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.
Walmart has signaled its intention to get into organic food in a big way this week with plans to carry 100 Wild Oats organic products at a “new, more affordable price point” in 2,000 stores.
If it’s in the natural channel today, it could be in food, drug and mass merchandise stores tomorrow, so food and beverage trend-spotters were out in force at the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim on March 6-9.
The natural products market continues to grow and achieve scale, reaching $150 billion last year and projected to hit $226 billion by 2018—with 68% of that coming from food and beverage products, according to the Nutrition Business Journal.
In 2012, Late July’s revenues were a modest $18.6m. In 2014, founder and CEO Nicole Dawes says the brand is "currently at a $60M run rate", primarily due to explosive growth in sales of organic snack chips. Not bad going considering she’s vying...
What do genetically engineered soybeans, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and chickens raised with the use of antibiotics all have in common? They are all in products that come with ‘all-natural’ labels.
The struggle over GMO labeling will push the growth of certified organic products in the US in 2014, according to market research firm Organic Monitor. And at least one major discount grocery retailer is looking to cash in with the launch of a new organic...
Solid growth for the US organic food market is expected to continue until 2018, according to a new report that puts a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14% on the sector.
Whole Foods said Wednesday it plans to dump Chobani as a yogurt supplier at the beginning of 2014, citing a number of reasons—primarily that it has become more selective in shelf allocation with the recent explosion of Greek yogurt brands.
Consumer packaged food and beverage firm WhiteWave Foods has acquired organic food brand Earthbound Farm from its existing shareholders led by Kainos Capital and founders Drew and Myra Goodman, for approximately $600 million in cash.
Whether a food product contains genetically modified organisms, and whether the disclosure of that information should be mandatory on the label has dominated public discourse in recent years. But that focus may have obscured a more basic concern about...
Organic yogurt maker Stonyfield is rolling out new packaging hammering home its organic credentials with a new logo featuring the phrase ‘no toxic pesticides used here’ following research suggesting 74% of Americans would like to eat food produced with...
An organic equivalence agreement signed yesterday between the US and Japan will reopen the Japanese market to US organic producers and could provide more—and possibly cheaper—food for US consumers.
As consumer and retailer demand for third party-verified non-GMO product labels shows no signs of slowing, NSF International announced that it will join the Non-GMO Project as a technical administrator in early 2014.
The head of Rooibee Red Tea says the US’s first bottled rooibos red tea brand expects a significant sales lift this year after enjoying 330% growth from 2010-2012.
A new entrant is set to stir up the long stagnant shelf stable meat replacement market. Neat Foods, a Lancaster, PA-based startup, will debut its line of vegan, gluten- and soy-free, non GMO meat replacements at the upcoming Expo East trade show in New...
Sales of organic products rose 13% to $11.2bn in the year to July 6 in the US retail market, with the highest growth found in shelf-stable meats, poultry and seafood (+61%); followed by baby food (+34%); and shelf-stable functional beverages (+33%); according...
A market-driven approach that allows consumers to opt for foods made without genetically modified ingredients is preferable to mandatory labeling via either state or federal statutes, according to the United Natural Products Alliance.
Plum Organics co founder and CEO Neil Grimmer said the company will stay true to its mission within the Campbell fold, including maintaining its commitment to its values as a B Corporation.
Concern for the environment may be increasing among Americans, but suspicion of corporate ‘greenwashing’ may be slowing their willingness to pay extra for ‘green’ products, including organic, suggests a new survey of 2,276 adults.
The US’s largest natural foods retail cooperative PCC Natural Markets claims it has become the first grocer in the nation to sell chocolate made only from ethically sourced cocoa.
In the absence of a clear legal definition of ‘natural’, food marketers seeking to avoid legal challenges over it refer to a variety of sources for guidance.
Natural Food Certifiers (NFC) is offering an alternative to the non-GMO Project verified seal with the launch of a new product verification program called GMO Guard.
As moves to secure GMO labeling continue to gain momentum at a state level, Whole Foods Market has “put a stake in the ground” and made a commitment to label all products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in its US and Canadian stores by...
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) and Organic Voices, the group behind the Just Label It campaign, have announced a new collaboration to advocate for the labeling of foods containing genetically modified ingredients and to highlight the benefits of...
Organic Valley recently announced a plan to distribute more than $1 million in grants to fund research, education and advocacy on the production of organic foods. The grants have long term goals and a near term objective, with one of the biggest individual...
A Washington D.C. area organic food store chain has pulled all products from its shelves that are marketed directly to children via the inclusion of images of cartoon characters from children’s books, films and TV.
Good Cacao CEO talks to ConfectioneryNews.com about boosting the appeal of healthy chocolate, the functional ingredients to look out for in 2013 and challenges in formulation.
Organic logos and claims generally have positive effects on consumers, but even the most positive supporter has negative inferences towards organic products when they are judged on functional health benefits, suggest researchers.
Sales of organic foods and beverages rose 12.2% in the year to September 29 in the US retail market, significantly outpacing growth in the overall grocery market, according to data from SPINS.
Organic and natural foods specialist Hain Celestial has continued to generate strong growth in the US market while more mainstream consumer packaged food companies have suffered volume declines, says its boss.
Yesterday a large scale scientific review revealed that organic produce may not be more nutritious than ‘conventionally’ produced goods. But since that isn’t the main reason people buy them, does it really even matter?
If passed into law, California’s Prop 37 would not guarantee that unlabeled foods were free from GMOs, just that genetically modified organisms were not intentionally included – a provision designed to be ‘business friendly’, according to the organization...
Natural retailers have seen double-digit sales growth in every four-week period during 2012 as consumers continue to demand natural and organic foods, according to specialist market research organization SPINS.
Canadian natural and organics group SunOpta has reported an 85% profit surge in the second quarter of 2012 driven by strong growth in packaged foods sales.
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) has welcomed the introduction of legislation that would tighten controls on organic certification, saying that it would protect the integrity of the USDA’s National Organic Program seal.
The US organic market grew 9.5% last year, breaking the $30bn barrier for the first time, and continuing to outpace sales of non-organic food, according to a new report from the Organic Trade Association (OTA).
Star-K Kosher Certification has begun providing triple inspections to certify plants and products as non-GMO, organic and kosher, which it says can save companies time and money on individually conducted inspections.
Last week’s organic equivalency agreement between the US and the EU is expected to have a significant impact on the trade of organic products – and many are likely to be finished foods rather than agricultural products, according to organic research firm...
Health- and eco-conscious consumers are just as interested in the ingredients their foods do not contain as those that make it onto the ingredient list – but price remains a top priority, according to a new survey.
Canadian natural and organics group SunOpta has reported a 25% increase in sales compared to Q3 last year but lower profits, citing higher commodity costs, which hit its sunflower business in particular.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded 23 new grants to organic agriculture research projects as part of its National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), in response to increased adoption of organic practices.
While some of the biggest names in grocery have suffered volume declines in the US as consumers cut back and prices have risen to offset commodity and fuel inflation, Hain Celestial has bucked the trend and continued to generate strong growth in its home...
