US sales of in-store meal kits reached $93m in 2018, according to the latest Nielsen data, with 187 new retail meal kit items introduced during the year as high-profile brands sought to reach consumers that like the concept, but don’t want to commit to...
Tests from Florida-based lab Beta Analytic prove that the allegations in a recent lawsuit challenging LaCroix’s all natural claims are “false and devoid of legal and factual merit,” claims LaCroix brand owner National Beverage Corporation (NBC).
If Amazon is planning to launch a new retail offer with lower prices than Whole Foods, it would lend credence to the idea that “well-designed, well-located brick-and-mortar stores have an important role to play in the years ahead, even as e-commerce continues...
Despite being around since 2010, bean chip brand Beanfields is now experiencing the kind of growth (i.e. triple digit sales growth in January 2019) most food and beverage startups see in their first few years on the market.
Whether through multi-million dollar investments in startups or high dollar mergers and acquisitions of larger, established companies, the food and beverage industry currently is being flooded with funding, and with it many opportunities as well as challenges.
Armed with $5 million in series B financing and the belief that moringa will follow the lead of matcha and turmeric to become the next big superfood, Kuli Kuli plans to take the ingredient beyond its diverse portfolio of CPGs and into foodservice as well...
Consumers' desire to eat better is having a strong impact across the fresh food sector from produce to prepared foods to meal kits, according to recent Nielsen research.
For new entrepreneurs with limited funds trying to make ends meet – or plant-based minced meat as in the case of Israeli startup Rilbite – focusing first on foodservice, rather than retail, can offer a more economic path to market.
Customer satisfaction across major supermarkets chains dipped 1.3% last year with two outliers that gained higher marks: Trader Joe's and Wegmans, according to new data from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).
The frozen food category has been a core grocery purchase for nearly all consumers. However, the frozen food aisle can benefit from an image overhaul, leaving behind its reputation as back-up food stockpiled in the home freezer for weeks, to a quality...
The oldest of Generation Z (aged 12-22) is just entering adulthood and will have a profound impact on the packaged food and foodservice industries, yet will be the hardest audience for food marketers to reach, predicts market researcher The NPD Group.
Kroger and UK-based online grocery retailer Ocado will construct two new customer fulfillment centers (CFCs) in central Florida and the Mid-Atlantic, expanding the national grocery chain's online delivery reach throughout the East Coast.
Frozen kids meal brand Kidfresh is expanding into the breakfast category with a line of products rolling out in early April to address what CEO Matt Cohen calls 'the most intense time of the day' for parents.
Beverage startup SZENT is using the power of smell to its advantage in its line of 'flavored' bottled waters that will be entering California grocers later this year backed by a $2.2m round of financing from a group of independent investors.
After pioneering and rising to the top of the roasted chickpea-based snack category, Biena Snacks is taking the legume – and company – in a new direction with the launch of a line of baked chickpeapuffs and a corresponding brand refresh complete with...
As Amazon tests its cashierless checkout technology in bigger stores, it begs the question: what would a cashierless technology integration of this size and scale look like at its Whole Foods locations, and what would be required to make the integration...
The future of baby food – according to some brands at least – is fresh. But which business models make the most sense for new players in this small, but rapidly growing, chilled segment of the market?
For many food and beverage brands, their product packaging is their first – if not only – touchpoint with consumers, and yet all too often companies treat it as an afterthought or as little more than a protective exterior for what is inside.
Offering on-site nutrition services such as access to registered dietitians is becoming more common place in grocery stores, but does it make shoppers with chronic illnesses such as hypertension make healthier food and beverage choices?
Fresh Bellies entered the competitive HPP baby food market in 2015 with its line of savory refrigerated vegetable purees and has expanded its line to crunchy toddler snacks in order to 'age with' its consumer.
Independent grocers using the online ordering and delivery marketplace, Mercato, have experienced strong year-over-year sales increases despite growing competition from national chains and larger online grocery delivery providers.
Keto may be one of the hottest diets right now, but it's far from the most convenient when it comes to meal planning, said Nick Mares, co-founder of Kettle & Fire.
Shoppers increasingly are making purchasing decisions based on how sustainable they perceive a product, brand or manufacturer to be, but as recently published research from Nielsen notes the consumers’ definition of sustainability is amorphous – making...
Consumers have been slower to migrate online to shop for certain food items, compared to other categories such as personal care and vitamins/supplements. However that behavior is starting to change with frozen and refrigerated grocery items registering...
Beyond Food Inc. is tackling the multi-billion dollar food waste issue by diverting aging – but still safe to consume – fruits and vegetables from landfills to its modular Zero Waste Pods where the organic material is converted into fine-milled powders...
Fundraising is different for every company, every time they do it, but according to Luke Saunders, the CEO and founder of Farmer’s Fridge, which recently closed a series C round, there are two common denominators that entrepreneurs must understand in...
A regulatory requirement that organic farmers must rotate their crops can be a significant financial hurdle for some producers, but it also is becoming an opportunity for economic development as some farmers team with innovative manufacturers to create...
With a new multimillion dollar advertising campaign that includes conventional and new marketing strategies, the iconic frozen pierogi brand Mrs. T’s hopes to attract new consumers and woo back lapsed shoppers by invoking the emotional connection that...
Once niche, conscious consumerism is emerging as a mainstream trend in 2019 that is influencing more companies to offer products that are not just environmentally-friendly but also animal-friendly, according to Euromonitor International.
After years of trading quality for easy year-round access to all types of food no matter the season or the region where they originated, consumers are starting to push back and instead seek more premium, authentic products, even if they are more expensive,...
Iconic plant-based brand Yves Veggie Cuisine’s new packaging featuring “mouthwatering” photos of its veggie-forward products aims to show consumers that “cheating on meat” doesn’t have to be a sacrifice.
'Value for money spent' remains an important consideration for US consumers when choosing where to do their grocery shopping as 73% of shoppers refer to one or more advertising/sales vehicles – traditional, social, mobile and digital – before...
In the last month, the food and beverage industry rallied around the hundreds of thousands of people whose paychecks were unexpectedly stopped during the partial government shutdown, but even though government is back up and running, for now, more than...
An injection of $5 million in Series A funds will help the fast-growing, ecommerce-based startup Your Super introduce the power of superfoods to more Americans who want to eat healthy but either don’t know how or don’t have access through traditional...
Conventional investors focused on the bottom-line or high returns may not be a good fit for small companies that are unwilling to compromise their values to increase their margins – but that doesn’t mean mission-based businesses are limited to bootstrapping,...
Curation Foods (formerly Apio) is targeting the growing plant-forward consumer base with a portfolio of five branded product lines with core ingredients being fruits and vegetables, which CEO and president of parent company Landec, Molly Hemmeter, believes...
While chicken wings remain the most purchased food item leading up to Super Bowl with sales of $1.6bn*, more US consumers are adding plant-based protein alternatives and stealth veggies to their game day spread, according to Nielsen.
For more than 150 years, Americans have been waking up with Folgers in their cups, and to ensure they continue to do so for generations to come The JM Smucker Co. will launch a new line this summer under the brand that accounts for consumers’ shifting...
After three years of research, development and sensory testing with more than 8,000 consumers, Sparkling Ice is relaunching its entire portfolio of carbonated water with natural colors and flavors and an updated look that it predicts will give it a competitive...
Chicago incubator The Hatchery will open the doors to its new 67,000-square-foot facility next month where CEO Natalie Shmulik wants to provide entrepreneurs with the tools to launch a thriving food or beverage business.
After taking a slight hit in 2017 compared to 2016, consumer satisfaction with the food and beverage industry rebounded in 2018 as companies delivered innovative products that both surprised and delighted consumers and met their demands for healthy options.
A look back at Amazon's grocery sales in 2018 shows that the online retailer experienced soaring growth in certain sub categories such as beverages and snacks, but has struggled to gain consumer buy in the categories of fresh food and perishables....
New research from the International Food Information Council Foundation and the American Heart Association shows consumers increasingly want foods and beverages that will support wellness, but many people don’t know which products will deliver their desire...
Healthy meal shake company Ample has grown into a multi-million dollar business through the direct-to-consumer channel selling its pre-portioned powders packed with high quality proteins, premium fats, fiber, and probiotics, sealed in single-serve bottles...
As consumers’ focus on health and wellness deepens, their understanding of the concept also is evolving and diversifying based on their life stage and unique circumstance – creating new marketing opportunities for retailers and brands that can offer more...
With new players entering the food and beverage space daily, entrepreneurs at startups may feel pressured to stake out their shelf space in as many stores as they can as quickly as possible – but this can be a recipe for disaster.
The food industry will continue to drastically reshape itself in terms of food retailing, production, and consumption, pointing to more change "in the next 10 years than in the last 50," according to global consulting firm Accenture Strategy.
RISE Brewing Co. is looking to attract more coffee drinkers to its nitro cold brew products entering the mass channel this April with new distribution at 2,000 Walmart locations.
