Health and nutritional ingredients

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: From stress reducing to exercising boosting -- 4 opportunities for functional beverages

04-Apr-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Ongoing strain from the pandemic and increasing financial pressure related to rising inflation are causing consumers to reprioritize their health and wellness goals, and by extension their food and beverage purchases, according to new research from the...

Tracking Instacart's growth: 'Grocery delivery has shifted from a nice perk... to a convenience that is worth the cost of use'

01-Apr-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Adoption of grocery e-commerce and delivery continues to increase even as the pandemic has lapped its two-year mark and foot traffic at grocery stores has picked back up, noted 1010 data which tracked the growth of Instacart over the past two years (2019-2021).

MycoTechnology raises $85m in series E to expand mycelium-fueled platform

31-Mar-2022 By Elaine Watson

Colorado-based MycoTechnology – which is building a functional ingredients platform utilizing mycelium, the filament-like roots of mushrooms - has raised $85m in a series E* round (taking its total funding to $200m) that will help it expand its portfolio...

OCA brings simpler, cleaner alternative to energy drink category: 'What drives me the most is to make a change in the category'

30-Mar-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Led by a PepsiCo alum turned beverage entrepreneur, OCA is carving out a spot for itself in the growing 'clean' energy drink category with a simple ingredient deck which includes 120mg of caffeine from green coffee extract.

Agtech startup Koidra lands $4.5m in seed funding to advance intelligent automated growing technology

29-Mar-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Koidra, an intelligent automation (IA) startup based out of Seattle, has raised $4.5m in a seed funding round to bring its data intelligence technology to precision and controlled environmental agriculture sectors.

WATCH EXPO WEST 2022… Four Sigmatic CEO: ‘The mushroom category has exploded’

28-Mar-2022 By Elaine Watson

From reishi to lion’s mane, ‘medicinal’ mushrooms are gaining traction in foods and beverages, buoyed by growing interest in adaptogens and immunity, says Four Sigmatic CEO Tero Isokauppila, who caught up with FoodNavigator-USA at the Natural Products...

EXPO WEST 2022: Above Food bets big on oats debuting new plant-based cheese products and disruptive processing technology

28-Mar-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Above Food has been quietly building a plant-based foods portfolio which spans plant-based seafood to plant-based cheese, and its market presence is about to explode with the unveiling of a disruptive, more sustainable, oat processing technology that...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Riding the fast-rising wave of plant-based seafood

28-Mar-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

While plant-based beef patties and grounds, pork sausages and chicken nuggets abound, seafood alternatives are still relatively scare – representing a significant, and fast-growing, opportunity that innovators and investors alike are moving quickly to...

Plant-based foods sales: Plant-based meat sales stall while eggs, yogurt, and cheese gain ground, GFI, SPINS, PBFA

25-Mar-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

The overall plant-based foods sector reported a significant slowdown (but still positive) growth for 2021 vs. 2020 with plant-based meat sales seeing flat growth while other categories grew by single-digits for the year, according to new data released...

WATCH EXPO WEST 2022: Laird Superfood takes day-to-night portfolio full steam ahead

25-Mar-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

With fresh leadership and a portfolio intended to address a consumer's every need state, Laird Superfood is on a strong path towards significant long-term growth and profitability, said the company's new president and CEO Jason Vieth at the...

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...

Blurring function and fun expands consumer appeal, meets unmet needs, Kerry finds

24-Mar-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

As the line between functional and fun blurs, foods and beverages no longer need to fit neatly into the “healthy” or “treat” categories – they can simultaneously offer the lifestyle and health benefits consumers want and serve as the rewards they crave,...

WATCH: EXPO WEST 2022 'We’re on a rocket ship...' Tattooed Chef expands into new categories beyond frozen

21-Mar-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Tattooed Chef, a rapidly-growing plant-based frozen foods brand, is entering new categories beyond the frozen foods aisle and into refrigerated snack bars and snacking chips.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: From inspiring enjoyment to consumer empowerment, Mintel shares 4 marketing & innovation trends to watch as pandemic ebbs

21-Mar-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

After two years of lockdowns and uncertainty during the pandemic, consumers simultaneously are desperate to let loose and enjoy life and to reinstate a sense of self-control – creating a complicated marketing landscape that intelligence experts at Mintel...

'We are a little older and wiser, but more excited than ever...' Chobani founder welcomes back Kevin Burns as president

18-Mar-2022 By Elaine Watson

Chobani has re-hired Kevin Burns – who served as its president and COO between 2014 and 2016 – as president and COO following the departure of Peter McGuinness.

Sophie's Kitchen bolsters position in plant-based seafood category: 'There's going to be a big shift for us this year'

18-Mar-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Sophie's Kitchen is gearing up to significantly expand distribution of its plant-based seafood portfolio of chilled, frozen, and shelf-stable pea-based seafood analogues including its most recent product launch -- fish burgers -- which CEO Miles...

Rowdy Energy expands natural energy drink offering with calorie-burning thermogenic line targeting female consumers

17-Mar-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

The natural energy drink set is buzzing with activity and Rowdy Energy is gaining strong consumer traction with the highest repeat rates in the category, and a new line of thermogenic, calorie-burning energy drinks targeting female consumers, an untapped...

Online grocery sales continue to climb along with customer expectations

17-Mar-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

The total US online grocery market hit $8.7bn in sales in February 2022, an 8.5% jump from the same period last year as consumers pursued pickup/delivery (Instacart, Amazon Fresh, and the like) options in greater frequency over ship-to-home services (grocery...

Nature’s Fynd to launch at Whole Foods, expects large-scale 'nutritional fungi protein' plant to be operational in 2023

16-Mar-2022 By Elaine Watson

Nature’s Fynd - a startup growing protein-packed food from microbes with a fraction of the environmental footprint of meat or dairy – is launching refrigerated breakfast patties featuring its ‘Fy’ nutritional fungi protein in selected Whole Foods stores...

Plantish raises $12.5m seed funding round to scale novel plant-based, whole-cut salmon production technology

16-Mar-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Plantish has raised $12.5m in seed funding to scale up the production technology for its plant-based whole-cut salmon fillets, which will first enter fine dining restaurants by late 2023.

Feeding the gut microbiome: Tate & Lyle exploring potential of prebiotic soluble corn fiber in cognitive health, metabolic health, and immunity

16-Mar-2022 By Elaine Watson

Tate and Lyle - which has been marketing its PROMITOR soluble corn fiber for several years as a prebiotic that can support bone health by boosting calcium absorption and retention - says it is also exploring its potential to support cognitive health,...

Poll finds many parents don't understand CBD

15-Mar-2022 By Danielle Masterson

Despite the wide availability of CBD in its various forms—oil, topical ointments, tinctures, vaping and edibles— a recent poll shows parents are misinformed on CBD.

DoorDash launches accelerator program for early-stage startups and local entrepreneurs

14-Mar-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Third-party meal delivery service DoorDash is debuting its DoorDash Accelerator for Local Goods, a program designed to support local packaged food brands owned by women, BIPOC, immigrant, and transgender entrepreneurs.

Sales growth of natural, organic products continues to drop but holds long-term promise

14-Mar-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

The drop in US sales growth of natural and organic products following the 10% pantry-stocking surge early in the pandemic will linger well into 2023 – dropping to less than 4% before starting to climb again slowly to about 5% in 2024, according to analysis...

‘A highly soluble, complete protein, with functional properties very close to whey protein…’ DSM gears up to launch upcycled canola protein isolate

14-Mar-2022 By Elaine Watson

DSM is gearing up to launch commercial quantities of upcycled canola protein isolate extracted from Non GMO rapeseed at a new facility in Dieppe, France, later this year, and says it is seeing interest from firms spanning plant-based meat and dairy, to...

The Real Good Food Company ramps up production of frozen food portfolio with ambitions of becoming a $500m brand

11-Mar-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Better-for-you frozen foods brand The Real Good Food Company is on course to hit between $140m and $150m in net sales by the end of the year with a long-term goal of becoming a $500m brand, owing to a new production facility coming online this month and...

Hemp hulls yield phytonutrients targeting liver & metabolic health: Brightseed data

09-Mar-2022 By Stephen Daniells

Compounds from hemp hulls called N-trans caffeoyltyramine (NCT) and N-trans-feruloyltyramine (NFT) may support liver and metabolic health, according to new data from AI-phytonutrient pioneers Brightseed.

WATCH ON DEMAND: Feeding the gut microbiome: from pre-, pro-, and postbiotics to resistant starch

06-Mar-2022 By Elaine Watson

While scientists are still unlocking the secrets of the gut microbiome, consumers increasingly understand that what we feed the armies of microbes that line our digestive tracts may be intimately connected to our physical – and mental - wellbeing. So...

WATCH ON DEMAND: Plant-based protein in focus: from Pongamia to chickpeas

06-Mar-2022 By Elaine Watson

Plant-based proteins continue to dominate the so-called ‘alternative protein’ category, but will this still be the case in 10 years’ time? And which emerging plant proteins – from canola, barley and hemp to Pongamia, lupin, and chickpeas – will become...

Bio-Cat Microbials invests $35 Million to expand fermentation capacity

04-Mar-2022 By Stephen Daniells

Virginia-based Bio-Cat Microbials is expanding its current fermentation production by over 400% with the expansion to its Troy, VA facility.

Ahold Delhaize reports stagnant 2021 sales while e-commerce grows: 'We are still facing challenges around product availability and finding enough new associates'

03-Mar-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Ahold Delhaize, which owns several US retailers including Giant, Food Lion, and FreshDirect, reported that US regional sales were slightly down for the full year 2021 but that its grocery e-commerce sales picked up some of the slack.

‘From non-existent to fastest growing energy drink in the US’, mapping the meteoric rise of ZOA Energy

03-Mar-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Launched less than a year ago by a mix of entrepreneurs, investors, fitness industry veterans, and celebrity Dwayne Johnson, ZOA Energy claims it has quickly become the fastest-growing energy drink and #2 brand in the healthy energy drinks category (per...

Celsius' sales rise by more than 190% in quarter

03-Mar-2022 By Hank Schultz

Energy drink firm Celsius reported passing the $100 million quarterly revenue mark in its recent year end earnings filing. The company made strides in both brick and mortar distribution and greater penetration in online platforms.

Nestle shifts portfolio to premium to fend off commoditization, drive sustained growth

01-Mar-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Through a combination of rapid innovation, investing in growth platforms, ongoing “prudent” M&A and strategic paring down of labor and factories, Nestle is on track to deliver solid mid single-digit organic growth in 2022 and into the foreseeable...

UN demands more diverse food production methods as report warns climate change risks are greater than thought

01-Mar-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Nearly a third of the world's crop fields will be unsuitable for food production by the end of this century unless carbon emissions are curbed, warns the latest instalment of the IPCC climate change report.

CBD price per mg trending down, report finds

28-Feb-2022 By Danielle Masterson

Despite a whopping 3,561% gap between the most expensive and least expensive products across the CBD industry, the overall category is getting cheaper for consumers.

Food and beverage companies suspend operations in Ukraine

28-Feb-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Several international food and beverage companies have temporarily shut down operations in Ukraine following Russia's invasion to ensure the safety of employees while bracing for the long-term economic impact that skyrocketing commodity prices and...

WATCH ON DEMAND: Healthy beverage trends: From sparkling water to wellness shots

28-Feb-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

What are consumers looking for when it comes to healthy and functional beverages? Is it sparkling water to kick a sugary soda habit or a daily wellness shot with ginger and turmeric for an immunity boost? Find out in the third and final session of FoodNavigator-USA's...

Best companies will prevail as CBD market goes through painful winnowing, CEO says

24-Feb-2022 By Hank Schultz

The hemp/CBD market is going through a reckoning but ultimately will emerge in a stronger position, said the head of one of few publicly traded companies in the sector.

Upcycled Food Association CEO: 'We want an upcycled product in every aisle of every grocery store'

24-Feb-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Upcycled food products (made from ingredients that would otherwise not have gone to human consumption) are the most straightforward and scalable path to reducing and preventing food waste, says Upcycled Food Association CEO Turner Wyatt.

Ocean Spray-Canomiks partnership uses A.I. to explore cranberry's biological efficacy

24-Feb-2022 By Stephen Daniells

Cranberry cooperative Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. is leveraging artificial intelligence (A.I.) from tech firm Canomiks to test and certify the biological efficacy of the cranberry.

NEWS IN BRIEF

MGP invests $16.7m to open new protein extrusion facility

23-Feb-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Specialty proteins and starches supplier MGP Ingredients is investing $16.7m in a new facility specializing in extrusion technology for the production of its ProTerra line to meet growing demand for its texturized proteins.

Good Culture lands $64m Series C funding: 'Many nutrient dense, cultured food categories are on the table for innovation'

23-Feb-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Good Culture, best-known for disrupting the cottage cheese category with its clean label formulation, has just secured $64m in Series C funding to drive continued expansion of its healing cultured foods platform.

Unilever’s Knorr rethinks pizza with climate-friendly foods to raise awareness about and reframe agriculture’s role in climate change

22-Feb-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Over the weekend spice-blend, soup mix and meal kit maker Knorr worked with chefs in select cities to deliver free planet-friendlier pizzas – called plizzas – to show how simple ingredient swaps can reduce food’s environmental impact and to raise awareness...

‘No longer a pipedream…’ Geltor completes commercial-scale manufacturing run of PrimaColl ‘animal-free’ vegan collagen for food and nutrition market

22-Feb-2022 By Elaine Watson

San Leandro-based Geltor – which has developed a computational biology platform to create ‘designer’ functional proteins via precision fermentation – has completed its first commercial-scale manufacturing run of PrimaColl ‘animal-free’ vegan collagen...

Soup-To-Nuts podcast: Mondelēz reveals pandemic’s long-term impact on snacking trends

21-Feb-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Nearly nine in ten consumers snack daily, but according to new research from Mondelēz International, what they reach for and when has evolved significantly during the pandemic – requiring brands to rethink their product offerings, marketing strategies...

Beyond soy and pea… Mikuna expands plant protein toolbox with Chocho whole food

20-Feb-2022 By Elaine Watson

It might fit squarely in the ‘niche’ segment of the plant-based protein category right now, but the speed with which Chocho – a protein-packed variety of lupin that grows in the Andes – has gained traction online and in Erewhon stores in southern California,...

Kodiak Cakes taps into pro-athlete circle with new investment

17-Feb-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Kodiak Cakes, best known for its protein-packed pancakes and waffles products, has received an investment from Patricof Co (P/Co), a specialized private investment platform for professional athletes, to fuel the brand's continued expansion and leadership...

Introducing the FoodNavigator-USA Positive Nutrition virtual summit: From feeding the gut microbiome to plotting the next 10 years in plant-based protein

17-Feb-2022 By Elaine Watson

What up-and-coming plant proteins are the most exciting? Chickpeas? Hemp? Canola? Barley? Pongamia? What do we really know about the best overall dietary pattern to support a healthy gut microbiome? And how do we educate consumers about the benefits...

Brain food… not just for kids: Brainiac Kids becomes Brainiac Foods, expands into bars, nut butters

16-Feb-2022 By Elaine Watson

Brainiac Kids – the brainchild of Bay area-based start-up Ingenuity Brands - is rebranding as Brainiac Foods, with new products and packaging designed to reach a broader audience seeking out ‘brain food’: everyday foods with meaningful amounts of ingredients...