Is there a natural ceiling to the gluten-free market? Is the party over for energy drinks? Are '100%-natural' claims worth the hassle? Find out in FoodNavigator-USA's round up of 10 of the hottest topics in US food and beverage development.Click...
The Hershey Company will make its single largest investment in Asia with a new factory in Malaysia, a country the firm says gives it a strong route to 25 markets in the region, including China.
Breaking into the cut-throat world of consumer packaged goods takes blood, sweat, tears... and enough cash to sustain some momentum after the initial excitement of seeing your product hit the shelf wears off.Here's FoodNavigator-USA's pick of...
Honey, molasses and malt extract have long been incorporated into food products for many other reasons besides their natural sweetening abilities—among them color, aroma, browning, texture, better moisture retention and improved shelf life.
Immune health chewing gum is a cheaper and more portable way to guard against the common cold than dissolvable vitamins, according to an emergency room doctor who has created his own anti-flu chewing gum.
A bill proposing sweeping changes to food labeling laws covering everything from ‘natural’ claims to whole grain statements has been welcomed by consumer groups, but stands little chance of success, legal experts have told FoodNavigator-USA.
Mars and Nestlé have opted to settle a class action lawsuit over price fixing allegations in Canada but both still face criminal charges in a separate investigation from the Competition Bureau.
Consumer perceptions of store brands are continuing to improve in the US as retailers move beyond cheap me-too products. But perceptions of quality still vary considerably across different categories, says a new survey.
US retail sales of non-GMO foods and beverages are projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.9% in the next five years, and could represent 30% of the market with a value of $264bn in 2017, predicts Packaged Facts.
Mondelez International hopes to strengthen its real-time engagement with consumers via its global partnership with Twitter, a move one marketing expert has dubbed 'clever' and 'innovative'.
About a year on from OatSweet’s initial push into the U.S. sweetener marketplace, Oat Tech CEO and founder, Dr. Paul Whalen, caught up with FoodNavigator-USA on the growth areas—both expected and unforeseen—for this natural, oat-based sweetener.
Mars Chocolate North America has announced nine product launches planned for 2014, which it will exhibit at the Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing (NACS) show at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta between 12-15 October.
A sugar tax is the best way to combat excess sugar consumption which doctors agree is partly to blame for growing global obesity and diabetes rates, according to a report from Credit Suisse.
Is it too risky to label products that may contain ingredients from genetically engineered crops as ‘all-natural’? And will the FDA step in and decide this issue so consumer class action lawsuits over this issue stop clogging up the court system?
Natural colors expert Chr. Hansen has been exploring whether it is commercially viable to produce carmine - a natural red food color currently made from crushed cochineal insects - via a controlled fermentation process.
The pace of progress on the joint development program of Cargill and Evolva to produce fermentation-based steviol glycosides is ‘exceeding expectations’ with the resulting ingredients potentially hitting the market earlier than expected.
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) has slightly reduced its cocoa deficit forecast for the current crop year and says there are ample stocks for chocolate manufacturers, but a deficit next year could raise prices.
Food companies that only use certified sustainable palm oil have been accused of “certifying destruction”, according to a Greenpeace report released to coincide with the first European Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) summit in Berlin this week.
Mondelez International plans to close older ‘subscale’ facilities and will open five previously unannounced sites by 2020 as part of a five-step supply chain efficiency program.
Consumer demand for hotter, spicier, foods has continued to increase on both sides of the Atlantic, says natural extracts specialist Kalsec, which has tied up with Mintel to develop ‘heat indexes’ measuring usage of peppers in retail and foodservice.
The FDA is planning a consumer study to find out whether fortifying snack foods with vitamins or other healthy ingredients and shouting about it on pack could lead shoppers to believe that a diet of nutrient-enriched junk food is nutritionally viable.
While any flavor house with sufficient resources can monitor what’s happening in stores, restaurants and bars to get a sense of emerging trends, this only tells you what’s happening now, not what the future might taste like, says Firmenich senior marketing...
Fair Trade USA has finalized its labeling policy after over six months of consultation. NGO Fair World Project supports some of the changes but feels the policy does not go far enough to combat exploitative sugar sourcing.
While there’s been a lot of buzz around the FDA’s recent approval of spirulina extract as a natural blue food color for candy and gum, WILD Flavors says its fruit-juice-derived blue color - which has been on the US market since 2009 - has broader applications...
Researchers have created antimicrobial packaging films containing high flavanol cocoa extracts that they say inhibits the growth of pathogens like listeria, E-coli and salmonella in food products.
You can’t paint a horse like a cow and expect people not to notice – but grind their meat into patties and it may be a different story. So what makes an ingredient vulnerable to food fraud?
Whetstone Chocolate Factory is to begin manufacturing Yowie-branded toy-filled chocolate eggs in the US as its licensor initiates legal action against an alleged imitator.
We’ve delved into the ConfectioneryNews archives to chart newly built factories and major investments on existing plants by the industry’s major players over the past five years to discover where capacity is moving.
A lawsuit brought by American Licorice accusing Total Sweeteners of breaching its contract by supplying molasses tainted with lead will proceed, a Californian district judge has ruled.
Big interview: Jay Klein, founder & CEO, Action Candy Company (PÜR Gum)
You don’t launch a new brand in the gum category by calling the buyer at Walmart and asking nicely for some shelf-space at the checkout between Juicy Fruit and Trident, observes the founder of aspartame-free PÜR Gum.
The FDA’s decision to give the thumbs up to spirulina as a source of blue color in candy and gum finally gives US firms a natural alternative to artificial FD&C Blue #1 ('brilliant blue') and opens up new opportunities in natural greens,...
Some of the biggest contributors of calories, sat fats and added sugar in the American diet are also the largest contributors of vital nutrients, says a new study highlighting some potentially unintended consequences of diets that just focus on calorie...
Is your brand getting some decent bang for the bucks you spend on paid-for (‘promoted’) tweets? The answer, according to a new trial with 35 big names in consumer packaged goods (CPG) including Mondelez, is YES.
Many US supermarkets are stuck in a timewarp, and their market share will continue to decline unless they makes radical strategic changes, according to a provocative new report from Hartman Strategy.
Gum sales are still down for the category's second largest player, but the segment might be showing its first signs of recovery, according to Mondelez’s CEO.
A Minnesota-based firm making waves with anthocyanin-packed purple-corn ingredients says it has had significant interest from the snack food market, but is also talking to microbrewers, confectioners, and firms manufacturing everything from sourdough...
What precedent might it set if firms are forced to label foods made using new technologies, even if the end product does not differ in any meaningful way from foods developed by ‘traditional’ methods?
A US startup part-funded by celebrities has ‘unjunked’ America’s favorite candy bars and says it is serious about taking on the industry's major players.
Hershey, Mars and Nestlé USA have been allowed to scrutinize transaction data from two of their customers that could determine which type of customers have a valid claim for damages in an ongoing US lawsuit alleging that the companies conspired to fix...
