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,...
Unilever is selling its developed markets tea business for €4.5bn, more than a year after the company launched a strategic review of the unit. According to some industry pundits, the deal represents ‘an important first step’ in portfolio rationalisation....
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...
Baby and toddler food and beverage manufacturers looking for innovation inspiration will find a treasure map for new product ideas in the recommendations for children under two years included, for the first time, in the current Dietary Guidelines for...
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...
Spero – which is carving out a niche in the plant-based dairy and egg space by using seeds as a base rather than nuts and legumes – has moved into a new 31,000sq ft production facility in the East Bay and is already scouting for a 100,000sq ft facility...
General Mills moves into the emerging ‘animal-free’ dairy category with a brand called Bold Cultr – a lactose-free cream cheese alternative utilizing dairy proteins from Perfect Day made via microbial fermentation (without cows).
Currently dominated by the duopoly of Kraft and Annie's, the macaroni and cheese category is in need for disruption, say the founders of GOODLES, a new 'adultified', better-for-you mac and cheese brand that gives adults the permission to...
GrubMarket, a San Francisco-based food supply chain e-commerce company, has raised $200m in a Series E funding round, bringing its total valuation to over $1.2bn.
Packaged baby and toddler food manufacturers may have a better chance of winning over new mothers – many of whom prefer feeding their children fresh, natural homemade food – if they fortify their products and clearly communicate the benefits of added...
Full year 2021 revenues at Oatly will likely exceed $635m, up 51% vs 2020, but well under the $690m+ the Malmö-based oatmilk maker was projecting over the summer, thanks to slower-than-expected production in the US, inflationary pressures, and ongoing...
A diet rich in fermented foods such as kimchi, cottage cheese, and kefir can enhance the diversity of gut microbes and reduce molecur signs of inflammation, say researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine.
Parents are constantly looking for snacks that meet both the nutritional needs, and oftentimes, the picky palates of their child. Brands that can effectively meet both these fundamental demands are best positioned to win in the competitive landscape of...
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.
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...
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 CPG industry is facing a potential $3bn loss as temporary pandemic-related stimulus earmarked for groceries was phased out last month – despite the launch of a simultaneous permanent increase in monthly benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance...
A new report from Kite Consulting highlights the pressing need for consumer price increases in dairy in the UK. The era of cheap food is over, it suggests.
Swedish keto-friendly brand Nick’s – which entered the US in late 2019 with low carb light ice cream pints and has since expanded into ice cream sandwiches and keto snack bars – has raised $100m in a Series C round led by Kinnevik, Ambrosia Investments...
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....
Losing your sense of smell and taste - a common side effect of COVID-19 – is pretty unsettling for anyone, but if your job is chief global flavorist at one of the world’s leading ingredients companies, you could be forgiven for experiencing some existential...
Food prices continue their steady climb, rising in the last month nearly as much as they did for all of 2019 before the pandemic wreaked havoc on supply chains and dramatically altered consumer demand, according to data released Oct. 25 from the US Department...
With an eye towards identifying technologies and innovations that “exemplify the new food economy” by offering scalable solutions that increase nutrition with minimal environmental impact, FoodBytes! by Rabobank has winnowed down from 45 global startups...
Recognizing that what and how parents choose to feed their newborns and toddlers goes beyond just nutrition, Gerber undertook an ambitious investigation into the universal pressures that caregivers face with an eye towards better supporting them as they...
San Francisco-based Change Foods – one of a small group of startups making 'animal-free' dairy ingredients using microbes instead of cows - plans to launch its first consumer products (cheese) in 2023. FoodNavigator-USA got into the weeds with...
A leading player in plant-based dairy with its Silk and So Delicious brands, Danone North America has made significant strides in improving the taste and texture of plant-based cheese, yogurt, and milk over the past 12 months, says chief research &...
If plant-based dairy is going to go truly mainstream, brands need to reach consumers that right now, are not engaging in the category at all, says Santiago-based NotCo, which says most people don’t want to buy three different plant-based milks for different...
Beginning at conception and continuing through first bites to afterschool snacks and beyond, nutrition plays a pivotal role in children’s brain development, emotional lives, and long-term health – but all too often they aren’t getting all the nutrients...
BIOMILQ – a North Carolina-based startup culturing human mammary cells that lactate – has closed an oversubscribed $21m series A round to support its ambitions to bring cell-cultured human milk to market.
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...
After leading the Organic Trade Association as CEO for 13 years, Laura Batcha will step down next spring – leaving a legacy of savvy political acumen and active member engagement that helped the trade group expand the reach, impact, awareness and sales...
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.
What will be trending in 2022? According to Whole Foods' annual food trends report, consumers are seeking products that contribute to their personal definition of wellbeing, whether it be less-boozy beverages, leafy greens grown locally, or ice cream...
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...
As Vejii prepares to go public on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) in the coming weeks, co-founder and CEO Kory Zelickson shares how the company is leveraging its data and consumer insights to create the best plant-based shopping experience for...
Can we reverse engineer every dairy product and rebuild it with plants, molecule by molecule, or are there some applications such as yogurts or cheese where plants just don’t deliver the taste, functionality, or nutrition consumers are looking for?
PURIS - a key supplier of pea protein to Beyond Meat – has opened a new facility in Dawson, Minnesota that more than doubles its production capacity, and cements its position as the leading supplier of pea protein in North America.
Nabati Foods joins the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) and Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSE) with an eye towards additional platforms after recently debuting its plant-based liquid egg product in the US through its DTC site.