Meat, fish and savory ingredients

Kraft Heinz's volumes sag after price hikes, but 4-prong plan to recapture share taking hold

03-Aug-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Despite losing market share in recent months due to higher prices and increased promotional activity by competitors, Kraft Heinz CEO Miguel Patricio says he is confident the company will meet its full year net sales targets and exceed previous gross profit...

Asian food company Helion Food serves up sustainable, nutritious, and shelf-stable meals

31-Jul-2023 By Ryan Daily

Asian food company Helion Food is growing its ShinYi brand with a recent expansion into Sprouts, as taps clean label trends and sustainable food sources to tell its brand story and provide consumers with nutritious, microwavable dinners, company CEO Jonathan...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Students lobby for more plant-based school meal options

31-Jul-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

While regulators, legislators and industry stakeholders debate whether whole, 2% and flavored milks should be offered alongside plain, low-fat and fat-free options as a required component of school meals, a growing number of students are raising concerns...

Organic Trade Association promises ‘all-out effort’ to block latest threat to proposed animal welfare standards update

26-Jul-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Once again efforts to update and strengthen animal welfare standards under the organic standard are under threat, this time by an amendment to the House Agriculture Appropriations bill that seeks to block funding for the implementation or enforcement...

IFT First

Standardizing regenerative agriculture claims requires industry collaboration

25-Jul-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Brian Nash, VP, corporate sustainability, Ingredion, spoke with FoodNavigator-USA at IFT FIRST in Chicago about how companies must work together to establish a more unified regenerative agricultural claim.

FDA food traceability measures need specific data standards - FMI

25-Jul-2023 By Lauren Nardella

The Food and Drug Administration offers more information to help the food and beverage industry implement its Food Traceability Rule through the recent release of FAQs, while industry suggests certain data standards could help it meet challenges in compliance.

Summer Fancy Food Show

Unbound Snacks wants to reposition walnuts as more than topping or baking inclusion

14-Jul-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

When most Americans think of walnuts, if they think of them, they think of a topping for oatmeal or salads or an inclusion in baked goods, not as a standalone snack – but newcomer Unbound Snacks wants to change this with the launch of a line of brightly...

Cargill unveils Pink Himalayan Salt ingredient range ahead of IFT FIRST 2023

12-Jul-2023 By Ryan Daily

Food ingredient company Cargill will showcase its latest innovation in salty solutions at IFT FIRST next week with a new line of Pink Himalayan Salt products, as food manufacturers increasingly look to the ingredient for its perceived better-for-you benefits,...

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...

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...

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

Canned seafood brands continue strengthening ESG initiatives at Summer Fancy Food Show

10-Jul-2023 By Deniz Ataman

While canned fish is seeing a comeback thanks to TikTok, Summer Fancy Food Show featured a few brands at the show, arguably giving them more visibility on their products and ESG initiatives.

Omsom takes "loud and proud" Asian flavors to Whole Foods' instant noodle aisle

06-Jul-2023 By Ryan Daily

Asian food brand Omsom is taking its message of bold, authentic global flavors to the instant noodle aisle with retail expansion distribution at Whole Foods as the brand taps into the growing demand for convenient, spicy, and globally inspired foods,...

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,...

Consumers feel the heat with July 4th preparation as inflation remains high, Rabo AgriFinance finds

26-Jun-2023 By Ryan Daily

Consumers aren't only expecting warm weather when they fire up the grill this July 4th holiday, they also are feeling the heat from the high prices of cookout staples from beef to buns, Lance Zimmerman, senior VP and senior analyst of Animal Protein...

Omeat launches out of stealth with its latest ground beef cultivate

22-Jun-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Since Omeat raised $40 million in Series A funding in 2022, the company enters the cultivated meat category with founder and CEO Ali Khademhosseini at the helm. Backers include the prominent VCs S2G Ventures, Google Ventures (GV), Bold Capital Partners,...

USDA greenlights cell-cultured meat from UPSIDE Foods, GOOD Meat for sale in US

22-Jun-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Cultivated meat could debut on upscale restaurant menus in the US in as little as a few weeks or months after the USDA on Wednesday gave the greenlight for UPSIDE Foods and GOOD Meat to sell their “cell-cultured chicken” in the US.

Meatless Farm off the chopping block as VFC Foods confirms takeover

21-Jun-2023 By Flora Southey

Vegan food company VFC has announced its acquisition of Meatless Farm, rescuing the struggling plant-based meat maker from administration.

[Video] Perdue Farms goes beyond “talking about omnichannel” with e-commerce approach

21-Jun-2023 By Ryan Daily

Poultry producer Perdue Farms is shaking up what’s possible with direct-to-consumer offerings with new digital avenues, as it tells a better story about its animal welfare strategy, brand CMO and SVP of e-commerce David Zucker told FoodNavigator-USA in...

JBS pulls ‘aspirational’ net zero claims as confusion about environmental claims mounts

21-Jun-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Meat-packing giant JBS begrudgingly agreed to discontinue “aspirational” claims about its goal to reach ‘net zero’ greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 after failing to convince an advertising watchdog that consumers would not interpret the commitment as...

Kraft Heinz eschews deep discounts to offset price hikes in favor of investing in marketing, R&D

16-Jun-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Even in the face of widening price gaps, Kraft Heinz is unwilling to bring back the deep-discounts that were prevalent pre-pandemic – preferring instead to elevate and invest more in marketing and R&D so promotions and products are better tailored...

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.

Sustainability and future-proofing the food system

Positioning alternative proteins as climate-tech solution will unlock additional funding

15-Jun-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Alternative proteins hold significant potential to help combat climate change by offering a more environmentally sustainable alternative to animal agriculture – a benefit that could help them unlock much-needed funding and strategic support to refine...

USDA will increase oversight of animal-raising and antibiotic use claims on meat

15-Jun-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

USDA will crack down on animal-raising claims, such as ‘grass-fed’ and ‘free-range,’ and could require lab testing or launch a new verification sampling program for negative antibiotics claims, such as ‘raised without antibiotics,’ as part of a broader...

Unilever boosts fat release in vegan bacon with new plant tech

12-Jun-2023 By Flora Southey

Unilever’s plant-based meat brand The Vegetarian Butcher has updated its vegan bacon alternative to better mimic its conventional counterpart.

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,...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Cultivated meat must embrace ‘more nuanced commercial strategy’ over ‘single-note’ sustainability mission for long-term success

05-Jun-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

While the cultivated meat industry has overcome significant upstream processing and regulatory hurdles in the past year, new market research suggests startups still face notable downstream food manufacturing challenges that could place them – along with...

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...

Urban shrimp farming startup Atarraya expands locally, thinks globally about food system

31-May-2023 By Ryan Daily

Urban farming startup Atarraya is launching an e-commerce website to provide locally sourced, sustainable shrimp to consumers from its facility in Indianapolis while also looking for partners to accomplish its goal of operating 400 Shrimpboxes in the...

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...

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...

Seafood brand Season taps into shifting tide on canned seafood

23-May-2023 By Ryan Daily

Shoppers looking for convenient and budget-friendly proteins are turning to canned seafood as perceptions about it change and younger consumers learn how to use it, Sara Kelly, brand marketing manager for Season Brand, told FoodNavigator-USA.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: As seafood sales stabilize, what will drive the next wave of growth?

22-May-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Fresh and frozen retail seafood in the US has been on a rollercoaster the past three years with shifting shopping and eating habits during the pandemic sending sales and volumes to dramatic highs and then rising inflation in the past year causing unit...

WATCH: Working with fungi to ‘break the plant-based ceiling’

17-May-2023 By Flora Southey

Libre Foods is working with both fungi fruiting bodies and mycelia to boost diversity, functionality, and taste in meat-free offerings, CEO Alan Iván Ramos tells FoodNavigator.

Daiya taps into demand for savory flavors, allergen-free options with frozen pizzas release

16-May-2023 By Ryan Daily

Plant-based CPG company Daiya Foods seeks to satisfy consumer demand for savory flavor while providing an allergen-free option with a pair of new pizza options, the brand’s CMO Melanie Domer told FoodNaviagtor-USA.

Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee needs to be “free of food industry commercial interest," advocates argue

16-May-2023 By Deniz Ataman

A lack of transparency around 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee members' affiliation with industry trade groups and multinational brands sparked scrutiny by public health advocates after last week's committee meeting.

Franklin Farms sets sight on plant-based seafood category with refrigerated tuna

15-May-2023 By Ryan Daily

Plant-based food brand Franklin Farms enters the seafood category with its latest tuna product, as it looks to innovate around ready-to-eat offerings and unique proteins, Shelley Cheng, VP of marketing and product development for the brand’s parent company...

Joint venture between Cult Foods and Peqish Food Co. focuses on medically tailored food and cellular agriculture

15-May-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Cult Foods, an investor of cellular agriculture technology and products, and Peqish Food Co., a ready-to-eat culinary medicine food brand, are joining forces to develop and commercialize cellular agriculture food products within the medical foods framework.

Generative AI shows potential to streamline marketing and communications for CPG brands, as long as brands oversee its output

15-May-2023 By Deniz Ataman

During “The Promise and Pitfalls of Generative AI for Food and Beverage Operations” webinar, Nick Markman, senior product manager, Evocalize, explained that while the risks of producing misinformation from generative AI are significant, it’s up to brands...

Prime Roots raises $30m in Series B to scale plant-based deli meat

15-May-2023 By Ryan Daily

Mushroom-based protein startup Prime Roots is expanding distribution of its alt-based meats to deli counters and restaurants across the US with the help of $30m in Series B funding, brand CEO and co-founder Kimberlie Le told FoodNavigator-USA.