Meat, fish and savory ingredients

Consumers’ evolving understanding of wellness creates marketing opportunities for retailers, brands

23-Jan-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

As consumers’ focus on health and wellness deepens, their understanding of the concept also is evolving and diversifying based on their life stage and unique circumstance – creating new marketing opportunities for retailers and brands that can offer more...

More change to come in the food industry in the next 10 years than in the last 50, says Accenture Strategy

22-Jan-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

The food industry will continue to drastically reshape itself in terms of food retailing, production, and consumption, pointing to more change "in the next 10 years than in the last 50," according to global consulting firm Accenture Strategy.

Startup Kalahari Biltong brings in ‘hired gun’ CEO to speed scaling process, navigate crowded category

21-Jan-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

For most company founders, the thought of handing over – or even just sharing – control of their startup with an ‘outsider’ is a non-starter, but bringing in a ‘hired gun’ who knows the industry ropes can help a young brand scale successfully more quickly,...

Tyson Foods steps up sustainability efforts with Environmental Defense Fund partnership

17-Jan-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

On its endeavor to be a leader in sustainable food production, Tyson Foods has partnered with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to accelerate its environmental stewardship targets -- such as, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 30% by 2030 --...

Proposal to adopt plant-based diet to avoid ‘dire’ consequences dismissed by animal ag stakeholders

17-Jan-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

Fearful that the current approach to diet and food production globally could have ‘dire’ consequences for public health and the environment in the future as the population rapidly increases, a group of leading scientists from around the world recommend...

Some furloughed FDA safety inspectors return to work without pay to focus on ‘high risk’ foods

16-Jan-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

Hundreds of furloughed FDA employees are returning to work without pay this week “to re-initiate high risk surveillance inspections across our food and medical product programs,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced in a tweet Jan. 15.

Kroger CEO on the future of retail: 'People will always eat, but the way people will eat will always change'

16-Jan-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Kroger is shifting from a "grocery company to a growth company" (referred to as its 'Restock Kroger' initiative), CEO Rodney McMullen told delegates at the NRF show in New York this week, noting that it embarked on the move well before...

NEWS IN BRIEF

Cargill: ‘Generation Yum’ seeks closer connection to agriculture

14-Jan-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Young consumers (18- to 34-years-old) or ‘Generation Yum’ (a term coined by food author Eve Turow) are growing increasingly interested in learning where their food comes from and care more about animal welfare than older generations, recent research by...

Widespread skepticism of ‘wellness’ as a buzzword may undercut some marketing efforts

14-Jan-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

New research from Jenny Craig suggests that consumer confusion about the meaning of ‘wellness’ could cause marketing campaigns centered on the concept to fall flat unless companies more clearly define – and back with science – how their products support...

Meal kits go super-express: Sun Basket, Purple Carrot, and Home Chef introduce time-saving meal options

11-Jan-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

When meal kits first burst onto the scene, they were pitched as a way to prep dinner in a hurry. However, the category’s major players are now finding that consumers are looking for even quicker options for every meal occasion - at more accessible prices.

Amazon’s grocery ambitions: ‘Amazon has no intention of giving up on fresh food,’ says Ascential

09-Jan-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Despite double digits sales growth, Amazon hasn’t been hitting its original targets for online grocery sales as it struggles to get its fresh food business (Amazon Fresh) to take off, Edge by Ascential’s (formerly One Click Retail) 2019 Predictions for...

What’s your health tribe? ‘The most common diet is the one of your own making’

08-Jan-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

The rise of diets – paleo, plant-based, Whole 30, keto, even ‘lazy keto’ – has created a challenging environment for food and beverage marketers trying to establish and grow a strong consumer following.

Impossible Foods replaces wheat with soy protein concentrate in its plant-based burger; says color additive petition won’t delay retail launch

08-Jan-2019 By Elaine Watson

The latest iteration of the plant-based Impossible Burger matches conventional beef burgers when it comes to ‘likeability’ in blind taste tests, says Impossible Foods, which has replaced textured wheat protein with soy protein concentrate, and made other...

Organic: ‘An age-old growth driver that’s here to stay,’ says Nielsen

04-Jan-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Organic products have become much more accessible and popular, with consumers of all ages spending more on organic items compared to previous years (+9.5% in annual household spend on organic products in 2018 compared to 2017*).

So the FDA and USDA will share oversight for cell-based meat… but what will this mean in practice?

03-Jan-2019 By Elaine Watson

The FDA and USDA recently proposed a joint regulatory framework for cell-based meat, with the FDA to oversee cell collection, cell banks, and cell growth and differentiation, and USDA to oversee the production and labeling of food products from the harvested...