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.
Today’s consumers want products that are natural, sustainable and environmentally friendly, but manufacturers hoping to appeal to these values face significant threats from lawsuits alleging greenwashing and evolving regulations and enforcement efforts...
New ways to make and enjoy coffee and tea continue to flood the market with companies at Natural Products Expo West offering twists on pour over, cold brew and iced coffee, nitro-infused tea and coffee and plant-based creamers. There were even options...
Americans may be becoming more adventurous in what they eat – seeking international flavors and products – but some retailers and buyers are hesitant to stock these types of new products for fear that they won’t sell once they are on store shelves.
As the technology around producing steviol glycosides continues to evolve, transparency in labeling will be critical if consumer trust in ‘natural’ sweeteners is to be retained, says PureCircle, which claims to be the “clear market leader in terms of...
An electric vehicle uses a very different propulsion system to the internal combustion engine, but it also has four wheels, and gets you from A to B, which to most consumers, makes it a 'car.' So isn't it time to apply the same logic to...
Chicken soup may be good for the soul, but hot cereal can fill it, and those who are food insecure, at least if it comes from The Soulfull Project – a startup that launched this summer with a mission to wipe hunger off the map.
If the proliferation of booths at Expo West is anything to go by, the natural, organic and specialty products industry is in rude health, while investors are now competing with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio for a slice of the action. But how fast is...
The Chicago-based brand may have eight varieties of packaged grass-fed beef products, but CEO Lenny Lebovich asserts his company is not a meat company. “We don’t view ourselves as a meat company, we view ourselves as a consumer product company that happens...
To better support its transition from online-only sales to distribution at brick and mortar stores, wellness brand Aloha is unveiling at Expo West a massive rebranding along with new, reformulated and recategorized products that better align with consumers’...
Even as commerce continues to digitize, consumer patronage keeps brick-and-mortar grocery stores alive. ‘Grocery is a key stronghold for brick-and-mortar because of the sensory habitual nature of food buying,’ one expert says.
Food and beverage entrepreneurs make global flavors approachable for hesitant Americans, offer functional beverages and put modern, unique twists on classic favorites at the Washington, DC-based incubator Union Kitchen’s Meet The Makers event March 4.
Americans’ love affair with protein shows no signs of cooling in the coming years with a compound annual growth rate projected at a steady 5.6% for the next three years, bringing sales to a predicted $39.08 billion, according to Markets and Markets research.
'siratose has demonstrated potency and overall taste quality superior to existing monk fruit sweeteners'
Senomyx has identified a new zero-calorie, high-potency sweetening compound found in trace levels in monk fruit, which it plans to produce on a commercial scale via fermentation.
Drawing on extensive consumer research, The Campbell Soup Co.’s GMO disclosure labels on packs and online could serve as a model for USDA in crafting the mandatory national bioengineering label standard and other companies looking for solutions.
FDA is reopening the comment period for its draft guidance on the use of fruit and vegetable juice as color additives after several industry stakeholders complained about a lack of transparency into the basis of the guidance.
General Mills’ splashy commitment last year to double the number of organic acres it sources from by 2019 not only is a strategic business move to boost sales, but part of a larger effort to “do the right thing,” according to the company’s organic ambassador.
If high purity Reb A used to be the only game in town when it comes to stevia, the game has become a lot more sophisticated in the past couple of years as suppliers compete to provide the best-tasting combinations of steviol glycosides, and products become...
For years, carbonated soft drinks were the go-to choice for Americans to quench their thirst and boost their energy, but in recent years the category has begun to falter – creating an opening for a bevy of innovative beverage brands to emerge, according...
Increased funding for research to improve production tops the organic industry’s wish list of policy actions that it wants legislators and regulators to consider as they begin in earnest the long process of reauthorizing the Farm Bill, which is slated...
Ecuador-based snack company Terrafertil Nature’s Heart has acquired California-based organic and vegan ‘superfood’ firm Essential Living Foods, marking the global company’s first step into the US market.
Can organic supply match demand? Is Paleo a fad or a trend? Are you getting enough bang for your promotional bucks? How big will online food shopping become? To gauge our readers’ views on these –and many more questions - FoodNavigator-USA is running...
Two California state senate bills would mandate controversial warnings on some foods and beverages, and if enacted could start a domino effect among other like-minded states, potentially creating a patchwork of laws and compliance headache for national...
Check out FoodNavigator-USA’s latest gallery of new products hitting US shelves, where we see plant-based protein creeping into everything from hot cereal to shakes, bars, chips and bites; coupled with ongoing interest in whole milk.
When the Arctic Apple hits select store shelves this month as one of the first products genetically modified for consumers’ benefit, it will serve as a line in the sand for the tug of war between the non-GMO movement and the future of food innovation.
Packaged in the fashion of traditional deli meats—paper wrappers with a sticker label—No Evil Foods is stepping away from the tech-oriented positioning and branding that many non-animal ‘meat-like’ proteins are going for.
After observing trade shows, lab test requests, and online forums on food and health, BioChecked executive director Scott Prentice and his team thought the timing was right to launch a 'non glyphosate' certification.
Sales of natural and organic products may be steadily increasing – and even outpacing that of the overall food industry – but three main barriers continue to hold them back from their full potential, suggest new research.
As the concept of clean label continues to evolve and transition from an industry term to one consumers understand and seek, companies should take a more sophisticated approach to the trend by accounting for how different generations prioritize and interpret...
After a sluggish Q3, TreeHouse Foods’ performance was boosted by robust sales from its single-cup coffee business and Private Brands Group, which it purchased from ConAgra.
Pasta Chips, Bow Ties, on course to generate revenues of $15m in 2017
Snack brands that want to break through the $2-3m revenue barrier have to appeal to mainstream shoppers as well as trend-setters in New York or L.A. says serial snacking entrepreneur and CPG veteran Jerry Bello, who says his latest innovations – Pasta...
CAUGHT ON CAMERA AT THE 2017 WINTER FANCY FOOD SHOW
When KRAVE burst onto the scene in 2010, its all-natural credentials, premium packaging and gourmet flavors gave it a unique point of difference in the sluggish meat snacks market. Since then, however, scores of new entrants have started muscling in on...
Food and beverage brands of all sizes and across categories are scrambling to reduce sugar in their products before FDA regulations mandating they indicate added and total sugar on the Nutrition Facts panel goes into effect in July 2018, according to...
The Dairy Pride Act, which seeks to crack down on the use of dairy-derived labels for plant-based products on the grounds shoppers are being misled, is a “solution looking for a problem,” claims the marketing boss of one of the leading players in the...
According to retail data company Packaged Facts, “food industry marketers are astutely churning out a variety of healthier, yet still decadent, frozen treats to please modern American consumers.”
CAUGHT ON CAMERA AT THE 2017 WINTER FANCY FOOD SHOW
If pulse-based snacks (made with beans, peas, chickpeas, or lentils) were seen as niche, ‘natural,’ products a few years ago, they are firmly in the mainstream in 2017, says the CEO of one firm on a mission to make beans “accessible, delicious and affordable.”
If 50% of eating occasions are now snacks,* do we have to rethink what a snack is? An occasional treat or an everyday healthy indulgence? A fresh mini-meal? A quick energy boost? And when it comes to snacks, what new formats, flavors, label claims and...
If the novelty factor surrounding edible insects has worn off somewhat, consumer interest in protein – particularly where there is a sustainability story to tell – continues to grow, says Denver-based start-up Lithic Nutrition, which packs 15g of protein...
CAUGHT ON CAMERA AT THE 2017 WINTER FANCY FOOD SHOW
Cauliflower rice is now available in the frozen and chilled sections of some retailers, but British brand Cauli-Rice is hoping to carve out new territory in the emerging category with a shelf-stable, microwaveable product with a more ‘al dente’ texture...
Compass Group subsidiary Bon Appétit Management Company has teamed up with algae specialist TerraVia to use Thrive Culinary Algae Oil as its preferred cooking oil across more than 650 cafés in corporate offices (including Google), universities, and other...
CAUGHT ON CAMERA AT THE 2017 WINTER FANCY FOOD SHOW