New research from General Mills suggests cereal is shaking free from some of its negative stereotypes as consumers look for relief from pandemic-related pressures, including balancing tighter budgets due to lost jobs, wanting to maintain their families’...
After scooping up Lightlife and Field Roast in recent acquisitions, Maple Leaf Foods should have been well-positioned to capitalize on the rising demand for plant-based meat and dairy during the pandemic, but instead COVID-19 related supply chain struggles...
Kids are drinking less milk and juice as they get older, but what are they drinking instead, and is it good for them? How do parents evaluate what types of drinks are good for kids? What are parents looking for on food labels?
Despite less frequent trips to the grocery store and a history of general consumer unease with purchasing fresh food online, sales of fresh food continue to climb driving new growth to the category, reveals Deloitte's The Future of Fresh: Patterns...
Influenced by feelings of stress and anxiety, shifting priorities caused by the ongoing pandemic, and changes in social connectivity, consumers are taking a more holistic and proactive approach to health and wellness, according to a new report from ADM....
Houston, Texas-based brand Llamaland Organics is introducing American families to a variety of superfood ingredients sourced directly from Peru through approachable and familiar product formats including cereals and fruit spreads.
Farmers and ranchers have long grappled alone with “extreme and episodic” events that have threatened their ability to meet demand, but according to one food and ag non-profit the added strain of the pandemic has illustrated the need for stakeholders...
There’s been a lot of innovation in the baby and toddler food market in recent years, and many new brands target Gen Z and Millennials. But kids aged 4-11 often get overlooked, says Mavericks Snacks founder Livio Bisterzo, who hit CPG gold with Hippeas...
While Grupo Bimbo has managed to stay on top of and benefit from increased demand for its baked goods and snacks in the US during the pandemic so far, executives are weary of any additional strain on capacity and employee safety posed by a potential second...
Nestlé’s nine-month sales for 2020 and Unilever’s third-quarter trading statement illustrate the revitalised consumer demand for staples and comfort foods, once feared to have fallen out of fashion.
While the ongoing pandemic has caused many venture capitalists to hit pause or slowdown, other investors and even consumers increasingly are interested in supporting growing businesses and diversifying their portfolios as illustrated by a surge in crowdfunding.
Albertsons Companies saw total revenue grow 11.2% to $15.8bn during Q2 2020 (12 weeks ended Sept. 12, 2020) driven by strong digital sales growth (+243%) and a growing base of loyal consumers who are gravitating towards the retailer's private label...
In a withering opinion published Sunday, a federal judge struck down a Final Rule pushed by the Trump administration that would have severely reduced or eliminated nutrition assistance to more than 1 million Americans during and after the pandemic.
Heavily influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, Whole Foods Market has unveiled its top 10 food trends for 2021, which include revitalized “epic” breakfast meals and culinary-inspired baby food, to growing consumer adoption of fringe cooking oils and food...
Cooking inspiration and education are emerging as powerful marketing tools for food and beverage brands and retailers as consumers who are tired of preparing the same-old, same-old at home for the past seven months of the pandemic look for new recipes,...
COVID-19 and food retail: New data reveals winners and losers in foot traffic, visit duration
New data monitoring store visits at America’s leading food retailers between March and September 2020 shows that traffic at Whole Foods remains down more than 20% year-on-year, while most rival grocers have seen a steady recovery.
Partnership for a Healthier America and the Produce Marketing Association are expanding their COVID-19 Fresh Food Fund in a duel effort to ease food insecurity exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic and create a new market for produce that might otherwise...
Despite grocery retailer revenues rising amid increased consumer demand during the pandemic, higher costs associated with COVID-19 are squeezing already tight margins in a trend that FMI: The Food Industry Association warns likely will get worse before...
How are parents coping with the COVID-19 pandemic in their households when it comes to feeding their kids? Has the extra time spent at home given families more opportunity to cook and experiment with new recipes, or has the anxiety left parents scrambling...
Despite broad efforts to reduce sugar, sodium, fat and excess calories in the American diet in recent years, childhood obesity continues to afflict one in seven 10- to 17-year-olds in the US, leaving them vulnerable not only to type II diabetes, high...
Coronavirus has forced many consumers to get comfortable eating and cooking at home for most meals, and while some are rediscovering their love for cooking, others have grown tired of the routine, according to an Acosta survey.
Frustrated that many of the underlying health conditions that increase the risk of contracting COVID-19 disproportionately impact black, indigenous and people of color, the founder of Uplifting Results Lab wants to help close the race-related health disparity...
Startups selected to participate in Rabobank’s virtual FoodBytes! Pitch competition this fall provide a neat snapshot into trending topics in food and agriculture, from alternative proteins and upcycled ingredients, to edible cutlery, relaxation beverages,...
As part of its technology-driven retail strategy, Walmart has unveiled a new digitally-enabled look and feel to its store design and layout rolling out to hundreds of stores this year to create an “instant omni-shopping experience in the customer’s mind.”
PepsiCo reinforces its commitment to its three-pronged “Faster, Stronger, and Better” strategic framework Oct. 1 as it comes off a better than expected third-quarter in which its beverage business rebounded and pandemic-fueled demand for snacks and packaged...
Conagra Brands posted stronger-than-expected Q1 2021 (13 weeks ended Aug. 30) results, which saw organic net sales increase 15% with significant growth coming from its grocery & snacks (+16%), refrigerated & frozen (+17.9%), and international...
While many Americans embraced the creativity of cooking at home as a welcome distraction during the early days of the pandemic, six months of prepping multiple meals a day, seven days a week is taking a toll – prompting some consumers to look for more...
As coronavirus continues to thwart businesses' best-laid plans, New Hope has decided to reschedule its Natural Products Expo West show in Anaheim, California, pushing it from March 2-6, 2021, to May, 24-27, 2021.
School closures – and tentative re-openings – have compounded stress levels for families, while COVID-19-induced economic anxiety is also straining household budgets. So how can food and beverage brands come up with enticing – but affordable – recipes,...
Per-capita liquid refreshment beverage (LRB) calories have declined 5.6% over a five-year period (from 203 calories per person per day in 2014 to 191.8 calories in 2019), according to the American Beverage Association’s latest Beverage Calories Initiative...
US per capita peanut consumption has risen to an all-time high of 7.6 pounds in 2020, up 3.2% on 2019 driven in part by increased demand for peanut butter and at-home snacking as food consumption has shifted towards the home during the coronavirus pandemic.
While uncertainty around the reopening of America in 2021 complicates predicting at-home versus away-from-home consumption for the full year, General Mills expects retail sales of its CPGs to remain higher than pre-pandemic levels for at least the next...
Brazi Bites, best known for its frozen gluten-free Brazilian-style cheese bread, is expanding its consumer reach by launching on Amazon and in 300 Walmart stores where the brand can tap into a new base of consumers, said co-founder and CMO, Junea Rocha.
Americans may be exhausted from months of social distancing, balancing increased family responsibilities with work and navigating economic uncertainty due to the coronavirus, but fewer are reaching for energy drinks to keep them fueled during the pandemic...
Venture capitalists’ initial hesitancy to enter new deals immediately following the coronavirus outbreak appears to be easing with the most interest and activity focused on grocery CPGs and food delivery, according to an analyst with Pitchbook.
US retail sales of refrigerated kombucha and other fermented beverages edged up 2.4% to $703.2m in measured channels* in the year to July 12, 2020, with dollar sales up 5.1% in the conventional (MULO) channel but down -6.1% in the natural channel, delegates...
At six months into the pandemic, we are well-past the frantic pantry stocking days that left many store shelves bare, and yet, the broad product selection available in stores before the coronavirus outbreak has not returned – prompting questions about...
The associations between vitamin D status and COVID-19 risk continue to strengthen, with new data from Quest Diagnostics and Boston University indicating that people with deficiency in the sunshine vitamin may have a significantly higher positivity rate...
Public health advocates fear Congress will adjourn for fall break without first extending emergency food assistance that is set to expire at the end of the month – potentially leaving millions of families whose children rely on free or reduced school...
Looking back, spring 2020 was not the ideal time to debut in grocery retail, observes Planterra Foods CEO Darcey Macken, who was gearing up to make a splash in the plant-based meat set in mid-April with the OZO brand before a certain pandemic threw a...
As the number of Americans dependent on what was once known as food stamps swells to 13% of the population due in large part to an unemployment spike related to the pandemic, they have become an increasingly important demographic for CPG retailers, according...
PepsiCo is launching Driftwell: a functional beverage containing L-theanine to promote relaxation. Representing PepsiCo’s fastest beverage brand ever to market, it was created through an internal idea pitch competition for employees.
'The spike in searches for immunity, stress relief, and sleep are off the charts'
Bulletproof has closed a $13m capital raise led by new investors, Beliv and Rocana Ventures, and existing investors, CAVU Venture Partners and Trinity Ventures, to fuel the brand's omnichannel vision of "being present where the consumer finds...
Higher income shoppers are frequenting discount retailer Dollar General more often than they did before the coronavirus pandemic, but it isn’t because they are avoiding crowds at higher end retailers or desperately searching for items out of stock at...
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recently did an Instagram Live interview with the actress Jennifer Garner where he discussed immune health and supplementation.
Based in Massachusetts, Little Leaf Farms has doubled its hydroponic greenhouse-growing capacity to 10 acres of fields under glass capable of producing more than two million packages of lettuce each month, which will broaden the company's distribution...
Consumers have grown accustomed to eating and cooking more meals at home due to the pandemic and will continue this behavior well into 2021, said Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen during the company's Q2 2020 earnings call.
Last Friday marked six months since the coronavirus pandemic was declared, which for many Americans means six months of either risking exposure to go to work as essential employees or six months of working remotely from a repurposed kitchen table or other...
Meat giant Smithfield Foods – the recipient of a citation from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for failing to protect employees from exposure to the coronavirus – says it is “wholly without merit and we plan to contest it.”
