Food safety and labeling

KIND Snacks uses digital activations to boost consumer loyalty as it ramps up sustainability

19-Apr-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Through a suite of virtual and augmented reality activations launched this week, KIND Snacks is breaking down for mainstream Americans the complicated concept of regenerative agriculture and the real-world environmental impact of its latest sustainability...

California Health Committee approves ban on five food additives in landmark bill co-sponsored by EWG and Consumer Reports

18-Apr-2023 By Deniz Ataman

In a controversial move that could have a ripple effect for food and beverage manufacturers nationwide, California Assembly’s Committee on Health approved AB 418 -- bringing the state one step closer to potentially banning brominated vegetable oil, potassium...

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...

FDA could permit salt substitutes for standardized foods as part of sodium reduction effort

07-Apr-2023 By Deniz Ataman

The proposal is intended to provide more flexibility for foods with standards of identity where salt is a required or optional ingredient, and “facilitate industry innovation to reduce sodium in standardized foods,” the agency stated.

Industry questions basis of FDA’s proposed caps for lead in baby food, seeks compliance guidance

03-Apr-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

While many industry stakeholders laud FDA’s efforts to reduce lead in baby food and products for children under 2 years old, they question the logic behind the tolerable levels proposed by the agency in draft regulation and want additional guidance on...

FDA draft guidance for “healthy” ingredients on food labels triggers concerns over limitations on innovation, consumer autonomy

30-Mar-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Products making dietary guidance statements should contain a meaningful amount of the featured ingredient or food category and not exceed certain amounts of saturated fat, sodium and added sugar, according to FDA’s draft guidance for industry on questions...

Tractor Beverage Co. gets granular on organic farming metrics with sustainability tracker

29-Mar-2023 By Ryan Daily

Tractor Beverage Co. is showing the benefits of organic farming with a customer-facing tracker that details the amount of synthetic pesticides avoided in the creation of its beverages, the brand CMO Justin Herber told FoodNavigator-USA at the Natural...

FDA’s update for new Human Foods Program falls short of industry expectations

01-Mar-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Even as FDA kicks off a search for a deputy commissioner for its proposed Human Foods Program who it says will have a “clear line of authority over” all human food safety and nutrition programs, industry stakeholders worry agency is choosing a “business...

ByHeart to triple its production of infant formula, reinforce supply chain with facility acquisitions

30-Jan-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

With this month’s acquisitions of an additional domestic manufacturing facility and an FDA-registered packaging and blending facility, infant formula company ByHeart successfully consolidated its supply chain and significantly boosted its production capacity...

Drumroll, please… waiting game continues to plague CBD industry

26-Jan-2023 By Danielle Masterson

Rumors about a big FDA announcement began swirling earlier this week, with the industry bracing for a potential end to a five-year wait on the regulatory future of CBD. But, much like the last few years, CBD professionals were left waiting without answers,...

FDA proposes lead limits in baby food – but do they go far enough and are they achievable?

25-Jan-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

FDA’s long-awaited guidance for limiting lead concentrations in packaged food for babies and toddlers published yesterday estimates a reduced exposure risk upwards of 27%, but according to some stakeholders this isn’t high enough.

Cultivated meat in focus at Tufts cellular ag innovation day: From bioreactor bottlenecks to a ‘global battle cry’ for government funding

20-Jan-2023 By Elaine Watson

It’s becoming increasingly clear that early projections about the speed with which cultivated meat might gain market share now seem pretty optimistic. But Rome wasn’t built in a day, and significant progress is being made to build the ecosystem needed...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Investing in food as medicine opens business opportunities

16-Jan-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

The idea of food as medicine is as old as food itself, but only recently has the mainstream US health care system begun to take notice, and action, as community-directed efforts to prevent, manage and treat diet-related illnesses through nutrition education...

Bacterial cultures combat antibiotic resistant Salmonella: ‘One of the biggest challenges in food safety is the emergence of superbugs’

13-Jan-2023 By Katy Askew

New research out of the US suggests protective bacterial cultures could be used to tackle food-borne pathogens that are resistant to antibiotics.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: What does FDA’s commitment to ‘building a world-class human foods program’ mean for industry?

19-Dec-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

After a scathing review published earlier this month by the Reagan-Udall Foundation criticized FDA for its scattered and inefficient approach to food safety and applied nutrition, the agency says it is committed to “building a world-class human foods...

Kroger-Albertsons merger hits roadblock in Washington state, Albertsons challenges 'meritless' anti-competitive claims

04-Nov-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

A Washington state court has granted a temporary restraining order to block dividend payments to Albertsons investors related to the $24.6bn merger with Kroger announced in October 2022.

Futureproofing the food system: How are food insecurity and health outcomes connected and what benefits do produce prescriptions, medically tailored meals and personalized nutrition offer?

21-Oct-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Researchers are calling on clinicians and the healthcare system to screen for food insecurity and better promote food access programs after discovering that Americans with limited or uncertain access to adequate food is on the rise and they are more likely...

Could reframing ‘food as medicine’ counter rising prices that are pushing healthier options out of reach?

27-Sep-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Food prices at near forty-year highs now overshadow most other consumer concerns about grocery shopping – including fears of contracting COVID-19 or experiencing violence in stores – prompting many to rethink where they shop, what they buy and what product...

SPECIAL REPORT: Bioengineered food labeling: ‘They kind of shot in the middle and missed every constituency’

23-Sep-2022 By Elaine Watson

Advocates arguing for greater transparency about the use of GMOs in food scored a minor victory this month after a district court told USDA to re-work the digital disclosure portions of the bioengineered food labeling law, which came into effect in January....

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?

Unilever trades market share for dollar sales growth to fund reinvestment in brands

27-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Unilever isn’t worried about losing market share or volume as it pushes through aggressive price hikes to offset inflation and build reserves that it can use to invest in advertising, R&D and capital expenditure for long-term gains, according to company...

Yumi enters retail at Target stores nationwide: 'It was always part of the plan to go omnichannel'

19-Jul-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Baby and toddler food brand Yumi is making its retail debut at Target stores nationwide with a new line of products addressing a market void for nutritious toddler-focused snacks.

Chinova Bioworks secures $6m to expand production, application of clean-label, mushroom-based preservative

23-Jun-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Canadian food-tech startup Chinova Bioworks is ramping up production of its natural mushroom-based preservative Chiber with the opening of a new production facility this fall and expanding its applications with help from a $6m series A fundraise announced...

USDA investments to ‘transform’ food system could shift power between large, established players and small, mid-sized challengers

02-Jun-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Announcing the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars across the supply chain, the US Department of Agriculture says it hopes to rebalance the food system’s historic focus on efficiency with much-needed resiliency so that the country is better...

Kellogg exec presents three ways to improve the food system

18-May-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

With the global food system under significant pressure to keep up with the world's growing population, The Kellogg Company's SVP of global R&D and innovation Dr. Nigel Hughes presents how international food and beverage companies can take...

Potential review of ‘ultra-processed food’ by dietary guideline committee could portend trouble for packaged food industry

22-Apr-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Undefined and increasingly under fire for allegedly delivering low nutrition but high calories, so-called ultra-processed food could be under the microscope during the next review of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, slated for publication in 2025.

WATCH: Gut health soda, plant-based, and regenerative agriculture... Trendspotting with PRESENCE

13-Apr-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

With 33 years operating in the natural foods industry, national food broker PRESENCE has seen many trends come and go and others grow into long-term growth drivers for the industry.

'Unconstitutional' Louisiana law restricting ‘meaty’ terms on plant-based products has 'chilling' effect on commercial speech, says judge

29-Mar-2022 By Elaine Watson

A district court in Louisiana has determined that a state law restricting the use of 'meaty' terms on food labels to products derived from slaughtered animals is unconstitutional, in a ruling hailed by Tofurky as "a victory for the entire...

Local Bounti co-CEO talks future of indoor farming: 'The whole industry has been plagued with a lot of over committing and underachieving'

24-Mar-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Many indoor farming companies - while noble in their pursuit of providing consumers with access to locally-grown produce with a longer shelf life and free from pesticides and other contaminants from conventional field farming - have struggled to create...

Farmer Focus’ expansion underscores alternative model to ‘anti-competitive’ meatpacking practices

16-Feb-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

The opening of organic and Humane Certified chicken company Farmer Focus’ 78,000 square foot packaging facility in Harrisonburg, Va., announced today, is a testament to the sustainability and scalability of an alternative business model to those of the...

Fighting food waste: Study investigates most effective and supported solutions

08-Feb-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

As food waste continues to be an issue for many households and the food industry at large, researchers investigated which solutions consumers are most inclined to adopt to cut down on the amount of food that goes to waste in the US.

Swiss lab develops plant-based coating to preserve produce for Lidl markets

25-Jan-2022 By Asia Sherman

Swiss scientists have engineered a plant-based cellulose coating that extends the shelf life of produce and reduces waste.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Innovations in upcycling open door to reach sustainability goals, boost profits

17-Jan-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Innovation within the nascent upcycled food and beverage industry is exploding as manufacturers and ingredient suppliers large and small are drawn to the promise of potentially higher profits, a viable path to ambitious sustainability goals and a consumer-friendly...

'This is an olive oil for everyone': Graza debuts premium, affordable olive oil in squeeze bottle format

12-Jan-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Graza, a new single-origin olive oil brand, is carving out a niche spot in a crowded category with premium extra-virgin olive oil products available at an affordable price point in easy-to-use squeeze bottles, a packaging first for the category, said...

Sesame allergies: Lack of clear labeling linked to higher occurrence of reactions

05-Jan-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Despite being a major food allergen, more than half of products containing sesame fail to identify the allergen on the label, leading to a higher likelihood of allergic reactions, argue the authors of a recent study.

Fairtrade America: Brands must 'make good' on sustainability and human rights claims

21-Dec-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Heading into 2022, consumers are demanding that brands prioritize sustainability, workers' rights, and other human advocacy causes, according to independent third-party certification organization Fairtrade America in its biennial Consumer Insights...

FDA to approve acacia as dietary fiber opening the door for new product development

20-Dec-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

The FDA said it "intends to propose" that Acacia (Gum Arabic), also known as gum acacia, be added to its approved list of dietary fibers after determining that the scientific evidence available supports that gum acacia can help reduce blood...

‘There is still a lot of unresponsiveness or vague statements…’ Supply chain woes add to compliance challenge with bioengineered food disclosure standard

09-Dec-2021 By Elaine Watson

With the Jan. 1, 2022 deadline for compliance with the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) fast approaching, many companies are still struggling with compliance, even at this incredibly late stage, say industry sources.

Majority of animal protein companies 'too slow to act' on pressing sustainability risks, reports FAIRR

03-Dec-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Animal protein producers are making some strides in managing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks, but the vast majority are still falling short on fundamental practices including measuring methane gas emissions, according to the Coller FAIRR...

Study: Common food additive found to disturb beneficial bacteria in the gut

01-Dec-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Carboxymethylcellulose, a widely-used emulsifying and thickening food additive ingredient, can alter the intestinal environment of gut microbiome, disturbing levels of beneficial bacteria, suggests new clinical research.

FoodBytes! Pitch final 15 focus on scalable, environmentally-friendly solutions to increase nutrition

26-Oct-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

With an eye towards identifying technologies and innovations that “exemplify the new food economy” by offering scalable solutions that increase nutrition with minimal environmental impact, FoodBytes! by Rabobank has winnowed down from 45 global startups...

FDA tackles rising childhood obesity by 'helping industry improve the underlying healthfulness of the food supply'

07-Oct-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

As part of a broad effort to reverse an alarming and profound increase in childhood obesity in the US during the pandemic, FDA is seeking to improve children’s diets, and is also taking steps to limit exposure to toxic elements in baby food and reduce...

Beech-Nut, Gerber hit back as 2nd Congressional report accuses more baby food brands of 'a lax approach' over heavy metals and 'knowingly harming babies'

30-Sep-2021 By Elaine Watson

Seven months after releasing a report alleging “dangerous” levels of heavy metals in top baby food brands, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi's subcommittee on economic and consumer policy has released a follow-up report alleging that the industry “consistently...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Killer Creamery finds sweet-spot in sugar-free ice cream, frozen novelties

27-Sep-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Not many companies would be satisfied with or even strive to produce a food or beverage that tastes ‘normal,’ but the founder of the better-for-you frozen dessert company Killer Creamery couldn’t be happier that the taste of brand’s new ice cream sandwich...

FOOD FOR KIDS: Fast food consumption increases among 20% of families surveyed, report finds

21-Sep-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

While many parents say that their family has eaten more healthily since the start of the pandemic, one in five parents reports relying more heavily on fast food as a quick fix family meal option, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott...

Walmart boosts supply chain workforce with plans to hire 20,000 new employees

01-Sep-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

To keep up with its robust year-over-year growth and prevent disruptions to its supply chain network, Walmart has announced that it will be hiring 20,000 new supply chain associates to work across its distribution centers, fulfillment centers, and transportation...

PFAS chemicals detected in small number of common food items, but ‘results do not suggest that there is any need to avoid particular foods,’ says FDA

27-Aug-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

An FDA survey investigating the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – a class of human-made chemicals – in nationally distributed processed foods found that of the 167 food samples tested, three had detectable levels of the chemicals....

‘SARS-CoV-2 is not a direct food safety concern… Neither food nor food packaging is a 'pathway for the spread of COVID-19,' says FAO

11-Aug-2021 By Elaine Watson

“Current data indicates that neither food nor food packaging is a pathway for the spread of viruses causing respiratory illnesses, including SARS-CoV-2,” according to a new guidance document from the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization...

Protera prepares to bring diverse, clean-label and sustainable proteins to market with $10m series A fundraise

30-Jul-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Santiago, Chile and Paris-based AI-driven startup Protera is one step closer to commercializing a portfolio of clean-label proteins that can replace chemical preservatives to extend food shelf-life, safely turn unsaturated fats into saturated fats, enhance...

Category Building: Target highlights early allergen introduction in special set with SpoonfulONE

28-Jul-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

The nascent allergen introduction category is gaining credibility, visibility and reach with retailer Target creating in select stores a dedicated section of products that help caregivers conveniently and safely follow clinical guidelines to introduce...