USDA’s announcement this week to extend free school meals through the summer – and possibly the end of the next school year – ensures students are fed even if pandemic-related safety measures keep them at home, but it doesn’t alleviate increased financial...
RightRice has launched its newest innovation in the rice category, RightRice Risotto, a veggie-based product line that is dairy-free using just water while achieving the same level of creaminess the well-known rice dish is known for (in under 15 minutes),...
Selling direct-to-consumer (DTC) online has emerged as a favorite go-to-market strategy for emerging brands launching during the pandemic, and while it can offer better margins, a more intimate connection with shoppers and flexibility around pricing and...
Consumer and regulatory pressure is mounting once again for the CPG industry to cut back on the use of single-use plastics, Styrofoam, and other non-recyclable packaging despite a temporary reprieve during the pandemic when safety and hygiene fears outweighed...
Meal kits have gained fresh impetus during the coronavirus pandemic as consumers have embraced food e-commerce and looked for ways to recreate restaurant-quality meals at home. But will they retain their luster post-COVID-19, and what will distinguish...
When launching a business, founders often are asked to rely on friends, family and their community for financial support and guidance until they have proof of concept – but not all networks are created equally and entrepreneurs without affluent or influential...
Between the pandemic, wildfires, economic losses and a contentious presidential election, 2020 was a year for the books – and as tempting as it may be to turn the page with the new year and not look back, one marketing expert and applied anthropologist...
Indoor farming? Cell-cultured meat? The rise of DTC e-commerce? FoodNavigator-USA quizzed food & beverage business leaders to find out what trends they are monitoring, and what is keeping them awake at night as we approach 2021...
Encouraged by the first doses of the coronavirus vaccine administered in the US this week, many Americans are eager for a return to normalcy in the new year, but they also recognize widespread inoculation and economic recovery will be slow and so they...
Strong sales and market share gains in Kroger’s third-quarter announced last week suggest its controversial three-year, four-prong ‘Restock Kroger’ initiative is paying off and could insulate the retailer against a potential growth slowdown once a coronavirus...
Analyzing user behavior for its more than 30 million active diners this year, online and mobile-food ordering platform Grubhub saw surging orders for comfort foods and a rise of ready-to-drink coffee orders.
After initially hitting pause on new deals during the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, investors have steadily returned to the bargaining table, but the CEO of one venture capital firm warns the pandemic has raised the bar for and slowed the pace...
Membership-only natural and organic online marketplace Thrive Market – which now generates 28% of its sales from private label products - has gained 300,000 new members since the coronavirus pandemic hit, taking membership numbers to almost a million,...
Consumers’ desire for comforting, nostalgic and indulgent foods and beverages as a way to cope with pressures from the pandemic, election and economic hardship in 2020 is about to clash with more austere preferences more typical of each new year, including...
Wicked Foods, one the UK’s top plant-based food brands available in more than 3,700 Tesco stores, will launch its product line – which will focus on ready-made, convenient meal solutions – in the US and Canada in the summer of 2021.
Meal kit co Home Chef – now part of Kroger – is generating “double-digit, near triple-digit growth year on year,” as it has expanded its offering beyond traditional meal kits that may take 45-55 minutes to prepare, to fully cooked prepared meals that...
Joining Nestlé - the world’s largest food company - will help prepared meal delivery service Freshly 'hit the gas pedal' and accelerate expansion plans as consumers becoming “a little exhausted” with cooking seek more convenient meal solutions,...
Direct to consumer meal delivery service Freshly is aggressively ramping up capacity to meet demand and expects sales to grow by more than 50% this year as consumers embrace the convenience of having fresh prepared meals delivered to their door.
For many consumers, shelf-table tuna has long been a back-of-pantry fall back to tie together slim pickings or disparate ingredients, but a new playful ad campaign from Bumble Bee Seafoods seeks to reposition it as a front-of-pantry solution with diverse...
Meal kit co HelloFresh has announced the leasing of new distribution centers in Newnan, Georgia and Irving, Texas to meet growing demand as consumers stay home during the pandemic.
Blue Apron has posted 10% net revenue growth to $131m in Q2 2020 (vs the same period last year), and 29% growth compared to the previous quarter, benefiting from a massive wave of consumers cooking at home more. But will its customer base stick around...
The US needs a more integrated nutrition security system to help fight the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which disproportionately impacts people with underlying health conditions – often related to poor diet, according to an expert from The Rockefeller...
Baze, a personalized nutrition startup which provides customers with tailored supplements based on its at-home blood diagnostic test, has broadened its service to include food and meal recommendations addressing the “root cause” of nutrient deficiencies,...
Often called the “Swiss Army knife of food formulators’ toolbox for their versatility,” eggs can help brands meet Generation Z’s, sometimes contradictory, demand for experimental flavors, elevated eating experiences and, yet, still comforting foods, according...
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has reshaped virtually every aspect of American’s lives, including what, when and how we eat, according to research from the flavor, ingredient and color company Flavorchem, which found our emotions are influencing our...
As Americans tentatively emerge from lockdown, the industry is likely to face a very different consumer landscape. How might tighter household budgets change consumer priorities and behaviors? Will ‘Big Food’ really stage a comeback? Will habits (stress...
While many Americans have cooked more than ever in recent weeks, with some picking up new skills, demand for fresh ready-to-heat and ready-to-cook meals that require minimal effort has never been higher, says the founder of FreshRealm, which has teamed...
As Americans staying at home to slow the spread of the coronavirus flock to meal kits, both HelloFresh and Blue Apron saw sales lift near the end of their first quarters, but whether the companies can sustain the increase beyond the pandemic depends on...
The convenience, practicality and comfort of offering food as tokens of recognition, appreciation and affection could help insulate the US food gifting market during the coronavirus pandemic, but it may not be enough to fully offset losses in 2020 from...
Consumers in Chicago craving restaurant quality meals but without the overhead of delivery fees while staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic can enjoy internationally flavored soup kits created with local restaurants from the startup Soup Explorers....
While the federal government has taken several steps in recent weeks to help feed low-income children during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a leading public health advocate argues more must be done to protect the one in 10 children facing food insecurity...
Rather than hit pause during the ongoing pandemic like many other investors, global venture capital fund SOSV’s Food-X accelerator is moving full steam ahead by welcoming to its 11th cohort eight companies that are directly tackling challenges coronavirus...
An ad-hoc partnership between FMI-Food Industry Association, the International Foodservice Distributors Association, United Produce Association and National Fisheries Institute aims to help overwhelmed grocery retailers keep shelves stocked, stores clean...
Meal kit services such as Blue Apron, HelloFresh and Sun Basket are reporting a sharp increase in demand as consumers stay home and cook, although it's unclear how much of a boost they will get longer-term if household budgets become more constrained...
After a tumultuous few years marred by a price-fixing scandal, fines and bankruptcy, Bumble Bee Foods is ready to reemerge as a company dedicated to consumers’ and the planet’s health thanks to help from its new owner, a unique partnership with the maker...
Nurture Life is shaking off its past utilitarian appearance and adopting a bold, vibrant brand identity that speaks directly to kids, said co-founder of the Chicago-based kids meal delivery service, Jennifer Chow.
While Blue Apron lost less money in 2019 (-$61m) than it did in 2018 (-$122m) and some customer metrics are improving, bosses at the meal kit co have conceded that they can’t execute a turnaround strategy without raising more capital, and are looking...
Blue Apron has added more flexibility to its meal kit plans with the introduction of a meal prep offering, which provides consumers with eight servings of food for an entire week, all made in one prep session.
The long-held consumer perception of convenience stores as a last resort for a fast in-and-out trip to grab a six-pack of beer and, if they weren’t too picky, a few staple ingredients, is quickly being replaced by a new class of elevated – and digitally-integrated...
If an apple a day can keep the doctor away, the founder of Farmbox Direct and select health insurers are hopeful that an entire box of free, “life-saving produce” can keep older patients managing or at risk of developing diet-related illnesses away from...
Factor_, a fully-prepared meal delivery service based in the Chicago area, believes the way to get consumers to eat more healthily on a consistent basis is to remove the time and mental barriers around cooking.
Fresh Bowl – a startup supplying fresh salads, breakfasts and snacks from hi-tech vending machines in re-usable glass jars – has raised $2.1m in a seed round co-led by Betaworks Ventures and New Ground Ventures, with participation from Tuesday and Mana...
For many Americans watching the Super Bowl Feb. 2, what food and beverages are served is just as important, if not more so, than who wins the Big Game – making the sporting event a pivotal marketing moment for brands across categories to lift sales and...
As mounting consumer interest in personalized nutrition continues to drive consolidation in the supplement side of the segment, the evidence-based supplement subscription service Baze is expanding into food as a point of differentiation, and in doing...
The buzz around fresh, healthy and sustainable eating is so intense it is easy to think that everyone now eats this way – but the reality is the premium prices and extra time often needed to prepare these on-trend items place them out of reach of millions...
Haven's Kitchen founder Alison Cayne believes its chilled HPP culinary sauces packaged in pouches resembling tubes of paints are just the shortcut consumers need to make a home-cooked meal they can feel proud of.
In a further sign that the online subscription and home delivery model for meal kits is challenging to sustain, Albertsons has unveiled plans to phase out the Plated subscription service and focus on building the meal kit brand – which it acquired in...
As part of Nestlé’s goal to make 100% of its packaging recyclable or reusable in the next five years, baby food giant Gerber is teaming with TerraCycle to collect, clean and remold hard-to-recycle but extremely popular single-use containers, including...
Meal kit brand Blue Apron posted another sharp decline in revenues and customer numbers in the third quarter but insists that its strategy of focusing on 'high affinity' customers that spend more and stick with the service is working.
In an effort to boost sales and attract more users, Amazon has expanded its list of benefits to Prime members and has dropped the $14.99 monthly fee to users of its Amazon Fresh grocery delivery service.
