Conventional investors focused on the bottom-line or high returns may not be a good fit for small companies that are unwilling to compromise their values to increase their margins – but that doesn’t mean mission-based businesses are limited to bootstrapping,...
While several big names have piled into the oatmilk category in recent weeks, there is still room in the market for new players, argues the founder of Mooala, which is best-known for its organic bananamilk and almond milk, and is now launching a zero...
Curation Foods (formerly Apio) is targeting the growing plant-forward consumer base with a portfolio of five branded product lines with core ingredients being fruits and vegetables, which CEO and president of parent company Landec, Molly Hemmeter, believes...
'People will start to see plants as filling and delicious, providing protein and satiety...'
High-profile launches notwithstanding (the Impossible Slider is now at White Castle and the Beyond Burger is at TGI Fridays) 45 out of the top 100 restaurant chains in the US still don’t offer a plant-based entrée, according to the Good Food Institute’s...
Brazilians are hungry for meat-free foods with the taste and texture of meat - and quinoa patties won't cut it anymore, says the Good Food Institute (GFI). It shares advice for new product development and marketing strategies for plant-based products.
Many entrepreneurs describe their startup as their baby, but just like parents they need to learn to say no sometimes and to let go – lessons that the founders of I Heart Keenwah learned early.
MycoTechnology – which is building a functional ingredients platform utilizing mycelium, the filament-like roots of mushrooms - has raised $30m in a series C financing round from a flurry of high profile investors* from Tyson Ventures to Kellogg’s Eighteen94...
With the launch of Dr. Praeger’s new Pure Plant Protein line late last year, the frozen food company edges closer to mock-meat competitors while still keeping a foot firmly planted in the vegetable-focus plant-based space where it has played for more...
While chicken wings remain the most purchased food item leading up to Super Bowl with sales of $1.6bn*, more US consumers are adding plant-based protein alternatives and stealth veggies to their game day spread, according to Nielsen.
Long-known as nutritional powerhouses, seeds have played a strong supporting role in the health and wellness movement in food & beverage in recent years, but thanks to their diverse flavor profiles they may finally take center stage in 2019, according...
A new make-your-own nut-based milk alternative is hitting the market this month. Modest Mylk is a nut paste sold in glass jars designed to blend with water into a ‘milk-like’ beverage, which the company says is more sustainable and affordable than conventional...
Almost half (48%) of Americans have purchased both dairy- and plant-based milks over the past six months, according to an IPSOS survey of 2,006 adults commissioned by Dairy Management Inc.
While Califia Farms’ barista blend oatmilk was designed to deliver exceptional performance for the specialty coffee trade, oatmilk also has the potential to make waves in grocery retail, because it delivers the taste and texture consumers want, without...
Healthy meal shake company Ample has grown into a multi-million dollar business through the direct-to-consumer channel selling its pre-portioned powders packed with high quality proteins, premium fats, fiber, and probiotics, sealed in single-serve bottles...
As consumers’ focus on health and wellness deepens, their understanding of the concept also is evolving and diversifying based on their life stage and unique circumstance – creating new marketing opportunities for retailers and brands that can offer more...
Antioxidants found in grain bran (alkylresorcinols) could serve as a natural alternative to synthetic preservatives, helping manufacturers meet demand for cleaner labels, according to a new study by researchers at Penn State University.
The food industry will continue to drastically reshape itself in terms of food retailing, production, and consumption, pointing to more change "in the next 10 years than in the last 50," according to global consulting firm Accenture Strategy.
Demand for plant-based proteins and oils is increasing steadily, while the arable land available to grow them is constrained. But what if you could grow something like soy – but with a far higher yield - on trees?
For years kale dominated supreme as the top superfood sought by Americans, but the leafy green has finally fallen off the top 10 list – replaced by fermented foods in the top spot, followed by avocados and seeds in the second and third, according to the...
Miyoko’s Kitchen – which has built a rapidly growing brand of plant-based cheeses and butters around cultured cashew nuts and coconut oil – is expanding into new territory via a new line of nut-free cheeses made with legumes, seeds, and potatoes with...
The idea that a plant-based diet could improve the health of people and the planet was once niche, but is rapidly gaining mainstream momentum with two pivotal developments this week, including an endorsement by the high profile EAT-Lancet Commission and...
Launching online and in Erewhon and Lazy Acres stores in Los Angeles this month, Lumen hemp elixir is a HPP (high pressure processed) superfood shot with a 60-day shelf life featuring cold pressed hemp juice and on-trend ingredients such as ashwagandha...
Fearful that the current approach to diet and food production globally could have ‘dire’ consequences for public health and the environment in the future as the population rapidly increases, a group of leading scientists from around the world recommend...
From new sources of plant-based protein (pongamia, bambara) to novel biomaterials extending the shelf life of foods (Cambridge Crops), the Winter Fancy Food Show – organized by the Specialty Food Association - showcased a wide range of innovations, although...
Kroger is shifting from a "grocery company to a growth company" (referred to as its 'Restock Kroger' initiative), CEO Rodney McMullen told delegates at the NRF show in New York this week, noting that it embarked on the move well before...
Vertical indoor farming company, 80 Acres Farms, has received a "significant investment" from Virgo Investment Group, a San Francisco-based private equity firm, to help rapidly commercialize the company's specialized indoor farming technology.
When meal kits first burst onto the scene, they were pitched as a way to prep dinner in a hurry. However, the category’s major players are now finding that consumers are looking for even quicker options for every meal occasion - at more accessible prices.
Laird Superfood, maker of fortified non-dairy coffee creamers containing a full range of MCTs, has closed $32m in a private funding round led by co-working tech company WeWork, which the company intends to use for product development and to make small...
While there will always be a place in consumers’ hearts – and cups – for freshly brewed classic teas such as English breakfast and tisans like chamomile, shoppers increasingly are looking for premium, innovative options and formats that allow them to...
Food trendspotting is a round-the-clock practice for Campbell’s executive chef, Maria Gamble and her culinary team, who are tasked with finding ways to incorporate new flavors, textures, and ingredients into the company’s product portfolio that will spark...
Califia Farms – best known for its almond, coconut, and cashew milks - has moved into the rapidly-growing* oatmilk category with a barista blend launching in February, and an unsweetened oatmilk launching in April.
First time entrepreneurs often lament that if they had known how much work it would take to launch a startup they might not have done it, but the husband and wife duo and long-time industry veterans behind the plant-based protein brand Sweet Earth Natural...
The rise of diets – paleo, plant-based, Whole 30, keto, even ‘lazy keto’ – has created a challenging environment for food and beverage marketers trying to establish and grow a strong consumer following.
The latest iteration of the plant-based Impossible Burger matches conventional beef burgers when it comes to ‘likeability’ in blind taste tests, says Impossible Foods, which has replaced textured wheat protein with soy protein concentrate, and made other...
While clean label remains a top-priority for consumers, the litany of associated free-from claims that have dominated marketing the past few years are not, suggests the founder of allergen-friendly snack startup Blake’s Seed Based.
The FDA and USDA recently proposed a joint regulatory framework for cell-based meat, with the FDA to oversee cell collection, cell banks, and cell growth and differentiation, and USDA to oversee the production and labeling of food products from the harvested...
Enacting new labeling rules for plant-based ‘milks’ “would create unnecessary, confusing, and costly label changes that likely violate the First Amendment and would be struck down in court,” members of the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) have told...
An ongoing capital raise of $500,000 is helping Boulder, Colo.-based Rollin Greens “take on the freezer category” and give American comfort foods “a healthy twist,” by helping it expand its distribution, revamp its packaging to appeal to more mainstream...
The Beyond Famous Star burger – a 100% plant-based burger supplied by Beyond Meat – will be available in 1,000+ Carl's Jr. locations this month starting at $6.29.
Personalized nutrition? Keto diets? Cell-based meat? FoodNavigator-USA quizzed food & beverage entrepreneurs and CEOs to find out what trends they will be monitoring in 2019 …
Counter to the chatter aroused by a recent report, the State of New York has not ‘banned’ CBD, according to an expert on the legality of hemp products. The state did however put some boundaries around a pilot agricultural program.
If you could invent a nutrition bar for your brain, what would it look like? If you included clinically significant doses of every ingredient associated with cognitive health, it would probably look pretty expensive, concedes the founder of IQ BAR. But...
Online grocer Peapod’s third annual meal forecasting survey revealed a growing appreciation for home cooked meals and that spending more time in the kitchen cooking healthy dishes is a top resolution for many in 2019.
San Francisco-based JUST - best-known for its plant-based eggs and mayo – has struck a deal with Japanese Wagyu beef producer Toriyama, and meat and seafood supplier Awano Food Group, to develop, sell, and market cell-cultured Wagyu beef products.
From the “volatile government situation” to the “crazy acts of nature” across the nation and “senseless hate crimes,” many consumers in the US are feeling uneasy and looking for a way to “escape from some of the badness” by visiting hotels, restaurants...
Uncertainty surrounding the US-China trade war and the renegotiated trade deal with Canada and Mexico are taking a toll on US food and agricultural industries, but experts with Rabobank say there is hope for the future if players take action now to diversify...
It’s good practice to fortify plant-based milks, but consumers don’t expect precise organoleptic or nutritional equivalency with dairy milk, says HP Hood, which is gearing up for a national launch of "full bodied, naturally sweet" oatmilk with...
Given its success in other markets, Swedish oatmilk brand Oatly was quietly confident that it would do well in the US, says US general manager Mike Messersmith. “But the magnitude of demand and the speed with which it developed vastly exceeded our expectations.”
