As voted for by you the readers - effectively - and checked by us on Google Analytics, here are our Top 10 most read news stories of 2014 – from Constellation Brands attracting the ire of craft brewers to Dr Pepper’s stevia trials.
The rise of grocerants, or in-grocery-store dining, is helping supermarkets – and by extension food-based consumer packaged goods – hold their own against restaurants, drive-thrus, food trucks and take-out joints as consumer spending on food at home loses...
A recent study linking children’s fast food consumption with lower standardized test scores in reading, math and science adds to the growing body of research suggesting nutrition significantly influences academic success.
Wells Fargo Securities analysts say plant-based beverages are a ‘unique growth opportunity’ and believe a partnership with WhiteWave Foods would bring Coke several important strategic benefits.
Diet soda is in a funk, while 'real sugar' is back in vogue. Energy is hot, but caffeine is still controversial. Maple water is bang-on-trend, but will it really become the next coconut water?
It’s time to get out our crystal balls and predict the hottest trends in the European food and drink sector for the year ahead. What’s in store for 2015?
Consumer desire to effectively manage their weight and improve their health through food will continue to influence new product development and sales in 2015, according to New Nutrition Business, a food- and nutrition-focused market research firm.
Food-X - a new food business accelerator program backed by venture capital firm SOSventures that runs twice a year - is seeking the ‘best and brightest disruptors in the food space’ to join its second accelerator program starting in New York in early...
Midnight cereal chomping, energy-dense sports snacks and on-the-go breakfast replacements are just some of the trends set to shape the snacking market next year, according to Datamonitor Consumer.
Antioxidant-rich cereals, protein-packed snack bars and bread tailored to women’s nutritional needs were just some of the product innovations identified by Datamonitor Consumer during 2014.
Trendwatching with Mintel, Euromonitor, Rabobank & Trailblazer Foods
From the 'astounding' reinvention of popcorn as "Millennial friendly, cool and healthy", to the proliferation of apps & devices enabling us to track our calories, sleep and bowel movements, what have we learned about the food culture...
Eating all your vegetables might be easier in 2015 than in recent years as they increasingly show up in unexpected places, including desserts and drinks, according to the International Food Network.
The biggest rise was in products making non-GMO or GMO-free claims
Non-GMO, Kosher, gluten-free, ethical, environmentally-friendly, lactose-free, vegan, no additives/preservatives, and on-the-go claims are all gaining more traction on US food labels; while growth in ‘all-natural’- antioxidant- and low/no/reduced sugar/sodium/fat...
Snack and cereal makers have stepped into smart packaging territory with stand-out, portable pouch formats but they can still stretch further, says a packaging expert.
While premium juice brands hit the market every week hoping to become the next Suja, and the coconut water category is getting crowded, the company behind WTRMLN WTR (watermelon flesh, watermelon rind, lemon) reckons it has a product sufficiently distinctive...
From ready-to drink soup and nootropics to mocktails for Millennials, the beverages aisle is not short of innovation. But what distinguishes the winners from the losers, how easy is it to build distribution, and how difficult is it to finance your beverage...
Fresh ingredient and recipe delivery service Blue Apron helps start-ups and small ingredient suppliers build brand awareness and consumer demand by introducing at home cooks to new products and taking the guess work out of the prep.
Dairy free frozen desserts bright spot in category
While frozen yogurt franchises might be appearing on every street corner, US retail sales of frozen yogurt/tofu have slumped over the past year, with multi-outlet* data from Chicago-based market research firm IRI revealing an 8.23% drop in dollar sales...
Consumers want bolder, more intense flavor experiences, from Japanese 7 Spice to sour cherries and salt, according to McCormick & Co’s flavor forecast for 2015.
Cargill and Innova Market Insights have highlighted key trends for chocolate in 2015 including the rise of real fruit inclusions, texture claims and transparent ingredient labelling.
The US dairy-free frozen desserts category could “double or triple” in the next five years as more consumers explore almond, coconut and other alternatives, predicts ice cream guru Malcolm Stogo, who is now bidding for a slice of the non-dairy action...
Breakfast is extending throughout the day: 'Now anything goes, anytime'
From bold Asian and Hispanic flavors, to nuts, gourmet coffee, and all-day-breakfasts, New York-based Comax Flavors highlights four hot trends likely to influence food and beverage development in 2015.
If you don’t like taking risks, don’t go into the beverage industry, says the founder of ChaiElixir, an Oklahoma City based start-up selling sparkling tea. “A significant portion of new products do not make it past year one or two, but that’s the nature...
The nutrition bar category is becoming saturated, but there are still untapped pockets of opportunity, says Ohio-based Good Greens, which claims to blow rivals out of the water when it comes to packing a nutritional punch.
Tetra Pak's Suley Muratoglu has challenged packaging designers and brands to shake up the beverage and liquid dairy markets with better graphic design implementation.
Coffee leaf tea has got the 'body and full flavor of black tea without the bitterness'
By unlocking the potential of the coffee fruit, enterprising companies from Bai Brands and KonaRed (beverages) to CF Global (coffee flour) and VDF Futureceuticals (nutraceuticals) have already proved that the coffee bean is not the only thing the coffee...
To understand Functional Foods you must see it as a strategy to add value to processed foods, says the president and founder of the HealthyMarketingTeam, Peter Wennstrom, in this guest article.
Faced with mounting difficulties in their drug businesses, many pharmaceutical manufacturers are looking at getting into functional foods and beverages, notes food marketing expert, Julian Mellentin in this guest article.
While mainstream food retailers discovered kombucha later than their counterparts in the ‘natural’ channel, they are playing catch-up now, says natural soda maker Reed’s, which entered the market in 2012 with its Culture Club kombucha range and now claims...
Synthetic biology pioneers team up to create 'powerhouse in yeast fermentation technologies'
Evolva - the Swiss ‘synthetic biology’ company developing stevia, vanillin, and other ingredients via microbial fermentation - is to acquire San Diego-based Allylix to create a “true powerhouse in yeast-based fermentation technologies”.
Bai Brands CEO Ben Weiss says the Dr Pepper allied brand will hit $50m in sales this year and puts this down to a focus on ‘distribution at the expense of brand equity’ during the early ‘basement’ years.
Pinnacle Foods has struck a deal to acquire Canadian plant-based food specialist Garden Protein International (Gardein) for C$175m ($154m) from founder Yves Potvin and private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners.
What’s for dinner tonight? And could Watson - the IBM computer that trounced its human rivals at Jeopardy - have the answer? FoodNavigator-USA headed to the reThinkFood conference - a collaboration between the Culinary Institute of America and the MIT...
Solazyme’s AlgaVia whole algal flour is now being used in eight commercially available products in the US from non-dairy creamers and powdered beverages to gluten-free baked goods, while the company is also in “late stage commercial tests with major national...
With HPP (high-pressure-processed) cold-pressed juices now an established part of any self-respecting retailer’s chilled beverage set, it’s easy to forget just how rapidly this category has moved from niche to mainstream, and that key players such as...
Online grocery shopping, craft foods, fermented and pickled foods such as sauerkraut, and non-stop snacking will all gain momentum in 2015, according to ‘Supermarket Guru’ and TV personality Phil Lempert.
Whole Foods Markets has decided to go big, with a national TV ad campaign that kicked off during a recent World Series game. The message is one of “values,” talking about the natural grocery store chain’s commitment to sustainability and transparency.
Browse the baby food aisles and everything is pretty healthy, as your baby’s body is a temple, right? But then things change, say the founders of MySuperFoods, which was set up by two Moms that were underwhelmed by the snack options available to children...
I am one of many scientists around the world whose work involves studying an ecosystem of diverse species. Some are already known to us, others have never been catalogued before.
US hummus category could break $1bn barrier in a few years
US sales of hummus have almost doubled since 2009 to top $600m, but could easily break through the $1bn mark in the next few years, predicts Eat Well Embrace Life, which is carving out a leading role in the ‘other bean hummus’ category and aims to be...
