From the impact of the Safeway Albertsons deal to dubious alcohol levels in kombucha, the CEOs in our beverage entrepreneurs debate on Feb 4 did not hold back. Here are some of the highlights from our 60-minute session, which is now available on demand as...
FMC Corporation reported revenues in its health and nutrition sector of $828 million for its 2014 fiscal year. Soft omega-3 demand for the year was a blemish on an otherwise robust sector performance, the company said.
From the GMO labeling debate and food litigation trends to new strategies to revitalize the Greek yogurt category, FoodNavigator-USA’s 2015/16 editorial calendar of special editions (once a month), online forums/events (once every two months) and face-to-face...
Executives at Hain Celestial are optimistic that a slew of upcoming product launches, including many in the booming better-for-you snack category, will help buoy the firm’s full year sales in the face of a trio of expensive events.
Pure Circle is close to signing an agreement with the Kiambu County Government that will see them work together to boost stevia crop production in the Kenyan region.
As the only crowdfunding website in the U.S. focused exclusively on consumer goods, CircleUp may be better positioned than other more broadly focused fundraising websites to help food and beverage companies reach appropriate investors who can take them...
The last quarter of 2014 was pretty positive (+5.9%) for sales of non-alcoholic beverages in US convenience stores as shoppers spent cash they saved at the pumps on ‘treating themselves’ and ‘trading up’, according to Wells Fargo.
Tea - both the loose leaf and ready-to-drink variety - is bang on trend right now, but would you mix it with tequila or vodka? Why not, says the founder and CEO of Owl’s Brew, which unveiled its tea-based cocktail mixers in 132 BevMo stores in October...
The CEO of America’s fastest-growing soda brand DRY Soda says the brand’s relatively low sugar content and a focus on food matching and ‘culinary flavors’ are helping it crack exclusive US restaurant accounts.
The mega-merger between AB Acquisition LLC *(parent company of Albertson’s LLC and New Albertson’s Inc) and Safeway Inc was formally completed Friday. But should suppliers crack open the champagne, or drown their sorrows?
Ingredient supplier Naturex is consolidating its Chile Botanics acquisition by ramping production of quillaia, one of the division’s locally-sourced ingredients.
A federal appeals court in the District of Columbia has upheld an earlier court ruling in favor of the FTC versus POM Wonderful and claims it made in its advertising. On the flip side, the court also stated that requiring two valid clinical trials to...
You can make money out of online grocery shopping if you have a scalable business model, a targeted range of high quality fresh foods, and the tools to help you build meaningful relationships with consumers, says Door to Door Organics, which has proved...
Dietary sugars intakes are decreasing or stable in most countries, according to a data review of ten European countries, Australia, New Zealand and the US.
PepsiCo is rolling out its mid-calorie cola Pepsi True at selected retailers in Denver, Minneapolis and Washington, D.C. following a soft launch on Amazon to assess demand.
More consumers are seeking healthy foods and beverages at convenience stores, creating an opportunity in a previously often overlooked channel for manufacturers of these products to expand their reach, according to new market research from Technomic.
Will Pepsi True & Coca-Cola Life revitalize the cola market, or are today’s more demanding and sophisticated consumers looking for more than refreshment and ‘no-artificial’ claims from their beverage calories these days?
Trendwatchers at Sensient Flavors have identified eight up-and-coming flavor trends for 2015 using the company's proprietary ‘Trends to Taste’ program, a predictive process that filters trends from the broad, consumer, macro level down to finished...
Latest trends on beverages, gluten-free, clean-label, snacks
From the perils of putting ‘all-natural’ on your label to what beverage execs really think about plummeting sales of diet soda, FoodNavigator-USA’s online discussion forums and face to face events tackle some of the hottest topics in food and beverage,...
Researchers suggest drinking four or more cups of coffee a day could decrease the risk of melanoma by 20%, saying it is possible that the drink has a ‘protective role’ against UVB-induced skin cancer.
Capsules containing catechins from tea may ‘moderately’ boost microvascular function in healthy adults, says a new study from Unilever that supports the circulatory benefits of black tea.
PepsiCo brand Mountain Dew Kickstart tells us its two new flavor lines with higher juice content, coconut water and slightly less caffeine are targeted at a core ‘cross cultural millennial male’ consumer.
Innovative packaging can really help smaller brands punch above their weight. But which food & beverage companies have really nailed it from a design perspective? FoodNavigator-USA caught up with Blake Mitchell, partner at food and beverage brand...
There is room for new players in the burgeoning super-premium juice category, but the barriers to entry are pretty high, says San Diego-based Suja Juice, which exploded onto the scene in 2012, generated revenues of $18m in 2013, $45m in 2014 and is forecasting...
Private label penetration rates have not budged since 2011
Dollar sales of foods and beverages edged up a modest 2.1% to $470bn in the US retail market in 2014, but unit sales (an indication of volumes) were pretty flat (up just 0.9%), according to Chicago-based market research firm IRI.
Drinking a cup of beetroot juice every day can ‘significantly lower blood pressure’ among patients with high blood pressure, according to a study in the journal Hypertension.
While consumers may think twice about buying a large box of cereal featuring a new functional ingredient, they are much more willing to try new things in the beverage category, which is a hotbed of innovation right now, two leading ingredients suppliers...
The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) safety assessment on caffeine is not necessarily a green light for high caffeine consumption or for long-stalled health claims, according to industry commentators.
A Vancouver startup believes it’s on the brink of exploding into mainstream success with its 40 winks coffee – a coffee blended with a herbal sedative, allowing it to be drunk as an evening or bedtime drink.
The rising popularity of drinking vinegar available in a wide variety of bold flavors could give soda a run for some of its money by tapping into consumer interest in sugar reduction.
With buyers from Whole Foods, Kroger, KeHE, Compass Group, Dean & DeLuca and hundreds of other retailers and foodservice chains walking the floor looking for innovative new products, the Winter Fancy Food Show has helped to launch scores of high-profile...
400mg of caffeine a day from all sources is not a safety concern, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has said in a long-awaited caffeine risk assessment.
The crowdfunding website Kickstarter helped the beverage company Genki-Su raise nearly twice as much money as necessary to pay for the first round of bottling for its concentrated Japanese drinking vinegar, but company co-founder Judy Tan acknowledged...
What’s the first thing you notice about Dust Cutter lemonade? Chances are, it’s the packaging. Unlike its rivals in the premium lemonade arena (Hubert’s, Cabana Natural, Calypso), Dust Cutter comes in an aluminum bottle, which has been pivotal to its...
The FDA has written to Solazyme to say it has no objections to the firm’s GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) determination for its AlgaVia whole algal protein, a move which the microalgae specialist claims will “pave the way for mainstream adoption...
Entrepreneurs need to stay healthy in order to ensure the long-term success and health of their start-up, advises a top executive at TumericALIVE, a young beverage company dedicated to making elixirs packed with turmeric to rejuvenate, restore and re-energize...
Peeled Snacks: If you don’t take time to understand retail buyers, why should they take time to understand you?
Which retail channel is right for your brand? Natural? Club? Convenience? And once you’ve jumped through all the buyers’ hoops, will you still be able to make any money? It all depends on whether you’ve done your homework, one snacking sales expert told...
US probiotic market growth has been bolstered by big media investment, something yet to be seen in the EU, according to the Swedish firm Probi which just secured its largest transatlantic order to date.
Monster & Red Bull among brands attacked for 'declining to commit to restrict marketing to under 18s'
Narrowing down where retailers position multi-faceted drinking vinegar is an essential step in establishing it as a category, and the step is one that the founder of the Vermont Switchel Company is resistant to take.
Tumbling gas prices that are lining consumers’ pockets with savings may provide an unexpected opportunity for private label to steal market share from national brands, rather than the other way around, recent consumer survey results reveal.
There was bad news for employees of two multinational food & beverage giants today as Coca-Cola confirmed plans to cut up to 1,800 jobs worldwide, and General Mills said it would close plants in Ontario, Canada and New Albany, Indiana, with the loss...
Consistency born from thoughtful attention to detail and hiring specialists before they were needed helped start-up Chameleon Cold-Brew rapidly expand distribution by three to four times, launch a new line of ready-to-drink coffees and scoop up a prestigious...