As public enemy No. 1, sugar often is portrayed online as “toxic” or as “poisoning our bodies,” but this characterization is “a complete … web myth,” that oversimplifies the cause of diet related chronic diseases and doesn’t take into account the benefits...
Functional beverages have come a long way since consumers first got a taste of drinks that delivered more than taste and refreshment, LA Libations founder and CEO Danny Stepper said at The Beverage Forum in Chicago this week.
While common when sitting at home on the couch, eating nut butters straight from the jar before hopping on a plane (if TSA didn’t confiscate) or during a rigorous workout can be a clumsy, messy experience, but FBOMB’s redesigned, single-serve pouches...
Once considered simply a children’s snack that parents would sneak when no one was looking, puffs suddenly are everywhere – and for everyone – thanks to their better-for-you profile, new sophisticated flavors, increasingly diverse bases and playful shapes...
Novozymes, a global producer of enzymes that controls roughly 48% of the market, is seeing its focus on food and beverage solutions and innovation pay off in 2018.
With one in five Americans suffering from an auto immune disease and looking for ways to manage their conditions through diet, the market potential for foods and beverage that comply with the auto immune protocol is “huge,” and yet relatively untapped,...
Keeping track of emerging food trends can be daunting, especially in an immediate, digital-centric environment, but there are a few constant principles to lean on in the increasingly cluttered, fragmented food and beverage market, according to Lynn Dornblaser,...
Since closing a $1.1m seed series fundraising round led by Rocana Venture Partners, Après seems to be well on its way to addressing what its founders felt was a clear gap in the market of protein nutrition: the boutique fitness-frequenting woman.
The high bar set by the companies honored late last week at Whole Foods Market’s annual supplier awards ceremony represents not only what it takes to earn a coveted spot on the retailer’s shelves, but also in the baskets of consumers who increasingly...
In a market where fruit and nut-based products own the majority of dollar share in the snacking category compared to vegetables (83% vs. 17%, according to Nielsen), seaweed brands like gimME Snacks may be the type of innovation the category needs to give...
More Americans say they are cutting back on sugar as their collective awareness rises about the prevalence and potential health impact of the ingredient, but those who still want something sweet are not clear on what the best option is, according to new...
'We started by looking at where we could really own a category'
Vegan jerky is picking up steam, but hasn’t set the world on fire, yet. And while bacon-flavored potato and corn chips are a staple in the salty snacks aisle, they don’t pretend to replicate the taste and texture of a strip of bacon. But what if you could...
Brands and consumers are getting more comfortable talking about digestive health, with the conversation shifting beyond getting enough fiber for regular bowel movements, to the gut microbiome, says Beneo, which says growing interest in probiotics is helping...
Firms filing class action lawsuits have used actions aimed at companies making “natural” claims to springboard into a host of other vulnerable areas of labeling and packaging, according to an expert.
With only one shot to make a first impression, it is essential that images and messages on product packaging clearly communicate companies’ principles and meet consumers’ evolving values.
CoAqua doesn’t want to be in traditional retail with all the other coconut water brands and is instead going after an ultra-premium space of luxury resorts and restaurants in its home market of Southeast Asia and pursuing the direct-to-consumer online...
On the face of it, the terms ‘vegan’ and ‘plant-based’ might appear to be interchangeable (they both involve avoiding animal products), but consumers do not view them in the same way, reveals new research from food development specialist Mattson.
With a growing Midwest footprint, ready-to-drink (RTD) cold brew coffee brand Blackeye Roasting Co. said it has ‘aggressive’ plans to triple its distribution to 30 states by the end of 2018 and sees c-stores as its secret weapon to reaching a new base...
Parents of children falling behind on the growth scale have few options to supplement their child’s nutrition that aren’t a full blown meal replacement product, which is exactly the market void Healthy Height shake mixes is seeking to fill.
Consumer demand for natural, plant-based ingredients combined with their desire to cut back on sugar without sacrificing taste is creating a perfect storm for stevia sales to grow exponentially, according to the International Stevia Council.
Annie’s recent launch for Earth month of two limited edition products that are made with ingredients sourced from regenerative agriculture farmers is only the beginning of how the brand plans to build on its iconic organic values to restore degraded soil...
After one year as DanoneWave, to reflect the April 2017 merger of Danone and US-based White Wave Foods, the company has rebranded to Danone North America and has also become the largest Certified B Corporation (B Corp) in the world.
For many consumers, “fats” remains a four-letter word to avoid, despite the health claims and media buzz surrounding grass fed butter, coconut oil, avocados, omega-3s and other sources of the nutrient, according to an industry analyst with NPD Group.
The US may be the largest market for organic products, but it is also highly competitive, and manufacturers looking for a leg up might consider exporting their products as a way to build sales and even become category leaders, according to the Organic...
For years pouches of baby food have been all the rage, but now concerns that they may create unnecessary waste are prompting new brands such as Little Roots Puree, to propose new packaging solutions.
The quest to produce a sweetener with the most sugar-like taste continues with PureCircle identifying two different ways of producing significant amounts of Reb D and Reb M, two in-demand steviol glycosides that are less abundant in conventional stevia...
Hearts of palm noodles could be the next ‘zoodles’ (zucchini vegetable noodles), according to Palmini founder Alfonso Tejada, who is selling the pasta substitute through Amazon and in Florida Whole Foods stores with the goal of bringing the product to...
Milled starchy unripe bananas – which are low in sugar and high in RS2 resistant starch – can help people better control their blood glucose, but they also confer an exciting range of digestive benefits, making them a powerful new gut health ingredient,...
As the clean label movement expands, food and beverage manufacturers should lean more heavily on science to explain to consumers how products are made and the role specific ingredients play to ensure shelf stability and safety are not lost along with...
Here, an Illinois-based company creating clean label food and beverages in the refrigerated CPG space, has closed a $4m Series A funding round led by food-focused venture fund Listen Co.
While recent Mintel data reveals a whopping 84% of US consumers say they are reducing the amount of sugar in their diet as a way to manage their weight and improve their health, many are unwilling to completely give up sweets – leaving manufacturers scrambling...
Plant-based protein beverage brand Koia is on course to triple sales in 2018 after quintupling sales last year, fueled by a $7.5m cash injection from KarpReilly and AccelFoods in July 2017.
They struck gold with gelato brand Talenti – sold to Unilever in 2014 for an undisclosed sum – but can Josh Hochschuler and Steve Gill find the winning formula again with their latest foray into the frozen food aisle, Solero crushed fruit bars and pops?
Non-profit organization the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) must improve its communication strategy, says the former program manager of the group’s North America branch.
Aunt Dottie’s is dropping its company name from its line of Green Joy salad bars in order to expand the snack’s appeal geographically and better “dial in on what the bars do, which is bring joy to eating healthy,” according to the company’s CEO.
In the push to win consumers, woo top talent and, believe it or not, balance budgets, corporate social responsibility programs could be one of the most powerful tools in companies’ arsenals – but determining what to include and how to structure them can...
The Whole30 Approved logo has become a shortcut for consumers looking for products made with real, simple and nutritious ingredients, and as such it is giving products that bear the certification a huge market boost, as Applegate recently discovered....
From roasted chickpeas and flash fried mung beans to extruded pea, chickpea, and edamame puffs, pulse-based snacks are gaining traction, says Snack it Forward CEO Nick Desai. But none of them have delivered the sheer sensory pleasure you experience from...
Industry newcomer Em+Pact is carving out an underserved niche in the $600 million protein bar category by targeting women with products that are crafted to meet their specific nutritional needs and by working with nonprofits to empower them to be “goal...
An infusion of $1.5 million from new and existing investors announced this month will help Chicago-based COCO5 pursue its mission to bring its lower-sugar, clean-label sports drink to professional and everyday athletes across the US and in Canada.
EverSweet - the hotly-anticipated ‘next-generation’ Reb D and Reb M sweetener from Cargill and Evolva produced via fermentation – is now available in commercial quantities, say the partners, who have also struck a deal to explore whether other high intensity...
'I think you’ll see a mass exodus of CPG companies moving from polyols to allulose...'
Allulose is the sweetener generating the most buzz among food formulators right now, although many are waiting to see if the FDA exempts it from sugar labeling (it’s technically a sugar, but it’s not metabolized like one), before launching products featuring...
Kashi hopes that other brands will follow its lead in paying more for crops from farmers transitioning from conventional to organic to encourage more producers to make the switch and ensure there is sufficient ingredient supply in the future to meet the...
Spindrift - which has carved a unique niche in the beverage aisle by using just two ingredients: lightly carbonated filtered water and freshly squeezed fruit juice (no sweeteners, no flavors) – has raised $20m in a Series B-2 round.
Check out FoodNavigator-USA’s latest gallery of new products hitting US shelves, from oat yogurt drinks, cane juice, and plant-based 'bacon chips,' to nut butter pouches from RxBar. We’ve included the Expo West booth numbers if brands are at...
An infusion of nearly $1 million in seed funding is helping three students from Yale offer consumers the ultimate convenience: a nutrition bar that combines sustenance and caffeine, and a novel text-to-purchase option that allows shoppers to place an...
Conscious consumerism continues to rise in America with more shoppers saying they want to reward companies that “do good,” unfortunately for companies that are embracing this trend a recent survey found many people don’t know how to find socially responsible...
Hoping to cash in on the steady growth of the already sizeable sports and energy drink category, manufacturers at Natural Products Expo West in March will showcase a variety of functional beverages featuring an ever-expanding variety of plant-based proteins,...
With today’s launch of a new line of dairy-free, probiotic yogurt drinks, Califia Farms hopes to repeat the success it had when it entered the nut-milk category, and at the same time increase the transparency of marketing probiotics.
What's the difference between a great brand, and beautiful packaging design? Will PepsiCo's Drinkfinity concept be a hit in the US? And could sprinkling 'fairy dust' amounts of on-trend functional ingredients in your beverage - and...
