Fear and frustration related to the ongoing pandemic will continue to shape flavor preferences in 2022 with consumers gravitating to taste profiles that signal health benefits, hint at escape to far away lands, offer comfort or promise something new,...
Botanicals continue to be a strong force for new food and beverage product development as many consumers regard the category of ingredients as healing and revitalizing, according to global fragrance and taste company Firmenich, which named “Magical Botanical’...
Undeterred by the chaos of the pandemic, including supply chain challenges and retailers significantly scaling back selection and even pausing new product introductions, an elite, cross-functional team of innovators at Clif Bar & Co. secretly pushed...
Determining the most sustainable packaging option for CPG products is rarely as clear cut as it might appear. Take yogurt cups, which are typically made from polypropylene (PP), which can be recycled, although many US curbside pickup services don’t yet...
Will 2022 be the year the FDA finally weighs in on CBD regulations, or defines 'natural'? Will we see guidance from the FDA on the pre-market consultation process for cell-cultured meat? Is compliance with the bioengineered food disclosure standard...
With the Jan. 1, 2022 deadline for compliance with the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) fast approaching, many companies are still struggling with compliance, even at this incredibly late stage, say industry sources.
Food has taken on deeper meaning for many consumers serving as a connection to experience, community, and personalized health goals, noted Tastewise in its 2022 report, which uses AI to analyze over 1 million restaurants and delivery menus, 22 billion...
With the holiday season in full swing, Americans who are looking for safe ways to celebrate with friends and family increasingly are turning to dessert boards – a flexible, emerging trend that Dawn Foods says meets evolving consumer demands, has ‘unlimited...
Two years since Seattle introduced its sugar-sweetened beverage tax, new research indicates that the 1.75-cent per ounce tax has significantly curbed sales of soda, juice, and other sugar-sweetened drinks.
Sugar giant US Sugar says it “fully intends to litigate” to prove its proposed deal to acquire rival Imperial Sugar will not result in higher prices and harm sugar buyers after the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an anti-trust lawsuit in a bid to block...
The risks JM Smucker took as one of the first CPG companies to announce sweeping price increases in the face of inflation earlier this year are paying off as the company’s sales grew high single digits with “every business outperforming our expectations”...
Membership-only natural and organic online marketplace Thrive Market now generates a quarter of its sales from 700+ private label products spanning everything from super fine almond flour to grass-fed beef. FoodNavigator-USA caught up with Jenna Engleman,...
While scientists are still unlocking the secrets of the microbiome, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the billions of bugs in our bodies are intimately connected to our health and wellbeing. But how far have we come since Jamie Lee Curtis first introduced...
Walmart is gaining market share in grocery in the US by not only holding prices steady as many competitors raise them in the face of increasing inflation, but also by continuing to look for rollbacks – a counterintuitive strategy it says will benefit...
Despite the surge in hunger, sluggish supply chains and transportation woes that have drastically delayed food production, delivery and availability since the coronavirus outbreak more than 20 months ago, cross-disciplinary experts at the global design...
Michroma – a startup building a production platform for natural food colors from fungi – has advanced to pilot-scale production of a heat-stable vibrant red colorant it claims can give synthetic dyes a serious run for their money when it comes to performance...
Where should food businesses begin net zero action? With a ‘forest positive’ approach, Earthworm Foundation CEO Bastien Sachet tells FoodNavigator, stressing action is required this decade.
Dream Pops will be expanding outside of frozen desserts and novelties and entering the shelf-stable confectionery category with a line of plant-based products to compete with the likes of Hershey, Mars, and Ferrero, says founder and CEO David Greenfeld....
Consumers' pursuit of comforting foods with a slight twist in flavor, ingredients, and nutritional benefits will drive the majority growth of the $170.4bn specialty food industry in 2022, according to the Specialty Food Association (SFA) Trendspotter...
In its Q3 earnings call yesterday, TreeHouse Foods’ CEO observed that, “as certain federal stimulus programs expire, we are seeing signs of private label recovery.” So will store brands regain some share they lost during the pandemic, and how are retailers...
Edible insects were always going to be a slow burn in the alternative protein market in Europe and North America, given the ‘ick’ factor and the lack of infrastructure to farm and process them at scale, says Israeli firm Hargol FoodTech. But while the...
Despite recent warnings that key holiday foods may be out-of-stock or more expensive than previous years due to ongoing supply chain challenges, consumer concern about obtaining food and the impact of inflation hasn’t changed much compared to August,...
While the CPG industry continues to steadily add jobs, the rate at which companies are onboarding new employees still falls woefully short of what is needed to keep pace with quickly rising consumer demand – prompting industry leaders to reevaluate the...
The confectionery industry received a boost as it heads into the important Halloween weekend when the Hershey Co raised its annual net sales and adjusted earnings forecast.
Best known for its lightly-coated chocolate-covered almonds and other nuts, SkinnyDipped has evolved into a platform brand expanding into high-growth adjacent categories, said CEO Breezy Griffith.
An international team of scientists have completed what they claim is the ‘largest review ever conducted’ looking at agricultural crop diversity. The results are in: we are seeing ‘enormous’ diversity loss, with implications for future...
Consumers have evolved their definition of what qualifies as a snack and are increasingly seeking out permissibly indulgent options, which has given rise to a new type of snacking behavior in the frozen set, Mintel consumer insights research suggests....
Unilever joins the parade of CPG manufacturers hiking prices “significantly” to offset rising commodity costs and other inputs, with CEO Alan Jope warning, “there is more pricing still to come.”
Nestlé has entered the refrigerated snacking set with its line of permissably indulgent Rallies, a three-bite snack of chocolate enrobed nut butters, which is targeting a growing group of consumers who need a pick-me-up to rally themselves out of a slump,...
Clearly communicating the environmental benefits of CPGs can be a heavy lift given the complexity of sustainability, the relative lack of space on most packages, and differences in consumer awareness across demographics – but new research suggests doing...
Albertsons’ “surgical approach” to pricing to offset rising inflation coupled with its ability to quickly offer alternatives to out-of-stocks due to ongoing supply chain and labor challenges helped it deliver better-than-expected margins in its second...
Online food marketplace BUBBLE – a fast-growing platform enabling new and emerging natural food brands without the bandwidth to set up DTC operations seek new routes to market – has launched a self-service platform enabling vendors to get approved and...
'Ultra-processed' food comprises the majority of the average US adult diet, according to a new study by researchers at NYU School of Global Public Health, who suspect the pandemic has further fueled the trend.
The tide appears to be turning for direct-to-consumer subscription boxes, including for food and beverage, with consumer interest dropping dramatically in 2021 compared to last year when the pandemic pushed many people to try the services as a safe and...
Bonumose – a Virginia-based startup with patented technology it claims could enable the mass market adoption of rare sugars such as allulose and tagatose – is investing $27.7m in production and R&D facilities in a 36,000 sq ft facility in Pantops,...
AgTech startup Pivot Bio, which is retooling bacteria in soil to more effectively convert nitrogen from the air into food – eliminating the need for synthetic nitrogen fertilizer – is taking its sustainability message directly to consumers with the launch...
An end to pandemic-related government subsidies last month did not, as hoped, end the labor shortage currently hamstringing manufacturers’ ability to meet the sustained higher demand for food consumed at home – forcing industry to seek other solutions.
Sweegen will expand its high-intensity sweeteners portfolio early next year with the addition of brazzein, an ultra-sweet tasting protein found in small quantities in the fruit of a West African plant called oubli, that can be produced on a commercial...
A good mentor can tip the scale of success in favor of a startup, but finding someone who has the same values, time and no ulterior motives can feel like the best kept secret in the industry – especially to entrepreneurs new to the food & beverage...
When I began studying organic food consumption in the early 2000s, I remember one of the first problems I encountered was a misperception among prominent public firm executives.
From surging ocean freight costs to sky high corn prices and general supply chain disruptions, the last 12-18 months have been a roller coaster ride, says Nate Yates, VP Global Sugar Reduction Platform at Ingredion. But one thing has remained remarkably...
With inflation driving up grocery prices and many government assistance programs ending, consumers are looking for deals now more than last year – but according to the marketing solutions company Vericast, they aren’t finding them when and where they...
Shares of United Natural Foods skyrocketed yesterday after the natural and organic food wholesaler’s fourth quarter earnings beat industry expectations, and executives laid out an optimistic outlook for 2022 with concrete plans to make the best of lingering...
While consumers are becoming increasingly aware of what they eat and drink and opting for 'better-for-you' products, they will never completely abandon their love for sugar and sweetness accelerating the need for low-calorie sweeteners such...
Spending on Halloween candy is predicted to rebound to an all time high this year after the pandemic frightened away most trick-or-treaters and celebrants last year – causing sales to slump to a five-year low, according to industry research.
Not many companies would be satisfied with or even strive to produce a food or beverage that tastes ‘normal,’ but the founder of the better-for-you frozen dessert company Killer Creamery couldn’t be happier that the taste of brand’s new ice cream sandwich...
