Organic may be moving mainstream with sales rising and household penetration increasing, but persistent stereotypes about who buys organic, higher prices compared to conventional and inequity due to uneven distribution are holding back the category’s...
Consumers increasingly want products that are better for them, but also better for the planet – unfortunately, it is not always easy to tell which products are healthy or sustainable, which is why it is important to use claims that resonate with shoppers...
Staying ahead of the trends isn’t easy given how fickle consumers can be, but thanks to an exclusive partnership with StarChefs, the flavor and ingredient company Symrise is helping manufacturers remain relevant to consumers by identifying hot upcoming...
After disrupting the frozen pizza category and bumping several iconic brands out the category’s top 10 with its better-for-you cauliflower-based crust, Caulipower and Vegolution Foods are trying their luck again on another iconic American comfort food...
Consumer interest in grass-fed meat/dairy and plant-based foods, stems from the same desire to find more humane and sustainable alternatives to factory farming, says Maple Hill Creamery CEO Tim Joseph, who was surprised to see Impossible Foods single...
Grain Millers - an industry supplier of oats in various forms from oat bran to whole oat flour - is evolving to meet the year-round demand for oats, which were once a seasonally driven crop, says Grain Millers' VP of product development, Roberto...
CBD and THC are not the only buzz-worthy ingredients derived from hemp, according to Chad Rosen, founder of Victory Hemp Foods, who touts the plant’s seeds, which are packed with high quality protein and healthy fats, as an equally important “profit center”...
As ingredient choices made by ‘next-generation’ plant-based meat brands attract more scrutiny, with some making a virtue of using peas over soy, and others promoting their use of non-GMO soybeans, Impossible Foods has defended its use of GM soy on sustainability...
Entrepreneurs making “truly transformative” change that goes beyond incremental advancements often need more time to deliver investment returns than venture capital and private equity can afford, which is why FoodShot Global created a “collaborative capital...
Corteva Agriscience has completed its spin off from DowDuPont to become a "pure-play agricultural company" with a sharpened focused on the end consumer of packaged food products, a business model it claims sets it apart from the commodity-first...
As organic continues to go mainstream, retailers are placing more pressure on producers for price and spec parity with conventional, creating an increasingly unsustainable competitive landscape for organic farmers who traditionally have commanded a premium...
Plant-based meat, dairy and egg alternatives got top billing at the IFT annual meeting and expo in New Orleans this year, while hemp-derived CBD also made its debut, regulatory uncertainty notwithstanding... Check out part 1 of our gallery of highlights...
Members of the Organic Trade Association converged in Washington, DC, last week to celebrate the segment’s continuous improvement, and to brainstorm with each other and legislators potential solutions to ongoing challenges facing the industry.
Baru nut startup Barùkas wants to spark a superfood movement in and beyond the US to support its goal of replanting 20 million trees and supporting the local people of the Cerrado region in Brazil.
A new option could soon be available in the burgeoning plant-based milk category utilizing the protein-packed ‘water lentil,’ a free-floating seed-producing micro aquatic plant (also known as duckweed and Lemna/Lemnaceae).
Ingredient supplier Puris’ Texturized Pea Protein can help manufacturers meet the rising consumer demand for plant-based meat that rivals the mouthfeel and taste of animal-based options, but without compromising clean-label and non-GMO or organic standards.
As one of the largest food companies in the world, Tyson Foods recognizes that it must help create a stable and sustainable food system at a time when a growing population and climate change are straining already limited resources.
In the past decade, venture capitalists have emerged as a primary gatekeeper for innovation in the food and beverage industry as the amount of money they are pouring into startups in the space continues to rise exponentially, and so-called big-food continues...
With conscious consumerism on the rise and potential employees increasingly evaluating companies based on their values, Mars Inc. isn’t wasting any time implementing the new mission it unveiled in March.
While the rapid growth of the plant-based market in the US initially may have been fueled by demand for alternatives to animal-protein and -dairy, the trend is quickly evolving as consumers’ tastes become more sophisticated and they begin to embrace plants...
Hemp extract processor, Socati Corp.'s acquisition of Blue Marble Biomaterials, a global manufacturer of specialty compounds for consumer goods, will usher in mass scale production and quality control of in-demand broad spectrum hemp extract (which...
Mondelēz International is making headway against its 'mindful and sustainable snacking' goals including growing its portion control snack sales to 15% of total net revenue last year, and improving the nutritional profile of some of its legacy...
Mounting consumer complaints about the generally lower coffee quality or waste created by many single-serve brewing options, pushed startup Steeped to create an elegant solution that is more sustainable than the ubiquitous pods on the market and that...
The clean label movement has pushed many once-popular and highly functional ingredients to the wayside because they either sound unfamiliar to consumers or are chemically processed, but the founders of Renmatix have found a way to bring back one of these...
Scientists have discovered the Vanilla bahiana orchid has 'good production potential' to become an alternative source of natural vanilla as it contains the right enzymes for vanillin biosynthesis.
The exponential growth of non-dairy milk sales and variety in the US, in many ways has been a harbinger for the overall plant-based movement, but as demand for the beverages continues to rise – so too are consumers’ standards, which could prompt a shake-out...
Sweet potato is moving into new categories beyond baby food and snacks, where formulators are leveraging its natural red color and nutritional benefits, according to new data from Innova Market Insights.
Predicting the quality and quantity of crops and when they will be ready to harvest and deliver traditionally has been more of an art than a science – until now, thanks to Israeli-based startup Trellis’ artificial intelligence-powered supply optimization...
Demand for fizzy water shows no signs of slowing, but consumers’ mounting concerns about single-use packaging and artificial flavors used by some RTD options is creating an opportunity for home carbonation systems that the creators of the soon-to-be launched...
Nestlé wants 100% of its key commodities to be deforestation-free by next year. The company is leveraging technology as part of a “toolbox” to tackle risk areas and accelerate its journey towards a deforestation-free supply chain.
Improved nutritional standards of The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) have been effective in reducing obesity risk in four-year-olds, according to a new study.
While the plant-based protein category is booming, none of the top-selling ingredients dominating the space offer a perfect solution in terms of function, nutrition, sustainability and consumer-experience – a gap in the market that the CEO of Israeli...
Canadian company Comet Bio has earned recognition for its method of up cycling agricultural waste into functional ingredients, including a new prebiotic and a low calorie sweetener.
Since becoming a Certified B Corp one year ago, Danone North America has made strides in improving its procurement process, meeting consumer demand for increased sustainability and rallying its employees to prioritize the company’s commitment to social...
Beyond Meat's plant-based Beyond Burgers will be available in the meat case at more than 3,000 retail outlets in Canada including Loblaw, Sobeys, Metro, and Whole Foods Market by the end of May.
Blockchain technology may be best known for its ability to securely move crypto-currencies such as Bitcoin around the word, but the technology can do much more -- especially in the food and beverage industries.
Operating on the premise that the best way to get ahead in today’s competitive to market is to “utilize a customer-oriented approach,” the founders A La Mode are tweaking their allergy friendly ice cream and packaging to meet the growing demand for all...
A breakdown in trust between public, private and government stakeholders is the most significant challenge hindering the creation of a sustainable food system that is healthy for people and the planet, according to Sandro Damaio, CEO of the EAT Forum....
By 2050, the Earth’s population is predicted to reach upwards of 10 billion people who will require significantly more food than is produced today, which many predict is not feasible without drastic changes in the way food is produced, transported and...
Regenerative agriculture can be productive and profitable, according to Brazilian producer Rizoma, which aims to regenerate one million hectares of land in Brazil by 2030. “Simply sustaining is not enough,” it says.
After losing several high profile members and suffering a backlash over controversial policy positions, the Grocery Manufacturers Association is trying to regain the industry’s – and consumers’ – trust by rebuilding its mission around four main pillars...
As conscious consumerism gathers momentum, retailers, investors and shoppers all are scrutinizing companies’ values more closely and looking to support brands that are focused on more than just profits.
While some animal protein producers might see the rise in plant-based eating as a threat, Applegate sees it as an opportunity to push forward its mission of changing the meat we eat with several new products, including a blended burger that combines meat...
TerViva - a California-based start-up on a mission to commercialize a new source of plant-based protein from the pongamia tree - has raised $20m in a series D round.
How brick-and-mortar retailers merchandise and present their fresh produce selection plays an important role in driving sales, shares the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) in its 2019 Power of Produce report.
Meat often gets a bad rap on the sustainability front, but not all animal production systems have the same impact on the planet, says Blue Apron founder Matthew Wadiak, who has launched a regenerative agriculture venture that will initially focus on pasture-raised...
In the past five years, online grocery retailer Thrive Market has grown its business to 500,000 paid members shopping its 6,000+ products, allowing the company to dive head first into new projects around regenerative agriculture, and "dramatically"...
Mondelēz International has made an investment in The Hatchery, a Chicago-based non-profit food business accelerator, as part of the CPG company's SnackFutures innovation and venture hub.
With annual retail sales of cold brew coffee estimated at more than $29 million in 2017 and predicted to grow to $170 million by the end of 2025, it is easy to see why at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim earlier this month so many new players were...
In order to feed a nutritious, sustainable diet to the predicted 10 billion people who will populate Earth by 2050, environmental advocates and food & beverage industry stakeholders must work together rather than apart from – or even at times against...