Nestlé has filed a patent for high-carb and high-protein bite-size dough snacks for athletes and health-conscious consumers looking to manage nutritional intake before and during exercise.
Three months after a federal judge in California gave the preliminary thumbs up to a $3.4m settlement of a class action lawsuit accusing Trader Joe’s of falsely advertising products as ‘all natural’, a fellow judge has allowed most claims in a similar...
DIGGING INTO INNOVATION AND NPD WITH DATAMONITOR CONSUMER
Jerry Bello - the founder of Veggie straws maker Sensible Portions (sold to Hain Celestial in a multimillion dollar deal in 2010) - remembers the exact moment when he stumbled across something he reckons could be an even bigger snack food hit.
Although fewer than one in 100 (0.9%) of US consumers is afflicted with a peanut or treenut allergy, the purchasing power of that group extends far beyond those with allergies, according to the recent Nut Allergy Ecosystem survey by Rich Products Corp.
From drinkable grains to Non-GMO verified, Sterling-Rice Group has identified 10 natural and organic food trends that are starting to influence the mainstream grocery market. Are you up to speed?
The US soymilk category remains in a funk according to a new report, which shows retail sales - which topped $1bn five years ago - slumped 8.5% to $638m in 2013, while sales of soy-based meat alternatives fell 1% to $776m, despite all the excitement...
The future of snacks will be positioning them as part of a 'meal bridge' solution that hits on convenience, value, taste and health, says the marketing head at Snyder’s-Lance.
A bill that would have required firms to label genetically engineered foods in California has failed to secure sufficient votes in the state senate to pass into law.
Gluten-free and allergy-friendly packaged foods manufacturer Enjoy Life Foods understands the particular importance of word of mouth when it comes to its customers, and the firm has embraced the next generation of this through its investments in social...
General Mills and Kellogg have dismissed Oxfam’s claim that they are the ‘worst offenders’ on global greenhouse gas emissions and not doing enough to tackle climate change.
The two-year proposed window for manufacturers to change nutrition labeling is not enough, snack makers need four to six years, says the CEO of the Snack Food Association (SFA).
Popcorn has exploded and thins have sliced into action in snacking – both riding on the wave of being indulgent with a healthy slant, according to Euromonitor International.
The cost of New York State adopting labeling of GMO ingredient in food products could increase the cost of food for a family of four by $800 per year, says a new economic study from Cornell University. The results have been described as “out of line and...
In the latest edition of FoodNavigator-USA’s What do you do series, we talked with Mike Helser, who heads up General Mills’ Worldwide Innovation Network, on his transition from oceanographer to food scientist, the challenging job of bringing innovation...
What does it take to get to the top of a leading food and beverage company? Can you still make it from the shop-floor to the boardroom? Is an MBA essential? And do operations managers or R&D directors ever get to lead Fortune 500 companies, or do...
PepsiCo gobbled up more global interest last year, fueled by three ‘star’ brands – Lay’s, Doritos and Cheetos, according to Kantar Worldpanel's Brand Footprint report.
I worked for five years as a USDA-contract organic inspector after growing up on an organic grain farm in Saskatchewan. I had the pleasure of inspecting over 500 organic farms and processors, but I began questioning this career path when I realized the...
US retail sales of organic products grew 11.5% to $35.1bn in 2013, the strongest growth the industry has seen in five years, according to new data from the Organic Trade Association (OTA), which is predicting even higher growth of 12% this year.
Big interview: Craig Lieberman, founder & CEO, 34 Degrees
When Craig Lieberman flew to Sydney to study for a Master’s Degree in International Relations in the mid-1990s, his goal was to be a diplomat. But not long after he arrived, the idea for another, very different, career started to take shape.
There are significant opportunities to grow the Rudi’s Organic Bakery brand, both through increasing distribution and taking it into new categories, says its new owner, Hain Celestial.
Microwave popcorn was a childhood favorite snack of Kristy Lewis; though her nostalgia turned to disillusionment when as an adult she learned that the chemical-, hydrogenated oil-laden formula hadn’t evolved alongside her growing awareness.
As anti-GMO activists celebrated their first major victory in Vermont this week with the passage of GMO labeling bill H112, the GMA said it would mount a legal challenge within weeks. But while big food companies may well win the courtroom battle ahead,...
The FDA’s “flawed” 2009 draft guidance on ‘evaporated cane juice’ has put food manufacturers and retailers between a rock and a hard place when deciding what to put on their labels, says a group of leading manufacturers.
Kellogg subsidiary Kashi has joined a growing list of big food companies that have agreed to stop using the term ‘all-natural’ to describe certain products in response to a tidal wave of civil litigation over the controversial term.
Snack giant Snyder's-Lance is to buy Wisconsin-based Baptista's Bakery and sell its private brands business as its re-shapes its portfolio to focus on branded products and expand its capabilities in premium and better-for-you snacks.
84% of US consumers buy organic food sometimes, and 45% of them buy it at least once a month, according to a new national survey of 1,016 adults. However, there is a disparity between what they think the organic seal means and what they think it should...
Big interview: Noha Waibsnaider, founder & CEO, Peeled Snacks
Armed with an MBA from Columbia University, a great contacts book, and a keen understanding of the CPG market after a two-year stint working at Unilever, Noha Waibsnaider was probably better equipped than most to face the challenges ahead when she launched...
While calorie labeling on restaurant menus is still in its infancy - as is academic research attempting to measure its impact - a new study suggests it is not driving a significant change in consumer behavior.
They’re addicted to their smartphones, big fans of social networking sites, and more likely than their parents to buy store brands. But what else do we know about Millennials - the 100 million Americans born between 1980 and 2000?
If the size of the US gluten-free market is hard to pin down as everyone measures it differently, few doubt that its double-digit growth seems set to continue - at least for the next 2-3 years - according to experts at the FoodNavigator-USA Gluten Free...
Want to learn more about the gluten-free market? Click HERE to tune into FoodNavigator’s online forum to learn about celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, the size of the gluten-free prize, who buys gluten-free products, and why.
Amid a spate of direct-to-consumer subscription snack launches, the founders of NatureBox say the power of their model lies in keeping all products under the NatureBox brand and the company’s use of data to create the ultimate customer service experience.
Dietary recommendations for protein intake should be increased for healthy older adults to 1.0 to 1.2 g protein/kg body weight/day, says an international team of experts.
Just over three months after launching in the US market, grocery coupon app Checkout 51 has attracted an eye-boggling 1.4 million users, and expects to attract tens of millions more. Why? Because it’s really easy to use, says co-founder Noah Godfrey.
General Mills found itself at the center of a bad PR storm this month after a seemingly routine change to its online legal terms to include an arbitration clause. Food & beverage attorney Ron Levine talked with FoodNavigator-USA on the good and bad...
Consumers are confused about what evaporated cane juice (ECJ) is, but the FDA’s preferred term - ‘dried cane syrup’ - is not much better, according to one of the first groups to respond to the agency’s new request for comments on ECJ.
Exclusive interview: Pat Crowley, director and founder of Chapul
As one of the forerunners of the commercialization of edible insects in the US, Chapul, makes its first big push into the national market with its cricket protein bars, founder Pat Crowley caught up with FoodNavigator-USA on the enviable efficiency of...
Hillshire Brands has struck a $165m deal to buy frozen breakfast and snack foods maker Van's Natural Foods from private equity firm Catterton Partners.
Consuming whole-grain-rich foods for six weeks may slash levels of inflammatory biomarkers in overweight children, according to findings published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.
Consumers have spent years paying over the odds for organic foods based on the erroneous belief - promulgated by stakeholders with a vested interest - that they are healthier and safer than their conventional counterparts, claims a controversial new report.
It’s hard to find an American pantry that doesn’t contain peanut butter, chocolate hazelnut spread or some variation therein. But there’s still room for growth in the $3.9 billion nut-based and sweet spread category, according to a report from Mintel.
There are just two weeks to go until FoodNavigator’s live (and hopefully very lively) online debate on one of the hottest trends in food development: gluten-free.
Online healthy snacks service Graze has surpassed 150,000 in US subscriptions after just three months in the market; growth the CEO has described as phenomenal.
