Coca-Cola is taking a minority stake in super-premium organic juice firm Suja and will distribute the San-Diego-based firm’s products through its Odwalla chilled direct store delivery system.
Will Dave's Killer Bread retain its edgy appeal without its co-founder and namesake? FoodNavigator-USA (FNU) caught up with CEO John Tucker after bakery giant Flowers Foods coughed up a cool $275m in cash to buy the organic baker from the founding...
An event in late September will bring natural and organic food brands and thought leaders together with hundreds of bloggers. It’s the first such event of its kind, organizers said.
Half believe organic food contains more minerals and vitamins than conventional products despite lack of data
An increasing number of commercial organic operations could be contributing to higher levels of greenhouse gases coming from each acre of farm land, say researchers who warn that organic food production needs to take the right direction on emissions.
Privately-held Nature's Path Foods has expanded its organic breakfast and snack food empire with the acquisition of the Country Choice Organic brand from Grain Millers subsidiary New Century Holdings.
New York-based start-up Simply Gum offers consumers an elegant, all natural alternative to conventional chewing gums, many of which the company founder says include plastic and other synthetic ingredients.
If Justin’s made consumers think differently about nut butter with its novel flavor combos and single-serve sachets, YumButter is on a mission to disrupt the category all over again with its YumButter GO pouches, promising an even more convenient way...
Three US consumers have filed a class action lawsuit against Abbott Laboratories, claiming its Similac Advance Organic infant formula contains 26 ingredients not permitted in organic food.
Hot on the heels of ConAgra Foods' acquisition of natural and organic frozen meal maker Blake's, fellow CPG giant Hormel Foods has parted with $775m to buy Applegate, the #1 brand in the natural and organic value-added prepared meats category.
It’s official: The Organic Trade Association and the GRO Organic Core Committee submitted to the USDA May 12 a petition to launch an organic check-off campaign that, if approved, could raise more than $30 million annually to promote and support the industry...
Unable to shake its reputation for being notoriously expensive, Whole Foods Market is changing tack to appeal to less affluent millennials with the launch of a new value-focused chain.
Price is arguably the biggest barrier the organic market faces, says Mintel – but retailers are coming up with ways to make organic foods accessible to a wider audience.
The use of certain biotechnologies could support organic production in the future – although the currently approved ‘cross-species’ GM technologies are the biggest threat to the organic food system, says Christopher Stopes.
Organic is outgrowing its moniker as a specialty category thanks to a double digit increase in sales last year by consumers nationwide of all political leanings and ethnic backgrounds, according to data from the Organic Trade Association.
Around 3,800 Walmart stores now carry at least 30 Wild Oats organic products, while 2,200 stores carry more than 70 items, says the retailer, which says customers are saving up to 25% compared with national brand organic products.
The face of the organic shopper is changing slowly to reflect more accurately the American population thanks in part to increased distribution, according to a new study by the Organic Trade Association.
Long before “gluten-free,” “sustainable” and “organic” held the marketing sway they do now, Liz Ward wanted to channel her passion for organic agriculture and social justice into a naturally nutritionally dense food product by creating BumbleBar, an all...
Demand for organic in the U.S. is soaring with more than 80% of families buying some organic products, pushing sales up to an expected $40 billion last year, according to the Organic Trade Association.
Consumers may be seeking more healthy and fresh foods in general, but when it comes to snacks, more people want an indulgent treat than something good for them, according to marketing data from IRI.
Consumer confusion about organic verses non-GMO claims abounds, and the Natural Product Association wants to set the record straight with a new lobbying effort.
Earth’s Best and Ella’s Kitchen’s partnership with the No Kid Hungry campaign is helping to end childhood hunger in the U.S., while also expanding the organic children’s food brands’ consumer base and relationship with Walmart.
Executives at Hain Celestial are optimistic that a slew of upcoming product launches, including many in the booming better-for-you snack category, will help buoy the firm’s full year sales in the face of a trio of expensive events.
The need for an organic check off program is growing as consumer confusion about “lesser claims,” such as “natural,” and an emerging preference for “local” threaten sales of organic products, an executive at the Organic Trade Association says.
There is room for new players in the burgeoning super-premium juice category, but the barriers to entry are pretty high, says San Diego-based Suja Juice, which exploded onto the scene in 2012, generated revenues of $18m in 2013, $45m in 2014 and is forecasting...
Entrepreneurs need to stay healthy in order to ensure the long-term success and health of their start-up, advises a top executive at TumericALIVE, a young beverage company dedicated to making elixirs packed with turmeric to rejuvenate, restore and re-energize...
New consumers continue to enter the organic category for the first time, but the health halo cast by the US Department of Agriculture’s certification is dimming as it becomes more mainstream and as shoppers’ interpretation of the standard evolves.
Wegmans Food Markets is partnering with local farmers and businesses based in the New York state region to meet consumers’ growing demand for more fresh, organic options, according to a top executive.
UPDATED: Nutroganics - which is building a portfolio of businesses in the health & wellness space - has signed a letter of intent to acquire certain assets of organic soy yogurt maker WholeSoy & Co.
Mainstream retailers that have been slow to take up the natural and organic product mantle now are realizing the trend is not a flash-in-the-pan and are scrambling to stock more healthy options, which is good news for Hain Celestial, company executives...
While the jaw-dropping amount that General Mills paid for Annie’s ($820m) raised some eyebrows, it was “worth it”, says one corporate finance expert who says big CPG firms are increasingly eyeing up acquisition targets in the natural and organic foods...
After a years long pilot process, the new label Food Justice Certified is ready for market. The new designation aims to do what the USDA Organic Certification does not, and that is to verify that in every link of the food chain there is fair treatment...
Desires to align product portfolios with messages of corporate social responsibility are driving some of the M&A activity regarding organic and natural companies, says Euromonitor International.
Subsidies have led to high rates of organic certification in Europe – while costs and confusion often prevent US organic producers from certifying their products, according to a new study.
In the latest installment of our ongoing What do you do interview series, we talked with the regulatory head of organic standards at industry trade group the Organic Trade Association about her lifetime love of soil, how often organic farmers and processors...
Big Interview: Chris Licata, CEO of Blake's All Natural Foods
The success of the frozen section hinges on the continued trend toward prepared meals with cleaner ingredient decks and accessible price points, says Chris Licata, CEO of natural and organic frozen meals line Blake’s All Natural Foods.
Whole Foods' labels are misleading, deceptive, unfair and fraudulent, alleges lawsuit
Whole Foods Market has been targeted in another class action lawsuit alleging that products it labels as ‘all-natural’ are misbranded because they contain “artificial ingredients and flavorings, artificial coloring and chemical preservatives”.
The terms “local” and “organic” have become increasingly coveted characteristics for packaged foods and beverage in the North American market, as evidenced by a growing number of marketing campaigns touting local and organic foods—not to mention the impressive...
With all the attention GMOs have received in recent months—good and bad—confusion in the marketplace has inevitably followed, as consumers scramble to make sense of the pro- and anti-camps’ arguments and product manufactures scramble to keep track of...
The Organic Trade Association says that third-party certification under the USDA National Organic Program is sufficient for non-GMO label claims, calling organic production is the optimal solution to US agriculture, according to a statement from its board...
A year after the US Department of Agriculture gave organic food and beverage manufacturers a Nov. 3, 2014 deadline for swapping silicon dioxide for organic rice hulls, RIBUS Inc.’s Nu-Flow ingredient saw a 150% boost in sales over that same timeframe....
The founders of Canadian bakery products manufacturer One Degree Organic Foods think the current packaged food landscape has distanced consumers far too much from Mother Nature. They’re looking to narrow the gap between food producers and the end consumer...
Guest article: Mischa Popoff, author, Is it Organic?
I worked for five years as a USDA-contract organic inspector after growing up on an organic grain farm in Saskatchewan. I had the pleasure of inspecting over 500 organic farms and processors, but I began questioning this career path when I realized the...
US retail sales of organic products grew 11.5% to $35.1bn in 2013, the strongest growth the industry has seen in five years, according to new data from the Organic Trade Association (OTA), which is predicting even higher growth of 12% this year.
Big interview: Noha Waibsnaider, founder & CEO, Peeled Snacks
Armed with an MBA from Columbia University, a great contacts book, and a keen understanding of the CPG market after a two-year stint working at Unilever, Noha Waibsnaider was probably better equipped than most to face the challenges ahead when she launched...
84% of US consumers buy organic food sometimes, and 45% of them buy it at least once a month, according to a new national survey of 1,016 adults. However, there is a disparity between what they think the organic seal means and what they think it should...
Every year, Whole Foods Market - the world’s leading retailer of natural and organic foods - celebrates the suppliers that best “embody its mission and core values”. The chain, which was founded in 1980 and now operates 370+ stores generating revenues...
Consumers have spent years paying over the odds for organic foods based on the erroneous belief - promulgated by stakeholders with a vested interest - that they are healthier and safer than their conventional counterparts, claims a controversial new report.
