Global food companies face big NPD challenges in appealing to widely varied local tastes, but as the world becomes increasingly interconnected, manufacturers are learning lessons from product launches half a world away.
Social media allows companies to feel out consumer perceptions of ingredients and concepts at the beginning of the product development process – and combines well with more traditional consumer research, says social media research firm Loudpixel.
Millennials may be the hot new target demographic for food and beverage manufacturers in the United States, but they are a cautious and volatile group of shoppers, according to a new report from market research organization SymphonyIRI.
Kellogg will need to negotiate a new deal in a class action dispute over advertising claims for its Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal after a US federal appeals court rejected a $10.7m settlement.
Special edition: The New Product Development Process
Thousands of new products hit the shelves every year, many of them fail, and few companies are comfortable talking openly about those that don’t make the cut – but manufacturers shouldn’t let product failure go to waste, says Datamonitor analyst Tom Vierhile.
We've all heard the statistics - almost 36% of Americans are now obese. But 50 years ago, it was just 13%. So why did we get so fat, so quickly? And what role did sugar - and specifically high fructose corn syrup - have to play?
The aging of the Baby Boomer generation and increased spending power among Millennials is set to disrupt the way the food industry does business, according to a new study.
Increased regulation of the food industry is needed to protect ‘the public good’ and help win the global battle against obesity, according to one obesity policy expert.
Kraft displayed a clever piece of targeted marketing in its Facebook upload of an Oreo cookie with rainbow-coloured filling on Gay Pride day, according to an industry expert.
Consumers are shifting toward positive messages of overall ‘health management’ and away from more negative associations of weight management, according to a presentation by trend experts at market research organization Mintel at IFT in Las Vegas last...
A legal dispute over Muscle Milk bars and sports beverages has moved into a new phase after a federal judge ruled an amended false advertising lawsuit against brand owner Cytosport can proceed.
The food industry could play an important role in fighting childhood obesity and improving children’s nutrition, according to a panel of experts speaking at IFT last week.
Better understanding and utilisation of the abstract links between basic tastes and certain shapes could help manufacturers to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace, say researchers.
Looking at pictures of fattening foods can trigger reward and appetite centres of the brain – leading to increased hunger and a desire for food, say researchers.
Cereal makers have made progress in improving the nutritional content of cereals marketed to children – but they have also increased child-directed advertising of some of their least nutritious products, according to a new report from the Yale Rudd Center...
Cereal and snack bar products containing superfoods such as chia, quinoa and spelt are expected to perform well in the global market, according to analysts at Datamonitor.
The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates has called for mandatory pre-market safety testing of genetically engineered (GE) foods – but said there is currently no reason to label them.
Nestlé has denied allegations that it violated its commitments on advertising to children by co-branding a new range of candy bars with the Girl Scouts of the USA.
Do consumers care whether the ingredients in their favorite foods are produced sustainably, and whether the people that produce them are treated fairly?
The Walt Disney Company’s new standards for advertising to children put the media outlet ahead of the pack, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) – and the move should encourage others to follow suit.
Almost two thirds of Americans oppose NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg’s radical approach to tackling obesity by cracking down on sales of super-sized soft drinks, according to a new survey.
Agrifood giant ADM has denied that it has infringed a patent owned by arch rival ConAgra covering technology enabling it to produce high fiber whole wheat flour with the palatability and appeal of refined white flour.
The fact that the FDA does not regard ‘corn sugar’ as a suitable alternate name for 'high fructose corn syrup' on food labels will add more weight to a false advertising lawsuit which argues it should not be used in marketing materials either,...
PepsiCo has scored a victory in the ‘all-natural’ civil litigation stakes after persuading a judge in California to dismiss a class action lawsuit alleging it misled consumers of its SoBe beverages.
As it races to become a mobile marketing ‘pioneer’, Coke has signed a deal that will see QR codes serviced by US firm Scanlife’s platform printed onto all Spanish Coke Classic and Coke Zero cans.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has denied a petition by the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) urging it recognize 'corn sugar' as an alternate name for high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
ConAgra has reverted back to using high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in its Hunt’s ketchup less than two years after replacing the much-maligned sweetener with sugar.
Social media use is increasing, and that could be good news for manufacturers of branded products, as frequent social media users tend to be more loyal to name brands, according to new research from the NPD Group.
POM Wonderful has gone on the offensive following a ruling on its legal battle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from an administrative law judge (ALJ) with a bold series of new ads selectively quoting from his 335-page initial decision.
Israeli lycopene expert LycoRed says it has seen a surge in demand for its tomato-based natural color Tomat-O-Red as a growing number of manufacturers follow Starbucks’ lead and seek a replacement for bug-derived colorant carmine.
Brands are often keen to portray themselves as one of the family – but could subtle differences in linguistic intimacy make some potential customers feel uncomfortable?
Monk fruit extract may be set to become a mainstream natural sweetener alongside stevia, but price remains a barrier, according to a Euromonitor industry analyst.
While POM Wonderful does not emerge from Michael Chappell’s 335-page ruling smelling entirely of roses, it has successfully challenged the accepted wisdom that firms can only make claims about food or supplements if they are backed at least two ‘gold...
Both sides have claimed victory in a bitter legal dispute between Californian juice maker POM Wonderful and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over allegations of false advertising.
Men may find meat analog products more tempting if they more closely resembled meat, according to researchers who found that American men and women alike tended to view meat as more masculine than vegetable-based foods and salads.
Belgian firm Nutrilab NV is preparing to introduce low-calorie, low glycemic bulk sweetener Tagatose to North and South America later this year, six years after dairy giant Arla Foods pulled the plug on the ingredient claiming it was not commercially...
US consumers are beginning to spend more on groceries – but are still looking for ways to maximize their spending at the supermarket, according to a new research report from MaxPoint Interactive.
US consumers now drink around 142,000 bottles of Yakult's probiotic fermented dairy drink a day, 24% more than they were gulping down this time last year.*
Alcoholic beverage brands increasingly are looking to connect with Millenials via social networks, as younger members of the demographic begin to celebrate their 21st birthdays.
Americans are getting fatter – and it’s not just the individual that needs a health check, according to a new IOM report. Like it or not, this health crisis has plenty of implications for the food industry.
Dispatches from the 6th Annual Food Technology & Innovation Forum, 2012, Chicago
Wild Flavors is in advanced negotiations with leading food and beverage firms about using a novel milk-based digestive health ingredient claimed to help maintain and repair the lining of the gut wall.
Dispatches from the 6th Annual Food Technology & Innovation Forum, 2012, Chicago
Nine out of 10 customers using potassium-chloride-based salt replacers from Nu-Tek Salt are now reducing sodium by stealth to avoid antagonizing shoppers, says the Minnesota-based firm.
General Mills has lost its motion to dismiss a lawsuit that claims the company deceived consumers about the fruit content of its Fruit Roll-Ups and Fruit by the Foot.
Dispatches from the 6th Annual Food Technology & Innovation Forum, 2012, Chicago
If you didn’t make it to Chicago for the Food Technology and Innovation Forum last week – or were too busy speed-dating with suppliers in the exhibition hall to attend the conference - we’ve rounded up some of the best bits…
The National Consumers League (NCL) has filed a formal complaint with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about the NuVal on-shelf nutrition rating system – and urged the agency to standardize nutrition rating schemes.
The proportion of Americans who say they would like extra on-pack information about their food has increased over the past two years, according to new poll results from the International Food Information Council (IFIC).
Health Canada is considering new rules for the labeling of prebiotics in foods, which could mean some food companies have to drop or modify existing health claims, the agency has said.
Smaller portion sizes, curbing food marketing to children, cutting sugary drink intake and boosting availability of healthy foods are among policy recommendations in a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM).
