The row over the legal line between liquid dietary supplements, conventional beverages and energy drinks hit the headlines again this week with Senator Dick Durbin calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to enforce its own guidance.
While US firms using inulin and oligofructose are still primarily interested in adding fiber or reducing fat and sugar, they are starting to move beyond generic fiber claims into discussing more specific health benefits, says Cargill.
An LA-based firm on a mission to turn ginseng into next big thing in functional beverages says there is room in the market for a new product that can compete with Red Bull and Monster but pack a greater nutritional punch.
While the food bar market has traditionally been split into two distinct categories: cereal/granola bars and energy/nutrition bars; the boundaries between them are becoming increasingly blurred, according to a new report.
PepsiCo is facing another class action lawsuit in California – this time accusing it of making a nutrient content claim (0 grams trans fat) on Frito-Lay snacks, without adhering to the legal conditions of use for such claims.
Once the preserve of sweaty men pumping iron, protein has emerged from an image overhaul as the ingredient of choice for food developers targeting consumers of all ages and both genders keen to battle the bulge and stay strong, according to one trends...
With lean finely textured beef (LFTB) now off the menu at some of the nation’s biggest retailers and fast food chains, recriminations are flying thick and fast over who is to blame for the whole sorry, pink, slimy mess currently engulfing the food industry.
Baffled by ‘pink slime’, confused by probiotics and antioxidants and suspicious of anything with a name that they can’t pronounce on the ingredients list…
The term ‘antioxidant’ should be banished from food labels and replaced with more specific claims about the health benefits of the phytonutrients and other ingredients in question, according to one leading academic.
The growing Hispanic market holds huge opportunity for food manufacturers in the United States, but understanding cultural dynamics is vital to new product success, according to a panel of experts speaking at the Research Chefs Association conference...
The use of generic food names like parmesan cheese, bologna, feta, provolone, and salami could be under threat, claims the Consortium for Common Food Names, a newly formed alliance seeking to prevent naming restrictions for international producers.
Chef Eric Ripert added his voice to the million others supporting genetically modified ingredient labeling during his keynote speech at the Research Chefs Association conference on Friday, but said consumers need to increase their food budgets if they...
An overwhelming chorus of “eww, that sounds gross!” alongside some scary junk science about ammonium hydroxide, has led to a safe, nutritious product being pulled from stores – but there is an important lesson here for industry.
A controversial government proposal designed to curb the marketing of junk food to kids is not high up the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) priority list, it has emerged.
The threat of civil litigation is now so great that food manufacturers using any ingredients not found in ‘Grandma’s kitchen cupboard’ should think twice about making ‘all-natural’ claims on pack, according to one firm specializing in food label compliance.
Shoppers are holding on to frugal habits in 2012, but there are emerging trends that food and beverage manufacturers can use to attract consumers, according to the latest research from SymphonyIRI.
Attorneys for the Sugar Association and the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) went head to head at federal judge Consuelo Marshall's courtroom in Los Angeles at noon today as the dispute over the CRA’s right to describe high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)...
It might not have garnered as much publicity as stevia, but monk fruit (luo han guo) “has found a niche within the all-natural market but will hit mass market sooner than stevia in this space”, according to one leading supplier.
For the third year running, soy ingredients company Solae has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the World’s Most Ethical (WME) companies, but it is still the only food ingredients company on the list.
Health Canada has approved a new health claim advising consumers that replacing saturated fats with mono- and polyunsaturated fats can reduce cholesterol.
A class action lawsuit filed in California this week argues that steviol glycosides should not be considered natural, owing to the "chemical processing" sometimes used to extract them from the stevia leaf.
Looking at images of calorie-rich foods could affect how the brain processes tastes, leading to greater appreciation for even neutral tasting foods, suggest researchers from Nestle.
Leading US nutrition expert Professor Marion Nestle says that PepsiCo’s decision to invest around $500m on marketing ‘megabrands’ she describes as unhealthy was a ‘crass commercial decision’, but the firm insisted that ‘health and wellness’ was crucial...
The perception that a food company has high ethical standards may be more important to consumer trust even than its ability to demonstrate competence, according to a presentation from CEO of the Center for Food Integrity Charlie Arnot.
Consumers are increasingly engaged in online conversations about food and beverage products, and there could be enormous benefits for manufacturers that get involved, according to a social media expert from The Nielsen Company.
The thinking behind ingredient selection and dosage in some cognitive health beverages is often “pretty confused”, according to the neuropsychologist behind brain-friendly functional beverage Nawgan.
A UN food expert has charged the food industry with playing a key role in global obesity, saying that unhealthy food products, harmful marketing, and misguided agricultural subsidies have led to a public health disaster.
The FDA’s warning letter to the maker of melatonin-laced Slowtivate Relaxation Drink has reignited the debate over the legal line between liquid dietary supplements and conventional beverages - and should make some firms very nervous - say lawyers.
The firm behind ‘breathable’ caffeine shot AeroShot Energy has promised to amend its marketing to make it clear that it should be ingested – and not inhaled – following a warning letter from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Some of the biggest names in US food manufacturing – including Nestle, Kellogg and Unilever - have been accused of infringing patents covering fats that alter the ratio of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cholesterol in the blood.
General Mills has filed a motion to dismiss a class action lawsuit accusing it of presenting products that were “little better than candy” as “healthful and nutritious”.
A petition calling for food manufacturers to state on labels whether their products contain genetically engineered ingredients has attracted more than 850,000 comments, claim organizers of the Just Label It campaign.
The US market for dairy“remains largely untapped”, according to PepsiCo, which is pumping $206m into a new US facility to make yogurts and other dairy products as part of a joint venture with Müller.
Consumers, the marketers all tell us, want foods that are ‘wholesome’, ‘authentic’, and above all ‘natural’, although few of them can articulate what this means.
Attempts to link ‘all-natural’ clean-labeling policies with the healthy eating agenda have been so successful that research now shows shoppers equate ‘healthy’ with ‘natural’ or ‘minimally processed’ foods.
The inventor of 'breathable' caffeine shot AeroShot Energy says he has barely scratched the surface when it comes to potential applications for the novel delivery format.
The FDA wrote to the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) in December in support of the trade groups’ front-of-pack labeling program, saying it would exercise enforcement discretion for certain aspects of the...
Consumers increasingly are choosing whole and unprocessed foods – so is it the end of the line for processed food manufacturers? Not if they move with the times, say ingredient suppliers.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is aiming to publish a proposed rule to reform the Nutrition Facts panel and related rules by the end of this year, somewhat later than originally expected.
Food safety experts need to do a better job of communicating the consumer’s role in keeping food safe, by using personalized messages and the example of kitchen role models, says a consumer food marketing specialist.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is to investigate the safety of an inhalable caffeine shot called AeroShot, which only hit US shelves last month.
“Post-holiday pressure” is to blame for lackluster sales figures across most packaged food categories in January according to Campbell Soup boss Denise Morrison.
POM Wonderful has come under fire again for allegedly misleading and deceiving consumers about the health benefits of its antioxidant-packed wares in a new class action lawsuit.
Branded snacks giant Frito-Lay and store-brand specialist Ralcorp have become embroiled in a legal battle over corn chips designed to scoop up salsa and dips.
Shoppers increasingly are looking to the internet for better deals on foods and beverages, according to a new survey from the Integer group and M/A/R/C Research.
Walmart’s new front-of-pack label might have stricter nutrition criteria than many others currently in use, but how does it fit in with other logos in the grocery store?
Attorneys for the Sugar Association have accused individual member companies of the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) of running away from charges of false advertising, in papers filed in a federal court.
Non-GMO Project Verified has become the fastest growing food eco-label in North America, as sales of certified products hit $1bn in 2011, according to findings unveiled at Organic Monitor’s Sustainable Foods Summit in San Francisco last month.
