Sweeteners (intense, bulk, polyols)

Staying true to values helped SkinnyDipped secure funding, drive YOY growth of more than 6,000%

15-Oct-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Entrepreneurs desperate for capital or unsure of the best path forward for growth may be tempted to overlook dismissive or demeaning comments from potential investors, but the co-founder of the fast-growing brand SkinnyDipped warns these are huge red...

Tune into the Consumer Parents' Panel in part one of the FOOD FOR KIDS 2020 virtual summit

14-Oct-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

How are parents coping with the COVID-19 pandemic in their households when it comes to feeding their kids? Has the extra time spent at home given families more opportunity to cook and experiment with new recipes, or has the anxiety left parents scrambling...

Ongoing obesity epidemic among children sparks call for expanded nutrition benefits, stricter school meal standards

14-Oct-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Despite broad efforts to reduce sugar, sodium, fat and excess calories in the American diet in recent years, childhood obesity continues to afflict one in seven 10- to 17-year-olds in the US, leaving them vulnerable not only to type II diabetes, high...

From the UK to the US, Little Dish rolls out nationally at Target stores

13-Oct-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

With a recent national rollout at 500 Target stores, fresh baby and toddler food brand Little Dish is addressing the gap in the US market for nutritionally-balanced, just-like-homemade meals aimed specifically at the under-served toddler age group, says...

Mission MightyMe, CHUM Fruit Bites, Good Feeding to take center stage at FOOD FOR KIDS summit as our 2020 trailblazers

13-Oct-2020 By Elaine Watson

From bubbly probiotic water for kids to chickpea butter, ketchup with extra veggies, and goat's milk toddler formula, entrants to our 2020 FOOD FOR KIDS Trailblazers Challenge showcased innovative new products, brands, and routes to market for healthier...

FOOD FOR KIDS TRAILBLAZERS GALLERY: Entrepreneurs to watch... innovative new brands in kids' food & beverage

13-Oct-2020 By Elaine Watson

We had a record number of entries for this year's FOOD FOR KIDS Trailblazers Challenge, spanning everything from chickpea butter and lentil-based meat crumbles to bubbly probiotic water and veggie-infused ketchup. Here are some of the innovations...

Steaz hit with lawsuit over ‘lightly sweetened’ claims on beverages featuring 20g added sugar

12-Oct-2020 By Elaine Watson

Describing a beverage that contains 20g of added sugar per serving as ‘lightly sweetened' is deceptive and misleading, claims a proposed class action lawsuit filed against Healthy Beverage Co, maker of Steaz iced teas.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Muniq offers ways to close the race-related health disparity gap with nutrition

12-Oct-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Frustrated that many of the underlying health conditions that increase the risk of contracting COVID-19 disproportionately impact black, indigenous and people of color, the founder of Uplifting Results Lab wants to help close the race-related health disparity...

Trick or treat: How different will Halloween will be this year?

05-Oct-2020 By Elaine Watson

One in three US households with kids that sent them out trick or treating last year will not be doing so this Halloween due to COVID-19, according to an IRI survey of primary grocery shoppers.

Beverage alliance IncuBev provides one-stop-shop for beverage brands navigating ‘the choppy go-to-market waters’

02-Oct-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Four companies have teamed up combining their beverage commercialization expertise to launch IncuBev, a multi-phase service offering to assist beverage brands with the challenges of product development and commercialization.

Real honey… without bees? Berkeley-based startup MeliBio gears up for launch in late 2021

02-Oct-2020 By Elaine Watson

First came real milk proteins without cows, then egg proteins without chickens, and collagen without animals … and now honey, minus the bees?

Introducing the FOOD FOR KIDS 2020 virtual summit: From kids and the plant-based trend to dietary guidelines for infants and toddlers

29-Sep-2020 By Elaine Watson

School closures – and tentative re-openings – have compounded stress levels for families, while COVID-19-induced economic anxiety is also straining household budgets. So how can food and beverage brands come up with enticing – but affordable – recipes,...

Report: 2019 marks largest national reduction in beverage calories consumption

28-Sep-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Per-capita liquid refreshment beverage (LRB) calories have declined 5.6% over a five-year period (from 203 calories per person per day in 2014 to 191.8 calories in 2019), according to the American Beverage Association’s latest Beverage Calories Initiative...

Molson Coors talks alcohol-free, better-for-you beverage ambitions from probiotic seltzer to barley milk

25-Sep-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

A new slate of better-for-you, non-alcoholic beverage brands developed by Molson Coors and beverage incubator L.A. Libations launching over the next several months -- including a plant-based barley milk and a nootropic performance beverage -- will position...

Bellway ‘junk free’ psyllium fiber emerges from beta-testing with $2M fundraise to target millennials

21-Sep-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

With $2M in just-announced seed funding, a “junk free” promise and a bright, modern packaging that trades heavily in on-trend buzz words, recently launched Bellway aims to bring new life – and a younger generation – to the sleepy fiber segment.

General Mills ventures into keto with :ratio

21-Sep-2020 By Jim Cornall

General Mills is launching :ratio – a new keto-friendly product line that marks the food company’s first keto-focused product.

PepsiCo speeds new functional drink Driftwell to market through internal pitch competition

17-Sep-2020 By Rachel Arthur

PepsiCo is launching Driftwell: a functional beverage containing L-theanine to promote relaxation. Representing PepsiCo’s fastest beverage brand ever to market, it was created through an internal idea pitch competition for employees.

The key to Coca-Cola’s innovation success: balance agility, discipline & consumer, customer needs

15-Sep-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

For innovations to succeed they do not need to be perfect out of the gate, but they do need to offer a real benefit to companies, their consumers and their retailer and business partners at a scale that justifies the investment and risk, top executives...

Kroger sees at-home cooking and eating as predominant consumer behavior for foreseeable future

14-Sep-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Consumers have grown accustomed to eating and cooking more meals at home due to the pandemic and will continue this behavior well into 2021, said Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen during the company's Q2 2020 earnings call.

ADM spotlights six emerging health and wellness trends from gut health to immune function

08-Sep-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Consumers’ attitudes, priorities and behaviors are shifting significantly as a result of the global health pandemic, and ADM has identified six emerging behavioral changes highlighting consumers' prioritization of health and wellness.

Campbell’s plans to leverage ‘quick-scratch cooking’ to retain millions of new consumers, but is it enough?

08-Sep-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Under normal circumstances the Campbell Soup Co.’s 12% organic sales increase, 13% operating profit increase and strong double-digit consumption growth across all core brands in the fourth quarter would be lauded as great – but during the pandemic, when...

Coca-Cola restructures global operations resulting in ‘voluntary and involuntary reductions in employees’

28-Aug-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Coca-Cola has announced several structural changes to streamline its global business including a consolidation of operating units, which will result in reallocation of some employees and resources, as well as a reduction to its workforce.

Sugar reduction and sweetener trends: From stevia and allulose to isomaltulose... 'not all carbohydrates are the same'

26-Aug-2020 By Elaine Watson

What’s hot and what’s not in the world of sweeteners? FoodNavigator-USA caught up with Icon Foods, Cargill and Beneo to explore formulation trends as brands remain under pressure to reduce sugar and keep labels clean.

Sugar reduction reformulation progress: 77% of Canadian food and beverage products saw no changes in sugar levels over 4-year period

24-Aug-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Despite sugar reduction being a major consumer health trend impacting nearly every corner of the CPG industry, many food and beverage products in Canada have seen limited changes in sugar content, a recent study by the University of Toronto suggests.

GUEST ARTICLE: Reduced sugar beverages see pockets of growth, but trend towards naturally sugar-free cannot be beat

24-Aug-2020 By Aga Jarzabek, Research Analyst, Euromonitor International

Reduced sugar categories have seen high growth in the past, but their sales have dipped as consumers became hesitant about artificial sweeteners. However, in the past year, sales have seen a guarded rebound across many categories due to new launches and...

NEWS IN BRIEF

Coca-Cola names new president of Coca-Cola North America

24-Aug-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

The Coca-Cola Company has named Alfredo Rivera as president of Coca-Cola North America. Rivera most recently served as president of the beverage giant's Latin America group overseeing business operations across 40 countries.

Behave grants consumers permission to enjoy candy again with low-sugar, chef-created gummy bears

21-Aug-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Upstart candy brand Behave has entered the buzzing low-sugar gummy candy category with its line of original and sour gummy bears which tout 3g of sugar, 6g of net carbs, and 90 calories per serving.

Food & beverage entrepreneurs! Want to take center stage at the 2020 FOOD FOR KIDS virtual summit?

17-Aug-2020 By Elaine Watson

Want to get feedback on your new child-focused food or beverage launch, brand, or business, from our expert panel at FoodNavigator-USA's virtual FOOD FOR KIDS summit in the fall?

PureCircle 'strongly refutes' claims its stevia was processed in China with prison labor, as CBP issues fine

14-Aug-2020 By Elaine Watson

Stevia supplier PureCircle USA says it “strongly refutes” claims from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials that it imported shipments of stevia that had been processed in China with prison labor, but claims it “made financial sense for our...

DouxMatok gears up for US launch, tests next-generation enhanced sugar using fiber as a carrier

06-Aug-2020 By Elaine Watson

DouxMatok, the Israeli firm behind patented technology that makes sugar taste sweeter, has struck a deal with a North American sugar refiner to manufacture commercial quantities of its ‘enhanced’ sugar, with the first products containing the sugar likely...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Baby food doesn’t have an ‘added sugar problem’ it has a ‘too much sugar’ problem

03-Aug-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s recent recommendations that children under 2 years avoid all added sugar to ensure they consume the nutrients they need without excessive caloric intake may not go far enough to drive a significant change in...

SHIFT20: ‘Keto really did just explode last year…’

30-Jul-2020 By Elaine Watson

Maintaining a metabolic state of ketosis requires a level of discipline that’s pretty hard to sustain; however, the high fat, moderate protein and ultra-low carb keto diet is nevertheless exerting a growing influence on new product development across...

Move over stevia? Joywell Foods raises $6.9m, aims to commercialize sweet proteins in 18-24 months

22-Jul-2020 By Elaine Watson

Foods and beverages sweetened with miraculin, brazzein and curculin - proteins found in exotic fruits that can be produced far more efficiently via microbial fermentation - could hit the US market in less than two years, offering formulators intriguing...

Chobani moves into functional beverage category with Chobani Probiotic; unveils new high protein Complete yogurt range

21-Jul-2020 By Elaine Watson

Chobani has moved into new territory with the launch of Chobani Probiotic: a new line of organic, plant-based functional beverages; and Chobani Complete: a new line of protein- and fiber-packed lactose-free Greek yogurt cups and shakes with no added sugar,...

Americans need to more than halve their consumption of added sugars, says Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

15-Jul-2020 By Elaine Watson

Americans need to more than halve their consumption of added sugars, reducing average consumption from 13% of daily energy intake to just 6%, the equivalent of 30g for someone on a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet, according to the expert committee advising the...

MCTco protein keto bars enter beauty-from-within and immunity categories

13-Jul-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

MCTco is competing in the highly-competitive snack bar category, addressing major consumer demands around protein and sugar content as well as emerging ‘beauty-from-within’ and immunity trends with its line of products containing collagen protein and...

Grain Processing Corp.’s maltodextrins, modified starches improve plant-based eating experience

10-Jul-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Brands struggling with plant-based snacks becoming excessively dry, chewy or crumbly over time or beverages designed to mimic dairy falling short of a desired creamy mouthfeel could improve the functional benefits of their products with the addition of...

Trending topics at SHIFT20, the virtual IFT show, from plant-based protein trends to sustainable packaging

29-Jun-2020 By Elaine Watson

From plant-based protein trends to sustainable packaging, managing food waste, using artificial intelligence to track consumer sentiment, and the latest developments in cell-cultured meat and keto diet trends, here are some of the education sessions that...

SHIFT20: How the virtual IFT show will work…

29-Jun-2020 By Elaine Watson

Confused about navigating the virtual IFT show (Institute of Food Technologists' annual meeting and expo) next month (July 13-15)? FoodNavigator-USA caught up with Corrine Calice, senior director, knowledge and learning experiences; and Susan Young,...

Consumers seek transparency online and in-store: FMI and Label Insight study

26-Jun-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

A majority (81%) of consumers say transparency is ‘important’ or ‘extremely important’ to them when shopping online and in-store, according to a new report by The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Chicago-based Label Insight.

FDA moves to keep coronavirus fears from interrupting ingredients trade

25-Jun-2020 By Hank Schultz

The US Food and Drug Administration says it will move actively to prevent the worldwide trade in dietary ingredients, food ingredients and whole foods from being restricted because of misplaced coronavirus infection concerns.

Sugary drink advertising spend increased 26% to over $1bn in 2018 vs 2013, new report shows

25-Jun-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Beverage companies spent $1.04bn to advertise sugary drinks and energy drinks in 2018 in the US, a 26% increase compared to 2013, according to Sugary Drinks FACTS 2020, a new report from the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University...

Online marketplace Fieldcraft modernizes discovery & democratizes access for suppliers of all sizes

19-Jun-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

The coronavirus pandemic may have brought to a standstill the large tradeshows where industry players traditionally came together, but thanks to new digital platforms – including Austin-based Fieldcraft – stakeholders not only can still meet, explore...

Stevia pioneer Morita sends ‘clear message to the market’ to respect IP around Reb M

18-Jun-2020 By Elaine Watson

Japanese stevia pioneer Morita Kagaku Kogyo Co has taken the unusual step of issuing a press release highlighting the extent of its intellectual property around sweet tasting steviol glycoside Reb M and naming the three partners to which it has licensed...

Children under 2 years should avoid all added sugars, says Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

18-Jun-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Children under the age of 2 years should avoid all added sugars in order to better make “every bite count,” according to the Dietary Guidelines advisory subcommittee tasked with creating the first ever dietary guidelines for children younger than 24 months....

SweeGen starts commercial production of Reb B stevia sweetener

17-Jun-2020 By Elaine Watson

Stevia specialist SweeGen has started commercial production of Reb B, a lesser-known and “highly soluble” steviol glycoside (stevia sweetener) that it says works particularly well in beverages.

MycoTechnology raises $39m in Series D to expand functional ingredients platform

10-Jun-2020 By Elaine Watson

MycoTechnology – which is building a functional ingredients platform utilizing mycelia, the filament-like roots of mushrooms - has raised $39m in a series D financing round from investors* including plant-based meat specialist Greenleaf Foods to Tyson...

Snack Bar Trends: Join us for a FREE webinar on emerging trends, branding strategies, and market research

08-Jun-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

How is 2020 reshaping the snack bar market, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the latest diet trends and go-to-market brand strategies?

The Sugar Association files citizen petition asking FDA for ‘complete and accurate labeling’ of low- and no-calorie sweeteners

04-Jun-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

A citizen petition filed by The Sugar Association to the FDA is calling for “complete and accurate labeling of low- and no-calorie sweeteners on food packages,” which would require food manufacturers to add the term ‘sweetener' in parenthesis after...

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...