023 By Ryan Daily

Whether it’s that early morning pick-me-up or pre-workout boost, consumers increasingly turn to the energy drink category for its functional benefits, which is expanding the market and creating opportunities for brands to innovate around sports performance,...

Daiya taps into demand for savory flavors, allergen-free options with frozen pizzas release

16-May-2023 By Ryan Daily

Plant-based CPG company Daiya Foods seeks to satisfy consumer demand for savory flavor while providing an allergen-free option with a pair of new pizza options, the brand’s CMO Melanie Domer told FoodNaviagtor-USA.

‘A merger of equals’: DSM and Firmenich merge to form new fragrance and nutrition giant

09-May-2023 By Teodora Lyubomirova

Dutch health and nutrition specialist DSM has merged with the Swiss flavor and fragrance company Firmenich International SA to form a new, 30,000-strong entity – DSM-Firmenich.

Clover Sonoma taps flavored milk, lactose-free trends in release of new flavors

05-May-2023 By Ryan Daily

California-based dairy producer Clover Sonoma is meeting demand for flavored and lactose-free milks with three new flavors (Chocolate, Strawberry, and Vanilla) of its Clover the Rainbow Milk with a Splash of Flavor product, Meg Sutula, VP of marketing...

Can plant-based seafood gain mainstream acceptance through familiar flavors, strategic placement in the frozen food section?

05-May-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Developing recognizable flavors for frozen plant-based seafood may enhance consumer acceptance, as taste and texture remain the primary drivers behind the popularity of plant-based food alternatives.

Michelle Obama gets into the better-for-you CPG business with PLEZi launch

04-May-2023 By Ryan Daily

To change the food and beverage industry from the inside, former first lady Michelle Obama announced at the Wall Street Journal Future of Everything Festival this week the launch of better-for-you kid’s brand PLEZi Nutrition, where she will serve as a...

Better-for-you Hero Bread lands $15m in series B round by ‘going from pitching a dream to pitching a business’

03-May-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

A “massive” repeat purchase rate of 74% direct-to-consumer and 54% at retail combined with healthy margins and strong “no f***ing way” factor helped food-tech startup Hero Bread secure $15m in series B funding despite the challenging economic environment.

Popping with flavor: Imbibe shares boba beverage trends, tastes to keep an eye on

28-Apr-2023 By Ryan Daily

As consumers look for sweet flavors and tantalizing textures, many are turning to bubble teas (boba) for a unique sensory experience, creating an opportunity to innovate around flavor in the RTD space and beyond, Laura Harper, marketing associate at beverage...

Consumer interest in animal-free dairy builds, but many still have questions about processing, safety

27-Apr-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

While most consumers are willing to buy animal-free dairy made with precision-fermentation, a sizeable portion are either unsure or unwilling to try it – revealing a potential stumbling block that if left unaddressed could be just as damning for the nascent...

Coca-Cola beats expectations thanks to higher prices, innovations that appeals to Gen Z

25-Apr-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Coca-Cola Co.’s North American margins “reached toward a new high watermark” in the first quarter of 2023 observed one market analyst during the company’s quarterly call yesterday – a better-than-expected outcome that leadership attributed to higher prices...

Drink Monday looks to crowdfunding to fuel retail expansion, as non-alcoholic category evolves

20-Apr-2023 By Ryan Daily

Non-alcoholic beverage brand Drink Monday is using recent crowdfunding to expand its retail presence, meet the demand for non-alcoholic drinks and spirits, and navigate the tighter capital market, the brand’s new CEO Ken Young told FoodNavigator-USA.

Ithaca Hummus’ expansion into salsa underscores retailers' need to rebalance private label sales with premium offerings

17-Apr-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Retailers investing in private label to cater to consumers trading down as inflation rises, simultaneously are looking to offset lower dollar sales with a broader selection of premium offerings that can boost basket rings – creating an opportunity for...

BabyBel maker Bel Group, biotech Climax Foods partner to refine plant-based cheese with AI

12-Apr-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Iconic cheesemaker Bel Group and biotech startup Climax Foods are teaming up to create the next generation of “best in class” plant-based cheese that they say will be indistinguishable from their dairy counterparts with “zero-compromise” on taste, texture...

CSPI et al’s letter to the FDA urges the immediate and formal removal of Red Dye No. 3, industry trade groups representing color additives request comment deadline extension

11-Apr-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Citing numerous studies that suggest Red Dye No. 3 could be carcinogenic, The Center for Science in the Public Interest and a coalition of 23 other associations want FDA to remove the color from its list of approved additives in foods, dietary supplements...