As part of FoodNavigator-USA’s probe into natural colors for our Natural & Clean Label Trends 2013 online event, Elaine Watson caught up with Tammi Higgins, Natural Colors Commercial Development Manager at FMC BioPolymer.
Food innovation, from concept to consumer brand, will soon be the focus of a new television show, with ‘Supermarket Superstar’ giving entrepreneurs the opportunity to compete for a spot on supermarket shelves.
healthyAisles - a merchandising system enabling retailers to highlight products containing attributes from ‘low sodium’ to ‘good source of calcium’ via customized shelf tags and other tools - is now used in more than 5,000 stores across the US.
Big interview: Dr Roger Beachy, CEO, Global Institute for Food Security
One of the founding fathers of agricultural biotechnology, best-known for his pioneering research on virus-resistant plants, Dr Roger Beachy caught up with FoodNavigator-USA to give us his perspective on the current debate over the role of GM crops in...
Is it a safer bet to say 'Made with natural ingredients' than 'All-natural' on pack? Are consumers in the UK and the US looking for different cues on a label to determine if something is natural or wholesome? And did you know that...
Big interview, Gregory Jaffe, Director of Biotechnology, CSPI
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has made a name for itself by tackling the food industry’s big guns on everything from artery-furring entrees to misleading label claims. But where does it stand on genetically modified organisms (GMOs)?
A Fortune 500 manufacturer is looking for partners to help it find more consumer-friendly clean-label non-aqueous solvent technologies to sue in its ready-to-drink beverages.
Hershey will face a class action lawsuit alleging it misled consumers through antioxidant labeling claims after a US court refused to consider its protective order as part of an attempt to dismiss the case.
The beleaguered boss of AquaBounty Technologies says Sen Lisa Murkowski's attempts to force mandatory labeling of his firm's genetically engineered (GE) salmon are "another setback" in what has been a "dreadful experience",...
Big interview: Ted Nixon, chairman and CEO, DDWilliamson
Founded in 1865 - the year Lincoln was assassinated - DDW has been in the food colors business for an astonishing 148 years. But there’s no room for complacency, CEO Ted Nixon tells Elaine Watson during a visit to the firm’s HQ in Louisville, KY.
Special edition: All-natural: How clean is your label?
The term ‘natural’ has been used to mean so many things that it means less all the time, except as a starting point for class action lawsuits. But tell consumers you’re getting rid of artificial preservatives and you’ve telling them something meaningful,...
USDA certified organic on a food label means something concrete. ‘Natural’ or ‘clean label’ mean something rather more fluid. But while the stream of lawsuits over ‘natural’ claims suggests more clarity is needed - particularly on GMOs - some general...
Kellogg has been hit with a deceptive advertising lawsuit over ‘made with real fruit’ claims on its Super Mario fruit snacks, three years after being rapped over the knuckles by an industry ad watchdog over similar claims on Pop Tarts.
60-second interview: Rohit Tibrewala, CEO, Roha, North America
As part of FoodNavigator-USA’s probe into clean labels ahead of our June 26 Natural & Clean Label Trends 2013 online event, Elaine Watson caught up with Rohit Tibrewala CEO, Roha, North America, to talk natural colors…
Chipotle has started adding a red ‘G’ for GMOs next to foods on its online menu that are made using ingredients that may come from genetically modified crops such as corn and soy.
60-second interview: Carol Locey and Gary Augustine, Kalsec
As part of FoodNavigator-USA’s probe into clean labels ahead of our June 26 Natural & Clean Label Trends 2013 online event, Elaine Watson caught up with Carol Locey, colors product director, and Gary Augustine, market development director, at Kalsec,...
PL Thomas claims to be taking the wholefood concept to a completely new level with the launch of whole food powders made using a novel process that can turn “pretty much anything that is a food into a powder”, from salmon to pumpkin.
Market researchers tell us that consumers are seeking ‘natural’ products more than ever – and ingredient suppliers have responded by providing ways to ‘clean up’ product labels – but what do these terms really mean?
A federal judge handling a lawsuit filed in California over ‘all-natural’ claims on Mission tortilla chips has recommended that the case be put on hold for six months to give the FDA time to determine whether products containing GMOs should be labeled...
If you’re looking for a natural red food color, carmine can deliver. It’s vibrant, but stable, and prices have recently returned from the stratosphere after hikes in 2010/11. The only problem is that it’s made from crushed insects, and once they find...
Gourmet nut butters, pea protein, purple corn, yogurt for men and more chewy drinks? Sterling-Rice Group identifies the top 10 natural and organic food trends that are starting to influence the mainstream grocery market.
Tate & Lyle says it is “very disappointed” that the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has removed sucralose from the ‘safe’ category in its guide to food additives on the back of unpublished research from a scientist it claims has been...
The campaign for mandatory GMO labeling gained a further boost this week as the Maine House of Representatives voted 141-4 in favor of LD 718, a bill that would require foods made with ingredients from biotech crops to carry the label ‘Produced with Genetic...
Read the full May 14 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report ‘Sodium intake in populations’ -all 200 pages of it - and the conclusion is clear: Excessive sodium consumption is bad for your heart, and all Americans need to cut back - a lot.
Restaurant menus that highlight how much exercise you would need to do to burn off the calories in your selections could prove more persuasive than calorie information alone in encouraging diners to think about what they are ordering, according to a new...
Back in 2008/9, Boulder Brands CEO Steve Hughes had a lot of sleepless nights. The struggling Smart Balance spreads business - which represented 90% of group revenues - was running “in fourth gear” - and the economy was in the doldrums.
If it sounds like a ‘chemical’, or isn’t in the kitchen cupboard, shoppers may regard it with suspicion. But which ingredients are 'acceptable' to today's consumers, which are to be avoided, and who decides?
A US court says a class action alleging that Associated British Foods (ABF) brand Twinings broke the law by labeling green, black and white teas as a ‘natural source of antioxidants’ may proceed.
FDA has finalized a rule on the importation of food under the Food Safety Modernization Act. The rule, Information Required in Prior Notice of Imported Food, was adopted without any changes suggested by comments from the draft version of the rule.
The Kellogg Company has reached a new settlement to pay out $4m in its Frosted Mini-Wheats class action lawsuit. But the court has raised concerns on the significant cash drop from the previously rejected settlement of $10.5m.
A new study has found that calorie information on chain restaurant menus is reaching youth who eat in such restaurants, but may be being discounted by those who need it the most.
Recent data from Symphony Consulting (click here), shows that while US retail sales of products making ‘natural’ claims still grew in 2012, the pace of that growth slowed noticeably compared with the 2009-11 period.
The legislative pressure on mandatory GMO labeling continues to build, at least on the state front, as the Connecticut State Senate voted 35-1 in favor of SB 802, a bill that would require labeling of products with genetically modified ingredients.
Big interview: Cathy Enright, EVP, food & agriculture, Biotechnology Industry Organization
When it comes to winning hearts and minds about the merits of genetically engineered ingredients (and whether to alert consumers to their presence on food labels), it’s fair to say that the biotech industry has not done a great job.
Whether the food industry likes it or not, when it comes to GMO labeling, the “train appears to have left the station”, according to former FDA associate commissioner of foods Dr David Acheson.
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...
Major retailers from five European countries have urged greater support of non-GM soy production in Brazil, as increased demand for genetically modified (GM) soy from China risks diminishing non-GM supply.
How can you get more bang for your R&D buck? How does Unilever gain deeper consumer insights online? Why don’t manufacturers share more information with key suppliers?
Just days after Monster Beverage Co pre-emptively sued him, San Francisco city attorney Dennis Herrera has slapped the energy drinks giant with a lawsuit of his own accusing it of violating state law by marketing its products to kids.
The price differential between Hain Celestial’s brands and mainstream grocery brands will close over time as the big guns in consumer packaged goods come under increasing pressure to source non-GMO ingredients, predict bosses at the organic and natural...
Drug stores, club stores and the foodservice market could be the next big areas of opportunity for gluten-free, according to Boulder Brands, which owns two of the biggest names in the sector: Udi’s and Glutino.
Growth rates of several individual label claims under the health & wellness umbrella have started to level off, according to new research from Symphony Consulting.
An Abbott Laboratories shareholder proposal to remove genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) from its natural products - including its Similac infant formula range - has been rejected, the company has revealed.
The phrase 'all-natural' is still emblazoned on scores of new food and beverage launches, but not quite as many as it used to be, according to Mintel research.
A merchandising system enabling retailers to highlight products containing pre-selected health and wellness attributes from whole grains to gluten-free via customized shelf tags and other tools will be rolled out to thousands of US stores this year.
Advertising sodium reduction claims on food labels may increase a consumer’s purchasing intentions, says a new study from Canada that contradicts the industry strategy of ‘stealth’ sodium reduction.
The state of California has placed bisphenol-A (BPA) on its ranking of dangerous chemicals that should not be used in products consumers are exposed to.
