While the media coverage of the new SmartLabel initiative has focused on shoppers’ enthusiasm (or lack, thereof) for scanning QR codes as they shop, or whether it’s just an elaborate ruse by ‘big food’ to avoid mandatory on-pack GMO labeling, the real...
US retail sales of Greek yogurt have been picking up strongly over the past year, according to the latest Nielsen data*, with year-on-year (YoY) percentage growth up from 4.6% in the latest 52 weeks, to 6.1% in the latest 26 weeks, 7.4% in the latest...
Wisconsin-based Dairyvative’s milk concentrate has hit the consumer trial stage, and it’s ready to enter the market in January. The concentrate has a consistency similar to honey, and it can be packaged and reconstituted.
Will 2016 be another bumper year for food-labeling class action lawsuits, or has the FDA’s surprise decision to weigh into the ‘natural’ debate put a spanner in the works for plaintiff’s attorneys? We quizzed leading food law attorneys to find out (gallery...
PureCircle has developed a new family of stevia-based sweeteners designed to shine in low to zero-calorie formulations, an application area that has proved particularly challenging as formulators seek to retain a ‘clean, sugar-like’ taste at higher dosage...
Brands are blowing a major opportunity to communicate their sustainability initiatives to millions of consumers with social media updates that are “inane, safe and saccharinely artificial in their bonhomie”, says a report.
Just two and a half years after opening a $206m, 350,000 sq ft factory in Batavia, New York, PepsiCo and German dairy giant Theo Müller Group have agreed to count their losses and exit their joint venture (Muller Quaker Dairy). The plant has been sold...
Social media often is a dominant – and sometimes the only – component of most food and beverage companies' marketing strategies, but as platforms continue to proliferate, advertisers must understand to whom each application appeals to maximize their...
A new on-pack label could be the best way to quickly reduce the use of antibiotics in the livestock industry, according to a major new report for the UK government.
America’s love affair with spicy flavors will continue in 2016, but with an evolutionary twist that also will open the door for more multicultural flavors, predicts McCormick & Co. in it is annual flavor forecast.
New research that finds men eat significantly more in the company of women than with other men begs the question whether marketers could boost sales of food and beverages by including women in marketing.
The shift towards cleaner, more nutrient dense foods will continue to spread in the US in the coming year with parents increasingly looking for healthy options for the whole family – including picky children, who in generations past might have been served...
Seaweed, full-fat dairy, floral flavors and mushrooms will all gain traction in 2016, according to the Specialty Food Association (SFA), which has released a list of 10 trends to watch in US food culture next year:
The US Dairy Export Council expects another challenging year for the dairy market in 2016 as Russia and China continue to reduce their reliance on imports.
From plant-based ‘snack tubes’; to the VeganEgg, snackable breakfast options, and kale & potato chips; check out FoodNavigator-USA’s gallery of new products hitting US shelves this fall/winter.
CEO: 'The center of the store is not generating the kind of performance that we would like'
The Fresh Market can be fixed, but it’s going to have to cut prices of key-value-items (KVIs), and “reinvent” the center of the store, says its new president and CEO Rick Anicetti, who has spent his first few weeks at the helm “looking under the hood”...
Food and beverage manufacturers and suppliers are rising to meet the increasing consumer demand for humanely produced animal products – a trend which the American Humane Association celebrated last week on Capitol Hill in Washington.
The FDA has rejected a citizen’s petition calling for mandatory labeling of foods from genetically engineered crops, arguing that labels are not warranted unless there is a material difference in the safety or nutritional profile of the foods in question.
The egg industry is undergoing a “renaissance” as consumers increasingly turn their backs to conventional eggs from caged hens and reach instead for those from chickens raised with space to move and access to outdoors, claims the co-owner of Handsome...
Not so long ago, pundits were predicting that the high-purity stevia extracts market would be worth a billion dollars as manufacturers ditched artificial sweeteners and embraced ‘all-natural’ alternatives.
General Mills coughed up a cool $820m to buy Annie’s last year. But it has also signaled its intention to invest in brands at an earlier stage in their development via its 301 Inc venturing arm and a recent tie up with equity crowdfunding site CircleUp....
Protein is hot, sugar is public enemy #1, and fat is back (so the trend-watchers say). But when it comes to good, bad and ugly fats, does everyone agree on which are which? Check out our gallery of insights from consumers, industry stakeholders, and the...
Clear windows on packaged foods and beverages seem to be all the rage right now as manufacturers try to literally meet consumer desire for transparency and authenticity – but a well-placed photograph sometimes is a more effective marketing tool, branding...
Demand for more plant-based, vegetable-forward food has been growing the past few years, but the trend will hit new heights in 2016 – taking over the center of the plate and more often than before fully replacing animal protein, predicts trend tracker...
WhiteWave Foods’ efforts to expand the plant-based dairy alternative category beyond beverage and outside of the natural channel already is paying off for the company, and it holds significant promise for the larger category’s and retailers’ future, executives...
What is 'natural'? FDA finally weighs into the debate
Having studiously avoided this food labeling minefield for years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has surprised many in the trade by seeking comments on the definition of a word that has launched a thousand class action lawsuits (well almost):...
From tea to turmeric beverages, and from smoothies to spice blends, the GanedenBC30 probiotic is everywhere. After successful regulatory approvals around the world, next year promises to be ‘exceptional’.
Collaborative innovation between retailers and manufacturers can jumpstart product development, generate substantial cost-savings and improve the success of a launch more effectively than either partner likely could achieve on its own, a senior director...
Despite their natural advantages of name recognition and sales momentum, big brands have struggled of late. Consulting firm Seurat Group has put together a toolbox to help companies reinvigorate these key contributors.
301 Inc, the business development and venturing unit at General Mills, has launched a multi-million dollar capital fund through the CircleUp platform to seed emerging consumer food brands.
The abandonment of the one-child policy in China is expected to grow sales of infant formula by 10-15%, with 1.5-2 million more babies likely to be born each year in the country.
Although official dietary guidelines have advised against excessive consumption of whole fat milk for years, a study said it may be a good idea to include full-fat dairy products in a diet.
Protein is hot in food formulation right now. But is this a sustainable trend or a passing fad? How much is enough, and do the next generation of proteins, from rice and pea to algae and insects, deliver in the same way that soy and whey do? And how should...
If you didn't make it to Chicago last week for the inaugural Food Vision USA event, you missed a truly awesome ensemble of industry experts covering everything from our nutritional needs on a manned mission to Mars to the challenges facing small...
FOOD VISION USA: How to maintain a challenger brand mentality as a mainstream player
Chobani’s Flip ‘mix-in’ platform is operating at a run rate of $300-$350m and could be the next one billion dollar brand in yogurt, says Chobani, which is planning to take the brand into savory territory next year with the launch of novel sweet and spicy...
Food manufacturers remain sharply divided over FDA proposals to crack down on added sugar, with General Mills and other big names such as Kellogg and Unilever strongly opposed; and Nestlé, Mars, and KIND LLC in favor, according to the latest wave of comments...
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is considering a Dannon proposal that would see yogurt provided to school districts at a potential discount of up to 40%.
An improving economy and growing concerns over obesity and related health issues are creating a new category of shoppers, according to U.K.-based customer science firm Dunnhumby.
Target has embarked on a multi-year collaboration with MIT’s Media Lab and design firm IDEO that will explore areas such as urban farming, food transparency and authenticity, supply chain and health.
The health halo around protein continues to shine brightly, but a shadow could be cast on the ingredient as some consumers start asking if it is possible to have too much protein, according to a market research expert.
As demand for local food grows, so too does consumers’ willingness to pay more for it, but manufacturers and retailers must clearly label local products to reap their full sales potential, suggests new research.
Stressed, time poor and short of culinary inspiration, but feeling guilty about ordering pizza again? Sun Basket – the latest entrant to the burgeoning home meal delivery market – gives you the tools to cook restaurant-quality meals at home, without having...
US confectioners can measure the effectiveness of in-store merchandising and promotions in real-time and quickly correct any issues by drawing on a network of 800,000 contractors, says the founder of start-up Gigwalk.
301 Inc, a business development unit within General Mills, today announced a shift in strategy from developing its own brands to partnering and investing in early stage food companies, such as L.A. based plant-based protein expert Beyond Meat.
Two well-known players in food financing – former Silverwood Partners MDs Michael Burgmaier and Nick McCoy - have started a new boutique investment bank focused on the consumer products industry called Whipstitch Capital.
Myriad new protein sources – from pea to microalgae to insect – are gaining traction in some packaged foods and beverages, but whether they move beyond novelty and survive long-term remains to be seen, according to protein experts.
