Meat, fish and savory ingredients

Birdzi to power Berkot’s loyalty program

23-Aug-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Berkot’s Super Foods will implement Birdzi’s comprehensive customer intelligence and engagement system across its 17 grocery locations in Wisconsin and Illinois.

Blank Slate Kitchen spices up at-home cooking with line of Sichuan chili oil, zhug

23-Aug-2023 By Ryan Daily

Amid rising demand for spicy global flavors, Blank Slate Kitchen is looking to tap into the growing demand for natural Sichuan chili oils, while also raising awareness around zhug hot sauce, brand founder and owner Alex Sorenson told FoodNavigator-USA....

Schweid & Sons launches USDA-approved climate-friendly burgers with Tyson Foods for retail distribution

22-Aug-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Part of Tyson Foods' Brazen line, the climate-friendly ground beef is produced from cattle enrolled in Tyson's Climate-Smart beef program, and exhibits a 10% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions according to Schweid & Sons’ press release.

The canned seafood craze continues: EcoFish plans Freshé brand growth with DTC’s help

21-Aug-2023 By Ryan Daily

With canned seafood having a moment on TikTok and on charcuterie boards, EcoFish is tapping into the growing awareness and usage of canned seafood as it doubles down on its efforts to grow its e-commerce business in the face of retail challenges, Henry...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: TiNDLE sees long-term growth in plant-based despite current downturn

19-Aug-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Even though plant-based protein sales continued to slide in July, prompting retailers to slim down and shift offerings from the more premium placement in the refrigerated section to the freezer aisle, startup TiNDLE Foods still sees significant opportunity...

Rebellyous Foods overcomes ‘quality at scale’ challenges for plant-based protein production to close supply-demand gap

15-Aug-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

For the plant-based meat industry to close the supply and demand gap and reduce prices it must overcome what Rebellyous Foods CEO and Founder Christie Lagally describes as a “quality at scale” challenge, in which limited access to the “right tools” drives...

A temporary blip or a sign of oversaturation? Beyond Meat’s woes and the future of plant-based meat

11-Aug-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

This week, it was announced that revenue for plant-based meat brand Beyond Meat had fallen by more than 30%. Does this say more about Beyond Meat or the plant-based sector in general? Why are some consumers rejecting plant-based meat?

“Consumers abandon” plant-based meat category citing taste, nutrition, price concerns, Mintel finds

08-Aug-2023 By Ryan Daily

Between recent acquisition and slumping unit sales, the plant-based meat alternative (PBMA) market faces headwinds as consumers shift to less expensive proteins in the face of economic pressure, though all might not be lost for the category, Mintel shared...

Walmart, Amazon set for fiercer digital rivalry, as Gen Z gets critical on tech, Euromonitor finds

08-Aug-2023 By Ryan Daily

The online grocery channel is facing several headwinds in 2023, as macro-economic factors are influencing where and how consumer shop, Gen Z consumers become weary of tech, and two key market players - Walmart and Amazon - intensify their rivalry, Matthew...

Tyson Foods to close four more chicken plants to cut costs as sales continue to slip

08-Aug-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Tyson Foods will shutter four more chicken facilities as part of a “bold,” multi-point plan to improve its performance, which has struggled for years to balance supply and demand and navigate falling prices and higher costs.

Is it ‘shakedown’ time for the plant-based sector? Meat-free innovators weigh in

07-Aug-2023 By Flora Southey

With signs some plant-based makers are struggling, we ask innovators whether the meat alternative category is experiencing a slowdown, a ‘shakedown’, or other?

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: ProducePay matches grocers, growers for better supply, price stability

07-Aug-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Offering an abundant selection of fresh, high-quality, diverse fruits and vegetables is a top priority for most grocers given the produce section is often a key driver for overall store foot traffic – but according to a recent survey staying stocked is...

Is Alpha Foods’ acquisition a sign that the plant-based meat market is reaching maturity?

03-Aug-2023 By Ryan Daily

Consolidation in the plant-based meat market -- like in the case of Alpha Foods (Alpha) this week -- will likely continue into the foreseeable future, Miri Eliyahu, senior research analyst at Euromonitor, told FoodNavigator-USA.

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...

Sprouts Farmers Market expands in US, introduces new CPG brands through its Innovation Center

21-Jun-2023 By Deniz Ataman

During BevNet Live’s panel in New York City May 14-15, the Sprouts Farmers Market team expanded on its plans to open more stores and cater to health-conscious consumers while launching new products through its New for You Innovation Center.

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...