Not technically an herbal tea and not a soda, Petal identifies itself as sparkling botanical blend carving out a new space for itself in the world of better-for-you beverages.
Up Mountain Switchel, a six-year-old beverage company started in Vermont is continuing its path of reinvigorating a heritage recipe with its most recent product launch, Original Swizzle, a carbonated switchel drink that uses fresh ginger root, Vermont...
As a food or beverage startup, it’s natural to want to expand very quickly, but brands should take a moment to revel in their small-scale existence and take advantage of their ability to be nimble, says Poppilu founder Melanie Kahn.
Clean label seems to be as commonplace of a term as the contentious ‘natural’ moniker with many food and beverages retooling their ingredient formulations to conform to this vague industry expectation. According to Flavorchem, one thing is very clear,...
Terms such as ‘streamlining overheads’ and ‘footprint optimization’ conjure up images of job cuts and factory closures, but IFF’s $7.1bn megadeal to acquire Israeli flavors and natural ingredients firm Frutarom is “all about growth, not cost savings at...
Many parents strive to feed their babies a variety of fruits, vegetables and proteins, but for the most part in the US they shy away from spices – something several up and coming baby food makers want to change.
More Americans say they are cutting back on sugar as their collective awareness rises about the prevalence and potential health impact of the ingredient, but those who still want something sweet are not clear on what the best option is, according to new...
‘Dieting’ and ‘reduced fat’ have become passé phrases in the world of packaged food replaced with terms like ‘clean label’ and ‘locally-sourced’, so what can explain low-calorie ice cream alternative Halo Top’s dramatic takeover of the frozen dessert...
At a time when honey production in the US is falling and colony collapse disorder continues to threaten bees’ health, honey manufacturer Nature Nate’s is investing in Cornell University’s department of entomology to advance bee health research and honey...
The quest to produce a sweetener with the most sugar-like taste continues with PureCircle identifying two different ways of producing significant amounts of Reb D and Reb M, two in-demand steviol glycosides that are less abundant in conventional stevia...
While recent Mintel data reveals a whopping 84% of US consumers say they are reducing the amount of sugar in their diet as a way to manage their weight and improve their health, many are unwilling to completely give up sweets – leaving manufacturers scrambling...
Mintel data* shared by stevia supplier PureCircle shows the number of global new product launches containing stevia grew by 10% in 2017, with stevia utilized in 28% of new products containing high intensity sweeteners, slightly ahead of aspartame – which...
Industry newcomer Em+Pact is carving out an underserved niche in the $600 million protein bar category by targeting women with products that are crafted to meet their specific nutritional needs and by working with nonprofits to empower them to be “goal...
Atlanta-based Kill Cliff, a sports beverage brand focusing on clean label formulations, launched a new line of sports drinks called Endure, which features a slow-burning specialty carbohydrate, at the Natural Products Expo West show. However, the carbohydrate...
EverSweet - the hotly-anticipated ‘next-generation’ Reb D and Reb M sweetener from Cargill and Evolva produced via fermentation – is now available in commercial quantities, say the partners, who have also struck a deal to explore whether other high intensity...
'I think you’ll see a mass exodus of CPG companies moving from polyols to allulose...'
Allulose is the sweetener generating the most buzz among food formulators right now, although many are waiting to see if the FDA exempts it from sugar labeling (it’s technically a sugar, but it’s not metabolized like one), before launching products featuring...
Honolulu-based Shaka Tea - the first Hawaiian ready-to-drink iced tea, and the first brewed with māmaki, a plant that only grows in the Hawaiian islands – has unveiled a new look, reformulated its wares to reduce sugar, and closed its second round of...
Would a professional athlete drink this? The founders of NOOMA – one of a new wave of sports drinks boasting cleaner labels and less sugar – can reliably answer in the affirmative, as both Jarred and Brandon Smith played hockey for a living, and formulated...
What's the difference between a great brand, and beautiful packaging design? Will PepsiCo's Drinkfinity concept be a hit in the US? And could sprinkling 'fairy dust' amounts of on-trend functional ingredients in your beverage - and...
After establishing itself as a top player in the honey category with strong year-over-year growth, Nature Nate’s Honey Co. is expanding into adjacent categories where a company executive said it can offer “real, clean” alternatives to existing products...
The success of high-protein, low cal brands Halo Top and Enlightened notwithstanding, most Americans don't head to the ice cream aisle for a protein fix, argues the CEO of Arctic Zero, who says his new light ice cream can compete with these brands...
‘This is a breakthrough product that could ultimately make sugar obsolete'
The term ‘game-changer’ is bandied around with wearying regularity by food start-ups, but HEYLO – a patented combination of acacia fiber and stevia promising to blow rivals out of the water in the sugar replacement stakes – may actually warrant this moniker,...
From entrepreneurs pioneering new farming methods and food technologies, to big brands adjusting to the changing landscape, FOOD VISION USA 2017 brought together a wide cross-section of industry players to explore how the industry is facing the challenges...
Every 21 seconds someone in the US discovers they have diabetes, setting a breakneck pace that is fueling a 6% annual increase in the number of Americans diagnosed with the chronic disease for which there is no cure, but which can be managed in part through...
PureCircle has partnered with tobacco farmers in North Carolina (US) to commercially grow its StarLeaf stevia for the next planting season, to meet growing demand for food and beverage launches using the plant-based sweetener.
California-based SweeGen has received a GRAS no objections letter from the FDA for the use of its Bestevia branded Reb-D - manufactured from stevia leaf extracts converted to Reb D using enzymes – for use as a general purpose sweetener for food and beverage...
Held at the W hotel in Chicago Nov 13-15, FOOD VISION USA brought together a glittering array of speakers from big and small food brands, spanning topics from food e-commerce and meal kits to clean-label trends, clean meat, hydroponics and whether the...
Monk fruit is still more expensive than stevia, but significant progress is being made on tackling the pricing and regulatory issues that have historically held the market back, says Layn Corp, a leading supplier of monk fruit and stevia based natural...
Stevia specialist Sweet Green Fields (SGF) is deploying so-called ‘intelligent tongue’ technology in its quest to identify blends of steviol glycosides and other natural ingredients (taste enhancers, modulators) that most closely match the taste profile...
Amazon can be an “insanely disruptive” platform for challenger brands willing to put in the time and effort to understand how to maximize their prospects on the site, says Pyure Brands, which is giving far larger rivals a run for their money in the stevia-based...
PepsiCo is seeking to patent a technique of producing the sugary-tasting steviol glycoside Reb M via an enzymatic method that delivers "higher purity at a lower cost.”
Seeing a looming opportunity, dietary ingredients supplier Ethical Naturals has brought a new monk fruit sweetener ingredient to market that it says uses the same technology that it applies to its botanical extracts.
Flavor innovation is usually seen as a key component of food product development and of less concern for supplements. But as sports nutrition brands seek competitive advantages and to bring in fringe, lifestyle-type consumers, flavors are taking center...
'Clean label' used to be about ousting artificial (or artificial-sounding) ingredients from food labels, but is beginning to move beyond what must be declared on the ingredients list to cover incidental additives, pesticide residues, and animal...
The controversial requirement to list added sugar on the nutrition facts panel has divided the industry. Though different parties may disagree on whether or not the move is good or bad for the industry, many agree that it will certainly change the landscape.
To many consumers, ‘processed food’ is just another term for ‘junk food.’ It’s hard to define, but we know it when we see it (Twinkies). But do we know a ‘highly processed’ ingredient when we see it, and how much processing is too much? Elaine Watson...
Using traditional plant breeding techniques, PureCircle has developed a stevia plant with 20 times more sweet-tasting steviol glycosides than standard stevia, it says.
A new player in the stevia market - Steviana Bioscience - is looking to carve a niche in the market for next generation stevia sweeteners, which utilize some of the minor glycosides in the stevia leaf, notably Reb D.
To the casual observer, ‘cleaning up’ our food sounds like an eminently sensible thing to do. But where is the clean label trend going, and is ditching every ingredient you can’t pronounce really the key to fixing the ‘broken’ food system (as Panera implies...
Greco has experience ‘in preparing and bringing companies to acquisition’
Former Sbarro CEO James Greco has taken the helm at True Drinks Holdings – the firm behind kids’ flavored water brand AquaBall – while Kevin Sherman (who has been in charge since Lance Leonard departed in December 2015) will stay on as president.
How stevia controls blood sugar levels has remained a mystery until now as researchers think they have unravelled the natural, no-calorie sweetener's action that results in its observed health benefits.
“We’ve always known this is a product for college students and young professionals, and the best way to reach them is foodservice,” Sunniva CEO Jimmy DeCicco told FoodNavigator-USA
Twenty-four public health advocates and organizations are calling on the Canadian government to levy a significant tax on manufacturers of sugary drinks to discourage consumption and help fund healthy living initiatives.
ADM is bringing two sweetener brands, SweetRight stevia and VerySweet monk fruit, to market following a tie up with Canadian high potency sweeteners specialist GLG Lifetech.
California-based SweeGen has received a GRAS no objections letter from the FDA for the use of its Bestevia branded Reb-M - manufactured from stevia leaf extracts converted to Reb M using enzymes – for use as a general purpose sweetener for food and beverage...
California-based B’BOX Group claims to have developed a proprietary technique for producing clean-tasting, high-purity stevia extracts that is so fast and cost-efficient that it says leading CPG manufacturers are considering buying the technology and...
As the technology around producing steviol glycosides continues to evolve, transparency in labeling will be critical if consumer trust in ‘natural’ sweeteners is to be retained, says PureCircle, which claims to be the “clear market leader in terms of...
'siratose has demonstrated potency and overall taste quality superior to existing monk fruit sweeteners'
Senomyx has identified a new zero-calorie, high-potency sweetening compound found in trace levels in monk fruit, which it plans to produce on a commercial scale via fermentation.
If high purity Reb A used to be the only game in town when it comes to stevia, the game has become a lot more sophisticated in the past couple of years as suppliers compete to provide the best-tasting combinations of steviol glycosides, and products become...
