The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has reshaped virtually every aspect of American’s lives, including what, when and how we eat, according to research from the flavor, ingredient and color company Flavorchem, which found our emotions are influencing our...
The coronavirus pandemic may have brought to a standstill the large tradeshows where industry players traditionally came together, but thanks to new digital platforms – including Austin-based Fieldcraft – stakeholders not only can still meet, explore...
Stevia specialist SweeGen has started commercial production of Reb B, a lesser-known and “highly soluble” steviol glycoside (stevia sweetener) that it says works particularly well in beverages.
Despite online grocery taking off in recent months, CPG brands may be leaving millions of dollars of missed revenue on the table by not highlighting key product attributes when they present their brands online, according to a report by Label Insight.
Even though Andrew Abraham has helped millions of people live healthier, more vibrant lives first as a medical doctor and then for the past 12 years as the founder of the organic protein shake and bar brand Orgain, he wanted to help more consumers learn...
EPG (brand name: Epogee) – a new plant-based oil that has been restructured in such a way that virtually none of it is absorbed by the body – is attracting interest from formulators across the food industry, as firms see an opportunity to make significant...
At a time when many brands are in survival mode, Shaka Tea -- ready-to-drink iced tea made from the endemic Hawaiian māmaki -- has tapped into new avenues of growth, crediting its lean business strategy and approachable price point.
Even as sales and consumer perception of the quality of USDA organic certified continue to grow, new consumer research from the Hartman Group suggests the label’s long-held status as the gold standard may be starting to slip.
San Francisco-based startup Hooray Foods – which launched its allergy-friendly vegan bacon (no soy or wheat) in restaurants late last year – is now in talks with retailers looking to expand their plant-based meat set.
Bolthouse Farms – a fresh food business specializing in packaged carrots and juices, smoothies and dressings – has discontinued its premium organic cold pressed juice brand 1915 amid declining sales, but says it is enjoying a strong uptick in sales of...
Icelandic brand Good Good, which makes no-sugar-added jams, syrups, and a chocolate hazelnut spread sweetened with stevia and erthyritol, has closed a $3m Series A round of investment led by Icepharma, AtonJL and Svanhildur Nanna Vigfusdottir along with...
Apeel Sciences – the Santa Barbara-based firm behind an invisible plant-based edible skin that can dramatically extend the shelf-life of fresh produce – has raised $250m in a funding round led by GIC that gives it a valuation north of a billion dollars.
Rebellyous Foods – a Seattle-based startup that has been targeting high-volume foodservice accounts with plant-based chicken nuggets – has made a dramatic pivot to retail with the launch of family-packs at select retailers in the Pacific Northwest.
Seaweed is well established as a source of thickeners and emulsifiers such as carrageenan and agar and has carved out a small segment of the healthy snacks aisle, but it could also give rivals a serious run for their money as a source of plant-based protein,...
The FDA, USDA and EPA have launched ‘Feed Your Mind’, a new Agricultural Biotechnology Education and Outreach Initiative that aims to increase consumer awareness and understanding of genetically engineered foods (GMOs).
Children’s brands that previously relied on “the nag factor,” impulse purchases or being the reward parents give children to behave in stores are pivoting their marketing to target adults now that most families send only one adult to the grocery store...
Check out FoodNavigator-USA’s latest gallery of new products, from avocado puffs and keto sandwich cookies, to sparkling beverages infused with vitamins and minerals from Talking Rain.
San Francisco-based Smitten Ice Cream is the first food company to use ‘non-animal’ whey protein from Perfect Day in a commercial product, giving the market a glimpse of how foods featuring these ingredients might be marketed.
Global ingredient supplier Ingredion expects continued strong demand for ingredients that go into packaged foods through the first half of the year, partially offsetting volume declines the company is experiencing in foodservice, which represents between...
Waiting for a response from cold calls to retail buyers about placing a product on store shelves can feel demoralizing to emerging brands, but Brad Charron, the CEO of the plant-based bar and beverage brand Aloha, advises entrepreneurs not to take it...
With Expo West canceled and instore sampling off the menu for the foreseeable future, New York based high protein, low-sugar gluten-free startup Three Wishes Cereal decided to get creative…
The day any entrepreneur decides to sell his or her business is “always bittersweet” observed Jonathan Sebastiani after selling KRAVE Jerky to Hershey for $218m in January 2015. So how does it feel - five years later - to be back at the helm after buying...
Baby foods that mask the taste of vegetables may be doing children a disservice in the long run who never learn to like the taste of broccoli, spinach, or brussel sprouts later in childhood and even, adulthood, according to Penn State researchers.
Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) is teaming up with baby and kids food manufacturers, early childhood educators, and other key stakeholders under its 'Shaping Early Palates Initiative', which aims to disrupt the marketplace of childhood...
Just over half of food & beverage professionals surveyed by product innovation firm Mattson this month say projects and launches have been delayed due to coronavirus, but two thirds are still working on new concepts and products and 50% believe COVID-19...
As the pandemic unfolds, many investors are hitting pause on cash injections into early-stage brands. But for VC funds BFG Partners and BIGR Ventures, the crisis has made investment decisions more clear in terms of what separates an 'OK' brand...
While there is something to be said about following your gut as an entrepreneur, the founder and CEO of Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. advises that following the data often is a more reliable strategy for sparking retailer interest and launching products that...
Global ingredients giant Ingredion has struck a deal to acquire a controlling (75%) stake in stevia supplier PureCircle, which has been going through a period of extreme turbulence in recent months, prompting the suspension of its shares and the installation...
Monk fruit (Luo Han Guo) is best known as a source of high intensity natural sweeteners, but it could also emerge as an intriguing new source of fiber, claims Ingredients by Nature, which has developed a ‘sweet fiber’ from the pomace of monk fruit called...
CEO of snacking company That's How We Roll, the parent company to national brands ParmCrisps and Thinsters cookie thins, feels cautiously optimistic about how the CPG industry will fare during and post COVID-19.
Check out FoodNavigator-USA’s latest gallery of new products, from oatmilk pops and CBD-infused tea, to keto cookie mixes, rice krispy treats for kids, and crispy salmon skin snacks from the founders of Harmless Harvest.
A new soybean variety developed by crop improvement company Benson Hill requires significantly less water and processing to reach comparable amounts of protein to soy protein concentrate, said the company's CEO, Matt Crisp.
News that investors have just pumped $80m into a firm growing protein-packed food from microbes with a fraction of the environmental footprint of meat or dairy, serves as a reminder that the fundamental challenges facing the food industry - how to feed...
We continue to speak with food startups and emerging brands about what’s weighing on their minds as COVID-19 has many cities and communities going into various stages of lockdown, upending typical consumer shopping behavior.
With instore demos and sampling events off the table; consumers not in the mood for trying new things; and retailers more focused on keeping shelves stocked than discovering new brands; this isn’t a great time for food startups to raise awareness – or...
Startups looking for capital to fuel their next phase of growth may find there's a gap in the market for investors who are willing to write smaller checks, says Jason Starr, founder and managing director of Chicago-based investment firm CompanyFirst....
LIVEKINDLY co., a new plant-based food company which recently acquired LikeMeat, The Fry Family Food Co., and content startup LIVEKINDLY Media, is building an economy of scale for plant-based chicken to eventually become the "most affordable protein...
US retail sales of refrigerated yogurt and kefir were flat (-0.1%) in the 52 weeks to February 23, and down -0.4% in the latest 12 week period, according to SPINS data,* but this doesn’t mean that we’ve hit ‘peak yogurt,’ insists siggi’s, which recently...
Editor’s spotlight: Reinvigorating a stagnating ingredient
Atlast Food Co – a startup using mycelium (the filament-like roots of mushrooms) to create ‘meaty’ textured edible 3D structures – has been working with innovation consultancy Mattson to help commercialize its first product later this year: meatless bacon.
Emerging brand Lemon Perfect is seeking mainstream recognition with its shelf-stable lemon water, which contains the cold-pressed juice and pulp from half of an organic lemon (5% juice), and launching a new line of sparkling water in cans.
Plant-based brand Upton's Naturals has launched bite-size jerky pieces made from wheat protein. We caught up with its CEO to find out more about the clean label formulation process.
Ingredients supplier Prinova has entered a partnership with CBD ingredient manufacturer, Open Book Extracts, to launch a line of water-soluble CBD ingredients.
Cleveland Kraut has managed to brighten the image of sauerkraut by launching fermented products that are "crunchy, delicious, and vibrant," said co-founder and CEO Drew Anderson.
NutteeBean, which was recently selected for PepsiCo's Greenhouse accelerator, says its high protein and fiber fava bean snacks are making healthy eating easier. "Snacks do not have to be junk food," says its CEO.
According to the NPD Group’s Future of Snacking report, Americans ate more than 386 billion snacks last year, and IRI reports the category brought in a whopping $89 billion dollars by the end of 2017 with an addition $16 billion in sales predicted over...
With the term ‘bean chips’ now dropped from its logo, the Beanfields brand could expand into multiple areas of the snacks aisle – and even beyond – says CEO Arnulfo Ventura, who caught up with FoodNavigator-USA at last month’s Winter Fancy Food Show....
With a subtle name change from Country Archer Jerky Co. to Country Archer Provisions, the meat snack brand is opening the door for expansion into new categories, while at the same time reinforcing its stronghold in jerky with the introduction of a new...
