The western diet – and the food system that underpins it – is becoming increasingly unsustainable, for the health of humans and the planet. So how do we futureproof the food system to deliver healthier, more sustainable products that nourish our bodies...
HOWTIAN has grown stevia plants with up to a 12% average Reb A yield this season, the “highest ever in the industry,” says the firm, which described the news as a “milestone not just for the company, but for the food and beverage industry at large, as...
Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is associated with higher mortality from certain cancers, partially mediated through obesity, according to a study by researchers at the American Cancer Society.
North Carolina based Elo Life Systems aims to commercialize a new natural high-intensity sweetener “inspired by monk fruit” in 2025 that boasts a “cleaner” taste profile, more affordable price tag, and a higher sweetness intensity than monk fruit extracts...
Gatorade is preparing for a massive 2023 rollout of energy drink brand Fast Twitch, designed for athletic performance with 200mg of caffeine, B vitamins, and electrolytes.
Coca-Cola has named Jennifer Mann as the new president of the company's North America operating unit, replacing Alfredo Rivera, who will be stepping down on Dec. 31.
A new study – published a month after the World Health Organization (WHO) sounded a cautionary note about the long-term effects of zero-calorie sweeteners such as sucralose and saccharin – suggests some diet sweeteners are not inert and can alter the...
US honey consumption reached record highs last year while domestic production dropped to its lowest since 1991, primarily due to lower yield per colony, according to USDA’s latest sugars and sweeteners outlook report, which notes that imports have surged...
What’s more sustainable? Using acres of land, water and energy to grow plants that produce minuscule quantities of natural sweeteners; or making them via a fermentation process using a microbe that’s been engineered to produce exactly the same molecules?
While sports drinks are often loaded with sugar and can pack a hefty caloric punch, convincing people to replace them with water or unsweetened options may be more difficult than persuading them to ditch other sugar-sweetened beverages, including soda,...
Monster Energy is fighting to grow its shelf space in the increasingly competitive energy drink category while also dealing with unrelenting inflationary cost pressures, said CEO Rodney Sacks on the company's Q2 2022 earnings call.
Sugar reduction is still top of mind for most US consumers, but their motivations for purchasing low- and no-sugar beverages have shifted from weight management and dieting pursuits to achieving a sense of general wellbeing, claims Howard Telford, head...
Capri Sun’s original juice drink pouches will now have an average of 40% less sugar, as the brand reformulates to use monk fruit concentrate in its drinks.
When it comes to plant-based milks for kids, the options are few and far between, say Alex and Lauren Abelin, founders of Kiki Milk, which is made with organic oats, hemp seeds, sprouted pumpkin seeds, coconut, and other “whole food ingredients.”
According to a new draft guideline from the World Health Organization (WHO), non-nutritive sweetener consumption is associated with metabolic syndrome, something proponents of diet sweeteners say shows correlation, not causation, and merely reflects the...
Well-known for sugar alternatives, including stevia and monk fruit, Layn Natural Ingredients has steadily expanded its portfolio with a full line of functional botanicals that can now easily be explored through a just-launched online ingredient library...
Lemon Perfect, the fastest-growing brand in the enhanced water category*, has hired industry veteran and former Coca-Cola executive Jim Brennan as its new president and chief revenue officer.
In the hierarchy of nutrition labeling, over half of consumers (58%) say they check total and added sugar content followed by the type of sweetener (52%) used in a product, claims Cargill.
From more efficient production of rare sugars tagatose and allulose (and intriguing new possibilities with D-allose), to ‘enhanced’ sugars, and a mystery disaccharide that behaves like sugar, but is metabolized very differently, check out part one of...
Non-nutritive sweeteners such as stevia and sucralose are not a panacea, but new recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) questioning their value do a “disservice to public health” by failing to recognize their role in sugar/energy reduction...
Bonumose – a Virginia-based startup with patented technology it claims could enable the mass market adoption of rare sugars which have exciting benefits but currently come with a hefty price tag – is gearing up to start commercial production of tagatose...
What will the next frontier and low- and no-sugar beverages look like? Find out during FoodNavigator-USA's free-to-attend webinar on Low- and-No-Sugar Beverages: From Soda 2.0 to Flavored Waters online event, broadcasting on Tuesday, July 26th at...
Blue Stripes has recently unleashed a broad line of cacao-based products made from underutilized and wasted parts of the cacao fruit to Whole Foods stores nationwide and will be launching its star product -- cacao water -- next month, which founder Oded...
Zero-sugar stevia-sweetened soda brand Zevia has appointed its current president of the company, Amy Taylor, as its new CEO succeeding Paddy Spence who will remain as chair of the company's board of directors, effective August 1, 2022.
DouxMatok, the Israeli firm behind patented technology that makes sucrose taste sweeter, has teamed up with Batory Foods to distribute its Incredo enhanced sugar in North America.
Low-carb, high-protein cereal brand Magic Spoon has closed an $85m Series B fundraise led by private investment firm HighPost Capital and will also be making its exclusive retail debut at Target stores nationwide.
Joywell Foods, which deploys microbes to produce nature-identical ultra-sweet proteins found in fruits and berries, has raised $25m in a funding round* led by Piva Capital as it gears up to launch its first consumer products featuring the sweeteners.
A court has found in Sweegen’s favor following a four-year legal battle with rival PureCircle over IP relating to the manufacture of stevia sweetener Reb M.
The FDA has denied a request to exempt rare sugar tagatose from the total and added sugars declaration on the Nutrition Facts panel, three years after granting the same request for rare sugar allulose, a decision petitioner Bonumose has slammed as “contradictory...
Reformulating products to clean up labels resulted in both higher revenue and higher margins for a majority of North American manufacturers surveyed by Ingredion late last year, claims the company, which quizzed 2,000 product developers at large and mid-sized...
Good Good, an Icelandic breakfast brand of no-sugar-added products, has closed a $20m Series B funding round which will help support new low-sugar product innovation and future US product distribution.
Monster Energy reported a strong increase in net sales for Q1 2022 as it steadily works to stabilize its business against rising supply chain costs, but remains bullish on the market and consumer demand for its energy drinks portfolio.
Undefined and increasingly under fire for allegedly delivering low nutrition but high calories, so-called ultra-processed food could be under the microscope during the next review of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, slated for publication in 2025.
Fast-growing keto snacks company Catalina Snacks is proving that 'keto' is no longer reserved for the low-carb, moderate protein diet's devotees but has a broader consumer scope and appeal.
While consumers may be searching for ways to reduce their sugar intake, products that provide a sense of sweetness are still in high-demand, positioning certain natural sweeteners for continued success, says SPINS.
As many consumers take note of their sugar consumption and weigh different sweetener options from zero-calorie stevia and monk fruit to low-glycemic alternatives such as agave and coconut sugar, where does centuries-old honey land on the spectrum of consideration?...
With 33 years operating in the natural foods industry, national food broker PRESENCE has seen many trends come and go and others grow into long-term growth drivers for the industry.
Tate & Lyle has expanded production of allulose in a bid to meet surging demand for the rare sugar, which has exploded in popularity following the FDA’s decision to exclude it from the total and added sugars declarations on the Nutrition Facts panel.
Formulating beverages that parents can feel good about - and kids will actually drink - is notoriously challenging. However, the founders of Starryside reckon they may have cracked the code with Star Water, a zero-calorie flavored water with added vitamins...
Led by a PepsiCo alum turned beverage entrepreneur, OCA is carving out a spot for itself in the growing 'clean' energy drink category with a simple ingredient deck which includes 120mg of caffeine from green coffee extract.
Three years since first debuting its ClearFlo modifying ingredient technology used to reduce sensory off notes of stevia, Cargill is debuting a single solution and combination of the two: EverSweet stevia + ClearFlo, giving food and beverage manufacturers...
The natural energy drink set is buzzing with activity and Rowdy Energy is gaining strong consumer traction with the highest repeat rates in the category, and a new line of thermogenic, calorie-burning energy drinks targeting female consumers, an untapped...
Two years into its US debut, Green Cola -- a stevia-sweetened, zero-calorie soda brand -- is pushing into new retail accounts to compete against the likes of Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi.
Launched less than a year ago by a mix of entrepreneurs, investors, fitness industry veterans, and celebrity Dwayne Johnson, ZOA Energy claims it has quickly become the fastest-growing energy drink and #2 brand in the healthy energy drinks category (per...
What are consumers looking for when it comes to healthy and functional beverages? Is it sparkling water to kick a sugary soda habit or a daily wellness shot with ginger and turmeric for an immunity boost? Find out in the third and final session of FoodNavigator-USA's...
In the race to bring the high intensity sweetener brazzein to market at commercial scale, taste solution provider Sweegen is claiming first place today with the launch of Ultratia, which the company says is a key tool in improving the health profile of...
The adoption of four production technologies for steviol glycosides by the international food standards authority Codex Alimentarius earlier this month opens doors for industry to produce and source at scale and more sustainably less-common versions of...
DouxMatok, an Israeli firm that is shaking up sugar reduction with patented technology that heightens the perception of sweetness, is teaming with Blommer Chocolate to produce a ‘game changing’ portfolio of chocolate products with significantly less sugar,...
Better Juice said products made using its enzymatic sugar reduction technology are due to hit shelves in less than six months, following the completion of its first commercial deal with a US West Coast-based juice manufacturer.