Research showing consumer preferences for sweetness intensity may not be as easy to reduce as their preferences for sodium suggests a “stealth health” approach of slowly lowering added sugar across the food supply may not be an effective strategy for...
While sports drinks are often loaded with sugar and can pack a hefty caloric punch, convincing people to replace them with water or unsweetened options may be more difficult than persuading them to ditch other sugar-sweetened beverages, including soda,...
Public health advocates are calling on FDA to require all children’s beverages to clearly label on the front of pack the amount of added sugar, non-nutritive sweeteners and juice in each product after research published today in Pediatric Obesity revealed...
Researchers with the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity are calling on US regulators to severely restrict advertising for toddler milks and strengthen labeling requirements for the products after long-term market analysis revealed a significant...
In response to the public’s growing aversion to sugar, manufacturers across categories have reformulated and launched products made with alternative sweeteners, but increasingly consumers don’t want those either – but they also can’t as easily identify...
Using tactics such as “sin taxes” and a new bold-faced call-out for added sugar on the revised Nutrition Facts panel, public health advocates and regulators have targeted sugar as a primary caloric contributor in the ongoing obesity epidemic in the US...
A pioneer in the premium natural sweetener segment, NuNaturals is moving in a “more youthful direction” with new products and positioning that appeal to a broader consumer base than the company historically courted following a leadership transition from...
As more consumers fixate on sugar as a primary source of unnecessary calories and connect it to unwanted weight gain, manufacturers will need to re-engage shoppers with more nutritious options or else risk them opting-out of packaged foods and beverages,...
The Sugar Association is fighting back against sugar’s increasingly bad reputation by launching a new consumer-oriented, science-based website that seeks to place the ingredient in a “more accurate context of an overall diet and restore consumers’ sense...
With so many sweeteners of varying intensity and functionality available, reducing sugar in products can be a tedious trial-and-error process, but ingredient supplier Layn hopes to simplify the undertaking with the launch of two sweetener platforms that...
The consumer fear of the unknown that spurred the first wave of the ‘clean-label’ movement and the rejection of unfamiliar-sounding ingredients is evolving into a more sophisticated curiosity about what they consume – requiring manufacturers to take a...
While the ongoing war on sugar is taking a toll on sales of conventional chocolate in the US, it is creating an opportunity for once-niche, better-for-you options, including sugar-free – as long as the taste and experience are not compromised in the trade-off,...
As public enemy No. 1, sugar often is portrayed online as “toxic” or as “poisoning our bodies,” but this characterization is “a complete … web myth,” that oversimplifies the cause of diet related chronic diseases and doesn’t take into account the benefits...
More Americans say they are cutting back on sugar as their collective awareness rises about the prevalence and potential health impact of the ingredient, but those who still want something sweet are not clear on what the best option is, according to new...
Consumer demand for natural, plant-based ingredients combined with their desire to cut back on sugar without sacrificing taste is creating a perfect storm for stevia sales to grow exponentially, according to the International Stevia Council.
While recent Mintel data reveals a whopping 84% of US consumers say they are reducing the amount of sugar in their diet as a way to manage their weight and improve their health, many are unwilling to completely give up sweets – leaving manufacturers scrambling...
After establishing itself as a top player in the honey category with strong year-over-year growth, Nature Nate’s Honey Co. is expanding into adjacent categories where a company executive said it can offer “real, clean” alternatives to existing products...
While the jury is still out on what role, if any, sugar plays in the development of diabetes, recommendations to restrict consumption should be strengthened and research should be redoubled until a clear determination is found, according to an essay in...
A commonly held perception of the ongoing renaissance in the food and beverage industry is that only small, nimble startups are innovating to meet consumers’ evolving needs, and that large, legacy companies must acquire or incubate new brands to keep...
The added sugars portion of the newly revamped nutrition facts labels for food products will provide a significant opportunity for purveyors of alternative sweeteners, an industry expert says.
Product packaging today often is cluttered with so many certifications that consumers’ can’t absorb everything in the brief time they look at labels in stores, and as a result the icons’ impact is diminished and manufacturers likely aren’t getting their...
True Foods Inc. wants to make everyday foods “healthier, more delicious and better for our world” by packing them with more vegetables and less added sugar – an ambitious mission to which consumers are responding enthusiastically judging by the startup’s...
Back to Nature Foods Co.’s revitalization of the recently acquired iconic SnackWell’s brand is an example of how established companies can refresh aging brands that are struggling to better compete with new products from disruptive startups.
The FDA has removed a paragraph from a recent warning letter to a seafood company challenging ‘100% natural’ claims on a product containing high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), following an inquiry from FoodNavigator-USA.
‘This is one step up the ladder of desperation to remain relevant’
While cynics might paraphrase PepsiCo’s move to axe aspartame from Diet Pepsi as ‘Pepsi replaces one very unpopular artificial sweetener with another slightly less unpopular artificial sweetener’, it highlights the challenge facing big soda marketers,...
From dairy-free cheesecakes from Daiya Foods to almond milk horchatas from Califia Farms, more cold-pressed innovation from Evolution Fresh and fresh breath chews from Hershey, this month’s gallery is packed with innovative new food and beverage products.
Hershey has moved into the premium end of the meat snacking market with the acquisition of Sonoma, CA-based gourmet jerky maker KRAVE Pure Foods for an undisclosed sum.
Will Pepsi True & Coca-Cola Life revitalize the cola market, or are today’s more demanding and sophisticated consumers looking for more than refreshment and ‘no-artificial’ claims from their beverage calories these days?
A product liability lawsuit alleging high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is to blame for a teenage girl’s type 2 diabetes has been dismissed by a federal judge in New York.
Sugar has been linked to everything from heart disease to obesity and cancers in recent months. But is it as bad as all that? Our free-to-attend debate aims to tackle the key questions in the sugar debate. Have you registered yet?
Novozymes has developed a "completely new" enzyme it claims will prove a game-changer for the sweeteners industry by making the process of converting starch into products such as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), crystalline dextrose and fermented...
Obesity rates in the US climbed steadily over the last four decades, from 13% of the population in 1970 to more than 34% in 2009. While some blame an increase in dietary fructose, a recent study published in the Nutrition Journal used food availability...
Civil litigation over whether GMOs belong in ‘all-natural’ products will continue to clog up US courts owing to the FDA’s refusal to weigh in on this issue, says Mission tortilla chips maker Gruma Corp.
What will 2014 bring on the regulatory front for the food and beverage industry? From the stagnant farm bill to the ongoing debate on biotech to consumer confusion on the various forms of sweeteners, trade associations representing the sugar, HFCS and...
Corn - and more specifically high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) - has a “very serious image problem”, says Corn Refiners Association (CRA) president and CEO John Bode, and he’s on a mission to do something about it.
Consumption of sugar sweetened beverages may be associated with an increased risk of developing endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women, according to new data.
60-second interview: Matt Fifer, co-founder, 8th & Walton Group
Want to get on the shelf at Walmart? Prepare to put in some serious work, says Matt Fifer, who spent nearly 13 years in senior roles in store & club operations, people development, marketing, and international marketing at Wal-Mart before co-founding...
San-Diego-based flavor innovator Senomyx says the first products arising from a collaboration with PepsiCo using a novel sweet taste modifier called S617 should hit shelves next year - contingent upon a GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) determination.
Is it too risky to label products that may contain ingredients from genetically engineered crops as ‘all-natural’? And will the FDA step in and decide this issue so consumer class action lawsuits over this issue stop clogging up the court system?
Increases in childhood obesity levels, in part due to high intakes of fructose, may also have a dramatic effect on brain funcitoning and academic performance, warn researchers.
It was a dismal summer in the US soft drinks aisles, with dollar sales of diet/low calorie soda plunging 7.1% in the four weeks to August 3 vs the same period last year, while unit sales slumped 6.9%, according to new report from Wells Fargo.
While four out of 10 consumers say they are trying to avoid or reduce intakes of certain fats and oils, cholesterol, sodium and sugar, only one in 10 actually looks for this kind of information on menus when dining out, according to NPD Group.
In an order that will be read carefully by those following ‘natural’ labeling lawsuits, a California judge has rejected an argument routinely made by defendants - that the FDA has primary jurisdiction when it comes to judging whether ‘natural’ claims...
Consumption of one extra serving of sugar-sweetened beverage each day could be enough to increase the relative risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 18%, say researchers.
We have heard from attorneys representing food and beverage manufacturers about what Judge Richard Seeborg’s decision to throw out a lawsuit vs AriZona Iced Tea could mean for other ‘all-natural’ cases. But what do lawyers representing consumers in such...
A decision by a judge to throw out a class action lawsuit alleging that AriZona Iced Teas are not ‘natural’ because they contain high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and citric acid, should give hope to scores of firms facing similar legal challenges, say...
