Health and nutritional ingredients

IFT FIRST 2024

Marine Biologics dives into macroalgae functionality with ingredient platform

26-Jul-2024 By Ryan Daily

France-based food-tech company Marine Biologics will launch its first microalgae-based prototype in September, leveraging its ingredient discovery platform that searches for functional properties in seaweed to create sought-after food and beverage ingredients,...

CPG disruption: SPINS shares why innovation is needed in juices, pickles, pantry staples

25-Jul-2024 By Ryan Daily

CPG companies seeking to disrupt a market might want to turn their attention to categories where whitespace innovation is lacking — including in juices, pickles and pantry staples — a SPINS representative suggested in a recent webinar.

IFT FIRST 2024

Icon Foods, NutraEx Food share ingredients to cut sugar, without sacrificing function at IFT FIRST

24-Jul-2024 By Ryan Daily

Sweetener blends and modulators, like those showcased by Icon Foods and NutraEx at IFT FIRST in Chicago last week, could offer companies less expensive sugar-reduction and calorie-cutting solutions.

IFT FIRST 2024

‘Wellness as an economic asset,’ Tufts University on creating a food system for better health, nutrition

23-Jul-2024 By Ryan Daily

Food-system stakeholders must underscore the economic value of a healthy populace, as improving wellness in the US will require systemic shifts in how consumers and CPG companies think about nutrition, Katie Stebbins, executive director at the Food &...

IFT FIRST 2024

M2 Ingredients highlights recent ex vivo studies for mushrooms on gut health at IFT FIRST

23-Jul-2024 By Deniz Ataman

M2 Ingredients, a North American organic mushroom powder supplier, showcased its recent research during IFT FIRST on the prebiotic potential of its products which highlighted the possibilities mushrooms offer for the booming functional food and beverage...

Consumers split on sodium reduction importance, despite health benefits, IFIC reports

23-Jul-2024 By Ryan Daily

US consumers are citing mixed levels of concerns about their sodium intake, regardless of research on the benefits of reducing the consumption of salty foods, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) shared in a recent survey of 1,000 Americans....

What's hitting the shelves? New beverage launches: from rum to coffee

22-Jul-2024 By Rachel Arthur

From rum to coffee capsules, we take a look at some of the new beverages launching around the globe.

[On-demand webinar] Healthy snacking market moves from free-from claims to holistic nutrition

15-Jul-2024 By Ryan Daily

Consumers are turning to healthy snacks that deliver functional claims — from improving gut health to promoting weight management — while still providing the sweet and salty flavors they expect, food and beverage industry experts shared during a recent...

PepsiCo reveals finalists for 2024 Greenhouse Accelerator Program: Juntos Crecemos Edition

12-Jul-2024 By Ryan Daily

PepsiCo named the finalists for this year's Greenhouse Accelerator Program, featuring eight brands that create products inspired by Hispanic heritage and tap into consumer demands for better-for-you and functional foods and beverages.

Sweets & Snacks Expo

Smart Sweets unveils new formula across portfolio at Sweets & Snacks

10-Jul-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Better-for-you gummy maker, Smart Sweets, launched its new and improved formula across its portfolio, including five new SKUs, catering to consumers seeking healthier candy for nearly any type of occasion, Katrina Hahn, Smart Sweets’ co-CEO, told FoodNavigator-USA...

IFT FIRST

Startup Pavilion at IFT FIRST showcases sustainable, better-for-you solutions

09-Jul-2024 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 feature 100 food and tech businesses ranging from pre-seed to growth stage featuring...

Fooditive expands upcycled sweetener made from apples, pears to the US

09-Jul-2024 By Ryan Daily

Plant-based ingredient company Fooditive is helping US CPG companies develop better-for-you products with its Keto-Fructose, a sweetener that is similar to allulose and provides a fraction of the calories of sugar, company CEO Moayad Abushokhedim told...

Seedlip founder debuts non-alc bitters brand seasn in the US, tees up further beverage innovation

08-Jul-2024 By Ryan Daily

Non-alcoholic bitters brand seasn is adding a dash of sophistication to mocktails and cocktails, as it enters the US market at a time when consumers are seeking better-for-you and premium beverages, Ben Branson, founder of Pollen Projects and Seedlip,...

AeroFarms makes microgreens a kitchen staple with recipes that tap into ‘trends, not fads’

08-Jul-2024 By Ryan Daily

Vertical farming company AeroFarms is showing consumers how to use microgreens for all occasions through recipes that demonstrate the versatility of its vegetables beyond salads, Emily Gee, the company’s director of marketing and communications, shared...

From Ozempic to functional ingredients: Upcoming webinar explores how healthy snack brands meet demands for nutrition, convenience, flavor

02-Jul-2024 By Ryan Daily

On-the-go consumers are turning to healthy snacks to satisfy their cravings for taste, functionality and convenience, as better-for-you snack brands capitalize on interest in GLP-1 drugs by introducing products that promote satiety and address different...

Summer Fancy Food Show

Soup-to-Nuts Podcast: Bold flavors, complementary pairings and easy customization emerge as top trends at the Summer Fancy Food Show

01-Jul-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

At the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City last week, health claims were downplayed and flavor came first – for real – followed by personalization with more brands offering consumers ways to dial up or down the heat, tang, funk and other characteristics...

Future Food Tech Alternatives Proteins

Startup Uncracked is unlocking seaweeds’ clean-label potential with proprietary SeaStack technology

28-Jun-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Consumers seeking clean labels historically have given a pass to plant-based meat and dairy alternatives, even though they have long lists of unfamiliar or difficult to pronounce ingredients, but that may be changing as the category’s health halo dims...

Summer Fancy Food Show

Consumers want cleaner-label, better tasting gluten-free options in more categories

27-Jun-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Gluten free may not be as trendy as it once was, but the call-out continues to resonate with consumers as the quality, quantity and variety of products making the claim continue to improve – as showcased by brands across categories at the Summer Fancy...

How gut health and GLP-1s are reshaping food innovation

27-Jun-2024 By Deniz Ataman

While protein, fiber and low-carb options dominate the market, new diet drugs and consumer preferences are pushing the food industry to innovate for a future focused on gut health and targeted nutrition, one industry player said.

Balchem expands plant-based dairy capabilities with cold-water soluble oat creamer

27-Jun-2024 By Ryan Daily

Ingredient provider Balchem revealed VitalBlend Oat 2540, a cold-water-soluble creamer, designed to capitalize on demands for plant-based milks, Josephine Nakhla, the company’s powders and cereals strategic marketing and business development director,...

Equitea on addressing the ‘relatability’ factor in RTD tea

27-Jun-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Equitea, maker of cold brewed USDA organic teas, wants to destigmatize mental health and improve access to wellness products, the company’s co-founder and CEO Quentin Vennie told FoodNavigator-USA during BevNet Live in New York earlier this month.

Consumers turn to social media over government agencies for health advice, Ajinomoto, YouGov report

27-Jun-2024 By Ryan Daily

In seeking nutrition information, many consumers have fallen victim to harmful food myths — including embracing a diet of raw meat and avoiding healthy foods because they have "chemicals" — according to a new report from food ingredient company...

Hero Bread raises $21m to fuel retail expansion of better-for-you baked goods

26-Jun-2024 By Ryan Daily

Hero Bread is using $21 million in series B funding to reinforce its retail footprint as more consumers demand more nutritious and healthier baked goods, including through direct-to-consumer (DTC) channels, company CEO YuChiang Cheng told FoodNavigator-USA....

Summer Fancy Food Show

Startup CPG offers entrepreneurs essential tools for building a packaged food business

25-Jun-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Building a packaged food or beverage business from scratch can be expensive and overwhelming for entrepreneurs, but Startup CPG is making it a little easier with a suite of free tools, extensive networking opportunities and a safe space for founders to...

Barcode addresses endurance, recovery with its plant-based sports drink formula

21-Jun-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Taking nods from his career as director of performance for the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers, Mubarak Malik developed sports drink brand Barcode with a formulation that aligns with fitness and recovery, and includes vitamin D3, an uncommon...

Will price cuts at Target, Walmart actually attract value-focused consumers?

20-Jun-2024 By Ryan Daily

As consumer sentiment on the economy slumps, retailers are adjusting their pricing strategies in the hopes of attracting shoppers back into their stores, while CPG brands can capitalize on demands for better-for-you products, Bryan Gildenberg, managing...

How brands are capitalising on gut health

20-Jun-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Gut health is proving to be hugely popular with consumers and enormously profitable for food and beverage manufacturers. In financial terms, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

The EVERY Co., Landish introduce animal-free protein mixes for coffee, matcha

14-Jun-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Under the new brand FERMY, American biotech startup The EVERY Co. and Canadian functional beverage and supplement business Landish launched protein and adaptogen-infused coffee enhancer and matcha latte mixes today.

Flashfood releases 2023 impact report, highlighting Meijer SNAP EBT success story

14-Jun-2024 By Ryan Daily

Flashfood diverted 37 million pounds of food from landfills and saved consumers more than $93 million on food, including $13 million in fresh produces, the technology provider said in its recently published 2023 impact report.

KeHE VP: ‘Millennials are trading values for value’

14-Jun-2024 By Ryan Daily

Price-conscious consumers are gravitating to brands with clear value propositions — including private-label — as companies offer products that tap into permissible indulgence and functional trends at affordable price points, Ari Goldsmith, VP of marketing...

USDA: ‘We have got to make big bets’ on nutrition security, climate change & equity solutions

13-Jun-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Through a global challenge offering up to $2 million in prize funding announced this week, the US Department of Agriculture and the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) want to place “big bets” on high-risk, but high-reward innovations...

[Podcast] Founders’ Fundamentals: Iced tea vet Seth Goldman discusses brand-building basics

12-Jun-2024 By Ryan Daily

Food and beverage brands should focus on the fundamentals of growing slowly and strategically to set up long-term success while also complementing a founder's vision with a team of experts with diverse skillsets, Seth Goldman, co-founder and chief...

Experts push for acute trials on mushrooms to support cognitive health claims

10-Jun-2024 By Olivia Haslam

Acute trials on healthy subjects are necessary as interest in mushrooms continues to grow for cognitive health, experts agreed.

Prolific Machines raises $55m in Series B1 funding to shine light on optogenetics’ potential in biotech

06-Jun-2024 By Ryan Daily

Biomanufacturing technology provider Prolific Machines raised $55 million in Series B1 funding, which will go to support the commercialization of its light-based biotech platform, company Co-founder and CEO Deniz Kent told FoodNavigator-USA.

Poppi faces class action lawsuit over health claims around prebiotic labeling

05-Jun-2024 By Deniz Ataman

A class action lawsuit accusing better-for-you soda maker Poppi of misleading consumers about the prebiotic benefits of its beverages could force the industry to standardize marketing for these ingredients, according to one industry player.

DTC children’s food brand Little Spoon expands with breakfast SKUs, Oatly collaboration

05-Jun-2024 By Ryan Daily

Children’s food brand Little Spoon expands into breakfast with a range of new products, as it remains bullish on its direct-to-consumer (DTC) channel growth, company Co-founder and Chief Product Officer Angela Vranich told FoodNavigator-USA.

Developing food-as-medicine programs with dignity: Taking a human-centered approach to improving health

04-Jun-2024 By Ryan Daily

Retailers like Amazon and non-profits developing food-as-medicine programs must first understand the community that they wish to serve to make a lasting impact on the health and lives of consumers, a panel of experts shared during a session at last week’s...

The colour conundrum: Red or green packaging for plant-based meat?

03-Jun-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Colour plays a key role in how consumers see products. Should plant-based companies use red to evoke flavour, or green to evoke sustainability, with their offerings?

‘Swicy’ flavors take the spotlight in ad campaigns

31-May-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Sweet and spicy (swicy) play into consumers’ ongoing pursuit of diverse, globally inspired taste experiences, and are reflected in recent brand ad campaigns.

Startup Spotlight

Insights from a solopreneur: How bayjoo’s founder navigates the RTD landscape

30-May-2024 By Deniz Ataman

While bayjoo’s founder Ana Bautista Lee embarked on the solopreneur path to bring bayjoo, a traditional Caribbean beverage, to the United States, she relies on a vast network of other founders and experts to help her navigate the competitive and complex...

Sweet Loren’s expands portfolio with gluten-free puff pastry, pizza, pie doughs

30-May-2024 By Ryan Daily

Better-for-you snack brand Sweet Loren’s is expanding its product portfolio with a series of ready-to-use pizza, pastry and pie doughs as the company taps into demands for clean-label treats and ready-to-use foods, company CEO and Founder Loren Castle...

CVS’s expanded, rebranded private label snack line blends functional, fun & flavor

30-May-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

CVS is putting the ‘fun’ in functional food with the launch of more than 40 snacks, beverages and grocery items with trendy flavors and ingredients consumers want, including probiotics, fiber, protein and superfoods like turmeric and goji berries under...

Food-as-medicine case study: Ahold Delhaize USA shares multi-discipline approach for successful programs

28-May-2024 By Ryan Daily

Blending health, nutrition, merchandising and IT expertise, Ahold Delhaize USA launched numerous successful food-as-medicine programs as part of its overarching Foodcare strategy, a panel representing the grocery retailer or banner shared during a session...

Creating an inclusive food-as-medicine movement that respects consumers, communities, cultures

24-May-2024 By Ryan Daily

The food-as-medicine movement is gaining momentum across industries, as health and nutrition advocates attempt to reverse worsening obesity, heart disease and diabetes trends by providing accessible, nutritious and culturally relevant foods, experts shared...

Sweets & Snacks Expo

Protein snacks ride the healthy indulgence line with familiar flavors

22-May-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Consumers increasingly are seeking convenient and flavorful ways to integrate protein into their diets, particularly as snacking replaces traditional meals among younger demographics, which gives snack makers an opportunity to develop protein-rich snack...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Organic advocates ask legislators for funding, market data and research support as Farm Bill negotiations continue

20-May-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

More than 100 organic industry stakeholders converged on Capitol Hill in Washington last week to lobby for increased funding, continuous improvement for certification standards, access to additional market data and improved coordination for research and...

Organic Trade Association's Organic Week Summit

Organic sales ‘bounce back to a higher growth rate’ to reach nearly $70bn in 2023

16-May-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

New data from the Organic Trade Association shows organic sales “bouncing back” after a post-pandemic and inflation-induced slowdown in incremental grown in recent years, with research from SPINS suggesting the products best positioned to seize this growth...

Rural, urban divide plays out in food claims, agriculture concerns, Purdue University finds

15-May-2024 By Ryan Daily

Despite overall satisfaction with their diets, rural and urban consumers are divided on agriculture's role in climate change and the health attributes of various products like plant-based milk, Purdue University shared in its latest research.

How do consumers perceive ‘gut health’ products?

15-May-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Products targeting ‘gut health’ have a range of benefits, yet these are not always clear in marketing. How do consumers understand gut health, and is this understanding congruent with reality?

Feeling the squeeze? How juice brands are dealing with an orange shortage

14-May-2024 By Rachel Arthur

The world’s top orange production regions are struggling: putting pressure on the global supply of oranges for the juice industry. Beverage brands are finding innovative ways to deal with high costs and shortages.