A patent application filed by PepsiCo describes methods of enhancing the solubility of steviol glycoside Reb-D such that it can be used in higher amounts in beverages and beverage concentrates, overcoming a key formulation challenge.
Breaking into the cut-throat world of consumer packaged goods takes blood, sweat, tears... and enough cash to sustain some momentum after the initial excitement of seeing your product hit the shelf wears off.Here's FoodNavigator-USA's pick of...
With the global market for functional foods and beverages on track to reach $176.7 billion this year, this booming category now accounts for 5% of the overall food market and is driving growth for the food industry as a whole, according to Euromonitor.
There is huge, untapped, potential to incorporate fibers and proteins from rice bran into bars, powdered drink mixes, and other healthy products, says a natural products formulation expert that has just agreed to sell his business to rice bran ingredients...
Tea is an adult beverage, right? Wrong, says the entrepreneur behind Little Me Tea, who’s on a mission to replace the sugary juice box in your child’s lunchbox with an organic, caffeine-free tea sweetened with fruit and veg juice.
High levels of fiber and/or calcium can be incorporated into a ready-to-eat (RTE) cereal without impacting eating quality by pelletizing the ingredients, General Mills says.
The Andre Agassi Foundation for Education has teamed up with Michigan-based private label specialist V20 Foods to create Andre Agassi's Box Budd!es, a line of kids' snacks that will be sold in grocery stores nationwide.
The FDA says it will permit qualified health claims on the relationship between eating whole grains and a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, but is the wording it has proposed so qualified that no food manufacturer will want to use it?
It is hard to fool the brain by providing it with 'energyless' sweet flavours, according to new research in mice that suggests that consumption of zero-calorie sweeteners leads to higher sugar consumption later.
The head of an Israeli firm behind a patented functional energy drink WakeUp insists that the ‘sky’s the limit’ if the award-winning drink is accepted by a specific market segment demanding alertness.
The beverage aisle is easily one of the most dynamic parts of the store, with new energy drinks, teas, waters and fruit drinks entering - and exiting - almost daily. But when it comes to flavored milks, why is there just chocolate, strawberry and vanilla?
Connecting subtle cues consumers use to judge the quality and taste of a food with the context in which they experience those cues can help companies more closely align their products with consumer expectations, new research shows.
Immune health chewing gum is a cheaper and more portable way to guard against the common cold than dissolvable vitamins, according to an emergency room doctor who has created his own anti-flu chewing gum.
A bill proposing sweeping changes to food labeling laws covering everything from ‘natural’ claims to whole grain statements has been welcomed by consumer groups, but stands little chance of success, legal experts have told FoodNavigator-USA.
ConAgra Foods has sold Lightlife - a manufacturer of frozen and refrigerated meat alternatives it acquired in summer 2000 - to private equity firm Brynwood Partners for an undisclosed sum.
Although federal efforts have led to “modest improvements” in food quality and marketing practices in recent years, “commercial interests have consistently overridden the health concerns of children”, according to one former government health expert.
Leading stevia supplier PureCircle says “investments and assets are in place from agriculture to manufacturing” to be ready to commercialize two next generation stevia products - Reb D and Reb X - in 2014.
Big interview: Sarah Wallace, co-founder, the good bean
After spending years marketing products from Luna Bars and PopChips to thinkThin bars, The Good Bean co-founder Sarah Wallace knew a thing or two about building healthy snacking brands before she decided to put her money where her mouth is and go it alone...
A sugar tax is the best way to combat excess sugar consumption which doctors agree is partly to blame for growing global obesity and diabetes rates, according to a report from Credit Suisse.
The amount of detectable arsenic in rice and rice products is too low to pose any immediate health risks to consumers, according to new guidance issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Big Interview: Chris Cuvelier, founder/CEO of Zola Fruits of the World
In the increasingly crowded marketplace of functional beverages, what kind of impact can one more manufacturer of acai juice and coconut water expect to have?
WhiteWave Services Inc. has filed a patent application for ‘light milk,’ a lower-calorie alternative to skim milk without a watered-down flavor and mouthfeel.
Riding the wave of continued strong consumer demand for gluten-free food options, Canada’s gluten-free market reached $458.9 million in 2012, according to a recent report from Packaged Facts entitled 'Gluten-Free Foods in Canada'.
Plant proteins are all the rage - at least that’s what the market researchers are all saying - from pea and soy to algae and rice. But what about protein from canola, the second largest oilseed crop in the world?
A US government demonstration program to provide school-age children from low-income households with meals and snacks during the summer months showed a 33% decrease in the rate of very low food security among children in the demonstration’s second year,...
The head of Rooibee Red Tea says the US’s first bottled rooibos red tea brand expects a significant sales lift this year after enjoying 330% growth from 2010-2012.
Oil-filled hydrogel particles could help food producers slash the level of fat used low-calorie in products without affecting taste or texture, say researchers.
Vinegar (acetic acid) should be ‘purposefully’ integrated into more food matrices, say the researchers behind a new study which reports the potential blood sugar management potential of a vinegar beverage.
PepsiCo has been experimenting with ingredients from unpeeled heat-treated green bananas and plantains to serve as everything from a gluten substitute to a sugar replacer in products from oatmeal to smoothies, crackers, bars and cookies, a recent patent...
PepsiCo is exploring the potential of natural energy drinks containing Chinese herbal extracts that can alleviate fatigue and enhance sports performance without a big dose of caffeine, a patent application indicates.
Sterilization and pasteurization have no effects on the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of maple sap, says a new study that supports it as a ‘great candidate for functional beverage applications’.
The FDA is planning a consumer study to find out whether fortifying snack foods with vitamins or other healthy ingredients and shouting about it on pack could lead shoppers to believe that a diet of nutrient-enriched junk food is nutritionally viable.
While any flavor house with sufficient resources can monitor what’s happening in stores, restaurants and bars to get a sense of emerging trends, this only tells you what’s happening now, not what the future might taste like, says Firmenich senior marketing...
In an issue that seems reluctant to go away, the Center for Science in the Public Interest has put aloe vera on its “avoid” list because of a range of negative reactions the ingredient can cause. This judgment is in error, according to an industry group,...
‘Eco-eating’, which encompasses everything from edible packaging trends to sustainable seafood, is moving from natural stores and fancy restaurants to the mainstream of food culture, according to a new report.
A new entrant is set to stir up the long stagnant shelf stable meat replacement market. Neat Foods, a Lancaster, PA-based startup, will debut its line of vegan, gluten- and soy-free, non GMO meat replacements at the upcoming Expo East trade show in New...
Two young entrepreneurs have developed a high protein bar using crickets that they say have superior nutritional qualities and can go a long way in making insect consumption mainstream in America.
In 2006, the FDA issued draft guidance designed to ensure food manufacturers were all singing from the same hymn sheet when making whole grain labeling statements. Seven years later, we are still waiting for the finalized guidance, and comments to the...
Can consuming dairy products reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes? The answer, according to a systematic review published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition last week, is a qualified YES.
RiceBran Technologies has upped production at its Dillon, Montana plant by 25% to meet demand for fibers from rice bran, revealed bosses at the second quarter earnings call this week.
Big interview: Jay Klein, founder & CEO, Action Candy Company (PÜR Gum)
You don’t launch a new brand in the gum category by calling the buyer at Walmart and asking nicely for some shelf-space at the checkout between Juicy Fruit and Trident, observes the founder of aspartame-free PÜR Gum.
The American Heart Association (AHA) has fraudulently certified as ‘heart healthy’ scores of products from Campbell Soup that contain far more sodium than the FDA - and the AHA itself - recommends for people on a heart-healthy diet, alleges a lawsuit.
Big interview, Yves Potvin, founder and CEO, Garden Protein (Gardein)
Despite all the recent hype about plant-based protein, the frozen meat alternatives category was stuck in a bit of a rut until pretty recently, says the man behind the fastest growing brand in the market.
Stevia supplier GLG Lifetech is working with China’s largest food company - state-owned COFCO (China National Cereals, Oils, and Foodstuffs Corporation) - on three major healthy food and beverage formulation projects.
Given that one in three American adults is expected to develop type 2 diabetes by 2050, foods and supplements targeting pre-diabetics and type 2 diabetics would appear to have enormous potential. So why isn’t the ‘healthy blood glucose’ market exploding?
Sales of organic products rose 13% to $11.2bn in the year to July 6 in the US retail market, with the highest growth found in shelf-stable meats, poultry and seafood (+61%); followed by baby food (+34%); and shelf-stable functional beverages (+33%); according...
