The expected future increase in crop yields due to higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will be offset by stressors linked to climate change. Now is the time to prepare by developing future-proof varieties, researchers urge.
Limited access to processing facilities is a top contributor to food waste, and a major hurdle that blocks mid-sized food and beverage businesses from scaling to the next level – two challenges that startup Matriark Foods is hoping to bypass with a unique...
The light shined by the pandemic on the toll the food system is taking on the environment and the people who grow, process and deliver food is turbo-charging already mounting consumer demand for products that are organic, responsibly sourced, clean label...
Ingredion has signed an agreement to acquire the remaining portion of ownership in Verdient Foods in Vanscoy, Saskatchewan, increasing its investment in the plant-based proteins space from $185m to more than $200m over the last two years.
Meati Foods – which is carving out new territory in the meat-alternative space with a fungi-based platform capable of producing ‘steaks’ and other whole cuts – has raised $28m in a Series A round led by Acre Venture Partners.
Encouraged by strong third-quarter sales online and in stores as well as net sales in the period that grew twice that of a year ago, Sprouts Farmers Market is “financially stronger than ever,” and on track to double its business by 2025, according to...
Benson Hill has closed a $150m Series D funding round led by Wheatshef Group and GV (formerly Google Ventures) to expand and commercialize its proprietary CropOS platform, the technology responsible for breeding highly-productive and more nutrient-dense...
After scooping up Lightlife and Field Roast in recent acquisitions, Maple Leaf Foods should have been well-positioned to capitalize on the rising demand for plant-based meat and dairy during the pandemic, but instead COVID-19 related supply chain struggles...
Coca-Cola has unveiled the first-generation prototype of its paper bottle: saying it is convinced that paper packaging has a role to play in the future.
Do children like oatmilk and Beyond Burgers? Research* shows that US families with children over-index for plant-based milk and yogurt sales and that parents of children under 18 are more likely to think that plant-based proteins are healthier than animal-based...
Influenced by feelings of stress and anxiety, shifting priorities caused by the ongoing pandemic, and changes in social connectivity, consumers are taking a more holistic and proactive approach to health and wellness, according to a new report from ADM....
Houston, Texas-based brand Llamaland Organics is introducing American families to a variety of superfood ingredients sourced directly from Peru through approachable and familiar product formats including cereals and fruit spreads.
Farmers and ranchers have long grappled alone with “extreme and episodic” events that have threatened their ability to meet demand, but according to one food and ag non-profit the added strain of the pandemic has illustrated the need for stakeholders...
Good Catch has launched nationwide in Canada, where its frozen plant-based seafood entrees and appetizers are available at 640 locations from retailers including Loblaws, Provigo, Dominion, and others.
Verso Food has secured a patent covering its fava bean processing technology for plant-based foods and meat analogues. FoodNavigator hears from the company's CEO Tomi Järvenpää about the product development opportunities it could unlock, the group’s...
With oatmilk muscling ahead of soymilk to become the #2 player in the plant-based milk category, SunOpta is aggressively building capacity to meet growing demand, with a new oat extraction facility in Alexandria, Minnesota, due to come online in the fourth...
It’s not sharing launch dates, but Impossible Foods is making progress on developing egg alternatives and a milk that “is better than anything that comes from a cow,” company execs told reporters during a call outlining plans to double the size of the...
Hydroponic farmer BrightFarms has raised $100m+ in debt and new equity capital via a Series E funding round led by Cox Enterprises and supported by Catalyst Investors. The deal – which brings BrightFarms’ total funding to more than $200m - gives Cox a...
Cacao currently may be most prized by manufacturers and mainstream consumers for its beans to make chocolate, cocoa and cocoa butter, but the fruit and shell surrounding the bean also are packed with nutrients and potential, which famed chocolatier Oded...
Heavily influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, Whole Foods Market has unveiled its top 10 food trends for 2021, which include revitalized “epic” breakfast meals and culinary-inspired baby food, to growing consumer adoption of fringe cooking oils and food...
Impossible Foods is gearing up for market entry in Europe, China and Brazil; Beyond Meat is looking at “any and all plant-based protein sources” as it expands its ingredient toolbox; Meati Foods is preparing to launch fungi-based steaks, and Planterra...
While all the key brands in plant-based meat are exploring new protein sources, most still use soy or pea as the primary protein source. Oats, rapidly emerging as star players in the plant-based milk category, have not, however, made any real impact in...
Launched earlier this year, global multi-brand plant-based food company The LIVEKINDLY Collective has closed a $135m capital raise led by Blue Horizon Corporation to accelerate and increase capacity for its planned 2021 US launch.
We had a record number of entries for this year's FOOD FOR KIDS Trailblazers Challenge, spanning everything from chickpea butter and lentil-based meat crumbles to bubbly probiotic water and veggie-infused ketchup. Here are some of the innovations...
Indoor vertical-farming company Plenty Unlimited and fresh berry supplier Driscoll's have entered a joint development agreement to grow Driscoll's strawberries year-round in Plenty's vertical indoor farms.
Following a successful launch in Israel and the Netherlands, Israeli startup Zero Egg is hoping to crack the US market with the launch of plant-based egg alternatives for CPG manufacturers and foodservice operators that it claims blows rivals out of the...
Startups selected to participate in Rabobank’s virtual FoodBytes! Pitch competition this fall provide a neat snapshot into trending topics in food and agriculture, from alternative proteins and upcycled ingredients, to edible cutlery, relaxation beverages,...
Over the last two weeks of September, members of the Organic Trade Association met virtually with 30 legislators on both sides of the aisle from 19 states to advocate for policies that they say will help all farmers mitigate and adapt to climate change,...
The idea of “doing good” as a company is quickly evolving from “nice to have” to “must have” for fundraising food and beverage businesses as investors and industry strategics increasingly integrate and place more weight on environmental, social and governance...
Even though seafood alternatives account for only a small fraction of the current total plant-based protein market, it is primed for fast-paced growth and holds the most promise for capturing market share from its animal-based conventional counterpart,...
The University of California, Davis, (UC Davis) has received a grant of up to $3.55m from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Growing Convergence program to explore the long-term sustainability and commercial viability of cell-cultured (a.k.a. 'cultivated')...
The authors of a 2019 report from RethinkX predicting that the US dairy and cattle industry would collapse by 2030 as microscopic microbial protein factories disrupt the food system as we know it were dismissed by some as living in a ‘vegan fantasyland.'...
California is the first US state to require beverage containers to use a set amount of recycled plastic: starting with 15% recycled content in 2022 and increasing to 50% in 2030.
Minnesota-based Revol Greens has closed a $68m funding round led by Equilibrium Capital -- bringing the company's total financing to $215m -- to launch a third lettuce greenhouse facility in Texas, which will bring its total annual output to 33 million...
As plant-based protein gains acceptance with mainstream consumers, manufacturers and investors are looking beyond the flash of new brands to consider the needs – and marketing opportunities – around services and ingredients that support increased production...
Daring Foods – a startup seeking to punch above its weight in the plant-based chicken category via a lower calorie product with a shorter, cleaner, ingredients list and bold branding – has closed an $8m Series A funding round led by VC firm Maveron, taking...
To create a “perfect food system” that can feed more people with fewer resources in the next 50 years, the food industry needs to turn 180-degrees away from long-considered “best practices,” including focusing on high yield crops, concentrating production...
Looking back, spring 2020 was not the ideal time to debut in grocery retail, observes Planterra Foods CEO Darcey Macken, who was gearing up to make a splash in the plant-based meat set in mid-April with the OZO brand before a certain pandemic threw a...
Lavva – best-known for its pili nut and plaintain-fueled plant-based yogurts – has moved into the plant-based milk category with a higher-fat product made with three ingredients: organic coconut water, filtered water, and pili nuts; with no added sugar,...
The oat drink business has publicly defended its decision to receive investment from Blackstone, after Oatly fans and activists pledged to boycott the brand.
Based in Massachusetts, Little Leaf Farms has doubled its hydroponic greenhouse-growing capacity to 10 acres of fields under glass capable of producing more than two million packages of lettuce each month, which will broaden the company's distribution...
Mars Inc. has hired Dr. Maria Velissariou as its new vice president of global corporate research & development and chief science officer to lead the company's quality and food safety, scientific & regulatory affairs and R&D strategy.
As record high sales from the early days of the coronavirus pandemic level out at rates significantly lower than March and April but still higher than last year, CPG companies are trying to reassure investors that they can hold on to new customers and...
Santiago-based food tech company NotCo has closed an $85m Series C funding round co-led by Future Positive and L Catterton,* and is gearing up for a move into the US market in late 2020 or early 2021.
Beyond Meat (Jiaxing) Food Co., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Beyond Meat, Inc., has signed an agreement with Jiaxing Economic & Technological Development Zone (JXEDZ) to manufacture plant-based meat products including beef, pork, and chicken under...
Retailers interested in attracting more Black shoppers, who Nielsen reports wield an annual buying power of $1.5 trillion and make more grocery trips per year than all other racial groups, need to stock and prominently highlight more products by Black-owned...
Under normal circumstances the Campbell Soup Co.’s 12% organic sales increase, 13% operating profit increase and strong double-digit consumption growth across all core brands in the fourth quarter would be lauded as great – but during the pandemic, when...
For many consumers, shelf-table tuna has long been a back-of-pantry fall back to tie together slim pickings or disparate ingredients, but a new playful ad campaign from Bumble Bee Seafoods seeks to reposition it as a front-of-pantry solution with diverse...
