While any flavor house with sufficient resources can monitor what’s happening in stores, restaurants and bars to get a sense of emerging trends, this only tells you what’s happening now, not what the future might taste like, says Firmenich senior marketing...
Do college students eat like the rest of us? Broadly yes (washed down by a lot more energy drinks), but there are some notable differences, according to online ordering expert GrubHub, which says students are significantly less likely to place ‘healthier’...
‘Eco-eating’, which encompasses everything from edible packaging trends to sustainable seafood, is moving from natural stores and fancy restaurants to the mainstream of food culture, according to a new report.
Early stage algae company Heliae has taken a quiet approach to business development. While the Arizona-based company is close to coming to market with a range of nutraceutical ingredients, not much has been said about them in the marketplace or the press,...
Big interview, Yves Potvin, founder and CEO, Garden Protein (Gardein)
Despite all the recent hype about plant-based protein, the frozen meat alternatives category was stuck in a bit of a rut until pretty recently, says the man behind the fastest growing brand in the market.
Given that one in three American adults is expected to develop type 2 diabetes by 2050, foods and supplements targeting pre-diabetics and type 2 diabetics would appear to have enormous potential. So why isn’t the ‘healthy blood glucose’ market exploding?
While just 7% of Americans identify themselves as vegetarian, more than a third of shoppers (36%) buy meat alternatives, suggesting the category is appealing to a far broader demographic, according to a consumer survey conducted by Mintel.
With state fair season in full swing and deep-fried Oreos on the menu, online food ordering service GrubHub embarked on a study of ‘extreme foods’ to determine who is ordering jumbo corn dogs and Big Gulps (spoiler alert - it’s men…)
Many US supermarkets are stuck in a timewarp, and their market share will continue to decline unless they makes radical strategic changes, according to a provocative new report from Hartman Strategy.
A Minnesota-based firm making waves with anthocyanin-packed purple-corn ingredients says it has had significant interest from the snack food market, but is also talking to microbrewers, confectioners, and firms manufacturing everything from sourdough...
Boulder Brands, the firm behind two of the biggest names in gluten-free, Udi’s and Glutino, is talking to one of America’s largest coffee chains, and one of its largest donut chains, about launching gluten-free bakery items.
Sports nutrition marketers have traditionally focused on young men, sports teams and hardcore athletes. In future, however, they will need to spend more time targeting women, weekend warriors and consumers pursuing individual sports and fitness activities...
Plant-based proteins were a hot topic at the IFT show this year, whether from algae, pea, rice, soy or other plant-based sources. One firm making waves in this market is RiceBran Technologies, which caught up with FoodNavigator-USA at our booth to talk...
Pakistani, Caribbean and Halal cuisines experienced the greatest growth in order volumes in US restaurants over the past year, although Italian, Chinese and Japanese remain the top three most popular ethnic cuisines in America, according to digital food...
On day two of the IFT show in Chicago, the FoodNavigator-USA team headed once more unto the breach (well, the show-floor) at McCormick Place to check out the latest developments in food and beverage development, labeling and regulation.
FoodNavigator-USA's intrepid editorial team headed to the windy city to chew the fat (or maybe replace it with algae) with the great and the good of the global food industry, and keep up to speed with the latest developments in everything from open...
A perfect example of the fact that shoppers are willing to pay a premium for quality and convenience - even in tough times - the growth of the single serve coffee market has been nothing short of meteoric, growing from $1bn in 2011 to more than $1.8bn...
Two weeks after announcing a parting of ways with Californian joint venture (JV) partner and algae expert Solazyme, French ingredients giant Roquette says it will be showcasing two microalgae-based food ingredients at the IFT show in Chicago.
Wrigley has filed a patent to use a compound in gum that creates a cooling sensation without unwanted flavors and odors associated with options currently on the market.
Food innovation, from concept to consumer brand, will soon be the focus of a new television show, with ‘Supermarket Superstar’ giving entrepreneurs the opportunity to compete for a spot on supermarket shelves.
While the zero-calorie natural sweetener stevia is now used in scores of high-profile brands from Sprite Select to Vitamin Water Zero, the only top-tier cola brand to try it to date has been the Australian formulation of Pepsi Next, which has 30% less...
SPECIAL EDITION: HEALTHY AND FUNCTIONAL CONFECTIONERY
USDA certified organic on a food label means something concrete. ‘Natural’ or ‘clean label’ mean something rather more fluid. But while the stream of lawsuits over ‘natural’ claims suggests more clarity is needed - particularly on GMOs - some general...
60-second interview: Rohit Tibrewala, CEO, Roha, North America
As part of FoodNavigator-USA’s probe into clean labels ahead of our June 26 Natural & Clean Label Trends 2013 online event, Elaine Watson caught up with Rohit Tibrewala CEO, Roha, North America, to talk natural colors…
Chipotle has started adding a red ‘G’ for GMOs next to foods on its online menu that are made using ingredients that may come from genetically modified crops such as corn and soy.
Foods inspired by fiction - from Harry Potter and Downton Abbey to Game of Thrones, Mad Men and Lord of the Rings - are starting to gain traction in the real world, according to food trends expert Hartman Group.
60-second interview: Carol Locey and Gary Augustine, Kalsec
As part of FoodNavigator-USA’s probe into clean labels ahead of our June 26 Natural & Clean Label Trends 2013 online event, Elaine Watson caught up with Carol Locey, colors product director, and Gary Augustine, market development director, at Kalsec,...
PL Thomas claims to be taking the wholefood concept to a completely new level with the launch of whole food powders made using a novel process that can turn “pretty much anything that is a food into a powder”, from salmon to pumpkin.
Gourmet nut butters, pea protein, purple corn, yogurt for men and more chewy drinks? Sterling-Rice Group identifies the top 10 natural and organic food trends that are starting to influence the mainstream grocery market.
How can convenience stores find sustainable growth beyond gas and cigarettes? And why were unit sales of energy drinks in c-stores up 56% between 2008 and 2012, while unit sales of milk slumped 25% over the same period? IRI's latest report, 'Convenience...
Jif peanut butter to Folgers coffee maker JM Smucker said sales of K-cups topped $290m in fiscal 2013 (ending April 30), compared with just under $180m in 2012, a 61% increase.
Back in 2008/9, Boulder Brands CEO Steve Hughes had a lot of sleepless nights. The struggling Smart Balance spreads business - which represented 90% of group revenues - was running “in fourth gear” - and the economy was in the doldrums.
The number of calories Americans are taking in from sugar sweetened beverages has been dropping steadily over the past decade, with the sharpest declines starting to kick in from around 2006, according to new data.
Despite concerted efforts to promote the consumption of low-fat dairy products from the industry and the government alike, Americans are drinking less and less milk, according to new research.
Not so long ago, cheese alternatives were pretty grim. They were a poor substitute for the real thing, and something most people unable or unwilling to eat regular cheese could manage without.
The Brazilian biscuit market is set to grow 25% in value sales in the next five years and a big opportunity exists for healthy cookies marketed to women, according to market analysts Mintel.
Bold, meaty flavored chips and extra spicy meat snacks are trending as manufacturers strive to excite millennial tastebuds, says a Euromonitor analyst.
Boulder Brands is rolling out novel square-shaped tubs for its Smart Balance and Earth Balance spreads in a move it claims will “revolutionize the way products are displayed in the dairy case and stored in the warehouse”.
According to the Census Bureau, the Latino population is the fastest-growing demographic group in the US. But is there such thing as the ‘Latino consumer’?
A survey of more than 5,000 users of a leading online food ordering service shows that 88% buy lunch at least once a week and a quarter buy lunch every day.
While peanut flour has been around for years, recent interest in protein - particularly the plant-based variety - has sparked renewed interest, particularly in the nutritional bars market, according to one leading supplier.
Avoiding saturated fat, meat and dairy, whilst increasing the intake of omega-3 may be linked to better preservation of memory functions, say researchers.
The percentage of energy derived from snacks in the American diet has increased from 12% in the late 1970s to 24% in 2009/10 as more people graze throughout the day rather than sitting down to three square meals, according to analysis of National Health...
