So-called ‘alternative proteins’ – from upcycled barley and canola protein to animal-free whey made in fermentation tanks using genetically engineered microbes – were a hot topic at IFT First in Chicago. But with US retail sales of some meat alternatives...
Boulder-based Meati Foods – which is seeking to differentiate itself in the increasingly crowded meat-alternative space with a fungi-based platform capable of producing ‘steaks’ and other whole cuts – has raised $150m in a Series C round led by Revolution...
Kroger-owned meal kit company Home Chef is expanding its southeast footprint with a new dedicated 181,000-square-foot production facility in Georgia to support its growing customer base.
Frustrated with FDA’s “inefficient decision making,” reliance on “inexperienced and undertrained” inspectors and “split and siloed” approach to food safety and oversight, the Consumer Brands Association this morning reiterated its call for the agency...
Online grocery sales totaled $7.2bn for June 2022, tracking ahead of the same month last year (+6%) and slightly above May 2022 figures (+1%), according to the latest data from Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey.
While still a growing $7.4bn industry, plant-based foods have some significant hurdles to overcome around formulation especially in the area of fat content, according to Mintel.
As Belgian startup Paleo ups the ante in the meat alternatives space with a suite of meaty-tasting heme proteins from multiple animal species it aims to commercialize in 2023, FoodNavigator-USA caught up with CEO Hermes Sanctorum to talk mammoth myoglobin,...
San Leandro based SCi-Fi Foods – which believes it has “a pretty clear shot at being the first company to bring cultivated beef to the market in the US” – claims to have scored an industry first by developing bovine cell lines that can grow in single-cell...
Benson Hill is seeing surging demand for its non-GMO ultra-high protein soy flour, which is now in full-scale commercialization mode thanks to a new industrial facility and partnerships with major food manufacturers including Kellogg.
While homogenous plant-based patties, nuggets and sausages abound, few currently available meat alternatives recreate the multi-layered experience of biting though skin to release a juicy burst of flavor that is reinforced by a marbling of fat or the...
Emerging brand Fila Manila is blazing a trail for better representation of Filipino flavors and cuisine in mainstream grocery with its line of savory simmer sauces and brand new launch, coconut and ube jams.
Inflation is impacting the average price of goods across the grocery store with price growth rates up double digits for some top-selling categories in the last 12 months ending in May 2022, according to the latest retail sales data from NielsenIQ.
The next generation of brands, ingredient suppliers and processors are placing sustainability at the center of how they do business and making it easier for their partners to do the same as illustrated by the companies showcasing in the Startup Pavilion...
Higher protein intake while dieting leads to better food choices and helps avoid loss of lean body mass, according to new research conducted at Rutgers University.
As the enthusiasm for cooking that many discovered early in the pandemic wanes, retailers and CPG brands can protect against lost sales to restaurants and foodservice by offering more fresh prepared and minimal-prep options as well as inspiration that...
As rising gas and food prices cause US consumers’ confidence and short-term outlook for the economy to plunge, some are shifting their spending habits and the blame from the pandemic to ongoing supply chain costs, constraints and related government policies,...
While the pandemic accelerated the adoption of food e-commerce, brick and mortar shopping will always have an edge over online grocery for most consumers, reports Dunnhumby.
Startup Lus Oasis is joining the race to develop and scale whole cut plant-based meat – the holy grail of the alternative protein segment – with the creation of Alchemeat, which uses a patented high-moisture extrusion process to recreate the “firm and...
Canadian food-tech startup Chinova Bioworks is ramping up production of its natural mushroom-based preservative Chiber with the opening of a new production facility this fall and expanding its applications with help from a $6m series A fundraise announced...
From new takes on ranch to elevated ketchup and mustard products, Whole Foods Market's Trends Council revealed which condiments will be appearing on more picnic and barbecue plates this summer.
Kroger is seeing inflation heavily impact the way consumers are shopping at its stores, with many choosing more store brands and selecting fewer premium products (eg. switching from beef to pork), says CEO Rodney McMullen.
US retail sales of frozen meat alternatives were up a solid +10.1% to $76m in May 2022 vs May 2021, with volumes fairly flat at -0.8%; but sales of refrigerated meat alternatives continued their precipitous slide last month, with dollar sales slumping...
Two years after securing a preliminary injunction to stop Nestlé from marketing its plant-based ‘Incredible Burger’ in the EU, Impossible Foods has filed a lawsuit in a bid to stop Toronto-based Zoglo's Incredible Food using the ‘Incredible’ mark...
Moolec Science – which has developed a ‘molecular farming’ platform to produce plants that express animal proteins – is going public via a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC)* in a deal expected to close later this year.
Ukraine is producing enough crops, but Russia’s Black Sea blockade is severely limiting how much it can export, according to Ukraine’s Deputy Minister for Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture. Is there a workaround?
Total online grocery sales dropped on a monthly basis to $7.1bn in May 2022 (down from $8.1bn in April 2022), but are still slightly above (+1.7%) the same period last year, according to the latest Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey, which...
Minnesota-based startup Apparo – which developed technology now being deployed by AB InBev on a commercial scale to extract highly functional barley protein from brewer’s spent grains – has turned its attention to another upcycled protein it reckons could...
Beverages dominate IRI’s 2021 New Product Pacesetters report, accounting for a record eight out of the top 10 new products by dollar sales and 46 out of the top 100 new products.
With protein content claims in the spotlight after Beyond Meat was hit with two lawsuits filed in the space of one week alleging it overstates the protein in its plant-based burgers and other products, FoodNavigator-USA caught up with labeling experts...
San Leandro CA-based Artemys Foods – which claims it has “a pretty clear shot at being the first company to bring cultivated beef to the market in the US” - has rebranded as SCiFi Foods and raised $22m in a series A round* led by VC firm Andreessen Horowitz....
Israeli food tech startup SuperMeat has received grant funding to establish an open high-throughput screening system for optimizing cultivated meat production, helping the company reach commercial viability of its cultivated chicken products.
After three years of helping Kraft Heinz claw its way up “from the bottom,” where it crashed after previous management prioritized inorganic growth and cost-cutting measures, CEO Miguel Patricio wants credit given where it is due.
Cases of the highly contagious avian flu in the US appear to be declining with the warmer weather, but only after taking the lives of nearly 40 million birds, including many from Hormel’s turkey flock – leading to “large supply gaps in the Jennie-O Turkey...
Beyond Meat has been hit with two lawsuits this week alleging it “grossly overstates” the protein in its products: one consumer class action complaint, and another from former co-packer Don Lee Farms, which has been embroiled in an ugly legal dispute*...
What is driving consumers to eat plant-based meat and dairy alternatives? According to Euromonitor International's 2022 Voice of the Industry survey, a desire to feel healthier and avoid long-term health risks are ahead of environmental and animal...
From the latest animal-free 'milk' launch fueled by Perfect Day's whey protein (made without cows), to plant-based bacon, fungi-based steaks and no-sugar-added gummies, checkout FoodNavigator-USA's latest roundup of new product launches.
Announcing the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars across the supply chain, the US Department of Agriculture says it hopes to rebalance the food system’s historic focus on efficiency with much-needed resiliency so that the country is better...
While many retailers are raising prices on grocery items, German discount retailer Lidl is reducing the cost on over 100 items in all of its US-based stores for the summer months.
While much of the press coverage in food tech is devoted to brands making meat, egg, and dairy alternatives, these technologies will only be scalable – and sustainable - if we pay the same level of attention to the enabling technologies underpinning them,...
Food companies are increasingly opting for insetting over offsetting their carbon emissions, it's been claimed, as the voluntary carbon offset market continues to look to improve its credibility.
With $10m in series A funding, the carbon assessment platform Planet FWD hopes to dramatically reduce the time it takes CPG companies to evaluate and neutralize their environmental impact while simultaneously speeding up their development of eco-friendly...
GOOD Meat, the cultivated meat division of Eat Just, has signed an exclusive seven-year deal with bioprocess equipment specialist ABEC to design, manufacture, install and commission the “largest known bioreactors for avian and mammalian cell culture”...
More Americans are worried about the planet’s health and understand that their dietary choices impact the environment, yet few are willing to pay significantly more for eco-friendly products – potentially squeezing companies undertaking expensive sustainability...
General Mills’ sale of its iconic Helper main meals and Suddenly Salad side dish business for $610m to Eagle Family Foods Group will free up resources and help rebuild its cash reserves as it continues to hunt for acquisitions to build out its five core...
ADM’s nutrition business may represent only 15% of its operating profit currently, but executives expect that to double in the next three years and to drive a majority of the company’s operating growth thanks to its “systems” approach to business development,...
They may not be magic, but mushrooms – at least medicinal ones – are having a moment as consumer demand for functional benefits, such as clarity, calm, digestive support and enhanced immunity, are driving discovery and sales of the versatile, easy-to-you...
Tyson Foods is betting big on ready-to-eat and value-added products, which it estimates could return margins of 10-12% even during a recession, as part of its ambitious goal to get ahead and stay ahead of the competition and outpace the market.
A new entrant to the burgeoning plant-based protein arena, canola protein can improve the taste, texture, and nutrition of everything from protein bars to plant-based ice cream, says Merit Functional Foods, which recently opened a facility in Manitoba...
Plant-based meat analogues are still striving to deliver a genuine ‘meaty’ taste, texture and mouthfeel. Could combining plant proteins with cultured animal fats offer a solution? Food tech innovators ENOUGH and MeaTech3D have launched a collaboration...
California-based Impossible Foods is making its European debut in the UK this week with the launch of plant-based chicken nuggets and sausage patties, formulated without its flagship soy leghemoglobin ingredient, which is not yet approved in the UK or...
