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...
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...
Should brands making dairy products from cows that may have consumed GM feed be allowed to market their wares as ‘all natural’? Absolutely, insisted Dannon in court papers filed this week urging the judge to dismiss the “daisy-chained” logic of a false...
The number of class action cases filed against food and beverage companies continues to surge with the number of cases brought last year alone reaching a staggering 170, compared to a mere 20 cases in 2008, according to new research released earlier this...
HowGood wants to streamline the plethora of labels and certifications that clutter the packages of food and beverage products throughout the grocery store. The best part is, no package redesign or additional certification is necessary for the brands and...
Contrary to what some may believe, farmers who grow genetically modified crops are “not the devil with horns,” and do have the planet’s and consumers’ health and best interests in mind when they select which seeds to plant and harvest, a Maryland farmer...
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.
POM v Coke got there, but will another high-profile food litigation case – this time over GMOs and 100% natural labels on cooking oil (Briseno v ConAgra) - also end up in the Supreme Court?
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.”
FDA and USDA push forward a strategy to modernize how genetically modified organisms are regulated that was created in part with the Executive Office of the President under the Obama Administration even as President Trump took office with the promise...
Based in part on the idea that good things come in small packages, the founders of The Little Kernel earlier this year launched a line of tiny pre-popped popcorn, which they say is sweeter, crunchier and easier to eat than regular sized popcorn because...
There have been hundreds of class action lawsuits directed against food and beverage companies in recent years over everything from evaporated cane juice to Non-GMO claims. But has the false advertising litigation trend peaked, and if not, what are the...
Has the FDA’s probe into ‘natural’ claims on food labels put a stop to the tidal wave of false advertising lawsuits engulfing food manufacturers? Not if a new complaint against Dannon is anything to go by, which also delves into the thorny issue of GMOs,...
To protect organic crops and products form the “incursion” of rapidly developing genetic engineering, the National Organic Standards Board voted last week to recommend USDA expand and strengthen the definitions of excluded methods under organic regulations.
Taiyo’s Non-GMO certification for its Matcha Powder is a sign of the growing influence of this attribute, even for ingredient categories that have never been subject to genetic modification.
Soy may be best known in America as a source of high-quality protein, but as more trendy and allergen-friendly sources of plant-based protein enter the market, the bean may need to evolve its marketing to better highlight some of its other health attributes...
World Food Processing is branching out from pea protein to offering a line of whole pulse ingredients aimed at helping food manufacturers achieve fortification targets.
With the launch of a new line of cocktail mixers, Zevia continues its transformation from a leader specializing in only diet, all-natural soda to a multi-service platform that offers beverages for a variety of needs throughout the day and into the evening.
The highly popular, and arguably over-used strategy of placing free-from claims front and center in food and beverage marketing to woo today’s more health-conscious shopper may not be as effective as some manufactures believe, according to new research...
Cargill has joined a flurry of suppliers making non-GMO announcements at the Supply Side West trade show this year, gaining Non-GMO Project verification for erythritol, cane sugar, and high oleic sunflower oil.
Veteran snack-maker Two Moms in the Raw expands its portfolio of organic plant-based products after rebranding as Soul Sprout to appeal to more consumers and better communicate the added-value of its food as well as more firmly ground the company’s image...
Products plastering a ‘free from soy’ claim as a virtue on their packages are more ubiquitous today. What does this mean to soy-based protein products?
While the SmartLabel initiative has been dismissed by some as an elaborate conspiracy by big food companies to avoid mandatory on-pack GMO labeling statements, it will ultimately have far broader significance – and potentially a huge impact on how consumers...
The word ‘disruptive’ is bandied around with wearying regularity in relation to food startups these days, but if anyone warrants this moniker, it's Perfect Day (formerly Muufri). Unlike the purveyors of nut- or legume-based ‘plant milks’, Ryan Pandya...
On the heels of President Barack Obama signing into law a federal bill requiring the disclosure of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on packaged food and beverage products, we at Beverage Daily and FoodNavigator-USA asked consumers at a downtown Chicago...
After two years of tracking down documents, updating its supply chain and tweaking its formulas, Sethness Products Company claims “first-mover’s advantage” in the race to provide manufacturers with “cleaner” ingredients by securing Non-GMO Project Verification...
New NGS DNA testing methods will replace PCR, predicts Clear Labs
As the Non-GMO Project states on its website, ‘GMO-free’ claims are “not legally or scientifically defensible due to limitations of testing methodology" coupled with cross-contamination risks. In future, however, that could change as testing methods...
It’s a bold move given how highly-charged – and extremely polarized - the debate has become, but Los Angeles-based start-up Soylent has weighed into the conversation over genetically engineered food crops with a blog post entitled: 'Soylent: Proudly...
The US House of Representatives has voted to pass a federal GMO labeling bill (306:117 votes) that would pre-empt and nullify all state-led GMO labeling laws including the one that has just come into effect in Vermont.
Michael Conway: Senate GMO bill is 'riddled with ambiguity'
Industry groups are lobbying leaders in the House of Representatives to allow a vote on a GMO labeling bill next week before they break for the party conventions, after the proposed legislation was passed in the Senate in a 63-30 vote last night.
USDA addresses concerns about the narrow definition of 'bioengineered'
The US Senate has voted to proceed to final debate on a federal GMO labeling bill in a cloture vote of 65-32, with the Senate set to vote on final passage as early as Thursday (July 7).
An industry-backed survey of 1,665 online primary shoppers suggests that Vermont’s mandatory GMO labels “strongly mislead consumers,” claims the Corn Refiners Association (CRA).
With the effective date for Vermont’s GMO labeling law officially here and the debate surrounding whether and how to identify genetically engineered ingredients in food and beverage continuing to amplify, a recent CivicScience poll uncovered a startling...
Attempts to reach a federal GMO labeling solution have failed miserably to date. However, a bipartisan deal requiring mandatory GMO labeling (via smartlabels, symbols or as yet undetermined wording) thrashed out in the Senate on Thursday looks like it...
The controversy surrounding genetic engineering may feel deafening at times with each side prolifically and loudly debating its pros and cons, but the vast majority of consumers remain unfamiliar GMOs and unclear if they pose a risk, according to a recent...
Rod Troni, chief marketing officer Snyder’s-Lance, on the role snacking plays for today’s consumers, the changing retail landscape and how the pretzels, crackers and chips business is set to develop
US Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack called on Congress to pass mandatory, national GMO labeling to eliminate the risk that consumer confusion triggered by inconsistent labels could destabilize and stymie growth in an otherwise expanding industry.
Glyphosate is unlikely to cause cancer to humans, says a report by a joint FAO and WHO committee on pesticides, but NGOs have questioned some of the scientists’ links to the chemical industry.
There is no evidence that foods from genetically engineered (GE) crops are less safe to eat than their 'conventional' counterparts, according to a new report from The National Academies of Sciences, which will "provide fodder for friends...
By Kristen E. Polovoy, Esquire, of counsel, Montgomery McCracken
‘Fat-free,’ ‘non-dairy,’ ‘all-natural’, ‘sugar-free’, ‘gluten-free’ . . . are all in recent history’s hit parade of terms perceived by many consumers as a sign that that a product is somehow ‘better’ or ‘healthier.’ The most recent term to join this...
USDA should strengthen organic seed sourcing practices as part of a multifaceted approach to prevent unintentional contamination of organic crops with genetically modified organisms, the Organic Trade Association argues in comments submitted to the National...
If your product contains even trace levels of pesticide residue, and you are calling it '100% natural', are you at risk of a false advertising lawsuit? Complaints filed vs Quaker Oats on Friday suggest the answer is yes, although legal experts...
The European Parliament’s Committee on Development has urged G8 member states “not to support GMO [genetically modified] crops in Africa” as part of its critical resolution on the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition - a decision agri giant Monsanto...
Dannon says it will begin to use non-GMO ingredients in some of its products within three 3 flagship brands - Dannon, Oikos and Danimals - beginning summer 2016 (when Vermont's new GMO labeling law comes into effect), but has also pledged to transition...
What would a reasonable consumer define as 'non-GMO'?
An order from a Florida judge in a lawsuit vs Chipotle should serve a warning to all food marketers that they could be sued if they make non-GMO claims about foods containing dairy or meat from animals fed GE feed, legal experts have warned.
VeganSmart, a plant-based line of meal replacements, is penetrating areas plagued with malnutrition via a unique marketing vehicle—the power of hip hop.
FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition is plowing ahead with an ambitious and wide-ranging agenda for the remainder of 2016 without pause after knocking out five final or proposed rules related to food safety and nutrition in just as many...
