Grocery shoppers continued purchasing fresh produce in 2022 as inflation pushed up prices but bought less of it on a volume basis, shifting to more affordable fresh fruit and vegetable options as well as frozen and canned items.
Precision fermentation is emerging as one of the buzziest technologies in food, and even though it has been used safely for decades without raising eyebrows, new uses and broader awareness are prompting consumer questions that if left unanswered could...
A protein made from just two ingredients, mycelium and oats, has been developed by a researcher in Sweden. FoodNavigator catches up with the chair of his start-up Millow, Staffan Hillberg, to ask what sets this protein apart within the mycelium sector....
Singapore-based WhatIF Foods looks to bring its line of products derived from the bambara groundnut to a wider audience in the coming year, focusing on educating consumers about the legume’s benefits and appealing to the “climate anxious GenZ consumer,”...
Food-tech company NotCo unveiled at Natural Products Expo West a range of new products created with its AI-based technology that will launch this year, following the debut of its NotCo Burger at last year’s event.
Emerging and maturing trends revealed at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim last week ranged from dips delivering delightful dinners, mochi moving into multiple day parts, plant-based expanding beyond analogues, and beverages brimming with better-for-you...
The long-held and loudly voiced disapproval by some of science and technology in food production in favor of “idealized nostalgic narratives” of natural food is beginning to soften – opening the door for broader adoption of food-tech, including precision...
Up and coming plant-based chicken manufacturer Next Gen Foods is expanding into the non-dairy segment with today’s announced acquisition of Mwah! – a startup it says is leveraging a “cutting-edge methodology” to create “creamy and delicious dairy-inspired...
As dollar and unit sales of frozen and refrigerated plant-based meat at retail continue to slide and grocers cut back on their selections of refrigerated meat alternatives, many stakeholders are wondering if the honeymoon period for the category has ended,...
Ahead of schedule and in partnership with like-minded plant-based protein brand Aloha, California-based Terviva’s much-anticipated, “ultra-sustainable” Ponova oil is debuting in its first commercially available food – a limited edition bar that celebrates...
From Polish to Korean flavor mashups to low-alcoholic beverages, these are a few areas that CPG companies and tastemakers should be on the lookout for in 2023, according to a recent consumer trends report from flavor house Symrise.
FDA’s proposal that plant-based products can continue to be labeled as ‘milk’ but should also highlight how their nutritional value compares to their dairy counterparts has rankled stakeholders on both sides of the highly contested debate on what products...
Starco Brand’s acquisition of the meal replacement company Soylent announced late Tuesday creates a “1+1=3” situation that can accelerate marketing and innovation to take the cult-favorite plant-base brand to the next growth stage, Soylent CEO Demir Vangelov...
Consumers pulled back on animal-based meat purchases in January after a slight uptick in sales and volume in December, likely related to holiday celebrations at home which for many Americans center around fresh meat, according to data from IRI crunched...
Creating a sustainable food supply to meet population demands will require more than just a focus on growing the alternative proteins sector despite its current hype, according to industry experts.
Consumers are demanding that the taste of plant-based meat match or exceed the taste of animal meat, setting a high bar for plant-based meat manufacturers to reach - but those who succeed may have the best chance of capturing the valuable flexitarian...
As 2023 comes into focus, CPG brands are addressing yet more changes to supply chains, marketing, and how they approach consumers, retailers, and the markets they serve, as shared in a recent IRI and Boston Consulting Group webinar.
Alt protein advocates are calling for governments to ‘step up’ to build a ‘more sustainable food system’ after data showed that global investment in sustainable proteins decelerated last year and sales of meat alternatives dipped in some countries.
Alongside falling sales, volume and units, plant-based meat has slid into the trough of despair, also known as valley of disillusionment or sorrow, and while it is unclear if the category has hit bottom yet, many stakeholders already are looking for a...
Following in the footsteps of its competitors Field Roast and Lightlife, Tofurky announced its acquisition, along with its sister brand Moocho, by US-based tofu manufacturer Morinaga Nutritional Foods. This deal was “an expected move” for the third largest...
Kellogg will keep its iconic plant-based MorningStar Farms brand as part of its global snacking company rather than spin it off as a standalone business or sell it – backtracking on an idea floated by the CPG last summer when it revealed plans to split...
Plant-based seafood brand Boldly will launch in May a line of vegan products with the "incredibly versatile" Southeast Asian root vegetable konjac, including calamari, salmon and tuna sashimi, shrimp and crab sticks, Boldly Founder and Co-founder...
Against the grim backdrop of tumbling sales, units and volume for fresh and frozen alternative proteins, plant-based bacon is emerging as a bright spot – with sales inching up, thanks in part to innovative production techniques, like those championed...
Rabobank’s powerful matchmaking and once-exclusive innovation arm Foodbytes is opening access for all global startups, corporates and investors to its forward-looking insights, industry analysis and support for vetted emerging businesses with this week’s...
Researchers say they are using ancient technology to turn agricultural waste into fats. They say the approach could help the sustainable protein industry recreate the flavours of meat and has the potential to replace palm oil or other tropical oils.
Actress Anne Hathaway’s investment in food-tech startup The Every Co., announced yesterday, brings more than capital – it also brings star power that the company’s CEO says he hopes will raise consumer awareness – and acceptance – of animal-free proteins...
SimpliiGood by AlgaeCore Technologies is teaming up with international plant nutrition giant Haifa Group to optimize the Israeli food tech innovator’s spirulina supply chain. The partnership shows ‘the maturity and potential of the entire sector’, according...
With the opening of a new facility, dubbed the “Mega Ranch,” fungi-based startup Meati seeks to place its mushroom-root-based, sliced meat product in “tens of thousands of stores” in 2023, company co-founder and CEO, Tyler Huggins, told FoodNavigator-USA
Plant-based dairy company Misha’s is attempting to do what countless independent musicians, moviemakers, and creatives have done over the last decade – crowdfund its next endeavor, including distribution at Walmart.
By Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Emerging demand for positive nutrition must balance functional benefits, taste, sustainability and convenience
Born out of the pandemic when product availability was unpredictable or limited and when a premium was placed on immunity-boosting, consumers in 2023 increasingly are seeking positive nutrition – both for themselves but also for the planet and workers...
It’s becoming increasingly clear that early projections about the speed with which cultivated meat might gain market share now seem pretty optimistic. But Rome wasn’t built in a day, and significant progress is being made to build the ecosystem needed...
Bold Cultr from General Mills – an ‘animal-free’ dairy cream cheese featuring whey protein made by microbes, not cows – is rolling out to more stores in the Minneapolis area later this month and will be available nationwide direct to consumer from early...
Ayana Bio — one of a new wave of startups seeking to unlock the potential of plant cell culture in the food and nutrition industry — is turning its attention to cacao bioactives with a $3m investment it claims will also benefit the wider industry.
The maker of mycoprotein-based seafood alternatives has begun buildout of a new facility in the US, from where it will produce products for the European market.
While egg prices were up a staggering 59.9%* year-on-year in December 2022 thanks to rising costs compounded by avian flu, refrigerated liquid plant-based alternatives have come down in price, with unit sales (+14.2%) outpacing dollar sales (+8.4% to...
The Live Green Co – a startup deploying an artificial intelligence platform called 'Charaka' to mine databases of plants in search of replacements for animal-based ingredients, synthetic, or highly-processed ingredients from BHA to methylcellulose...
Unilever is steadily gaining market share, boosting sales in fast-growing categories, lowering the cost of experimentation and improving its consumer engagement by doing more with less, CEO Alan Jope touted during the company’s investor day last month....
Canadian meat alternative producer No Meat Factory has closed a $42m series B round as it gears up to open a second factory, and says it is seeing significant demand for high-quality capacity, despite the recent slowdown in sales at US retail.
What do Dutch consumers think about cultured meat compared to its conventional counterpart, fish, insects, and plant-based meat alternatives? Researchers investigate.
San Diego-based Seminal Biosciences – one of a growing number of startups deploying precision fermentation to produce specialty fats – is aiming to get its first product, a cocoa butter alternative, to market next year in a dark chocolate bar, with additional...
Echoing a move he made while at Chobani when he took charge of a new ‘demand’ department, Impossible Foods president and CEO Peter McGuiness has hired CPG industry veteran Sherene Jagla as its first chief demand officer as part of a plan to integrate...
Multiple semi-finalists in the prestigious XPRIZE ‘Feed the Next Billion’ competition have pulled out following a rule change enacted mid-way through the process relating to title sponsor ASPIRE which contestants argue is “unrealistic for any venture-backed...
As part of a pivot to a more asset-light supply chain strategy, Oatly has struck a deal with Toronto-based Ya YA Foods to co-manufacture Oatly products in Utah and Texas in a bid to reduce capex and improve cash flow.
While economists predict inflation will ease slightly in the coming quarters, this year could easily become a “groundhog day version of 2022” if the weather takes a turn for the worse and triggers a domino effect that strains transportation, commodity...
While several firms are growing fungi in fermentation tanks to make meat analogs, Israeli startup Kinoko is ditching the stainless steel vessels, adding fungi strains to legumes and grains in stacked trays, and letting them work their magic in a solid...
While almond milk and oat milk dominate the plant-based milk category in the US, Hope & Sesame sesame milk – which has a creamy texture and comparable protein levels to dairy milk (with the addition of some pea protein) – is gaining traction, generating...
Agribusiness giant Bunge has announced it will invest approximately $550 million to build a new soy protein concentrate (SPC) and textured soy protein concentrate (TSPC) facility to meet rising customer demand for plant-based ingredients.
Soup season is in full swing as temperatures across the country drop and cold and flu cases rise. But staying warm and reinforcing their reserves when sick aren’t the only reasons sales of soup are up significantly this year over last, according to new...
No longer a lumbering giant when it comes to R&D, Nestlé significantly increased its number of new product launches and number of patents in priority areas by simplifying its innovation process, fostering an entrepreneurial culture and collaborating...
