Diamond Foods is "competing with products addressing the trends in convenient protein, natural, organic, gluten-free, and non-GMO", CEO Brian Driscoll told analysts Thursday. And while its nuts and chips tap into some of these trends, he said,...
What’s more sustainable? Using acres of land, water and energy to grow plants that produce minuscule quantities of natural flavors, sweeteners or phytonutrients; or making them via a fermentation process using baker’s yeast that’s been engineered to produce...
While new class action lawsuits over ‘all-natural’ claims on food labels are still filed in the ‘food court’ in California on a weekly basis, some recent orders from judges handling these cases present a glimmer of hope for beleaguered food & beverage...
B&G Foods is the latest firm to be hit with a class action lawsuit accusing it of misleading shoppers by labeling products containing ingredients that are “highly processed” or/and derived from genetically engineered crops as ‘all-natural’.
Chicago-based Sensient Flavors has unveiled a new toolbox of natural flavor masking ingredients that can tackle bitterness associated with everything from stevia to caffeine by selectively targeting multiple taste receptors.
Are consumers weary of 'all-natural' claims? And if so, what other cues do they look for on pack to see if a brand fits in with their values? We quizzed the bosses of some innovative food brands, ingredients suppliers and branding experts to...
Food trade associations are seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent the state of Vermont from implementing its GMO labeling law (Act 120) until a lawsuit they have filed that challenges the law has “run its course”.
Entrepreneur interview: Sanjiv Kakkar, managing director of Himalaya International
The flavors of Asia have no doubt made their mark on American palates—as Chinese, Japanese and Thai influences have made their way from niche to mainstream retail and foodservice outlets. Even tiny Malaysia appears to be moving up the ranks of popular...
From how to keep control of your trade spending to presenting the perfect pitch to investors (spoiler alert: ‘Let me get back to you on those numbers’ will not inspire confidence), food & beverage industry veterans and financiers took to the podium...
Just months after Kashi agreed to settle a California class action lawsuit accusing it of deceptively advertising its wares as ‘all-natural’, a judge has allowed most claims in a similar class action brought in Florida to proceed.
Despite the legal hot water in which many manufacturers and retailers have found themselves in recent months over “natural” and its growing list of synonyms, the term likely won’t disappear from food and beverage product labels any time soon, as consumers...
How clean is your label, and who decides - plaintiff's attorneys or Whole Foods Market? Are ‘all-natural’ claims still resonating with consumers or are other on-pack cues more important? And do shoppers understand the difference between natural and...
Natural claims on food and beverage products appear to be leveling off, according to recent product launch data from market research firms Datamonitor and Mintel.
Pure Via labels will be amended, but 'natural' claim will stay
10 months after Cargill agreed to settle a class action lawsuit alleging it was misleading shoppers by marketing consumer products under the Truvia brand as ‘natural’, the firms behind rival stevia brand Pure Via have agreed to settle a similar lawsuit.
UPDATED Aug 22: The FDA has conducted new tests to determine exposure to 4-mei (4-Methylimidazole) via consumption of products containing caramel colors III and IV, and plans more to assess exposure from other sources such as brewed coffee and roasted...
A new trade organization has formed with the mission to define what 'natural' means. The nascent Organic and Natural Health Alliance (ONHA) plans to go about defining that attribute in a way that is unique in the natural products business in...
Vermont AG: 'Natural' labels do not belong on foods made with GMOs
Vermont’s new GMO labeling law (Act 120) does not violate the First Amendment because the disclosures it mandates are “purely factual” and the law “does not require manufacturers to state a particular viewpoint, such as whether GE foods are good or bad”,...
The success of the frozen section hinges on the continued trend toward prepared meals with cleaner ingredient decks and accessible price points, says Chris Licata, CEO of natural and organic frozen meals line Blake’s All Natural Foods.
Whole Foods' labels are misleading, deceptive, unfair and fraudulent, alleges lawsuit
Whole Foods Market has been targeted in another class action lawsuit alleging that products it labels as ‘all-natural’ are misbranded because they contain “artificial ingredients and flavorings, artificial coloring and chemical preservatives”.
Odwalla founder: Large companies have to buy innovation
Launching a beverage brand is the easy part. The challenge is growing and sustaining it without running out of cash, steam or patience, delegates were told at the FoodNavigator-USA Beverage Entrepreneurs Forum.
While beverage’s biggest guns have pumped some serious cash into developing ‘mid-calorie’ versions of their iconic brands (Dr Pepper TEN, Pepsi Next, Coca-Cola Life), not everyone is convinced they will deliver the incremental growth to the ailing soda...
Find out what's hot and what's next in the beverages aisle
Will tea replace 100% juice in your child's lunchbox? And what's the next $1bn beverage brand? Find out what our panel of beverage entrepreneurs thinks at our free-to-attend online forum kicking off at 11.30am EDT tomorrow.
Despite tight margins and even tighter competition, it’s a great time to be in the food and beverage industry—and an even better time to be a seller, according to New York accountant and advisory firm, Anchin, Block & Anchin.
During the IFT 2014 show in New Orleans, FoodNavigator-USA caught up with RIBUS Inc. CEO Steve Peirce for an update on its all-natural and organic rice-based ingredients and the sustainability of rice in a world that faces staggering levels of food waste.
At $88.3bn in 2013, the size of the US specialty food prize is already mouthwatering, and if current trends continue (sales grew 9.6% in 2012 and 8% in 2013), it will blast through the $100bn barrier in 2015. But which categories are growing most rapidly?
What is the future of ‘naturality’ on product labels? Are sin taxes and warning just policy tools disguised as a consumer advocacy? And should health and wellness be part of every brand’s messaging?
Health-related buzzwords such as “heart healthy”, “organic” and “all natural” can lead consumers to rate unhealthy foods as healthy, according to a study of college students at the University of Houston (UH).
When shopping for food, two-thirds of US consumers look for “locally grown” on labels, while 59% check to see if the products they’re buying are natural, according to a survey from Consumer Reports National Research Center.
A novel ‘enzymatic enhancement’ process that can convert low grade stevia extracts into high purity Reb A could transform the economics of stevia production and help California-based Stevia First stand out in the market, claims its boss.
Will Keurig Cold really turn the soft drinks market on its head? Can natural sweeteners pull diet soda out of its funk? And what’s the next coconut water?
Can anything top protein? What’s a “silver consumer” and why should we care? Would salty caramel work in a soft drink? Innova Market Insights teased a very full agenda of trendwatching presentations at next week’s Institute of Food Technologists’ (IFT)...
Coca-Cola has confirmed that the sugar level in its new stevia-sweetened beverage Coca-Cola Life may vary considerably in different markets, with the UK version containing a lot more calories than the version sold in Argentina, for example. Meanwhile,...
Natural and organic is the future of functional food and food in general, according to MetaBrandCEO Eric Schnell. Schnell is a panelist in an upcoming NutraIngredients-USA online forum title "Trends in Functional Foods" and set for June 30.
Is the farm-to-table movement all it’s cracked up to be? Is a healthy dialogue about GMOs even possible? Can we fix growing income disparities in the developed world? A group representing many points on the agribusiness value chain weighed in.
The US ready-to-eat popcorn category has been “growing in the double-digits for the past 3-4 years” and is now worth “north of $600m in annual [retail] sales”, according to Diamond Foods CEO Brain Driscoll, who says new launches under the Kettle and Pop...
Three months after a federal judge in California gave the preliminary thumbs up to a $3.4m settlement of a class action lawsuit accusing Trader Joe’s of falsely advertising products as ‘all natural’, a fellow judge has allowed most claims in a similar...
PLT Health Solutions will debut a new vegetarian source of vitamin D with a whole food mushroom powder at the Institute of Food Technologists trade show later in June in New Orleans. The new ingredient brings together several developing skeins in the...
It’s not as well-known as yerba maté or guarana, yet, but another natural source of caffeine - the Amazonian leaf guayusa - is about to give them both a serious run for their money, predict the entrepreneurs behind Runa, who are on a mission to do for...
Several food manufacturers have been let off the legal hook recently as lawsuits filed against them for using ‘evaporated cane juice’ (ECJ) on labels have been dismissed or stayed following the FDA’s decision to look again at its guidance on ECJ. But...
A bill that would have required firms to label genetically engineered foods in California has failed to secure sufficient votes in the state senate to pass into law.
Guest article: Steven Hoffman, managing director, Compass Natural
Pointing out problems and flaws in organic farming and certification is constructive in that they need to be addressed. But using the imperfections of the organic production system to defend why GMOs are a preferred way to produce food - as Mischa Popoff...
US retail sales of organic products grew 11.5% to $35.1bn in 2013, the strongest growth the industry has seen in five years, according to new data from the Organic Trade Association (OTA), which is predicting even higher growth of 12% this year.
Kellogg subsidiary Kashi has joined a growing list of big food companies that have agreed to stop using the term ‘all-natural’ to describe certain products in response to a tidal wave of civil litigation over the controversial term.
Hillshire Brands has struck a $165m deal to buy frozen breakfast and snack foods maker Van's Natural Foods from private equity firm Catterton Partners.
As the class-action lawsuits pile up amid growing public health concerns over obesity and ongoing labeling debates, one has to wonder: Is Big Food going the way of Big Tobacco? And who should regulate food and beverage industry marketing? Companies, government...
San Diego-based flavor innovator Senomyx has entered into a collaborative agreement with PepsiCo to identify flavors with "modifying properties intended to restore the desired salty taste in products with reduced salt".
