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....
Beech-Nut is hoping to do for the toddler snack space what it did four years ago for the ‘tired and dated’ baby food category by launching new products in revamped packaging for young children that are inspired by what parents make at home, but more convenient.
After decades of a slow build, the regenerative agriculture movement is finally taking off, thanks in part to the Savory Institute, which has launched the Land to Market verification program, which is designed to help stakeholders not just sustain the...
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...
Not so long ago, dairy and meat alternatives were niche categories for vegans and vegetarians; today they’re driving a new ‘plant-based’ movement. But does plant-based necessarily mean healthy, and can brands in this space meet demand for cleaner labels?...
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...
Americans are snacking more than ever, but not just any bag of chips or candy bar will do. Rather, they want products that are both convenient and nutritious – two boxes that the makers of Truth Bar check with their line of functional nutrition bars.
Acquisitive large CPG brands now recognize that their best bet is to be leave their sexier bedfellows well alone, but give them the resources they need to expand more rapidly, rather than swallowing them under the corporate umbrella, says Justin’s founder...
Does the world need protein popcorn? Why not, says Protes co-founder Krik Angacion, who says his latest innovation is less about giving Americans more protein, than giving them a wider range of options in the protein snacking set (what the world probably...
Cricket-protein bar maker Chapul recently overhauled its packaging to create a “much better hierarchy of messaging,” including clarifying flavors, elevating the value proposition of its ingredients and opting for imagery that encourages consumers to overcome...
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.
Consumer demand for fiber is on the rise thanks in part to increased awareness of the ingredient’s cancer-fighting and other health benefits, but according to recent research not all fiber packs the same punch.
According to the Tea Association of the USA, sales of tea in the US are growing 3-5% annually, which the co-founder and CEO of Pique Tea attributes to rising consumer interest in plant-based diets, convenience and function beyond simple hydration.
For KIND Snacks, rising consumer concern about sugar and upcoming changes to the Nutrition Facts panel that will more boldly highlight the nutrient represent an opportunity – rather than a threat – to set itself apart from the competition with new products...
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...
Bare Snacks unveils new carrot, beet, and sweet potato veggie chips
Bare Snacks – best known for its apple, banana and coconut chips – has expanded into the veggie snacking arena with a new line of carrot, beet, and sweet potato chips. FoodNavigator-USA caught up with CEO Santosh Padiki at the Natural Products Expo West...
Emerging trends that have helped fuel the natural and organic industry’s “multi-decade tear” with growth that far outpaces that of the conventional channel are now crossing over to the mainstream with increasing speed thanks in part to an influx of funds...
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.
‘All of these people yelling at each other…the vegans vs the Paleos vs the ketogenic people, this is insane…’
A calorie is a calorie, right? Wrong, argues pediatrician, sugar-nemesis and author of best-selling book ‘Fat Chance’, Dr Robert Lustig, who caught up with FoodNavigator-USA at the Natural Products Expo West trade show in Anaheim last week.
It’s pretty reductive to sum up a show the size of Natural Products Expo West with a handful of slides....but that’s never stopped us before, so here goes...
While growth has slowed a little in 2017 vs 2016, the natural and organic products industry remains in rude health. But what’s driving the growth and where does ecommerce fit in? Checkout our gallery of highlights from some education sessions at Natural...
'This year will be the most transformational year for Quaker in its history'
The Quaker brand – best known for its hot and cold cereals and snack bars – is planning its first foray into the chiller, as brand owner PepsiCo seeks to tap into consumer demand for more convenient nutrition, says Seth Kaufman, head of the company’s...
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...
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,...
The ready-to-eat popcorn category has been pretty lively in recent years, but all the innovation has all been driven by branding and flavor, rather than functionality, claims Brooklyn-based brand Protes, which is looking to bring incremental growth to...
For Cissé Cocoa Co. selling baking mixes, hot chocolate and crunchy bites of super thin brownies is about more than just helping consumers satisfy their chocolate cravings, it is about making life sweeter for farmers, too.
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...
If freeze-dried fruit conjures up images of space food, or brightly colored soggy bits floating in your breakfast cereal, you should buy a bag of Crunchies, and reassess, says CEO Scott Jacobson, who says that when it comes to fruit & veggie snacks,...
Starting and growing a company is hard – especially in the highly competitive food and beverage industry, but Austin, Texas-based accelerator SKU is tipping the odds of success in favor of entrepreneurs with its “proven blend of mentorship, community,”...
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.
Annie's sales set to reach $400m in fiscal 2017, says president
While some commentators baulked at the $820m General Mills parted with to get its hands on Annie’s, the brand has gone from strength to strength since the deal closed in late October 2014, with sales set to reach $400m this fiscal year, and household...
With frozen yogurt sales still “tanking,” retailers are increasingly turning their attention to ice cream products that offer similar benefits (more protein, less sugar and fat), but truly deliver on taste and texture, says Santa Barbara-based ProYo,...
Growing awareness of the powerful health benefits of mushrooms as well as increasing demand for their rich umami flavor, is quickly elevating the ingredient from the lowly status of the occasional pizza topping or meat substitute for vegetarians to one...
Barnana carved out virgin territory in the healthy snacks segment with its chewy banana bites, but will its new banana brittle prove equally groundbreaking? FoodNavigator-USA caught up with chief marketing officer Nik Ingersoll at the Expo West show to...
It's impossible to distill a show this size into a handful of slides, but we did see some consistent themes from a macronutrient perspective (protein is hot, sugar is not and fats are back), while digestive health was also a big trend. Checkout our...
Many successful entrepreneurs extol the value of work-life balance when they talk about getting a business off the ground, but at the recent graduation of Chobani Food Incubator’s first class of food and beverage companies, the yogurt company’s CEO and...
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...
After years of struggling to balance energy drinks and sleep aids, Americans are beginning to turn to adaptogens in herbal teas to help meet and “harmonize” their bodies’ needs, according to the co-founder of Pukka, an herbal tea and supplement company.
Meat and dairy often get a bad rap on the sustainability front, but not all animal production systems have the same impact on the planet, says EPIC Provisions co-founder Taylor Collins, who reckons that “the next big movement in food is coming in the...
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...
Banana-fueled brand Barnana has broken new ground in the snack category for a second time with the launch of organic Banana Brittle, a new snack made from ‘upcycled’ bananas (that would otherwise go to waste).
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.
As the nascent bone-broth category comes into its own, early pioneers in the space are rebranding with professionally polished packaging that communicates their products’ benefits and points of differentiation to better take advantage of the segment’s...
Lupini beans have a nutritional profile to die for. The problem is, most Americans have never heard of them. But that could change rapidly if the New York based entrepreneur behind BRAMI snacking beans gets his way.
As the number of health-conscious consumers increase, so do the number of brands touting a healthier alternative to what’s out there. Here’s an update from brands in this category that we’ve covered before.
For shoppers today, buying groceries is all about fresh and local – which can be a tall order for retailers in urban areas or with limited access to nearby farms.
It is no secret that the cereal aisle is struggling with Euromonitor estimating a 19% drop in sales in 2015 compared to 10 years earlier and a projection to lose another $1 billion in sales in the next 10 years.
Consumer interest in plant-based alternatives for animal products is driving innovation across categories from dairy and eggs to meat and desserts as showcased by manufacturers at Natural Products Expo West.
The demand for tea in the US is skyrocketing, but so too is the desire for speed and convenience – two terms that do not apply to high quality loose leaf tea, which requires special tools for measuring and steeping, or tea bags, which can create a drippy...
