From the “volatile government situation” to the “crazy acts of nature” across the nation and “senseless hate crimes,” many consumers in the US are feeling uneasy and looking for a way to “escape from some of the badness” by visiting hotels, restaurants...
Uncertainty surrounding the US-China trade war and the renegotiated trade deal with Canada and Mexico are taking a toll on US food and agricultural industries, but experts with Rabobank say there is hope for the future if players take action now to diversify...
It’s good practice to fortify plant-based milks, but consumers don’t expect precise organoleptic or nutritional equivalency with dairy milk, says HP Hood, which is gearing up for a national launch of "full bodied, naturally sweet" oatmilk with...
Given its success in other markets, Swedish oatmilk brand Oatly was quietly confident that it would do well in the US, says US general manager Mike Messersmith. “But the magnitude of demand and the speed with which it developed vastly exceeded our expectations.”
Cargill has unveiled its new 188,000-square-foot North American protein headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, designed to foster employee collaboration and drive innovation in the protein category.
Hope & Sesame organic sesamemilk has a “subtle, nutty” taste, a creamy texture, and a comparable amount of protein to dairy milk, with added calcium and vitamin D, says brand owner Spinning Wheel Brands, which says consumers are starting to demand...
Given the importance placed on making a good first impression, many entrepreneurs and innovators may think they need to perfect a product before they introduce it to the market – but according a co-founder of the cold brew nitro-infused coffee company...
Consumer interest in “getting back to basics” will heavily influence how they approach food and beverages in 2019 – pushing them towards options that are both “real” in the sense offering natural benefits with minimal processing, and realistically depicted...
With the opening of a larger manufacturing facility, cashew cheese maker Nuttin Ordinary is ready to expand distribution beyond its home market in New England so that it can continue to ride a wave of consumer interest in non-dairy alternatives that fueled...
Within the adults snack bar category consumers can find everything from cold-pressed chilled bars made with whole fruits and vegetables to a myriad of clean label alternatives of protein bars. But when it came to snack bars for kids, the options were...
FreshDirect, an online fresh food retailer based in the Northeast, along with its in-house trendspotting experts have shared its top 10 major trends consumers can expect to see more of in 2019.
Synthetic biology specialist Amyris has embarked on a mission to capture 30% of the global stevia sweeteners market by 2022 with a Reb M sweetener produced from cane sugar by a modified yeast strain, that it claims gives it a clear competitive advantage...
Seattle Food Tech – a start-up seeking to carve a distinct niche in the burgeoning plant-based meat market by targeting schools, hospitals, universities, and the military with plant-based chicken nuggets – has raised $1m and hired a VP of business development.
Once a niche ingredient, pea protein is now the #2 player in the burgeoning plant-based protein market behind soy, with key players ratcheting up capacity to meet growing demand. FoodNavigator-USA (FNU) caught up with Tyler Lorenzen (TL), president at...
ADM – which is best known in the protein arena for its soy-based ingredients and edible beans - is moving into the fast-growing pea protein space early next year with an 80%+ concentrate, and is developing “legume ingredients with at least 80% protein...
HUEL is now competing in the ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage category with the launch of an on-the-go bottle format of its ‘nutritionally complete’ meal replacement protein blend.
Farbest Brands has been named the preferred North American distributor of pea protein by Chinese manufacturer Jianyuan Foods Group, which will start commissioning a new production facility in the coming weeks that will provide “a significant increase...
Natac Solutions, a recent 50-50 joint venture between Radient Technologies Inc. (RTI) and Grupo Natac S.L., will help CPG companies rethink and enhance their functional products with its range of plant-based extracts claimed to preserve the holistic plant...
If you didn't make it to Chicago last week for the FoodNavigator-USA FOOD FOR KIDS summit, you missed a truly awesome ensemble of academics, industry experts, health advocates, and our first parents’ panel, covering everything from the infant gut...
By tapping registered dietitians at retailers and in local communities, Freedom Foods has magnified the impact and reach of its recent launch in more than 2,000 stores in the US of nutritional bars and cereals featuring BarleyMax – a unique grain packed...
While earlier this year there was talk of a turf war between federal agencies over who should have primary jurisdiction over cell-cultured meat, the FDA and the USDA have now agreed to create a joint regulatory framework, providing clarity for a growing...
Food and beverage products that communicate a clear functional health benefit, sustainability story, explore alternative protein sources, or leverage technology to shorten the distance between a recipe and finished meal, are just some of the trends to...
While the terms ‘vegan’ and ‘plant-based’ might appear to be interchangeable (they both exclude animal products), consumers do not view them in the same way, says the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA), which has just launched a new ‘certified plant-based’...
While the food and beverage industry is inherently competitive that doesn’t mean companies need to operate as islands – rather, at Rabobank’s FoodBytes! pitch slam in New York City the founder of whipped vegetable spread brand Frescious explains collaborating...
US retail sales of products referencing sprouted grains on pack decreased slightly (-2.1%) to $267.2m in the 52 weeks to October 7, according to new data* from SPINS, with the largest category - bread and baked goods - experiencing a 4.2% decline. However,...
Refrigerated fruit & veggie pouch maker Keep Moving Inc – which adds 6g prebiotic fiber (from acacia) to each serving - has seen a significant increase in sales after rebranding to ‘gutzy’ to emphasize its gut health credentials.
In response to “overwhelming demand from consumers,” Impossible Foods has confirmed plans to sell its plant-based Impossible Burger in US grocery stores next year, although it is not sharing details of the scope of the launch, pricing, merchandising tactics,...
With a smile-inducing new name and brightly colored updated packaging, Enlightened’s Bada Bean Bada Boom crunchy broad bean snacks are ready to come out from the shadows – literally and figuratively.
Bunge North America has added a non-GMO lentil flour to its portfolio that the company says can serve as a “functional equivalent substitute” for modified starches and can be appear as “lentil flour” in an ingredient deck, appealing to consumers searching...
Launching a new product or company comes with seemingly endless potential that the director of marketing with the startup Ocean Hugger Foods acknowledges is exciting, but she also warns can become overwhelming unless entrepreneurs craft a strict strategy...
Roughly half of current online shoppers reported that they plan to purchase grocery items more often in 2019 with increased purchases of fresh food items, according to the 2018 US Online Grocery Shopper Study conducted by The Retail Feedback Group (RFG)...
A month after committing $100m to launch its venture capital fund, Kraft Heinz has acquired wellio, an AI food tech company based in San Francisco, as part of its new digital innovation hub, the evolv group.
North Carolina-based Atlantic Natural Foods (ANF) will start distributing its canned plant-based seafood alternative TUNO -- made from non-GMO textured soy flour -- under the Loma Linda brand to major retailers.
German flavors and fragrances company Symrise AG has opened a US facility near Atlanta, Georgia, for the production of natural food ingredients, investing approximately US$57m in the nearly 100 acre site to grow its US business.
Plant-based ‘cheese’ and ‘butter’ maker Miyoko’s Kitchen has been hit with a lawsuit alleging it is duping consumers by cashing in on the good name of [dairy] butter to promote a plant-based product that is functionally and nutritionally inferior. However,...
Organic wellness shot brand Vive Organic has raised $7m in a Series A round led by Powerplant Ventures and supported by Blueberry Ventures along with individual investors including KeVita cofounder Bill Moses and Koia CEO Chris Hunter.
PepsiCo has acquired Health Warrior, Inc. -- a plant-based protein company specializing in 100-calorie snack nutrition bars -- its first brand investment of the newly-formed entity, The PepsiCo HIVE.
Using proprietary patented technology to make its Coffee Thins, Tierra Nueva believes the edible coffee concept will become a multi-billion dollar category in the US given Americans’ desire for a new way to consume coffee and the quick acceptance by retailers...
A San Diego-based firm building a production platform for food proteins from green algae says it can produce recombinant proteins identical to those found in bovine and human breast milk, which it claims could prove a game changer in the infant formula...
Plated is continuing the in-store rollout of its meal kits with Albertsons, gaining placement with 37 more stores in the Northeast and 42 locations in the Southwest.
Ethnic flavors, plant-based formulations, and use of traditional processing methods (e.g. small batch, stone ground) in new food and beverage launches are all fast-growing product attributes winning over consumers, according to Innova Market Insights.
BrightFarms is poised to bring its local greenhouse model to a nationwide audience with 15 hydroponic greenhouses to be built in the next three to five years as demand for locally-grown produce outweighs organic, shared BrightFarms VP of marketing and...
At the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo in Washington, DC, manufacturers showcased a variety of new and recently launched products tailored for different diets ranging from plant-based and allergen-friendly to low-sugar and high-protein.
‘If we’re lab grown meat, they are lab-grown Doritos’
While no bold new suggestions about how to label cell-based meat emerged from this week’s joint FDA/USDA meeting, start-ups in the field made it clear that the term ‘lab-grown’ should be off the table, and challenged claims that they plan to use antibiotics...
Greenleaf Foods launched today as a dedicated plant-based food company adding Field Roast Grain Meat Co. and Lightlife Foods (formerly under Maple Leaf Foods) to its portfolio of plant-based food brands.
Sustainability-related claims on food products are popping up more frequently and while still just a small fraction of market, items mentioning sustainability outperformed the growth rate of total products in their respective category, according to Nielsen.
Plant-based 'chef-inspired' food brand Kite Hill has closed a $40m capital raise led by General Mills' venture arm 301 INC. with participation from CAVU Venture Partners, which according to CEO Rob Leibowitz, will be put towards expanding...
Food and agriculture startups focused on reducing waste, using artificial intelligence to deliver higher food, and offering more sustainable and plant-based options, took center stage at Rabobank's FoodBytes! pitch competition and networking event...