‘Functional fruit flours’ from starchy unripe bananas – which are low in sugar and in some cases high in RS2 resistant starch – could open new doors for formulators looking to clean up labels and reduce sugar, says the firm behind the NuBana green banana...
Winnipeg-based Johnny and Jennifer Kien went through the hassle of making fresh baby food from scratch when their firstborn came along. The hard work inspired them to start a brand that would make it easier for other parents.
What foods and beverages do Millennials like to buy online? Why do shoppers buy locally-grown foods, and why don’t more consumers scan QR codes? Here are 10 things that caught our eye in the 2017 US Grocery Shopper Trends report from the Food Marketing...
Arla Foods has been ordered to halt its new $30m ‘Live Unprocessed’ ad campaign – which makes a virtue of using milk from cows that have not been fed the growth hormone rBST - in the wake of legal action* filed by rbST maker Eli Lilly (Elanco).
The gradual increase in demand for spicier foods, more interesting flavors, and simpler ingredients lists has proven to be a curve ball for many manufacturers. Asenzya has done its research on consumer preferences, and will present it to its booth's...
Maker of essential oils and oleoresins Arjuna Natural Extracts is ramping up its US operations and opened a new sales office in Dallas earlier this month, making its line of products more readily available stateside. It will also be exhibiting at this...
Ingredion’s new rice flour ingredient—designed to meet consumer demand for smooth, silky, gluten-free products—will premiere at this year’s IFT show in Las Vegas.
Attorney: ‘Slapping another undefined term on packages that could be attacked legally’ is risky
A new 'clean label' certification scheme has been launched in the US market as the concept of ‘clean’ eating continues to gain traction. But will CPG brands embrace the ‘Go Clean Label Certified’ logo, and are there risks to using a term that...
A new player in the stevia market - Steviana Bioscience - is looking to carve a niche in the market for next generation stevia sweeteners, which utilize some of the minor glycosides in the stevia leaf, notably Reb D.
Arla Foods has defended its new ‘Live Unprocessed’ ad campaign – which makes a virtue of using milk from cows that have not been fed the growth hormone rBST - in the wake of legal action filed by rBST maker Eli Lilly alleging the ads are “built upon a...
Despite pressure created by food inflation and price deflation, sales of organic continue to grow “at a good clip,” with protein, dips and seasoning breaking out “to find their stride” in the market, according to the head of the Organic Trade Association.
ABA: Fiber suppliers are stuck in a 'holding pattern'
The arrival of the new-look Nutrition Facts panel (which will require manufacturers to list added sugar), is generating renewed interest in inulin: a widely-used ingredient from chicory root that also serves as a sugar replacer. But this enthusiasm is...
The seafood industry is “fundamentally broken” and crowded with businesses beholden to “old school thinking” that fails both the oceans and the consumers, according to Ken Plasse, the CEO of a Fishpeople, which claims to be a different kind of seafood...
The challenges of clean label formulation might hit hardest at the humblest of ingredients, texturizers and preservatives—those behind-the-scenes stage hands that do the dirty work of making food formulations palatable and shelf stable.
When data on marketing food and beverages to Millennials first came out, they tended to portray this age group as adventurous (and broke) twenty-somethings. But members of this generation have aged, and their purchasing drivers have changed, according...
A majority of consumers, 78%, said that they encounter a lot of conflicting information about what to eat and avoid, according to a new survey by the International Food Information Council Foundation (IFIC).
D’s Naturals – the plant protein-fueled start up that recently caught the eye of investors at General Mills 301 INC and 2X Consumer Partners – will unveil a new brand (No Cow) and new products that take it beyond the bar category in January 2018, says...
Corner stores, bodegas and gas stations have a bad reputation when it comes to the healthfulness of the foods and beverages they offer, but the National Association of Convenience Stores and Cumberland Farms hope to change that by teaming up with Partnership...
CANADA: House of Commons to vote on GMO labeling bill on May 17
Members of the Canadian Parliament will decide whether to approve mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods in a vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
The founders of The Little Kernel argue that smaller is better when it comes to ready-to-eat popcorn because they say it is sweeter, crunchier and easier to eat than regular sized popcorn – but will consumers in the US, where bigger is often perceived...
PepsiCo is seeking “new and novel protein sources for snacks and beverages," while Mondelēz International is looking for new technologies to improve the freshness and texture of fruits and veggies in Philadelphia cream cheese.
How are the next generation of natural flavors being developed? Elaine Watson caught up with Christian Kopfli, CEO of New Jersey-based FlavorHealth, which is taking high-throughput cell-based screening to the next level to identify novel natural compounds...
In many ways, the conversation about GMOs has been a debate about good versus evil, but ingredient supplier Cargill wants to shift the discussion to one simply about choice – a goal that one executive says can only be achieved if manufacturers and suppliers...
Sparkling water brand Spindrift has raised $10 million in a funding round led by VMG Partners and supported by Prolog Ventures, Karp Reilly, and other existing investors.
Does premium pay in the pasta sauce category? Do the math, says Rao’s Specialty Foods president Jim Morano: “The average retail price in the category is $2.25; our average is $7.84. The category is growing at 3% year on year, and we’ve growing at more...
The quest to rid product labels of phosphates, carrageenan, titanium dioxide, mono- and di-glycerides and other substances gracing food marketers’ ‘unacceptable ingredients’ lists has created new growth opportunities for Fiberstar’s citrus fibers, which...
The clean label movement may have started as industry’s response to consumers who wanted foods and beverages made without artificial or “chemical” sounding ingredients, but overtime as brands continued to one-up each other, the concept morphed and metastasized...
Think clean label just means no artificial ingredients? Think again
Think 'clean label' just means ditching ‘artificial’ ingredients and avoiding anything attracting negative press (warranted or otherwise)? Think again. Today, brands are also questioning whether ‘natural’ flavors, preservatives and sweeteners...
While SmartLabel is still in its relative infancy, manufacturers are flocking to the technology to help them provide the in-depth information that today’s consumers want as part of the clean label movement, but which might not fit on product packaging.
To the casual observer, ‘cleaning up’ our food sounds like an eminently sensible thing to do. But where is the clean label trend going, and is ditching every ingredient you can’t pronounce really the key to fixing the ‘broken’ food system (as Panera implies...
Nutriati’s chickpea protein is white, odorless, and neutral-tasting
Commercial quantities of highly functional, neutral-tasting chickpea protein concentrates and a high-protein chickpea ‘flour’ will be available by the end of the year, says Richmond-based Nutriati, which has just closed an $8m financing round to help...
Unilever has struck a deal to acquire New York-based condiment maker Sir Kensington’s, under which co-founders Mark Ramadan and Scott Norton will continue to run the business from their offices in Manhattan.
Grass-fed cottage cheese brand good culture – which launched in August 2015 with organic ingredients and some edgy savory flavors - is confident it will be in 6,000 stores by the year end after bringing out a lower-priced ‘natural’ range (with more familiar...
The results of the 2017 FoodNavigator-USA reader survey are in… and not surprisingly, given the breadth of our readership, they’re pretty mixed, with many readers excited about their company’s prospects and others feeling trapped in a race to the bottom...
“So why does the world need another [insert your product here]?” is a question entrepreneurs are well-advised to prep for before hitting the stage at any pitch slam judged by ZICO founder Mark Rampolla. So how does he answer his own question when it...
Greco has experience ‘in preparing and bringing companies to acquisition’
Former Sbarro CEO James Greco has taken the helm at True Drinks Holdings – the firm behind kids’ flavored water brand AquaBall – while Kevin Sherman (who has been in charge since Lance Leonard departed in December 2015) will stay on as president.
From turmeric paste, barley couscous and konjac rice to cashew nut spreads, coffee leaf tea and adaptogen-laced juice drinks, CHFA West - Western Canada’s largest natural health and organics trade event (hosted by the Canadian Health Food Association)...
A slow decline is forecasted for total frozen food sales, which includes frozen dinners/entrees, pizzas, side dishes, and appetizers/snacks, according to Packaged Facts’ latest numbers.
Soy, rice and peas still dominate the plant-based protein market, but chickpeas could soon give them all a serious run for their money, predicts Israeli start-up CHiCK.P, which is seeking a strategic partner to commercialize its patent-pending process...
What do the most successful food and beverage brands in 2016 have in common? “Prevention, personalization, and pizzazz,” said Susan Viamari, vice president of Thought Leadership for market analytics firm IRI.
A new survey found that there was disconnect between what consumers think labels like organic, antibiotic-free, or ‘no added hormones’ mean, and what the labels actually mean.
“When consumers are asked an open-ended question, ‘What are you trying to avoid,’ the top three out of four answers are related to a sweetener,” Andy Ohmes, global director of high intensity sweeteners at Cargill, told FoodNavigator-USA.
From certification seals to romance text to website blog posts, many packaged food and beverage brands put a lot of thought (and resources) into creating convincing nutrition-related arguments to persuade buyers. But among Millennials, only 26% of them...
Despite increasing competition in the meat snacks category, startup and recent graduate of the Chobani incubator Chops Snacks sees significant potential for its soft-chew jerky and future products, according to the co-founder.
California-based SweeGen has received a GRAS no objections letter from the FDA for the use of its Bestevia branded Reb-M - manufactured from stevia leaf extracts converted to Reb M using enzymes – for use as a general purpose sweetener for food and beverage...
If anyone is doubting protein’s staying power as a sought-after call-out on packaged products, let the growth of Powerful Yogurt (soon to be just Powerful) be an indicator.
Iconic energy bar brand PowerBar launched a new line of plant-derived protein bars, debuting at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA, earlier this month.
