While cricket flour is still something of a novelty, it’s creeping (and crawling) into more snacks as awareness – and the infrastructure to support its commercial-scale production – ramps up. Meanwhile, chia, fruit, peas, beans, ancient grains and protein...
Okanagan Specialty Fruits – the company behind the non-browning ‘Arctic Apple’ – is to be acquired by Intrexon Corporation, which also owns a majority stake in GE salmon firm AquaBounty Technologies.
Sprouts Farmers Market is exploring online delivery options, but hasn’t found a model that works, yet, chief financial officer Amin Maredia said this week.
The first products containing Solazyme’s high stability, high-oleic algae oil – which boasts “unprecedented” amounts of healthy monounsaturated fat – will hit shelves later this year, says the firm, which has just received a no objections letter from...
When trying to source non GMO dietary ingredients for supplements, the inclusion of enzymes presents a special case. There is confusion about the penetration of genetic modification technology into the sector, a confusion that is abetted by the tightly-held...
Meat-free brand Lightlife Foods is getting an image overhaul this spring with new packaging, a new logo, new products and a commitment to engaging with a growing number of consumers that are reducing their meat consumption, says CEO Roy Lubetkin.
There have been more than 200 class action lawsuits filed against food and beverage companies over allegedly deceptive labeling since 2012, 60 of which have been dismissed at various stages, and 25 of which have been settled, but none have yet gone to...
We’re not trying to hide the fact that we’re using genetic engineering
While anti-GMO activists warn that the technology behind non-browning ‘Arctic apples’ is untested, unnecessary, and "dangerously imprecise", the grower behind them says he’s confident that the food industry and the American public will come...
From the GMO labeling debate and food litigation trends to new strategies to revitalize the Greek yogurt category, FoodNavigator-USA’s 2015/16 editorial calendar of special editions (once a month), online forums/events (once every two months) and face-to-face...
As more consumers avoid genetically modified organisms, manufacturers that fail to label whether their products contain GMOs are at an increased risk of losing consumer trust and relevance, according to The Hartman Group.
While consumers may think twice about buying a large box of cereal featuring a new functional ingredient, they are much more willing to try new things in the beverage category, which is a hotbed of innovation right now, two leading ingredients suppliers...
Mandatory GMO labels will be seen as 'warning labels', warns GMA
Supporters and opponents of GMO labeling will square up in a courtroom in Burlington, Vermont, today (Jan 7) to present oral arguments over the merits of Act 120, which will require mandatory labeling of foods produced with genetic engineering.
For the makers of Fire Cider, an apple cider vinegar-based supplement and drink concentrate, keeping the Earth healthy is just as important as helping people stay healthy.
All the rhetoric for and against genetically modified organisms voiced leading up to November when several states voted on GMO labeling initiatives can make it difficult to understand exactly what genetic engineering is, let alone the benefits and downsides.
Trendwatching with Mintel, Euromonitor, Rabobank & Trailblazer Foods
From the 'astounding' reinvention of popcorn as "Millennial friendly, cool and healthy", to the proliferation of apps & devices enabling us to track our calories, sleep and bowel movements, what have we learned about the food culture...
The biggest rise was in products making non-GMO or GMO-free claims
Non-GMO, Kosher, gluten-free, ethical, environmentally-friendly, lactose-free, vegan, no additives/preservatives, and on-the-go claims are all gaining more traction on US food labels; while growth in ‘all-natural’- antioxidant- and low/no/reduced sugar/sodium/fat...
A federal labeling standard for genetically modified foods applied nationwide is better for industry and consumers than a patchwork of state regulations, advocates for and against mandatory GMO labeling agreed Dec. 10 at a House subcommittee on Health...
Genetically engineered crops are not a magic bullet and some weeds have become resistant to the herbicide glyphosate (RoundUp) used with selected GM crops, said Monsanto’s chief technology officer Dr Robert Fraley in a debate on Wednesday. But that doesn’t...
A class action lawsuit filed in California accuses Whole Foods Market of misleading consumers by advertising and selling Almond Breeze products with non-GMO Project verified labels before they had officially achieved Non-GMO Project verified status.
General Mills has agreed that it will not use the term ‘100% natural’ to describe Nature Valley bars that contain certain ‘artificially produced’ ingredients in order to settle a long-running false advertising lawsuit*.
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have voted to allow individual countries within the EU to ban the cultivation of genetically modified food crops on their soil, even if the EU has already approved them for wider cultivation.
Boulder Brands - which announced a high-profile re-launch of its Smart Balance spreads on a non-GMO platform in March - has admitted that the move has not transformed the brand’s flagging fortunes.
UPDATED - Initial returns indicate that voters in Colorado have given a firm thumbs down to GMO labeling initiative Proposition 105, while the vote in Oregon on Measure 92 headed to a nail-biting finish - but ended with voters saying NO.
While Beanitos probably has a higher profile, fellow Texan chip maker Simply7 snacks has quietly carved out an equally impressive niche in the better-for-you snacks aisle over the past four years with hummus, lentil, quinoa and pink pomegranate chips...
Consumers want to see what you are putting into the product as well as what isn’t in there
With revenues going from zero to “north of $20m” in three years, the growth of Way Better Snacks has been nothing short of meteoric. But while great branding, its focus on ‘sprouted’ seeds and the CPG experience of its founder & CEO Jim Breen have...
Chobani is working with Green America (formerly Co-op America) to “discuss realistic and viable” ways to secure more milk from cows fed non-GMO animal feed.
The cost to consumers of requiring labeling of genetically modified food is $2.30 per person annually, or less than a penny a day, says new analysis commissioned by Consumers Union, the policy arm of Consumer Reports.
The notion that defining ‘natural’ is just too hard - either for the FDA or for the food industry - and that we therefore shouldn’t even bother to attempt it, is defeatist and “disingenuous”, says the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).
In part one of our coverage of FoodNavigator-USA’s natural & clean label panel debate we looked at whether the FDA - or industry stakeholders - should define ‘natural’. In part two, we look at all-natural lawsuits, and whether consumers understand...
Diamond Foods is "competing with products addressing the trends in convenient protein, natural, organic, gluten-free, and non-GMO", CEO Brian Driscoll told analysts Thursday. And while its nuts and chips tap into some of these trends, he said,...
What’s more sustainable? Using acres of land, water and energy to grow plants that produce minuscule quantities of natural flavors, sweeteners or phytonutrients; or making them via a fermentation process using baker’s yeast that’s been engineered to produce...
Opponents of genetic modification say there is a new, potentially more powerful technology to contend with: synthetic biology. Purveyors of natural products who are concerned about this technique have coined the term for the way in which scientists have...
90 scientists have written to President Obama urging him to press the FDA into making a decision, one way or another, on whether AquaBounty Technologies should be allowed to introduce the first genetically engineered (GE) animal to the human food supply.
While new class action lawsuits over ‘all-natural’ claims on food labels are still filed in the ‘food court’ in California on a weekly basis, some recent orders from judges handling these cases present a glimmer of hope for beleaguered food & beverage...
B&G Foods is the latest firm to be hit with a class action lawsuit accusing it of misleading shoppers by labeling products containing ingredients that are “highly processed” or/and derived from genetically engineered crops as ‘all-natural’.
General Mills has defended the future of Annie’s natural and organic snacks under its ownership, but two experts say the company will have to work hard to beat the critics.
Food trade associations are seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent the state of Vermont from implementing its GMO labeling law (Act 120) until a lawsuit they have filed that challenges the law has “run its course”.
Just months after Kashi agreed to settle a California class action lawsuit accusing it of deceptively advertising its wares as ‘all-natural’, a judge has allowed most claims in a similar class action brought in Florida to proceed.
When it comes to reporting the position of some of the world’s biggest food companies on genetically engineered foods, Friends of the Earth, it seems, has been engaging in some pretty creative PR ‘engineering’ of its own.
A proposition seeking to label genetically modified foods will be on the November ballot in Colorado after supporters of the Right to Know Colorado initiative submitted nearly 125,000 valid signatures to the Colorado Secretary of State.
How clean is your label, and who decides - plaintiff's attorneys or Whole Foods Market? Are ‘all-natural’ claims still resonating with consumers or are other on-pack cues more important? And do shoppers understand the difference between natural and...
Pure Via labels will be amended, but 'natural' claim will stay
10 months after Cargill agreed to settle a class action lawsuit alleging it was misleading shoppers by marketing consumer products under the Truvia brand as ‘natural’, the firms behind rival stevia brand Pure Via have agreed to settle a similar lawsuit.
Vermont AG: 'Natural' labels do not belong on foods made with GMOs
Vermont’s new GMO labeling law (Act 120) does not violate the First Amendment because the disclosures it mandates are “purely factual” and the law “does not require manufacturers to state a particular viewpoint, such as whether GE foods are good or bad”,...
Retailers are going to reduce the space given to legacy brands
Leading CPG companies are like huge ships that cannot change course quickly enough to address evolving consumer trends, claims the boss of Boulder Brands (which owns the Udi’s Gluten-Free, Earth Balance and EVOL brands). But unless they make some bold...
The Organic Consumer’s Association (OCA), is calling on the organic dairy industry to cut ties with the IDFA (International Dairy Foods Association) because it is one of several trade associations suing Vermont over its GMO labeling mandate.
Shareholders at Safeway have rejected a proposal from the Green Century Equity Fund calling for mandatory GMO labeling on its store brands, which company bosses claim would cost $15m+ to implement, while providing zero consumer benefits.
Vermont has serious concerns over cost of defending GMO labeling law, claim CFS/VPIRG
The Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) and anti-GMO activist group the Center for Food Safety (CFS) have formally asked for permission to help the state of Vermont defend its new GMO labeling law in the wake of a legal challenge from food...
