Fruit, vegetable, nut ingredients

Upcoming webinar: How snack bar brands can carve out a space in a crowded market

19-Jul-2023 By Deniz Ataman

FoodNavigator-USA will present its free editorial webinar, Raising the Snack Bar: Exploring Growth Drivers, Innovations and Consumer Cravings on July 26 at 11:30 AM CT. The webinar will feature a panel of snack bar experts who will explore how key differentiators...

IFT FIRST

IFT Preview: From ingredients to ideals -- How clean label is reshaping product development

12-Jul-2023 By Deniz Ataman

The food as medicine movement continues to shape food and beverage with clean and simple ingredient labels that promote healthier food choices and provide important information to individuals with specific dietary needs, while enhancing transparency and...

IFT FIRST

IFT FIRST Startup Pavilion highlights innovative solutions to today’s pressing challenges

12-Jul-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

The Startup Pavilion at the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual Food Improved by Research Science and Technology (IFT FIRST) conference in Chicago this month will be twice as big as it was at last year’s annual conference, reflecting the urgency and...

Summer Fancy Food Show

Popadelics leverages pop-ups in fashion stores to secure placement in grocery retail

12-Jul-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Most food and beverage startups’ go-to-market strategy includes a combination of direct-to-consumer and grocery, but when mushroom-based snack brand Popadelics recently launched it took a less conventional route – placing a greater emphasis on luxury...

Joyful Venture launches fund focused on sustainable food technology startups

11-Jul-2023 By Deniz Ataman

"We're not just passively investing in promising sustainable food technology startups," said co-founder and general partner Jennifer Stojkovic in a press release. "Our team is fully committed to leveraging our expertise, powerful network,...

How retailers can create an efficient and tailored in-store experience

11-Jul-2023 By Deniz Ataman

By leveraging foot-traffic data, retailers can understand how their consumers are spending time in-store to develop a personalized and streamlined shopping experience.

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...

Future Food Tech Alternative Proteins

Turning the tide on alternative seafood: Strategies to close the supply-demand gap

11-Jul-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

The alternative seafood segment may be a small fraction of the size of its counterparts in plant-based and animal-free dairy and meat currently, but the sector is primed for growth as demand for seafood outpaces supply and concern about the oceans’ health...

‘A blank canvas to add whatever flavours desired’: Start-up provides nutrient-rich spirulina meat substitutes

11-Jul-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

The algae spirulina has a wide range of health benefits. Now, a start-up is exploring its potential as a clean-label meat substitute, with flexibility in flavour and in use.

Rot-resistant mutations and AI-fuelled robots – advancements in tomato cultivation

10-Jul-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Tomatoes are one of Europe’s favourite fruits, and are involved in a wide range of meals from pizza and pasta to salad and full English breakfast. Several advancements have introduced new insights into tomato cultivation.

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...

A plant prickling with health benefits: The promising components of cacti

10-Jul-2023 By Olivia Haslam

A research review has highlighted the numerous beneficial components found in cacti, including dietary fibre, minerals, phenolic compounds, and antioxidants

Summer Fancy Food Show

The specialty foods market is expected to surpass $200b this year

06-Jul-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Despite overall sales growth, the specialty foods industry has faced challenges in recent years, including inflation, declining unit sales (for the first time) and increased competition from conventional grocery stores, explained David Lockwood, CEO,...

Ideological objects in the practical world: How plant-based meat shapes food practices

05-Jul-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

While the consumer market for plant-based meat does not completely consist of vegetarians and vegans, choosing a vegan burger over a meat one remains a conscious rejection of meat-eating. This provides plant-based meat with a meaning, its presence in...

Hot sauce takes on unique twists at Summer Fancy Food Show

30-Jun-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Capsaicin-forward, craft hot sauce makers walked the fine line between flavor and heat, all while paying homage to locally sourced chilis from around the world, at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City this week.

Whole seeds and nutrition are among key snack bar trends at Fancy Food Show

29-Jun-2023 By Deniz Ataman

As Americans return to a post-pandemic routine marked by more evening shopping trips and a preference for better-for-you convenient snacks, the snack bar category continues to evolve to meet their needs with notable trends featured during the Fancy Food...

Alternative protein made from…broccoli? Stalks and leaves upcycled into ‘clean’ protein for industry

26-Jun-2023 By Flora Southey

A new project is harvesting broccoli stems, stalks, and leaves – which would otherwise be left in the field – and upcycling them into an alternative protein ingredient for food and beverage makers.

Naturli’ debuts in the US market, launching its vegan butter in H-E-B stores across Texas

23-Jun-2023 By Deniz Ataman

The Danish brand Naturli' will feature two versions of its vegan butters—Plant Butter Spread and Plant Butter Block—both formulated to perform and taste like traditional butter.

Plant-based cream cheese is bright spot among slipping sales of broader dairy-free segment

23-Jun-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

While most plant-based categories saw year-over-year unit sales slide last year in the face of higher prices to offset inflation, a handful of categories bucked the trend – including plant-based cream cheese, sour cream and spreads.

Innovations in plant-based milk embrace clean-label, sustainability, enhanced taste

22-Jun-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Within plant-based milks, almond may dominate sales and oat may be the fastest growing sub-segment, but an increasing variety of nut-, seed-, legume- and grain-based options are coming to market – simultaneously fragmenting and growing the overall segment.

The Vita Coco Company's restructured operational strategy offers 'huge advantage to reach so many more people,' says co-founder

20-Jun-2023 By Deniz Ataman

After overcoming a period of declining sales and discontinuation from retailers like Walmart and Walgreens, The Vita Coco co-founder and executive chairman Mike Kirban discussed the company’s operational strategy including brand exposure, reaching consumers...

A place for everyone at the table: Kellogg UK reduces barriers to job entry by ditching the need for a degree

16-Jun-2023 By Gill Hyslop

The move is part of the Special K, Coco Pops and Corn Flakes maker’s drive to become a more inclusive employer: recognising that a university degree doesn’t always have a correlation to the contribution that someone can make within a role.

Fresh calls for food to be central to climate dialogue

15-Jun-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Most countries are yet to realise the full potential of including food systems in their climate action plans, according to a new report calling for food and agriculture to be at the heart of discussions.

JUST Egg grows plant-based egg market in North America, adds more retail and food service locations

14-Jun-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Driven by consumer demand for healthy and environmentally sound products, JUST Egg’s pourable and folded eggs are now available in 48,000 retail locations in the US and Canada.

Food manufacturers adapt to changing landscape: investments, mergers, and innovations drive growth opportunities

14-Jun-2023 By Deniz Ataman

While M&A activity is slower, the total capital invested in 2022 remains similar to previous years, with an increase in venture capital funds in the food and beverage industry, and trends surrounding plant-based food, private label and automation,...

Nuritas’ AI-powered platform identifies and delivers plant-based peptides for food and beverage companies

13-Jun-2023 By Deniz Ataman

In response to consumer demand for more plant-based and sustainable foods and ingredients, Nuritas’ “precision AI technology” identifies and delivers rare plant-based peptides at a faster rate than the industry standard, which can often take decades,...

Mushroom product labeling: Nammex files Citizen Petition requesting FDA actions

13-Jun-2023 By Stephen Daniells

North American Reishi Ltd (“Nammex”) has filed a Citizen Petition with the FDA on the labeling and sale of food and supplements containing fungal ingredients.

Strength in numbers: Acquiring an empowering network for smaller grocery stores

12-Jun-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Due to the rise in grocery prices, consumers have transitioned into value shoppers, prioritizing price sensitivities over brand loyalty. This shift has opened an opportunity for smaller retailers to more efficiently meet consumer needs by leveraging their...

PartnerSlate connects food brands with co-manufacturers, raises $4 million in funding

12-Jun-2023 By Deniz Ataman

The online marketplace PartnerSlate will “accelerate the growth of its online marketplace digitizing the $200-billion food and beverage contract manufacturing industry" with a $4m fundraise led by Supply Change Capital, according to its recent press...

Feed by FarmboxRx supplies households affected by pandemic-era SNAP cuts with monthly nutritious meal boxes

09-Jun-2023 By Deniz Ataman

The application-based program will deliver two FarmboxRx packages for six months containing a variety of fresh produce and essential pantry items for 200 households. In addition, households will receive information to help them prepare nutritious meals,...

Sustainability and future-proofing the food system

Building a business case for sustainability requires bridging the gap between what consumers say and do

08-Jun-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Improving the sustainability of the food system is no longer optional from an optics and long-term business perspective, but short-term challenges – including consumer engagement – threaten immediate and mid-range returns and margins, complicating the...

Consumers show a strong purchase interest in precision fermentation, says Hartman Group research

07-Jun-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Consumers are seeking more natural, fresh and less processed foods and believe that science and technology, like precision fermentation, may be more suitable to effectively address these environmental issues than traditional food manufacturing methods,...

Health, environment or lactose intolerance: Why do people drink plant-based milk?

05-Jun-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Plant-based milk is one of the most successful categories of alternative protein, predicted to reach a value of $47 Billion by 2030. But why is it so successful? The driving force behind any alternative protein’s success is the motives people have for...

NutraCast: Power Leaves finds opportunity in decocainized coca

02-Jun-2023 By Danielle Masterson

Power Leaves says it's breaking the monopoly on the supply of coca leaf extract and bringing on a ‘new age of coca’. Through an exclusive agreement with indigenous communities, the ingredient manufacturer and supplier has developed a legal Colombian...

Mina supports global expansion with new facility, eyes snack category with on-the-go olives

02-Jun-2023 By Ryan Daily

Moroccan food and beverage brand Mina is gearing up to expand in the US and around the globe with a new production facility and plans to enter the snack category with an on-the-go olive snack, brand founder Fouad Kallamni told FoodNavigator-USA.

News in Brief

FDA caps inorganic arsenic in apple juice at 10 ppb – 10 years after proposing the limit

02-Jun-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Apple juice with more than 10 parts per billion of inorganic arsenic along with other factors could trigger enforcement action by FDA, the agency warned yesterday in guidance finalized ten years after it first proposed the limit.

Developing achievable ESG strategies "for the betterment of the planet"

01-Jun-2023 By Deniz Ataman

FoodNavigator-USA sat down with Jillian Semaan, VP, sustainability in Ketchum’s food, agriculture and ingredient division, during the Vegan Women Summit in New York City to discuss how food and beverage brands can cultivate an authentic ESG and DEI strategy...

Sustainability and future-proofing the food system

How does the food system impact the environment and what is its obligation to reduce climate change?

01-Jun-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

With between a quarter and a third of human caused greenhouse gas emissions linked to food production and climate change intensifying to a point that its impacting how, where and when key crops are grown, improving sustainability in the food system is...

Center store captures health-oriented shoppers’ attention more effectively than fresh dept

31-May-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Consumers interested in health and wellness continue to shop more often for groceries and spend more on food and beverage than all shoppers despite economic headwinds, but the bulk of their investment currently is in the center of the store – not the...

Campbell Soup Co. sells Emerald Nuts to Flagstone Foods as sales of snack nuts slip

30-May-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

With the sale of Emerald Nuts to private label manufacturer Flagstone Foods, Campbell Soup Co. exits one of the few major snacking segments in the US that contracted last year, according to data from consumer research firm Circana, previously known as...

Stressed consumers are shifting from the perimeter to center store to find solutions

26-May-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Consumers are turning away from fresh as their stress levels rise – preferring the convenience and mood management claims offered more prominently in the center of the store, suggests data from consumer research firm Circana, previously known as IRI....

USDA earmarks additional funds for organic transition, processing to meet consumer demand

26-May-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

The US Department of Agriculture promises to shoulder more of the cost for farmers and ranchers transitioning to organic and develop additional processing and aggregation facilities to ease supply chain bottenecks holding the organic industry back from...

Flashfood’s report addresses food inequity and food waste, offers its discount grocery app to SNAP recipients

24-May-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Flashfood’s State of Food Waste Impact report underscores the link between food waste and food insecurity in the midst of inflation-driven grocery prices and shifting food policies surrounding SNAP benefits and accessibility.

Grocers can defend against potential sales losses of $20b by better supporting SNAP shoppers, dunnhumby research reveals

23-May-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Grocery stores could lose upwards of $20b in sales in 2023, or 2.8% of the industry’s $850b in sales last year, due to cuts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, and unless they act with “genuine” empathy that...

A slowdown in food inflation allows consumers to buy more, but many still seek value

23-May-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

While inflation across food, beverage and other categories continues to take a sizable bite out of consumers’ grocery budgets and influence the way they manage their food stocks, a slight slowdown in inflation in recent months has reinforced demand across...

New York City’s adoption of plant-forward menus in hospitals and schools offer insight to replicability for the rest of the country

23-May-2023 By Deniz Ataman

As “New York City’s most famous vegan,” Mayor Eric Adams’ reflected on his administration’s plant-forward initiatives in the city’s 11 hospitals and surrounding public schools during the opening reception of the Vegan Women Summit at the Mayor’s Mansion...

Growing plant-based milk sales serve as ‘gateway’ for other non-dairy categories

22-May-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Despite a slight dip in plant-based dairy sales in the last three quarters – mostly due to higher prices – “there is a lot of sustained appetite for plant-based dairy, and we’re very optimistic for future growth opportunities in this category,” Bethany...

Wildway refines its ESG strategy via direct sourcing, carbon neutral initiatives

18-May-2023 By Deniz Ataman

The grain-free granola brand expanded into major retailers including Amazon, Walmart, Kroger and Whole Foods with a better-for-the-planet philosophy promoting plastic and carbon-neutral initiatives and direct sourcing within its supply chain around the...

Watch on demand: FNU’s one-hour webinar Plant-Based Dairy – From Oatmilk to Chickpea Ice Cream

17-May-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Unit sales of plant-based dairy products are sliding even as dollar sales are up in most categories as inflation-related price hikes simultaneously cushion companies’ margins and discourage some consumers from trying new products and paying premium products....