In an era of shorter consumer attention spans and heightened suspicion about food science, the packaged food and beverage industry can take a page from the world of pop culture and bring food science down to earth with humor and proactive transparency.
Flowers Foods – which has just snapped up Dave’s Killer Bread for $275m – has made another move into the fast-growing organic bakery category with a $120m deal to acquire Alpine Valley Bread Company.
A California judge has declined to certify a class of consumers in a lawsuit alleging New York-based Medora Snacks falsely used the term ‘all-natural’ on PopCorners labels because the corn-based chips are made with genetically engineered corn.
While supporters of Rep. Mike Pompeo’s Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act (HR1599) welcome its proposal to create a national standard for non-GMO claims, the Non-GMO Project says this would confuse shoppers by creating a competing label underpinned by...
A federal judge in Florida has approved a $3.99m deal to resolve a proposed class action accusing Kashi of misleading shoppers by labeling products made with GMOs as ‘all-natural’.
Campbell Soup Company continues to be impacted by restructuring costs and falling sales. But an uptick in organic sales buoyed the company as it embarks on a previously announced plan to restructure its portfolio as it released its fourth quarter 2015...
More consumers are choosing whole grains regularly thanks in part to more sophisticated formulating techniques that better balance flavor and health benefits, according to a survey conducted by the non-profit Oldways Whole Grains Council.
Unilever is searching for radical new ways to understand what consumers really want, Kraft Heinz is looking for novel sources of sustainable oils, and Mondelez is on a mission to find ‘label friendly’ natural mold inhibitors and low-cost ways to tackle...
Chipotle: People who eat GM foods are not themselves genetically modified. The same applies to cows fed GM feed…
Chipotle says it will vigorously defend a “meritless and unfair” lawsuit accusing it of falsely advertising its wares as non-GMO. But attorneys say the case shows that firms are vulnerable to civil litigation over non-GMO claims if genetic engineering...
Many consumers are cautiously optimistic that their financial situation is improving, but they continue to buy groceries based primarily on price and value – creating friction between manufacturers and retailers, IRI research reveals.
FIT CRUNCH - baked protein bars developed by celebrity chef Robert Irvine and FortiFX founder Sean Perich – are sold in “packages nearly identical” to Nestlé’s CRUNCH chocolate bars, alleges Nestlé USA in a lawsuit accusing FIT CRUNCH brand owner Pervine...
Three class-action lawsuits claiming grocers fooled shoppers into believing bread was freshly made in stores were dismissed by a United States District Court judge last week.
J.M. Smucker Co.’s aggressive efforts to wake up its sleepy coffee segment are working, resulting in a 12% increase in the segment’s sales and a 13% increase in its profits in the firm’s first quarter, executives announced Aug. 27.
Synthetic biology will become a “permanent and growing aspect of the flavors & fragrances landscape” predicts a new report from Lux Research, which says the approach is more sustainable than traditional techniques such as synthesizing flavors from...
Letter shows FDA is serious about enforcing standards of identity, says lawyer
While Unilever dropped a false advertising lawsuit over egg-free spread Just Mayo last year amid an avalanche of bad PR, the FDA has picked up where Unilever left off with a warning letter advising brand owner Hampton Creek it is playing fast and loose...
The cliché of pizza lovers as beer-pong playing frat boys or men sharing a slice while watching sports is all wrong – and as a result, so are many manufacturers’ marketing and formulation strategies, according to recent research.
The dog days of summer are here and to help cool off consumers are reaching for ice cream, which a recent Yahoo Food survey found is 41% of American’s favorite dessert.
A new hybrid grocery delivery and meal solution service from food-tech start-up Handpick, Inc., claims to offer a more affordable and sustainable way for consumers to shop and cook than other online grocery shopping or meal kit delivery services.
In a ruling that will be read with interest by food manufacturers worried about being sued for using partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), a judge in California has stayed a PHO-related class action vs General Mills until the FDA decides whether certain...
Natural and organic food manufacturer Hain Celestial Group continued its five year streak of earning double-digit quarterly sales growth thanks in part to a “channel agnostic go-to-market strategy,” according to the firm’s president and CEO.
A recent FDA warning letter reminds food and beverage manufacturers that whole stevia leaf is not generally recognized as safe for conventional foods, even though many extracts of the plant are.
From grass-fed Buffalo jerky from Patagonia Provisions; and fruit, veggie and chia-packed squeezy pouches from Happy Valley; to bean chips from General Mills; check out FoodNavigator-USA's gallery of new snacks hitting US shelves this summer.
Bolthouse Farms is advancing its on-trend mission to make fresh products more available by expanding its fresh juice and salad dressing offerings under a new president and general manager.
LA-based Soylent says it “stands by the quality and safety” of its meal substitutes, after being threatened with legal action alleging its Soylent 1.5 powders contain risky levels of heavy metals and that the company failed to warn consumers of the risks.
Will Dave's Killer Bread retain its edgy appeal without its co-founder and namesake? FoodNavigator-USA (FNU) caught up with CEO John Tucker after bakery giant Flowers Foods coughed up a cool $275m in cash to buy the organic baker from the founding...
A large consumer study* from market researcher Health Focus International spanning 16 major consumer markets includes this pretty jaw-dropping statistic: 87% of consumers globally think non-GMO foods are ‘somewhat’, or ‘a lot’ healthier.
Beverage industry superstar Bai Brands – which hit the headlines this week with the launch of antioxidant-infused Antiwater – has also attracted the attention of plaintiff’s attorneys in California, which claim it played fast and loose with food labeling...
American households - and eating habits - are changing, and food marketers need to catch up, says the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) in its 2015 US Grocery Shopper Trends report. Here are 10 things that caught our eye...
Proactive marketing strategies, such as cross-promotions and strategic shelving, by food manufacturers and retailers can reduce the risk of lost sales when consumers are faced with an out-of-stock product on their grocery list.
An event in late September will bring natural and organic food brands and thought leaders together with hundreds of bloggers. It’s the first such event of its kind, organizers said.
Kellogg and General Mills’ pledges to remove artificial ingredients from their cereals in the coming years will not be enough to help cereal rebound but could spark an R&D trend, says a Euromonitor analyst.
When creating her DRY line of premium carbonated beverages 10 years ago, founder Sharelle Klaus sought to create a new niche in the beverage world. Which was a fortuitous thing, as the brand has waxed even as the soft drink category as a whole has waned.
Modern ‘Western diets’ can lead to poor immune functioning and increased risk of inflammatory conditions, allergy, and auto-immunity, researchers warn.
The mouth-burning, eye-watering and cough-inducing sensations that come with eating spicy foods might make some people feel like they are dying, but in reality eating spicy food could reduce their risk of death, new research reveals.
Fiscal policies can form a valuable part of efforts to drive changes in dietary behaviours, but such policies must be balanced against each other, say researchers.
From the challenges of sourcing organic milk, to the threat 'alternatives' milks pose to the dairy sector and the 'scary' promotional dynamics of the yogurt category, the FoodNavigator-USA Dairy Innovation Forum covered a lot of ground....
Wresting local control of the food supply is an idea that continues to spawn advocacy groups. The latest, called Local Food Shift, has cropped up in Colorado with the goal to launch a magazine as a way to spread the message and influence policy.
Lawsuits have echoes of POM v Coke case, says attorney
WhiteWave Foods has been accused of falsely advertising its Silk almond milk by the same legal firm suing Blue Diamond over the way it markets Almond Breeze, and as the cases are near-identical, the judge handling them has consolidated them into one class...
“Applegate’s mission is to change the meat we eat and we believe we can help them to do that."
When Applegate - the #1 brand in natural and organic prepared meats – got into bed with Hormel Foods, which owns Spam and Stagg, some diehard fans were not happy. But selling up does not mean selling out, insists Hormel.
Meet the people behind a2 milk, Yasso, Smári Organics, Tarte Foods, and good culture
For Hampton Creek CEO Josh Tetrick, food lies at the heart of the debate about what path the country should take in the upcoming presidential election. That’s why he recently published an open letter to the presidential candidates in The New York Times.
ConAgra Foods has urged a California court to throw out a lawsuit* alleging it misled consumers with the '0g trans-fat' claim on its Crunch 'n Munch popcorn, and stressed that the FDA's recent decision to revoke the GRAS status of...
Dave Lefkow: 'You’d be amazed how many people are obsessed with bacon...'
The Eureka moment came on a business trip in 2007 when Dave Lefkow’s co-worker Justin Esch casually observed that bacon flavored salt might taste pretty good. The cash to make it happen came from Lefkow’s three-year old son, who propelled a baseball into...
While celiacs – by necessity – are pretty clued up about gluten, most Americans are less well-informed, with a sizable number erroneously believing rice and potatoes contain gluten, according to a new survey.
UPDATED: The FDA is proposing that manufacturers include a percent daily value (DV) for added sugar on the Nutrition Facts panel – set at 10% of total energy intakes (calories) - in addition to listing the amount of added sugar (in grams).
GMA: 'HR 1599 protects the consumer from a costly and confusing 50 state patchwork of labeling laws'
The US House of Representatives has passed the industry-backed voluntary GMO labeling bill - The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act 2015 - by 275 votes to 150, and rejected all four amendments it was asked to consider.
FoodState, the makers of the MegaFood line of dietary supplements, has entered into a new supply deal that will allow it to cobrand some of its supplements with the name of Lundberg Family Farms, the California rice grower.
