The entrepreneur behind Cweet - a natural high-intensity sweetener from a protein called brazzein- says he expects to secure regulatory approval to sell it in the US in one to two years.
Sentiment analysis tools that trawl though posts on blogs, facebook, Twitter and other online forums to help companies find out what consumers think about hot-button issues should be applied with more caution, according to one social media specialist.
Food manufacturers are increasingly seeing stevia as a way to “reinvent the regular” by helping them deliver incremental calorie reductions in everyday foods, rather than simply serving as a replacement for artificial sweeteners in ‘diet’ products, says...
Californian plaintiff Katie Kane has filed her second amended complaint against Greek yogurt giant Chobani accusing it of violating federal law by claiming its yogurts have “no sugar added” despite the fact they contain evaporated cane juice (dried sugar...
Unilever has added new ‘challenges and wants’ to its open innovation platform, this time seeking help with a stable natural red colour for fruit and dairy, and technologies to reduce sugar in ready to drink teas.
The official voter information guide on California’s Proposition 37 GMO labeling initiative inaccurately states that the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics “has concluded that biotech foods are safe”.
Prop 37 is likely to surpass Prop 65 as a source of consumer litigation in California if the controversial GMO labeling initiative gets the green light next month, predicts one San Francisco-based lawyer.
Civil litigation against Greek yogurt giant Chobani over its use of the term ‘evaporated cane juice’ to describe sugar (dried cane syrup) is about to move into a new phase with a second amended complaint in the Kane v Chobani case due today.
San-Diego-based flavor innovator Senomyx is screening a series of novel plant-based high-potency natural sweetening compounds in a bid to find the next stevia, monk-fruit or monatin.
Heart-health spreads maker Smart Balance has unveiled plans to split into two business segments, move its HQ to Boulder, CO, and change its name to Boulder Brands as it moves “from a single‐brand, single‐category model to a comprehensive, natural brands‐based,...
The serial entrepreneurs behind Terra Chips and Stonyfield Farms look set to achieve similar success with gourmet world cuisine brand Saffron Road - another niche brand that is rapidly moving into the mainstream, this time in the frozen food aisle.
Cumberland Packing Corp is going head to head with McNeil Nutritionals’ new Nectresse tabletop sweetener with the launch of zero-calorie natural sweetener Monk Fruit In The Raw.
PepsiCo has been targeted by the latest in a string of class action lawsuits alleging big brands are misleading consumers by labelling products as ‘all-natural’ when they contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
With the debate over Prop 37 heating up, a new class action lawsuit over ‘all-natural’ claims on products containing GMOs filed every week, and Monsanto in the firing line following a damaging study on GM maize, more and more manufacturers are exploring...
Rosemary extracts can deliver a significant reduction in the formation of hexanal - a marker for oxidation in foods - without the bitter off-flavors associated with other natural antioxidants, tests by natural extract specialist Kalsec have revealed.
Further evidence that steviol glycoside Reb A is no longer the only game in town when it comes to delivering high intensity natural sweetness has emerged in PureCircle’s full-year results, which show rebaudioside A accounted for just 40% of revenues in...
Leading corn refiners have accused sugar producers of conducting a “systematic campaign” to vilify high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in a counter claim filed in California yesterday as part of the high-profile legal dispute over the sweetener.
A California judge has granted in part a motion to dismiss a class action lawsuit filed against Jamba Juice over ‘all-natural’ claims, but has given the plaintiff the right to amend his complaint.
A California court in a class action against Dreyer’s – disputing its ‘all natural’ ice cream claim – has ruled that consumers’ expectations should trump manufacturers’ expectations about what should normally be present in a product.
Canadian natural and organics group SunOpta has reported an 85% profit surge in the second quarter of 2012 driven by strong growth in packaged foods sales.
General Mills is the latest food company to face litigation over claims that its products are 100% natural, with a lawsuit alleging that maltodextrin and high maltose corn syrup used in Nature Valley products are artificial ingredients.
If current trends continue, stevia-based sweetener Truvia will be eyeball to eyeball with sucralose-based rival Splenda in the US retail tabletop sweeteners market within two years, brand owner Cargill has predicted.
With NGOs increasingly turning their attention to food production - and often doing a better job than the food industry of engaging with the media - the debate about issues from biotechnology to BPA will only become more polarized, one author has predicted.
Special edition: The New Product development process
Why is baby, toddler and kids’ food maker Plum Organics’ track record at producing sucessful new products better than average - in fact way better than average?
Sales of natural flavours in Western Europe are set to be overtaken by sales in the Asia-Pacific market within the next three years, according to market research firm RTS.
Special edition: The New Product Development Process
If you’re big in shredded cheese, chances are you know pretty much everything there is to know about the market, the manufacturing process and the competition. But who do you turn to if you want to make something else?
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?
A raft of new products from whole-grain pizza crusts under the Pillsbury brand to a Cascadian Farm granola packed with ancient grains, will hit stores this summer as General Mills ramps up its new product development activities.
Big Interview: Ilene Gordon, chairman, president and CEO, Ingredion
With R&D departments at some food manufacturers pared down to the bone as bosses slash overheads to control costs, open innovation has moved from a hot topic on the conference circuit to a practical necessity, says Ingredion CEO Ilene Gordon.
Canadian natural and organics group SunOpta has introduced a new rice fiber ingredient made from rice hulls, which the company says allows formulators to add clean label fiber without the bulk of rice bran.
Grow Green Industries and PL Thomas showcased their new natural antimicrobial ingredient at IFT, intended to enhance food safety and increase shelf life across a wide range of applications.
Sleep deprived but indefatigable, the FoodNavigator-USA team powered through day three of the IFT show in Las Vegas, meeting experts on sugar metabolism, natural colors, high oleic cooking oils, immune health ingredients, sodium reduction solutions and...
Unilever has already reduced salt in many of its products by 25% but is looking for potential partners to help it reduce sodium by a further 15-20% ”without compromising the taste of our products”.
The IFT annual meeting and expo in Las Vegas started as it meant to go on, with inspirational speeches from Starbucks boss Howard Schultz and PepsiCo's R&D chief Dr Mehmood Kahn, a whole new look for Corn Products International - launching here...
Which sweeteners are consumers discussing on social media? And is the conversation positive or negative? The rise of social media is giving marketers access to an honest snapshot of consumer perceptions, says research company Loudpixel.
Barely a week goes by without another food company being challenged in court over its use of the word ‘natural’ – and it’s just a matter of time before the claim loses its front-and-center on-pack appeal.
Do consumers care whether the ingredients in their favorite foods are produced sustainably, and whether the people that produce them are treated fairly?
While ‘all-natural’ and ’no additives & preservatives’ were still among the most popular food and drink label claims in the US last year, the fastest growth was in economy, low/no/reduced allergen, high-protein and low/no/reduced saturated fat claims,...
Natural colors that remain vibrant in acidic beverages, ingredients that improve blood glucose control, technology to improve the flavor of robusta coffee, ingredients that provide sustained energy and new approaches to tackling fat bloom in chocolate…
What’s in a name? Everything, when it comes to ‘cleaning’ up ingredients declarations, says National Starch/Corn Products International, which has launched an online hub at cleanlabelinsights.com to collate the latest research and market data to help...
Consumers, the marketers all tell us, want foods that are ‘wholesome’, ‘authentic’, and above all ‘natural’, although few of them can articulate what this means.
Attempts to link ‘all-natural’ clean-labeling policies with the healthy eating agenda have been so successful that research now shows shoppers equate ‘healthy’ with ‘natural’ or ‘minimally processed’ foods.
Industry-backed ad watchdog the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (NAD) has taken issue with Gerber over its use of the terms ‘natural’ and ‘immune support’ on products for toddlers.
Tropicana Products Inc. is the latest company to be sued over use of the term ‘natural’ – this time to describe its not-from-concentrate ‘100% pure and natural’ orange juice.
PepsiCo’s snacks business Frito-Lay has been accused of misleading consumers by making all-natural claims on its products which also contain genetically modified corn and vegetable oils.
New standards to underpin the use of the word ‘natural’ on meat & poultry products and snacks & cereals should be released by the Natural Products Association (NPA) next year as part of its Natural Seal certification scheme.
We need a formal definition of ‘natural’ to ensure it is used more consistently in food labeling and marketing– and the FDA should provide it - according to the results of the latest FoodNavigator-USA/NutraIngredients-USA poll.
The row over the use of the term ‘natural’ on food packaging has intensified with the publication of a new report accusing leading cereal firms of duping shoppers with their own “self-serving” definitions in the absence of any legal criteria.
A federal judge has dismissed Hormel Foods’ claim that meat products containing sodium lactate or potassium lactate are misbranded as ‘natural’, because the USDA has not issued a final agency action, according to court papers.
