Research from scientists at Rutgers University and supported by Danone has focused on the impact COVID-19 has on the microbiome, the collection of microorganisms that live in and on the human body. The findings could feed into Danone’s R&D efforts...
Food prices at near forty-year highs now overshadow most other consumer concerns about grocery shopping – including fears of contracting COVID-19 or experiencing violence in stores – prompting many to rethink where they shop, what they buy and what product...
Zinc is an essential trace mineral involved in modulating human immune responses and may prove to be an important therapeutic agent for viral infections, such as COVID-19, say the authors of a recent review.
The acute health threat of COVID-19 may be ebbing for most Americans, but the desire it instilled in many to bolster their physical and mental wellbeing continues to push consumers to seek food as medicine, according to industry insiders.
The past two years have been a rollercoaster for many food and beverage companies, who have had to deal with everything from a global pandemic to rocketing inflation, labor shortages, and massive disruption across their supply chains. So what does all...
While the pandemic accelerated the adoption of food e-commerce, brick and mortar shopping will always have an edge over online grocery for most consumers, reports Dunnhumby.
Many consumers are maintaining the habits they formed at the onset of the global pandemic nearly two years ago, including a sustained preference for at-home dining and e-commerce, notes market research intelligence firm Acosta, which says retailers and...
The North American sweet snacks giant rewarded nearly 2,000 bakery and distribution centre employees for their hard work to get products out during the pandemic.
Tyson Foods is aggressively repositioning itself as a sought-after workplace, investing in automation and other operational performance improvements and reinforcing its leadership position through marketing and innovation in order to reverse sharp earnings...
Like many other CPG companies, Conagra Brands is continuing to take pricing actions across its portfolio spanning snacks, frozen food, and baking products. But the company says these actions have had limited impact on consumer purchasing behavior so far....
Two-thirds of US adults say the pandemic has caused them to re-evaluate their life priorities and has had the most profound impact on where and how they eat, according to Mintel research.
More US shoppers report feeling unhappy with how grocery stores are handling the COVID-19 crisis now, including a prominent concern around the cost and price of their groceries, than earlier this year, according to dunnhumby in its latest Consumer Pulse...
The global shipping crisis brought on by the pandemic is continuing to strain supply chains and raise costs, a number of companies have told NutraIngredients-USA.
When COVID-19 hit, Amy’s Kitchen – best known for its frozen pizzas, burritos, entrees and shelf-stable soups – ticked all the right boxes for ‘pandemic cuisine,’ says chief customer and consumer officer Karen Jobb. It makes convenient, healthy, restaurant-quality...
“Current data indicates that neither food nor food packaging is a pathway for the spread of viruses causing respiratory illnesses, including SARS-CoV-2,” according to a new guidance document from the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization...
Closing out the first half of 2021 and using pre-pandemic 2019 as a measuring stick for its growth, Kraft Heinz CEO Miguel Patricio says it has made fundamental progress in its transformation agenda.
Continuing to benefit from elevated at-home consumption of its core chocolate brands and growing snacks business, The Hershey Company reported $1.99bn net sales for Q2 2021 (12 weeks ending July 4, 2021) an increase of 16.5% compared to Q2 2020.
Following a nutrient-dense plant-based or pescatarian diet could protect against severe COVID-19, according to researchers who found healthcare workers at high risk of exposure to the coronavirus were less likely to experience severe infections if they...
After more than a year of requiring shoppers to wear masks and stepping up in-store safety measure, Southeastern US retailer Publix along with several other retailers said it will no longer require fully-vaccinated customers to wear face coverings, unless...
The long-awaited end of the pandemic may be nearing in the US as vaccine distribution expands and new government guidance rolls back some mask and social distancing requirements, but for the CPG industry, some of the challenges that arose and accelerated...
The US Federal Trade Commission has cited another 30 companies or individuals for making what it characterizes as unsubstantiated COVID-19 treatment claims.
Mondelēz International is continuing to see healthy demand for its core snacking brands, proving that industry-wide sales spikes for packaged, shelf-stable products were more than just a COVID-inspired blip, said chairman and CEO Dirk Van De Put.
The shift in food consumption towards the home in the early weeks and months of the coronavirus pandemic has been well-documented, with many packaged food products experiencing a noticeable uplift. But have things since returned to 'normal,'...
A St. Louis-based chiropractor and dietary supplement marketer faces monetary penalties for continuing to market vitamin D and zinc products that purport to prevent COVID-19 infections.
Still benefiting from a sustained consumer shift to at-home eating over a year past the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Conagra has registered a nearly 10% increase in organic net sales for Q3 2021 compared to the same period last year.
Product availability and lower prices will edge out customer safety as top priorities for most grocery shoppers after the threat of COVID-19 subsides thanks to increased access to coronavirus vaccinations and heard immunity, suggests new research from...
The immune support category continues to dominate dietary supplements as the pandemic proceeds to push consumers toward prioritizing their immune health. But with more than two million Americans getting the COVID-19 vaccine every day, where does the category...
Twin bills reintroduced in the House and Senate yesterday would reverse Trump-era waivers allowing higher-speed slaughter lines and prohibit new waivers to increase line speed during the pandemic on the grounds that they hinder social distancing and could...
USDA’s announcement this week to extend free school meals through the summer – and possibly the end of the next school year – ensures students are fed even if pandemic-related safety measures keep them at home, but it doesn’t alleviate increased financial...
On a crusade to make buckwheat "cool" -- which has taken strong digital marketing efforts to educate the consumer in a demo-less landscape -- founder of sprouted buckwheat brand Lil Bucks, Emily Griffith, has made the leap from shared kitchens...
As the second largest employer in the US (with 800,000 employees working in the US), Amazon is offering up to $80 to its front-line workforce who receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Updated: CRN urges public health establishments to issue guidance on vitamin D supplement benefits
US Representative Glenn Grothman (R-WI) has introduced a House Resolution to recognize the significant role vitamin D may play in the fight against COVID-19.
In an effort to safeguard frontline food industry workers, Kroger is providing a one-time $100 payment to all store associates who receive the manufacturer-recommended doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Stressed by COVID-19 and its financial and emotional ripple effects, consumers have turned to functional food as a stress-reducing and health-boosting tool to get through the pandemic, recent consumer insights from market research firm Brightfield Group...
Now more than nine months into the pandemic consumer marketing communications firm HUNTER has uncovered that while some behaviors are moderating back to pre-COVID times, others have intensified and represent a long-lasting shift in the way Americans eat.
Most grocery retailers are strongly encouraging employees to vaccinate against the coronavirus as more states expand access to the vaccine to frontline essential workers, but few are mandating it and even fewer are paying their employees to take the preventive...
Gut microbiota composition may be associated with the severity of COVID-19 and the risk of on-going symptoms, according to a newly published observational study.
Vitamin B6 may play a potential role in reducing the severity of COVID-19 and its complications, according to an opinion article written by researchers from Japan, China and Thailand.
Decisions made during the early days of the pandemic to ease supply chain pressure likely will have unintended consequences for product development, retail shelf space negotiations, and marketing strategies long after the coronavirus vaccine is broadly...
Frontline food industry workers will be among the first to be vaccinated after health care workers and those in long-term care facilities, according to federal guidance approved by the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization...
General Mills net sales increased 7% to $4.7bn for Q2 2021 as the company continued to benefit from elevated at-home demand for its core brands within its meals & baking and cereal segments, which grew net sales by 9% for the quarter.
Faced with rising food prices and stagnant or reduced income during the pandemic, Americans are embracing a more DIY-approach to sourcing and cooking food to save money, and are less tolerant of waste that they believe could help feed the hungry, according...
As cases of COVID-19 resurge nationwide, retailers are bracing for another round of potential stockpiling and increased consumer demand by ordering more product – a trend that could strain production at plants already operating at capacity, suggests JM...
Sales of The Hershey Co.’s iconic chocolates and confections significantly outpaced the category during the company’s third-quarter thanks to targeted, nimble marketing that positioned the sweets at the center of socially distant and much needed get-togethers...
Americans are having difficulty maintaining emotional balance and holding to fitness goals during the pandemic crisis, an Optimum Nutrition consumer survey has found.
COVID-19 and food retail: New data reveals winners and losers in foot traffic, visit duration
New data monitoring store visits at America’s leading food retailers between March and September 2020 shows that traffic at Whole Foods remains down more than 20% year-on-year, while most rival grocers have seen a steady recovery.
Despite grocery retailer revenues rising amid increased consumer demand during the pandemic, higher costs associated with COVID-19 are squeezing already tight margins in a trend that FMI: The Food Industry Association warns likely will get worse before...