In a worst-case scenario, McKinsey is predicting a food deficit representing a year’s worth of nutritional intake for up to 250m people – or 3% of the global population.
The acute health threat of COVID-19 may be ebbing for most Americans, but the desire it instilled in many to bolster their physical and mental wellbeing continues to push consumers to seek food as medicine, according to industry insiders.
The “huge bet” SunOpta has placed on oatmilk through an aggressive series of investments in production capacity “has absolutely paid off,” says CEO Joe Ennen as the firm gears up to open a new aseptic production facility in Midlothian, Texas and expand...
US honey consumption reached record highs last year while domestic production dropped to its lowest since 1991, primarily due to lower yield per colony, according to USDA’s latest sugars and sweeteners outlook report, which notes that imports have surged...
So-called ‘ultra-processed foods,’ which include a significant portion of CPGs, are often demonized as calorie-dense, nutrient-poor and a major contributor to diet-related chronic diseases, but is this characterization an oversimplification that is just...
Food elasticities are finally ticking up as middle- and upper-income consumers whose spending so far has remained resilient in the face of rising inflation begin to feel pinched – prompting them to shift to more affordable retailers, including Walmart.
Chamberlain Coffee, a DTC-focused brand created by YouTube star Emma Chamberlain, has sealed a $7m Series A funding round led by Blazar Capital and a stacked roster of DTC, retail, and beverage industry investors.
At a time when pushback against sugar is spurring large CPG players to exit the ready-to-drink smoothie and juice market by off-loading well-known brands, two best friends see an opening for a new line of produce-packed beverages positioned as having...
As Americans continue to adjust to post-pandemic life and mounting economic uncertainty, consumer research from Mintel shows that many believe there is no going ‘back to normal’ and as such are changing the way they think about, budget and shop for, and...
Notoriously thin operating margins in the food supply chain will likely keep manufacturers and retailers from incrementally lowering prices even as input costs begin to come down – preferring instead to wait until the economic landscape stabilizes and...
In the face of an unrelenting inflationary environment, zero sugar soda brand Zevia is reporting continued growth and consumer adoption of its products, especially in the club channel.
While overall inflation in the US cooled slightly in July, giving hope to some economists that financial pressures may be peaking, food prices continue to climb at their fastest rate in more than 40 years – suggesting the economic recovery still has a...
What’s more sustainable? Using acres of land, water and energy to grow plants that produce minuscule quantities of natural sweeteners; or making them via a fermentation process using a microbe that’s been engineered to produce exactly the same molecules?
While sports drinks are often loaded with sugar and can pack a hefty caloric punch, convincing people to replace them with water or unsweetened options may be more difficult than persuading them to ditch other sugar-sweetened beverages, including soda,...
As budgets tighten during periods of economic uncertainty or rising inflation, consumers often turn to private label products to save money, although this hasn’t always translated into long-term increases in market share. This time, however, predicts...
Sustainability “is probably on slide two or three of every customer presentation now,” notes Ingredion, but how can consumers cut through the PR noise to make meaningful comparisons between brands? Checkout our final gallery of trends at IFT FIRST exploring...
Monster Energy is fighting to grow its shelf space in the increasingly competitive energy drink category while also dealing with unrelenting inflationary cost pressures, said CEO Rodney Sacks on the company's Q2 2022 earnings call.
Health Canada has published new labeling standards for supplemented foods such as snacks and beverages fortified with vitamins and minerals or caffeinated energy drinks; and introduced new nutrition labelling regulations for packaged foods requiring a...
Food and beverage companies are under increasing pressure to measure, reduce, and accurately report their social and environmental impact, with the SEC recently outlining proposals* that would require all registrants to disclose their scope three greenhouse...
Sugar reduction is still top of mind for most US consumers, but their motivations for purchasing low- and no-sugar beverages have shifted from weight management and dieting pursuits to achieving a sense of general wellbeing, claims Howard Telford, head...
As the pandemic progresses and consumers delve deeper into how nutrition impacts their health, they are expecting more from the products they buy – pushing beverage makers to blur category lines to offer more benefits, according to Mintel.
Oatly posted a $72m net loss on net revenues up 21.8% to $178m in the second quarter of 2022, slightly under analysts’ expectations, with gross profit margins of 15.8%, a figure CEO Toni Petersson insisted would rise over time as the Malmö-based oatmilk...
PepsiCo will take a 20% equity stake in Romanian spring water brand Aqua Carpatica: eying up the potential to expand the brand to the US and other markets.
PepsiCo is making a $550m investment in functional energy drink Celsius: further boosting its focus on the energy category and eying up a shared opportunity to drive growth and innovation in the sector.
Net sales in Amazon's physical stores - Whole Foods Market, Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go - grew 12.5% year-on-year to $4.72bn in Q2 2022 and grew 2.8% vs Q1, 2022.
Capri Sun’s original juice drink pouches will now have an average of 40% less sugar, as the brand reformulates to use monk fruit concentrate in its drinks.
Dollar sales of refrigerated liquid plant-based creams and creamers were up +25.8% year-on-year to $527.4m in measured US retail channels* in the year to July 10, 2022, while unit sales were up +16.1%, led by strong growth in blends and ‘other’ (which...
Fine chemicals co DIC and San Diego-based startup Debut Biotech are developing a vibrant natural red color that is heat-stable, light-stable, and stable across a wide pH range, using a novel hybrid approach combining microbial fermentation and ‘cell-free’...
When it comes to plant-based milks for kids, the options are few and far between, say Alex and Lauren Abelin, founders of Kiki Milk, which is made with organic oats, hemp seeds, sprouted pumpkin seeds, coconut, and other “whole food ingredients.”
The past two years have been a rollercoaster for many food and beverage companies, who have had to deal with everything from a global pandemic to rocketing inflation, labor shortages, and massive disruption across their supply chains. So what does all...
The IFT First 2022 show floor was abundant with companies touting their upcycled ingredients and other exhibitors highlighting plant-based meat and dairy innovation. Take a look at some of the trends highlighted at the show this year.
According to a new draft guideline from the World Health Organization (WHO), non-nutritive sweetener consumption is associated with metabolic syndrome, something proponents of diet sweeteners say shows correlation, not causation, and merely reflects the...
Well-known for sugar alternatives, including stevia and monk fruit, Layn Natural Ingredients has steadily expanded its portfolio with a full line of functional botanicals that can now easily be explored through a just-launched online ingredient library...
US retail sales of plant-based milk rose +6.4% to $2.299bn in measured channels* in the year to June 12, 2022, driven by double-digit growth in oat milk and pea milk, according to new data shared with FoodNavigator-USA from SPINS.
Canada-based Merit Functional Foods says it has overcome one of the biggest hurdles facing plant-based protein in ready-to-drink protein beverages: sediment and grittiness.
Something is rotten in the coffee industry, and it is holding back the crop from reaching its full potential and contributing to the climate change that threatens future production of the popular beverage and the economic livelihoods of the farmers who...
Lemon Perfect, the fastest-growing brand in the enhanced water category*, has hired industry veteran and former Coca-Cola executive Jim Brennan as its new president and chief revenue officer.
Through the merging of three companies with a combined 175 years of experience in innovation, Revela Foods debuted at IFT First in Chicago this month with the simple idea that “life is complicated – food doesn’t have to be.”
So-called ‘alternative proteins’ – from upcycled barley and canola protein to animal-free whey made in fermentation tanks using genetically engineered microbes – were a hot topic at IFT First in Chicago. But with US retail sales of some meat alternatives...
In the hierarchy of nutrition labeling, over half of consumers (58%) say they check total and added sugar content followed by the type of sweetener (52%) used in a product, claims Cargill.
Fiber may be best known for improving regularity and most commonly associated with older consumers, but the multifunctional ingredient is getting a makeover thanks to a slew of new products touting its other benefits and targeting shoppers across generations...
From more efficient production of rare sugars tagatose and allulose (and intriguing new possibilities with D-allose), to ‘enhanced’ sugars, and a mystery disaccharide that behaves like sugar, but is metabolized very differently, check out part one of...
Online grocery sales totaled $7.2bn for June 2022, tracking ahead of the same month last year (+6%) and slightly above May 2022 figures (+1%), according to the latest data from Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey.
Non-nutritive sweeteners such as stevia and sucralose are not a panacea, but new recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) questioning their value do a “disservice to public health” by failing to recognize their role in sugar/energy reduction...
Once associated with refreshment and relaxation, the crack of a can or hiss of gas following the twist of bottle top is becoming a source of anxiety for some consumers who associate it with single-use plastic, broken recycling systems and unwanted litter.
