As US consumers have fallen out of love with artificial additives and long, unpronounceable ingredient lists, the food additive industry is undergoing a considerable shift, according to a study by Packaged Facts.
Organic yogurt maker Stonyfield is rolling out new packaging hammering home its organic credentials with a new logo featuring the phrase ‘no toxic pesticides used here’ following research suggesting 74% of Americans would like to eat food produced with...
Colorado-based beverage startup Züm XR has made a splash with its patented technology that delivers slow, sustained caffeine release that has made its line of beverages the best sellers in their category in the western states region of Whole Foods Market,...
The number of consumer fraud class actions brought in federal court against food and beverage companies skyrocketed from 19 cases in 2008 to more than 100 in 2012, according to the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR)*.
Food policy must meet the needs of the rapidly growing global population, as well as urban elites in developed nations with “organic window boxes” promoting an ‘Old McDonald fantasy’, claimed one high-profile speaker at the Academy of Nutrition &...
As manufacturers and consumers alike continue to call for clean-label preservatives, natural options like rosemary extract are gaining traction in the market as a safe, effective alternative to synthetic shelf life extenders like BHA, BHT and the antioxidant...
Confectionery giant Mars has defended its use of artificial colors in M&Ms after being urged to ditch them in a petition on change.org accompanied by a press release from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) describing them as “neurotoxic...
A federal judge handling three lawsuits vs General Mills over ‘100% natural’ claims on Nature Valley products claimed to contain GMOs and other allegedly ‘un-natural’ ingredients says the courts are perfectly capable of deciding if consumers have been...
Big interview: Ben F. Pierce Gore, Pratt & Associates
When you think of plaintiff's lawyers, two images probably come to mind: Consumer crusaders like Erin Brockovich or grubby ambulance-chasers in John Grisham novels. But where in this spectrum should we insert the top attorneys representing plaintiffs...
As a tidal wave of civil litigation over the use of the term ‘evaporated cane juice’ (ECJ) to describe dried cane syrup (aka sugar) continues to engulf the food industry, there has been good and bad news for some high-profile defendants this month.
Joint venture DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products Company has teamed up with flavors giant Symrise to launch a new all-natural bio-based solvent and humectant as a carrier for compounded flavors.
Canadian firm AppleActives has developed a polyphenol-rich organic dried apple peel powder (DAPP) it is marketing as a functional ingredient on a joint-health platform.
Is there a natural ceiling to the gluten-free market? Is the party over for energy drinks? Are '100%-natural' claims worth the hassle? Find out in FoodNavigator-USA's round up of 10 of the hottest topics in US food and beverage development.Click...
Meat and meat products are highly prone to microbial contamination since they are intrinsically prone to spoiling, rich in essential nutrients and perishable.
Stevia specialist Steviva Ingredients has developed an organic syrup combining blue agave nectar and stevia extract that is suitable for formulators looking to cut calories and maintain clean labels in sauces and dressings, bars, beverages and baked goods.
Safeway has been hit with a proposed class action lawsuit alleging it misled consumers by describing its Open Nature Multi-Grain and Homestyle waffles as ‘100% natural’ because they contained the chemical additive sodium acid pyrophosphate (SAPP).
Cargill has agreed to settle a proposed class action lawsuit alleging it is misleading shoppers by marketing its Truvia consumer products (which contain stevia extract Reb-A and erythritol) as ‘natural’.
A bill proposing sweeping changes to food labeling laws covering everything from ‘natural’ claims to whole grain statements has been welcomed by consumer groups, but stands little chance of success, legal experts have told FoodNavigator-USA.
US retail sales of non-GMO foods and beverages are projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.9% in the next five years, and could represent 30% of the market with a value of $264bn in 2017, predicts Packaged Facts.
Leading stevia supplier PureCircle says “investments and assets are in place from agriculture to manufacturing” to be ready to commercialize two next generation stevia products - Reb D and Reb X - in 2014.
Is it too risky to label products that may contain ingredients from genetically engineered crops as ‘all-natural’? And will the FDA step in and decide this issue so consumer class action lawsuits over this issue stop clogging up the court system?
Natural colors expert Chr. Hansen has been exploring whether it is commercially viable to produce carmine - a natural red food color currently made from crushed cochineal insects - via a controlled fermentation process.
Vinegar (acetic acid) should be ‘purposefully’ integrated into more food matrices, say the researchers behind a new study which reports the potential blood sugar management potential of a vinegar beverage.
PepsiCo is exploring the potential of natural energy drinks containing Chinese herbal extracts that can alleviate fatigue and enhance sports performance without a big dose of caffeine, a patent application indicates.
In the 2nd major development this week in the debate over whether foods made with GMOs can be labeled ‘natural’, a NY judge handling a multi-district lawsuit vs Frito-Lay says she will not refer the matter to the FDA, as her counterparts have done in...
Consumers’ palates are becoming increasingly eclectic, flavor experts agree, and that makes it a challenging environment for flavor houses, but one that is full of opportunity, too.
While there’s been a lot of buzz around the FDA’s recent approval of spirulina extract as a natural blue food color for candy and gum, WILD Flavors says its fruit-juice-derived blue color - which has been on the US market since 2009 - has broader applications...
It’s been a good week for JM Smucker: The company just announced the ‘small but important’ acquisition of Enray Inc., reported its ‘strongest first quarter earnings ever’, and continued to see stellar growth for the Uncrustables brand.
The hot natural flavor trends for 2013 have some obvious and not-so-obvious contenders. In this infographic we look at the market, the main consumer groups and Anyone up for some bacon whiskey?
Big interview: Jay Klein, founder & CEO, Action Candy Company (PÜR Gum)
You don’t launch a new brand in the gum category by calling the buyer at Walmart and asking nicely for some shelf-space at the checkout between Juicy Fruit and Trident, observes the founder of aspartame-free PÜR Gum.
Stevia supplier GLG Lifetech is working with China’s largest food company - state-owned COFCO (China National Cereals, Oils, and Foodstuffs Corporation) - on three major healthy food and beverage formulation projects.
The FDA’s decision to give the thumbs up to spirulina as a source of blue color in candy and gum finally gives US firms a natural alternative to artificial FD&C Blue #1 ('brilliant blue') and opens up new opportunities in natural greens,...
Investment and acquisition trends in the health & wellness industry in 2013 are on a pace to match 2012, according to a report by Nutrition Capital Network (NCN).
Will the FDA put us all out of our misery and make a decision asap on whether GMOs belong in foods marketed as ‘natural’, as judges handling class action lawsuits over this issue are hoping?
Fluctuating wheat prices had a hand in pushing the latest superfruit offering toward the market. Sandra Purdy and her husband were looking at how to diversify on their Saskatchewan wheat farm and the prairie dwelling Saskatoon berry, a longtime staple...
By exploiting plant by-products for precursors to in-demand flavors, Natural Taste Consulting’s (NTC) has come up with natural, sustainable, and highly cost-effective options for a variety of foods – but how are they doing this?
For Justin Woolverton, founder and CEO of premium ice cream brand Halo Top Creamery, life had become too sweet and too sour at the same time. A dissatisfaction with his career path and a dietary restriction landed him in the freezer aisle.
A week after California judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers put a class action lawsuit (Cox vs Gruma Corp) on ice for six months to let the FDA determine whether GMOs belong in foods marketed as ‘natural’, a judge in Colorado has followed her lead in a similar...
A lawsuit filed in Hawaii alleges that Cargill is misleading shoppers by marketing its Truvia retail products as ‘natural’ as the Reb-A steviol glycosides they contain are "highly chemical processed" and the bulking agent used (erythritol) is...
Day three of the show began with a lively education session on genetically engineered crops - and whether to label foods containing ingredients derived from them - (standing room only), followed by a final whistle-stop tour of the expo floor to see what’s...
ACTION WILL REIGNITE ROW OVER WHETHER FDA SHOULD BETTER DEFINE 'NATURAL'
PepsiCo brand Naked Juice will stop using ‘all natural’ to describe its products due to lack of detailed regulatory guidance around the word ‘natural’, after agreeing to settle a class action for $9m.
Lawyers defending food industry clients in consumer class actions over whether GMOs belong in 'natural' products say courts should follow a California judge's lead and let the FDA determine this matter once and for all, so such cases stop...
PepsiCo brand Tropicana has failed in its bid to dismiss a US class action that claims it falsely labeled its orange juice as ‘100% pure and natural’ despite pasteurization, processing, coloring and flavoring.
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.
Geneva-based Natural Taste Consulting (NTC) is launching natural alternative garlic and onion flavors, offering manufacturers sustainable, cost-effective options for a variety of foods.
