Flavors and colors

Coca-Cola names new president of North America operations

23-Aug-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Coca-Cola has named Jennifer Mann as the new president of the company's North America operating unit, replacing Alfredo Rivera, who will be stepping down on Dec. 31.

Botanical yields fall as climate change affects harvests

17-Aug-2022 By Stephen Daniells

Extreme weather events from heat waves and droughts to ‘hundred-year storms’ happening every two years, the impact of climate change is obvious. And few industries are witnessing the impact as much as botanical supply chain.

Younger consumers less engaged with condiments category, says Mintel

10-Aug-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

The popularity of condiments soared during the pandemic as consumers used the products as an easy way to elevate an otherwise bland meal made at home, notes Mintel, which says that condiment brands must engage with younger consumers to ensure future long-term...

Paragon Pure unveils OléPBM vegan fat targeting plant-based meat applications

09-Aug-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Fresh off closing a $3.9m seed funding round* led by Unovis Asset Management, Paragon Pure is debuting its OléPBM alternative fat technology made from rice bran oil, which it claims outperforms palm and coconut oils in plant-based meat products.

Monster Energy CEO addresses stiff competition in the energy drink set, teases alcohol launch

05-Aug-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Monster Energy is fighting to grow its shelf space in the increasingly competitive energy drink category while also dealing with unrelenting inflationary cost pressures, said CEO Rodney Sacks on the company's Q2 2022 earnings call.

WATCH ON DEMAND: Low-and-No-Sugar-Beverages webinar, 'Sugar reduction is still overwhelmingly important to American consumers'

03-Aug-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Sugar reduction is still top of mind for most US consumers, but their motivations for purchasing low- and no-sugar beverages have shifted from weight management and dieting pursuits to achieving a sense of general wellbeing, claims Howard Telford, head...

IFT FIRST

Hybrid beverages lure consumers to new categories with blend of familiar and novel

03-Aug-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

As the pandemic progresses and consumers delve deeper into how nutrition impacts their health, they are expecting more from the products they buy – pushing beverage makers to blur category lines to offer more benefits, according to Mintel.

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?

Debut Biotech and DIC team up to make Holy Grail in natural food colors: a stable vibrant red

28-Jul-2022 By Elaine Watson

Fine chemicals co DIC and San Diego-based startup Debut Biotech are developing a vibrant natural red color that is heat-stable, light-stable, and stable across a wide pH range, using a novel hybrid approach combining microbial fermentation and ‘cell-free’...

IFT First

Spoonshot: ‘The need for seafood alternatives has become absolutely vital’

26-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Two incompatible trends – increasing interest in seafood and climate change – are opening the door for the alternative seafood market, but for this emerging segment to reach its full potential, stakeholders must better align their go-to ingredients with...

IFT First

Layn blazes digital trail with easily searchable online ingredient library for ‘synergistic’ exploration, product development

26-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Well-known for sugar alternatives, including stevia and monk fruit, Layn Natural Ingredients has steadily expanded its portfolio with a full line of functional botanicals that can now easily be explored through a just-launched online ingredient library...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Riff turns coffee’s ‘not so little dirty secret’ into energetic success

25-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Something is rotten in the coffee industry, and it is holding back the crop from reaching its full potential and contributing to the climate change that threatens future production of the popular beverage and the economic livelihoods of the farmers who...

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.”

Trendspotting at IFT First 2022: Sugar reduction... 'What consumers look at on the label in the US is calories, then sugar’

19-Jul-2022 By Elaine Watson

From more efficient production of rare sugars tagatose and allulose (and intriguing new possibilities with D-allose), to ‘enhanced’ sugars, and a mystery disaccharide that behaves like sugar, but is metabolized very differently, check out part one of...

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...

Plink! The effervescent future of functional beverages

15-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Once associated with refreshment and relaxation, the crack of a can or hiss of gas following the twist of bottle top is becoming a source of anxiety for some consumers who associate it with single-use plastic, broken recycling systems and unwanted litter.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Pasta sales rebounded during the pandemic, but will they stay?

11-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

After being demonized as high-carb and maligned with foggy grain-brains and gluten sensitivities, pasta consumption, which had been flat and declining for years pre-COVID, bounced back during the pandemic with unprecedented growth as consumers looked...

Summer Fancy Food Show

Sundial Foods leverages edible films, layers & novel processing to create more realistic plant-based meat

11-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

While homogenous plant-based patties, nuggets and sausages abound, few currently available meat alternatives recreate the multi-layered experience of biting though skin to release a juicy burst of flavor that is reinforced by a marbling of fat or the...

Fila Manila taps into 'pent-up demand' for next generation of Filipino-American flavors

08-Jul-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Emerging brand Fila Manila is blazing a trail for better representation of Filipino flavors and cuisine in mainstream grocery with its line of savory simmer sauces and brand new launch, coconut and ube jams.

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...

Phytolon raises $14.5m to expand fermentation-based food color platform: 'We don't want agricultural land to be exploited for production of colors'

05-Jul-2022 By Elaine Watson

Israeli tech firm Phytolon, which is biosynthesizing alternatives to synthetic food colors, has raised $14.5m in a series A funding round* led by DSM Venturing as it gears up to commercialize betalain pigments produced via fermentation of genetically...

REGISTER TODAY: Low-and-No-Sugar Beverages: From Soda 2.0 to Flavored Waters

01-Jul-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

What will the next frontier and low- and no-sugar beverages look like? Find out during FoodNavigator-USA's free-to-attend webinar on Low- and-No-Sugar Beverages: From Soda 2.0 to Flavored Waters online event, broadcasting on Tuesday, July 26th at...

McCormick falters as high costs, supply chain challenges and COVID restrictions impact sales, profits

30-Jun-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Dragged down by higher-than-expected cost inflation, supply chain challenges and unanticipated, stringent COVID-related restrictions in China, McCormick missed its sales and earnings targets in its second quarter – forcing the spice maker to slash its...

What’s the scoop? America’s top 5 favourite ice cream flavors revealed

30-Jun-2022 By Katy Askew

The International Dairy Foods Association has released its ‘most comprehensive’ US ice cream trends data to date, asking ice cream makers and retailers – as well as consumers – about what their favourite ice cream flavors are.

From Honest to Just: Seth Goldman unveils Just Ice Tea… ‘We’ve been in conversation with numerous retailers eager to launch with us’

29-Jun-2022 By Elaine Watson

Barely a month after Coca-Cola announced plans to phase out HONEST Tea, co-founder Seth Goldman, who sold the organic tea brand to Coca-Cola in 2011, says he plans to launch in a few months a new line of bottled organic teas under the ‘Just Ice Tea’ brand.

Frito-Lay: Flavor combinations and discovery drive snacking purchases

29-Jun-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Consumers have heightened interest in flavor twists and combinations (e.g. salty & sweet, tangy & spicy) and are less driven by brand recognition and familiarity when it comes to their snacking purchases, finds Frito-Lay North America in its recent...

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...

Elevated ketchup, global barbecue, and ranch reimagined... Whole Foods reveals summer condiment trends

22-Jun-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

From new takes on ranch to elevated ketchup and mustard products, Whole Foods Market's Trends Council revealed which condiments will be appearing on more picnic and barbecue plates this summer.

Is the party over for meat alternatives? It’s just getting started, says ADM

17-Jun-2022 By Elaine Watson

US retail sales of frozen meat alternatives were up a solid +10.1% to $76m in May 2022 vs May 2021, with volumes fairly flat at -0.8%; but sales of refrigerated meat alternatives continued their precipitous slide last month, with dollar sales slumping...

Animal proteins... made by plants? 'Molecular farming’ co Moolec Science to go public via SPAC

15-Jun-2022 By Elaine Watson

Moolec Science – which has developed a ‘molecular farming’ platform to produce plants that express animal proteins – is going public via a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC)* in a deal expected to close later this year.

DouxMatok strikes deal with Batory Foods to distribute Incredo ‘enhanced’ sugar

15-Jun-2022 By Elaine Watson

DouxMatok, the Israeli firm behind patented technology that makes sucrose taste sweeter, has teamed up with Batory Foods to distribute its Incredo enhanced sugar in North America.

Sweet Earth Foods expands frozen foods lineup: 'People lean towards plant-based versions of the flavorful and comforting recipes they love'

14-Jun-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Nestlé USA-owned Sweet Earth Foods is expanding its plant-based entrée bowls line to meet growing consumer demand for flavor, convenience, and plant-based nutrition within the frozen foods aisle.

Cleveland Kitchen acquires Sonoma Brinery to deepen fermentation expertise, expand production of on-trend products with health halo

09-Jun-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Fast-growing fermented food manufacturer Cleveland Kitchen hopes to grow 100% this year, with new products and expanded distribution from the equity acquisition of the likeminded natural pickle and sauerkraut fermenter Sonoma Brinery announced today.

Andreessen Horowitz leads $22m series A at SCiFi Foods: ‘The first [cultivated meat co] we felt truly has the potential to both scale quickly and drastically reduce cost’

08-Jun-2022 By Elaine Watson

San Leandro CA-based Artemys Foods – which claims it has “a pretty clear shot at being the first company to bring cultivated beef to the market in the US” - has rebranded as SCiFi Foods and raised $22m in a series A round* led by VC firm Andreessen Horowitz....

Hershey replaces milk solids with roasted grain flour for improved dairy-free chocolate

07-Jun-2022 By Flora Southey

The Hershey Company has filed a patent application covering the substitution of dairy solids with roasted grain flour, which it says yields ‘improved organoleptic and rheological properties’ over known dairy-free chocolates.

‘We are confident in our ability to scale quickly…’ Why HONEST Tea co-founder Seth Goldman is getting back into the tea business

06-Jun-2022 By Elaine Watson

The HONEST Tea brand might be disappearing as brand owner Coca-Cola focuses on its Gold Peak and Peace Tea brands, but the organic, ready to drink ‘just sweet enough’ teas first launched by Seth Goldman and Barry Nalebuff in the late 1990s, it seems,...

Soylent projects sales of $100m in 2022: ‘We're growing by consumption increases versus a discounting and distribution game’

06-Jun-2022 By Elaine Watson

Soylent is projecting sales of $100m this year on a run rate basis driven by solid double-digit growth and margins holding steady, ensuring it remains cash-flow positive without having to raise prices, despite the challenging inflationary environment,...

General Mills revamps its innovation strategy to leverage tiger teams to find, quickly seize opportunities

06-Jun-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Even as General Mills adopts an ‘always on’ approach to mergers & acquisitions, it remains dedicated to driving organic growth through innovation by deploying elite tiger teams to identify consumer problems and then develop and test solutions-oriented...

Firmenich and DSM merger creates ‘unparalleled’ leader in nutrition, beauty and wellbeing

31-May-2022 By Katy Askew

Firmenich and DSM have revealed plans to merge the two companies in a move that they believe will create an ‘unparalleled’ leader in nutrition, beauty and wellbeing.

New BODYARMOR CEO on J-Lo, taking on 800lb gorillas, and the ‘separate but connected’ strategy with Coca-Cola

24-May-2022 By Elaine Watson

Gatorade is the undisputed leader in sports drinks, says the new CEO of BODYARMOR, which recently overtook Powerade to capture the #2 slot in the category. But after four years at Chobani, challenger brand extraordinaire, Federico Muyshondt knows a thing...

Impossible Foods makes UK debut… without its flagship ‘heme’ ingredient

18-May-2022 By Elaine Watson

California-based Impossible Foods is making its European debut in the UK this week with the launch of plant-based chicken nuggets and sausage patties, formulated without its flagship soy leghemoglobin ingredient, which is not yet approved in the UK or...

Plant-based meat gamechanger? Rebellyous Foods tackles two key hurdles facing the industry: cost, and quality-at-scale

16-May-2022 By Elaine Watson

While even the analysts downgrading Beyond Meat’s stock in the wake of grim Q1 figures believe meat alternatives are “not a fad” (to quote Brian Holland at Cowen), the brand’s slowing sales and elevated costs have prompted some soul-searching about why...

Five trends to watch in online grocery shopping

16-May-2022 By Elaine Watson

While the proportion of Americans who say they have purchased groceries online over the past 12 months has declined, slightly more consumers say they now do ‘most’ or ‘all or almost all’ of their grocery shopping online, according to Coresight Research’s...

Cacao-free ‘alt choc’ mimics the real thing, with 80% fewer CO2 emissions

11-May-2022 By Flora Southey

UK start-up WNWN Food Labs is launching what it claims to be the ‘world’s first’ cacao-free chocolate. Made from two ‘hero ingredients’ – barley and carob – we ask co-founders Arhum Pak and Dr Johnny Drain what makes their product better than the real...

Monster Energy sees strong demand for energy drinks while anticipating ongoing supply chain challenges

09-May-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Monster Energy reported a strong increase in net sales for Q1 2022 as it steadily works to stabilize its business against rising supply chain costs, but remains bullish on the market and consumer demand for its energy drinks portfolio.

Synthetic biology and the future of food. In conversation with ‘biology by design’ co Ginkgo Bioworks

09-May-2022 By Elaine Watson

When Ginkgo Bioworks’ head of codebase Dr Patrick Boyle was working on his doctoral research between 2006-12, he was “basically ordering DNA one gene at a time,” he recalls. “I think I ordered less than six total genes for my entire PhD.” Today, the Boston-based...

Mars exec talks innovation: 'We're at a fascinating moment, where we will be creating the next relevant portfolio for consumers'

05-May-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

As a 100+-year-old company of some of the most well-known CPG brands, Mars Inc. sees innovation as the driving force behind the company's next chapter of growth and the key to maintaining consumer relevancy.

Class action lawsuits vs food and bev brands surged in 2021, but courts are "growing increasingly impatient" with some litigants, says Perkins Coie

30-Apr-2022 By Elaine Watson

Food & beverage class actions surged in 2021, driven in part by a tsunami of cases over heavy metals in baby food, but judges are wearying of cases that assume consumers have zero common sense, according to a review by law firm Perkins Coie.

‘Impossible Foods did not invent heme protein…’ Motif files motion to stay Impossible Foods lawsuit pending review of key patent

28-Apr-2022 By Elaine Watson

Motif FoodWorks has filed a motion to stay a patent infringement lawsuit brought by Impossible Foods over the use of heme ingredients in meat alternatives while the US Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) reviews the patent at the heart of the case.