Sweeteners (intense, bulk, polyols)

Good Good closes $3m funding round to fuel growth of its no-sugar-added brand of jams, syrups, and spreads

28-May-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Icelandic brand Good Good, which makes no-sugar-added jams, syrups, and a chocolate hazelnut spread sweetened with stevia and erthyritol, has closed a $3m Series A round of investment led by Icepharma, AtonJL and Svanhildur Nanna Vigfusdottir along with...

FDA grants temporary labeling flexibility for non-allergen minor ingredients

22-May-2020 By Elaine Watson

With many food manufacturers experiencing difficulties in sourcing some ingredients during the pandemic, the FDA is allowing temporary flexibility in food labeling requirements enabling them to make minor formulation changes without updating labels, provided...

Founder of Uncle Matt’s Organic buys juice brand back from Dean Foods, expands distribution, portfolio

11-May-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

The original founder of the orange and grapefruit juice brand Uncle Matt’s Organic once again is at the helm after buying back the company with help from a “dream team of investors and advisory board” from Dean Foods, which purchased the business three...

Ingredion anticipates 'heightened focus on plant-based diets' as coronavirus impacts meat supply chain

06-May-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Global ingredient supplier Ingredion expects continued strong demand for ingredients that go into packaged foods through the first half of the year, partially offsetting volume declines the company is experiencing in foodservice, which represents between...

60-second interview: Jon Peters, president, Beneo

BENEO president: ‘We have seen higher and more volatile demand during the pandemic’

05-May-2020 By Elaine Watson

From fewer containers and reduced shift work at harbors to delays in planned maintenance in factories, the coronavirus pandemic is impacting global supply chains in myriad ways. FoodNavigator-USA (FNU) caught up with Jon Peters (JP), president at Beneo,...

Mars patents heat-resistant chocolate that maintains taste and shape in hot climates

30-Apr-2020 By Flora Southey

Mars, Inc. has developed a packaged heat-resistant chocolate it says maintains taste, mouthfeel, and shape during transportation and handling in hot climates.

Financial results

Hershey withdraws its 2020 financial outlook due to coronavirus uncertainty

24-Apr-2020 By Anthony Myers

Hershey Co has announced it has withdrawn its full year financial outlook for fiscal year 2020 and has warned of weak sales in certain categories as households worried about their financial futures cut spending on snacks and chocolates.

Magic Spoon celebrates its first anniversary: ‘We’ve exceeded our wildest expectations’

23-Apr-2020 By Elaine Watson

Unlike many emerging brands, which have had to ramp up - on in some cases create from scratch - e-commerce capabilities during this pandemic, Magic Spoon has been a direct-to-consumer business from the outset, and sales are going through the roof, say...

Juice labels ‘blur the distinction’ between drinks recommended for children & those with added sugar

21-Apr-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

After discovering juice, juice drinks and flavored water labels and claims are “virtually indistinguishable” from one another, researchers recommend FDA revise labeling regulations for children’s beverages to help consumers make healthier choices.

'Our aspartame is traveling VIP': Sweetener suppliers adapt to COVID-19 supply chain shocks

20-Apr-2020 By Niamh Michail

From emergency deliveries of aspartame by airplane to adapting manufacturing plants, sweetener suppliers have been working to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their supply chains.

Eggs, flour, sugar... Quarantine baking pushes staple ingredients into the spotlight

17-Apr-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

At-home baking has exploded as a go-to quarantine activity among US households, causing a shift in consumer attitudes for overlooked pantry ingredients and heightened demand for highly-scrutinized ingredients such as 'refined' sugar.

Food For Kids: This Saves Lives expands in children’s snacks, shares tips to launch during the pandemic

13-Apr-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

When it comes to creating snacks that are irresistible to children and parents alike, the mission-based brand This Saves Lives says its recipe for success combines equal parts indulgent flavors and whimsical packaging for kids, plus for parents a pinch...

Ingredion acquires controlling stake in stevia supplier PureCircle

09-Apr-2020 By Elaine Watson

Global ingredients giant Ingredion has struck a deal to acquire a controlling (75%) stake in stevia supplier PureCircle, which has been going through a period of extreme turbulence in recent months, prompting the suspension of its shares and the installation...

Monk fruit... a new source of dietary fiber that doubles as a sweetener?

08-Apr-2020 By Elaine Watson

Monk fruit (Luo Han Guo) is best known as a source of high intensity natural sweeteners, but it could also emerge as an intriguing new source of fiber, claims Ingredients by Nature, which has developed a ‘sweet fiber’ from the pomace of monk fruit called...

PureCircle posts substantial FY loss, apologizes to shareholders: 'The company's systems and governance have been found wanting’

01-Apr-2020 By Elaine Watson

Stevia supplier PureCircle has delayed the publication of its results for the first half of 2020 “in view of the current difficult COVID-19 situation, which has caused some disruption to our working practices,” but belatedly published results for the...

IFT 2020 annual meeting & expo to transition to virtual event

31-Mar-2020 By Elaine Watson

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) 2020 annual meeting & expo - scheduled to take place in Chicago July 12-15 - will transition to a virtual event, the organizers confirmed Monday, citing the need to "prioritize the health and safety of...

PureCircle revises 2017 and 2018 sales as accounting probe into ‘irregularities’ is completed

05-Mar-2020 By Elaine Watson

An accounting probe by KPMG has identified "apparent override of controls" by members of senior management at stevia supplier PureCircle that "may have contributed to the historical misstatements" in its financial results going undetected,...

WATCH: Bright Foods moves into refrigerated protein bar category

27-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

Bright Foods – best known for its fruit- and veggie-packed whole food bars - is moving into new territory with the launch of ‘clean protein’ bars.

Poppilu to debut low sugar kids’ lemonade nationwide at Walmart: 'We're catering the taste to kids and the nutritionals to moms'

27-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

Poppilu – which has added a fresh twist to the lemonade category with the addition of antioxidant-packed aronia berries – is moving into the kids’ beverage aisle with the launch of what it claims is the first lemonade brand for kids in 1,295 Walmart stores...

Humm breaks new ground in the kombucha category with zero sugar, shelf-stable line

26-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

Humm Kombucha is tapping into consumer demand for low and no sugar options in the beverage aisle with the launch of an industry first: shelf-stable, zero sugar kombucha that it hopes will attract new consumers into the category.

Coca-Cola warns of tighter supplies of high intensity sweeteners from China if coronavirus continues to spread

25-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

The supply of high intensity (non nutritive) sweeteners from China could be impacted if coronavirus continues to spread, Coca-Cola has warned.

Brain health: The next big trend in functional beverages?

24-Feb-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Chris Miller, founder and CEO of nootropics brand Koios, believes that brain health has the potential to become an even bigger category in functional beverages than gut health.

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Beverage Trends Webinar: A deep dive into the market of functional, better-for-you beverages

20-Feb-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

From plant-based dairy alternatives and the rise of oatmilk, to CBD-infused beverages and clean energy sources… what are the most bankable, and drinkable, beverage trends impacting the market?

Dang Foods rebrands as ‘Asian-American’ snack brand, posts 54% surge in revenues in 2019

18-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

Dang Foods – the snack brand behind the #1 selling nutrition bar in Whole Foods in 2019 – has unveiled new packaging, a new logo and marketing initiatives positioning itself as an ‘Asian-American snack brand.’

GOODTO GO enters US retail market filling the dessert, snack time keto void

14-Feb-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Based in Canada, GOODTO GO keto-friendly bars recently launched in the US in Sprouts stores nationwide, with other national retail partnerships to follow, tapping into the keto consumer craze taking off in the wider snacking category.

Unilever to change the way it markets ice cream brands to kids

13-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

Unilever has pledged to stop marketing and advertising foods and beverages to children under 12 in traditional media, and below 13 via social media channels.

FDA, FTC and healthcare professionals should discourage toddler milk consumption, research suggests

04-Feb-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Researchers with the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity are calling on US regulators to severely restrict advertising for toddler milks and strengthen labeling requirements for the products after long-term market analysis revealed a significant...

PureCircle announces new management following probe into accounting irregularities

29-Jan-2020 By Elaine Watson

Stevia supplier PureCircle has unveiled a new management team following a probe into accounting irregularities that has delayed the publication of its full-year results and prompted a suspension of its shares.

Harmless Harvest moves into plant-based yogurt: 'We’re making it pretty differently than just about anyone else'

17-Jan-2020 By Elaine Watson

Harmless Harvest – which has carved a distinct niche in the coconut water category via its use of micro-filtration (instead of thermal pasteurization) – is promising to bring the same commitment to novel processing methods, organic ingredients, and clean...

Fewer than 2% of packed school lunches meet key nutritional standards, study finds

16-Jan-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Packed lunches from home have typically been considered the healthier alternative to meals provided by the school cafeteria, but a recent study found that bringing lunch from home doesn’t always mean a child is eating a nutritionally-balanced meal.

Atkins Nutritionals & Rob Lowe tackle misinformation about the low-carb diet in new campaign

15-Jan-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Recognizing that there is a lot of information – and misinformation – about different diets, weight management brand Atkins Nutritionals is launching a new multi-marketing campaign with spokesman Rob Lowe that aims to set the record straight about what...

Experts urge industry to work with schools to improve kids’ meals even as standards are rolled back

14-Jan-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Health and nutrition experts are urging food manufacturers to create healthier options for schools to serve students after new research shows that strengthened nutrition standards in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 are working and the fears...

Honeycut Kitchen puts a healthier spin on the nostalgic snack cake

13-Jan-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Honeycut Kitchen, an emerging brand out of Los Angeles, is giving fitness enthusiasts an alternative to the monotony of protein bars with a lineup of snack cakes reminiscent of America's best-selling brands, but with a cleaner ingredients deck and...

Consumers are being misled by unregulated terms such as ‘lightly sweetened’ and ‘sorta sweet,’ claims CSPI

10-Jan-2020 By Elaine Watson

If a beverage contains 25g of added sugar and describes itself as ‘just a tad sweet,’ is it misleading shoppers? In the absence of a legal definition of terms such as ‘low sugar’ or ‘lightly sweetened,’ the courts have delivered mixed opinions on lawsuits...

NPD Group: Consumers pay most attention to sugar and calorie content when reading the nutrition facts label

09-Jan-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

When it comes to reading the updated nutrition facts label, consumers are most keyed into sugar and calorie content, reports The NPD Group.

Investing in the Future of Food: Lily’s CEO shares strategies to ‘run your own race’

08-Jan-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

As more entrepreneurs adopt an iterative, fail-fast approach to innovation it is increasingly tempting to compare businesses and products as a way to measure success, but according to Jane Miller, the CEO of Lily’s Sweets, a better strategy to remain...

Diet Dr Pepper does not mislead consumers with 'diet' label, rules US court

02-Jan-2020 By Rachel Arthur

A US appeals court has ruled the word ‘diet’ – as used by Diet Dr Pepper - does not mislead consumers into believing diet drinks promise weight loss.

Low/No Booze, exotic uniqueness & Pacific flavors: Monin predicts 2020 flavor trends

20-Dec-2019 By Stephen Daniells

Consumers ‘hunting for uniqueness’ is creating opportunities for food and beverage formulations with ingredients like turmeric, collagen, and CBD, according to Florida-based Monin Gourmet Flavorings.

To boldly go... Conagen on the future of sustainable flavor production

17-Dec-2019 By Elaine Watson

In future, the majority of natural flavors could be produced from microscopic armies of microbes programmed to convert sugars into target molecules, rather than devoting vast swathes of agricultural land to growing plants that only contain tiny amounts...

Ingredion unveils its first allulose plant in Latin America

16-Dec-2019 By Natasha Spencer

Global ingredient provider, Ingredion, has opened its new manufacturing facility in Mexico, to produce allulose, the first of its kind for the company in the region.

In conversation with Sweegen: Formulating with stevia, hemp extracts and CBD

13-Dec-2019 By Elaine Watson

Hemp-derived CBD is being added to everything from sparkling beverages and drink mixes to chocolate, and given the sugar reduction trend, many of these products also contain stevia. But what are some of the formulation challenges when you combine two...

Pepsi Café to hit US shelves in 2020

13-Dec-2019 By Rachel Arthur

PepsiCo’s Pepsi Café – which ‘blends the taste of deep flavorful coffee with the refreshing crisp taste of a Pepsi cola – aims to tap into consumers’ demand for pick-me-up energy in 2020.

With classic children’s drinks in ‘terminal decline,’ Euromonitor sees uptick in water, plant-based milk

10-Dec-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

Ongoing concern about the long-term health consequences of too much sugar has many parents turning away from classic children’s beverages, and instead serving lower-calorie options traditionally considered for adults, according to recent research from...

Whole Foods Market talks sustainability: 'I think consumers are interested more than ever about where their food comes from'

05-Dec-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

The grocery retail landscape is hyper competitive with conventional and discount retailers stocking organic and natural options, yet Whole Foods Market continues to push the envelope in terms of product quality, particularly in the area of sustainability...

Study: Kids are drinking significantly fewer sugar-sweetened beverages but numbers are still too high, say researchers

27-Nov-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

From 2003 to 2014, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) -- fruit drinks, soda, sports/energy drinks, and flavored milks -- on a typical day declined significantly, according to a new study.

FOOD FOR KIDS summit 2019: The highlights, from lunchables 2.0 to stealth nutrition, brainfood, and reimagining the kids' menu

26-Nov-2019 By Elaine Watson

If you didn't make it to Chicago last week for the FoodNavigator-USA FOOD FOR KIDS summit, you missed an inspirational ensemble of industry experts, pediatricians, consumer health advocates, Chicago parents, market researchers and brand strategists,...

Drink Nutrient’s trio of functional drink blends targets lapsed supplement-users suffering pill fatigue

21-Nov-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

With an ambitious mission to give consumers what their bodies need “in the most bioavailable form possible,” and in a way that they “will actually enjoy,” the functional beverage company Drink Nutrient is entering the marketplace with a trio of vitamin-packed,...

NEW PRODUCTS GALLERY: From Twinkies cereal and CBD-infused tea to Coca-Cola's AHA moment and Chobani Oat

20-Nov-2019 By Elaine Watson

Check out FoodNavigator-USA’s latest gallery of new products hitting US shelves, from a slew of CBD-infused beverages to Coca-Cola's AHA flavored sparkling water and a flurry of innovation from Chobani, which is heading into two new categories: Creamers,...

Innova Market Insights: Consumers more interested in reducing sugar than replacing it, yet use of sweeteners surges

19-Nov-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

As more consumers continue to monitor their sugar intake, food and beverage manufacturers’ approach to sugar reduction has taken many forms beyond simple sugar substitution, notes Innova Market Insights.

FOOD FOR KIDS: Added sugar intake among babies and toddlers declines slightly, but is still a significant source of calories

15-Nov-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

A new study found that nearly two-thirds of infants (61%) and almost all toddlers (98%) consumed added sugars in their average daily diets, primarily in the form of flavored yogurts (infants) and fruit drinks (toddlers).