Health and nutritional ingredients

PLANTSTRONG Foods finds whitespace for fortified plant-based milk, launches product in Whole Foods

10-Apr-2024 By Ryan Daily

PLANTSTRONG Foods is creating plant-based milk with fortified nutrients to differentiate in the category as the company aggressively grows its direct-to-consumer (DTC) channel.

Hain Celestial sells Thinsters to J&J Snacks, downplays further divestitures

10-Apr-2024 By Ryan Daily

Hain Celestial sold cookie brand Thinsters to J&J Snack Foods for an undisclosed amount in an all-cash deal announced this week as part of the its overarching growth strategy.

USDA finalizes modern WIC program, secures additional $1bn in funding

10-Apr-2024 By Deniz Ataman

A wider range of packaged foods, including canned fish, canned beans and some plant-based dairy, could qualify for reimbursement under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) following an update by the US Department...

NPD Trend Tracker: From PepsiCo snacks to collagen tea

08-Apr-2024 By Flora Southey

The collagen trend is on an upwards trajectory, particularly in food and drink. In our latest new product development round-up, we look at a new tea inspired by collagen (it contains collagen peptides). Elsewhere, plant-based continues to trend and UK...

Natural Products Expo West

[Video] Working with KeHE: What brands should know about securing a distribution deal

05-Apr-2024 By Ryan Daily

Through its TRENDfinder events and ELEVATE program, KeHE is helping CPG brands achieve their retail goals, but startups seeking a distribution deal must first ensure that they meet specific requirements, Tabitha Sewell, director of category management...

Nourished on how to communicate the potential of personalised nutrition to consumers

05-Apr-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Personalised nutrition has immense potential for extremely bespoke nutritional benefits to consumers. But for such a niche category, how does a company communicate this potential?

Comet continues on growth trajectory in booming prebiotic fiber market

04-Apr-2024 By Asia Sherman

Canadian ingredient manufacturer Comet now converts an annual four million kilograms of agricultural waste harvested from Danish farmlands into dietary fibers for use in supplements, foods and beverages.

Food as medicine: Could a healthy diet improve diabetes?

03-Apr-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Diabetes affects around 422 million people worldwide but could diet help to improve the condition and, if yes, how effective is it?

Natural Products Expo West

Emotional Utility Beverage focuses on optimizing brain health

01-Apr-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Emotional Utility Beverage sparkling functional drinks were developed to provide a functional, healthy tool to support consumers’ evolving emotional and cognitive states, Charles Gores, chairman and owner of Emotional Utility Beverage, explained to FoodNavigator-USA...

Natural Products Expo West

Public-private partnerships are key to bring more organic, regeneratively farmed food to market, Daily Harvest exec

29-Mar-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Consumers increasingly want food that is not only good for them, but also good for the planet and those who work the land, which is why Daily Harvest is teaming with industry leaders and USDA to help more farmers – including small-scale BIPOC farmers...

Startup Spotlight

‘Back end’ logistics may not be as ‘sexy & fun’ as consumer branding, but they are key to securing shelf space, says Pretty Tasty Tea exec

28-Mar-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Bovine collagen infused Pretty Tasty Tea may be new to the functional beverage space, after launching in February, but the team behind the beauty-from-within brand includes industry veterans with deep expertise in distribution strategy and retail management...

Natural Products Expo West

Uncle Matt’s turns to teas, workout shots amid continuing citrus sourcing challenges

28-Mar-2024 By Ryan Daily

Uncle Matt's is innovating outside orange juice – including in teas and workout wellness shots - to grow its brand as citrus greening continues to pressure supply chains and a cure for the tree disease might remain years away.

Carving out the white spaces in functional beverages

28-Mar-2024 By Rachel Arthur

Brands that want to lead the next generation of functional beverages need to stop thinking about following the big trends: and instead set their sights on niche – but highly loyal – consumers. How do you identify these areas - and successfully build a...

Natural Products Expo West

Pickle Juice offers muscle cramping relief without actual pickles

27-Mar-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Pickle Juice’s research-backed proprietary blend of acetic acid and natural ingredients was developed to relieve muscle cramping quickly, while tasting like pickles without having anything “to do with pickles,” Fillip Keuppens, the company’s EVP, explained...

Natural Products Expo West

Expo West: Microphyt harnesses power of microalgae for fortified food, beverage

26-Mar-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Through its patented technology that both replicates the delicate microalgae environment and extract its bioactive compounds from biomass, Microphyt is able to produce microalgae at scale in its Montpelier, France facility for a range of food and beverage...

Natural Products Expo West

Expo West: Clean Label Project helps brands align with ‘consumer definition of safety’

26-Mar-2024 By Ryan Daily

As consumer concerns rise over a variety of food ingredients and food additive bans increase, the non-profit Clean Label Project is helping brands make sense of it all, the organization’s executive director Jaclyn Bowen told FoodNavigator-USA in an interview...

Special edition: Better-for-you confectionery

The sweet truth: Embracing better-for-you confectionery for a healthier future

26-Mar-2024 By Anthony Myers

In an era of rising health consciousness, the confectionery industry finds itself at a crossroads. Traditionally associated with indulgence and guilty pleasures, confectionery products are now undergoing a transformation to meet the demands of a more...

‘Vegan’ or ‘free-from’? Tackling lack of awareness of the difference between allergen and dietary labelling

26-Mar-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

A ‘vegan’ label does not mean a food is safe to eat for those with allergies to animal products. New research shows the public is dangerously unaware of this distinction.

Is kimchi a weight-loss superfood?

26-Mar-2024 By Donna Eastlake

The popularity of kimchi has been growing in recent years as consumers enjoy it for it’s gut-friendly properties as well as its taste. But is it also an aid to weight loss?

Portions play pivotal role in promoting consumer health, reducing food waste, Georgetown University reports

25-Mar-2024 By Ryan Daily

Reducing portion sizes across the food and beverage industry, including foodservice, can have a profound impact on consumer health and help combat food waste, Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business shared in a recent report.

Mondelēz’s 2024 State of Snacking: Mindful moments on the rise, Gen Z consumers go the extra mile for snacks

25-Mar-2024 By Ryan Daily

Whether it’s a moment to indulge or be mindful, consumers are turning to the snacking category for a host of reasons, as shoppers continue to swap meals out for snacks, Mondelēz International shared in its fifth annual State of Snacking report.

‘A significant breakthrough’: Researchers develop human milk fat analog from microalgae

25-Mar-2024 By Asia Sherman

Biotechnology company Checkerspot has reproduced an essential human milk fat by fermenting microalgae at scale for the development of infant formula that replicates the nutritional benefits of breastfeeding.

Startup Spotlight

[Watch] How Zend Coffee is building its functional coffee business

21-Mar-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Fusing together adaptogens with single-origin coffee, subscription-based Zend Coffee features functional coffee blends that support skin, cognitive, immunity and emotional health using responsibly sourced coffee beans – a blurred category that the company’s...

How is the food industry supporting childhood nutrition?

21-Mar-2024 By Donna Eastlake

From infancy through to adolescence, nutrition is essential in ensuring a healthy body and mind for our youngsters. So how can this be achieved and what it the food industry doing to help parents?

Are ultra-processed plant-based burgers healthy? WHO investigates

21-Mar-2024 By Flora Southey

The World Health Organization has funded research analysing the nutritional composition of ultra-processed plant-based burgers, and the findings are out.

Natural Products Expo West

‘Light at the end of tunnel,’ Investors discuss state of funding at Expo West

20-Mar-2024 By Ryan Daily

CPG startups that have adjusted to a new reality of lower funding and focusing on profitability might have reason to be optimistic about the future of raising money, as two venture-capital investors told FoodNavigator-USA in separate interviews during...

Natural Products Expo West

Sally sells seaweed snacks by the seashore: Seaweed highlights at Expo West 2024

20-Mar-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Seaweed’s versatility as a regenerative crop was on display at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, Calif., last week, with brands highlighting its nutrition, texture and environmental benefits in products ranging from seaweed bacon to kelp puffs.

How is animal-free collagen made and does it work?

20-Mar-2024 By Flora Southey

From plant-based to slaughter-free, we ask innovators how they make collagen – without the cow.

Gut health business is booming: What's next for this unstoppable health trend?

20-Mar-2024 By Donna Eastlake

The gut health trend is one of the single biggest changes to hit the food and drinks industry in recent decades. So what are gut-loving consumers buying and what gut-friendly products will we see next?

How can AI understand the functional food market and the needs that drive it?

20-Mar-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Functional food trends are driven by more than just taste: they’re driven by human need. With AI, the market can be analysed and the needs driving consumption understood.

Natural Products Expo West

Expo West trendspotting: Functional benefits, purity testing help justify premium pricing as consumers navigate economic challenges

19-Mar-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Emphasizing the value of exisiting products appeared to trump breakthrough innovation this year at Natural Products Expo West where many companies either introduced smaller sizes of existing SKUs to lower the entry point or more prominently called out...

Season Health partnership will focus on reducing hypertension, improving nutrition access

18-Mar-2024 By Deniz Ataman

The partnership will serve two segments of patients at Steward Health Care Network in Mass. with the goal to “reduce stage two hypertension for patients in the hypertension program and improve both engagement and nutrition insecurity status for patients...

Wildwonder expands sparkling beverage line with Raspberry Lychee flavor, prepares for funding search

14-Mar-2024 By Ryan Daily

Pro- and prebiotic sparkling drink brand wildwonder released a Raspberry Lychee flavor and is preparing to seek out additional funding to help grow the retail footprint of the Asian heritage-inspired beverage, company founder and CEO Rosa Li told FoodNavigator-USA.

Gut health: Why this consumer trend is here to stay

14-Mar-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Consumer appetite for gut-health friendly foods shows no signs of abating as understanding of its impact on overall health continues to grow. But how will this trend evolve and grow in the future?

Base Culture finds clean-label opportunity in the shelf-stable bread aisle

13-Mar-2024 By Ryan Daily

Clean-label bread maker Base Culture expands beyond the frozen aisle with its first line of shelf-stable products, tapping into consumer demand for preservative-free and nutrient-dense foods, CEO Johnny Heiselberg told FoodNavigator-USA.

Funding strategies: Mother Kombucha, Lil Bucks, Wildway share tips on raising money

12-Mar-2024 By Ryan Daily

CPG founders from natural brands Wildway, Mother Kombucha, and Lil Bucks shared their strategies for securing funding in a tighter capital market during a recent Naturally Chicago webinar.

Consumers turn to digital coupons to save on produce, buy less organic in 2023, FMI reports

12-Mar-2024 By Ryan Daily

Fresh produce was “among the strongest-performing departments in traditional grocery” in 2023, though consumers turned away from organic fruits and vegetables due to price, FMI – the Food Industry Association – shared in its ninth annual Power of Produce...

International Women's Day: Trends in women’s health

08-Mar-2024 By Olivia Haslam

PMS and menopause support, mental and emotional well-being, supporting active lifestyles, and creating tailored solutions are the key trends emerging in women’s health, according to industry experts.

Cultivated Bioscience secures $5m to move forward with yeast-based creamer production

06-Mar-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Food and biotech startup Cultivated Biosciences will move forward with developing its yeast-based dairy-free, non-GMO cream after raising $5m in a seed round, with plans for market launch in 2025.

FDA weighs application of new yogurt qualified health claims on sugary products

06-Mar-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

FDA will not object to two qualified health claims linking consumption of yogurt and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, regardless of fat or sugar content, but in an enforcement discretion letter to Danone North America detailing its decision the agency...

FDA Human Foods Program launch may not come until next fall, but ‘going quite well’

04-Mar-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

FDA's massive reorganization to create a unified Human Foods Program under one leader who reports directly to the agency’s commissioner may take longer than originally anticipated, but is “going quite well,” the program’s first Deputy Commissioner...

Finding a-whey to improve cognitive support: Hank’s partners with Nutiani for brain boosting spread

01-Mar-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Nut butter brand Hank’s partnered with Fonterra’s nutrition brand Nutiani to launch Hank’s Brain Boosting Peanut Butter spread, a functional food containing added protein and supplements to support cognitive function, Rachel Marshall, technical engagement...

Winter Fancy Food Show

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Demand for functional beverages could lead to ‘tsunami of innovation’ in 2024

29-Feb-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Beverage sales have outpaced that of food within the specialty segment in the past decade, according to the Specialty Food Association, which attributes the boom to an increased demand for functional benefits, a faster pace of innovation and a lower threshold...

Startup Spotlight

Functional coffee brand Clevr sprouts onto Target shelves, readies rebrand

29-Feb-2024 By Ryan Daily

Functional coffee and tea brand Clevr Blends is taking a “deep, not wide” approach to growing beyond its direct-to-consumer (DTC) roots and into Target, brand founder and CEO, Hannah Mendoza, told FoodNavigator-USA during a Startup Spotlight video.

Startup Spotlight

[Video] Startup élevé stands out in crowded sparkling water category with vintage-inspired packaging

22-Feb-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Startup élevé distinguishes its adaptogenic sparkling water brand in a saturated market through its vintage-inspired packaging, natural ingredients and distribution, co-founders and CEOs Tanya Major and Dianna Aguilar tell FoodNavigator-USA in this episode...

Bluestein Ventures closes third fund with $45m to focus on nutrition, sustainability, digitization

20-Feb-2024 By Ryan Daily

Private equity firm Bluestein Ventures has raised $45m for its third fund to invest in companies focused on nutrition, sustainability, and digitization, the firm’s co-managing partners Andrew Bluestein and Ashley Hartman told FoodNavigator-USA.

Myprotein: Breaking stereotypes and empowering women in sports nutrition

20-Feb-2024 By Olivia Haslam

A significant number of women still do not perceive sports nutrition as essential for their fitness goals, a persisting misconception that The Hut Group (THG), owner of supplement brand Myprotein, is working to dispel.

What role does frozen food play in reducing food waste?

19-Feb-2024 By Ryan Daily

As the USDA, EPA, and FDA, advance their strategy to reduce food waste, the America Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) is sharing how freezing food can cut down on wasted food and provide consumers with convenient and nutritious food, the organization’s president...

Dietary fiber benefits are highly individualized: Study

19-Feb-2024 By Asia Sherman

Not all gut microbiomes react to dietary fiber in the same way, according to a recent study that explored the complex relationship between the two in the context of colitis sensitivity.

FMI: Grocery stores become ‘an accessible destination for health and wellbeing'

16-Feb-2024 By Ryan Daily

Food companies and retailers increasingly are leaning on the expertise of dietitians and medical professionals to support their nutrition, health, and wellbeing initiatives, FMI -- The Food Industry Association shared in a recent report.