Private-label brands are tapping into viral TikTok moments to resonate with Gen Z consumers, as many of these shoppers are willing to switch brands, Ansie Collier, global director of innovation at MMR Research, shared during a recent webinar.
Securing shelf space among the top natural retailers requires CPG brands to focus on the differences between stores and how they can innovate alongside them, a panel of industry experts shared in a recent Naturally webinar.
Asian food brand Omsom is taking its message of bold, authentic global flavors to the instant noodle aisle with retail expansion distribution at Whole Foods as the brand taps into the growing demand for convenient, spicy, and globally inspired foods,...
Litigation addiction is a real thing, but just as Prince Harry has scores to settle, so does Grillo’s Pickles, this time alleging that Patriot Pickle ‘stole’ their beloved proprietary recipes for a line of Whole Food-branded pickles.
When it comes to delivering on consumer sustainability demands, food and beverage CPG companies must juggle many plates from developing flavorful products to ensuring their supply chains are environmentally secure. But above all, brands need to focus...
Lightlife will debut its new plant-based, whole-muscle chicken product exclusively in the prepared foods section in Whole Foods Market locations this month, making parent company Greenleaf Foods the exclusive plant-based chicken provider for all Whole...
RightRice has launched its newest innovation in the rice category, RightRice Risotto, a veggie-based product line that is dairy-free using just water while achieving the same level of creaminess the well-known rice dish is known for (in under 15 minutes),...
From 'smoothie balls' packed with cacao fruit pulp to chickpea-fueled grain-free cereal, new food products are hitting the market every week. But which emerging trends have real staying power and what really interests VCs and strategic investors?...
West African foods from the ancient grain fonio to tigernuts and moringa; to refrigerated protein-packed snacks; chickpea butter; and more imaginative food for kids will all gain traction in 2020 according to buyers, product developers, category managers...
The options available to those with a lactose intolerance have expanded with the boom of non-dairy alternatives to lactose-free milk products, but until now, there hadn't been a premium lactose-free ice cream made with dairy ingredients and free...
Emerging and new-to-market brands are all vying for precious shelf space at retail, so where should founders focus their time and energy to secure a spot in their desired store area?
New brand RightRice – a vegetable rice grain made up of over 90% vegetables and 10% rice - has launched exclusively with Whole Foods Market nationwide and on Amazon where it intends to reinvigorate the rice aisle.
The NadaMoo! coconut milk fueled dairy-free brand – which has been growing at an explosive, triple-digit pace over the past three years – is exploring moves beyond the frozen case into new plant-based categories, says its CEO.
Hispanic shoppers buy significantly more natural, organic and better-for-you items than the overall US population, which suggests manufacturers in the space could generate even higher sales by targeting the demographic, according to new research from...
Trader Joe’s is the most at-risk retailer in the US, not because of price reduction but simply because so many of its consumers cross shop at both Amazon and Whole Foods, says an industry consultant.
Amazon is wasting no time in leveraging Whole Foods Market’s reputation and physical locations to tackle two of the largest barriers for online grocery sales: consumer concerns about product freshness and delivery costs.
Amazon’s decision to tackle Whole Foods ‘whole paycheck’ moniker from day one with a wave of price cuts sends an immediate signal to rivals that “they are now dealing with a competitor that is not afraid to damage profits and margins if it creates long...
While Amazon is widely expected to have a transformative impact on Whole Foods over the long term, Whole Foods still faces “the prospect of several years of further decline and worsening financials,” predicts one market observer.
Amazon's increased penetration into the grocery sphere will mean computer wizards, molecular biologists and sustainability experts will be developing ultra-intelligent grocerants of the future, predicts 'supermarket guru' Phil Lempert.
Suja is still considering a move into the kombucha category but will only do so if it can produce the product in a way that controls the alcohol and sugar content, says CEO Jeff Church.
All eyes have been on Whole Foods since activist investors demanded radical action to address its recent “chronic underperformance." But is Albertsons – rumored to be courting the Austin-based retailer – the right suitor?
As natural and organic goes mainstream, Whole Foods’ differentiator is, well, not that different from the rest of the market anymore, says one retail analyst.
If the edible insects market is heating up, and big name retailers from Publix to Sprouts are now stocking cricket bars, snacks and protein powders, why is Whole Foods – which has reportedly temporarily dropped all bug-based products - apparently cooling...
While the word ‘natural’ still appears on the label of 11% of new food and beverage introductions in the US according to Mintel data, brands that are part of the so-called natural foods industry need to embrace a new form of conscious capitalism if they...
What’s the next Just Mayo, KRAVE, or Sparkling ICE? If you’re looking for some entrepreneurs to watch over the next couple of years, check out CircleUp’s 2016 list of the 25 most innovative consumer brands of 2016, 15 of which are in food/beverage.
Centralizing the purchasing of non-perishables will ultimately make Whole Foods a lot easier to deal with, said chief operating officer AC Gallo during the retailer’s second quarter earnings call last week.
From bone broth to grass-fed dairy, trends which start in the natural food market have the potential to move to the mainstream faster than ever before as conventional retailers seek to get a bigger slice of the action in natural and organic foods, says...
The retail fresh soup category is now worth “north of $200m,” as more grocery retailers invest in their fresh prepared food offer, says the CEO of Boulder Organic Foods. But there is still a lot of potential for growth as the boundaries between food retail...
Whole Foods Market has challenged allegations by animal rights group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), that the standards to which it holds its meat and poultry suppliers “barely exceed common industry practices”.
The new 365 by Whole Foods Market smaller format stores will have "very, very competitive prices" and “open up a whole new set of customers who, so far, have for various reasons, have not liked Whole Foods Market”, co-CEO John Mackey told analysts...
Arizona is emerging as a hotbed for sales of organic and natural foods and beverages, dietary supplements and other natural products, according to a new analysis by the United Natural Products Alliance. According to the report, the first of its kind focusing...
Organic peanut butter cup producer Justin’s says it would entertain offers from larger firms to help it grow scale in the U.S. and move into export markets, but won't actively pursue a sale.
Executives are aggressively defending Whole Foods Market’s high prices, even as they tout the potential cost-savings for the consumers at the retailer’s newly named value chain.
Whole Foods Market’s much vaunted new value chain – 365 by Whole Foods Market – will not be a “discount model or a dumbed-down version of Whole Foods” as feared by some when the company first announced the impending launch, according to the new chain’s...
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.
Steve Hughes: 'You'd be surprised how fast brands can scale now.'
As the rapid growth of brands such as Suja Juice and Just Mayo demonstrates, new, on-trend brands originating in the natural, gourmet or organic space can now ‘cross over’ into the mass market at record speed, such that companies we have never heard of...
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.
'Simple Truth has been our most successful brand launch ever'
Kroger’s natural and organics brand Simple Truth notched up sales of $1.2bn in 2014, and continues to generate double digit growth, said CEO and chairman Rodney McMullen at the company’s q4 earnings call last week.
Whole Foods Market continues to evolve in the face of increased competition and gain market share by responding to consumers’ changing shopping habits with a broad online presence that is gaining traction.
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...
The notion that defining ‘natural’ is just too hard - either for the FDA or for the food industry - and that we therefore shouldn’t even bother to attempt it, is defeatist and “disingenuous”, says the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).
Whole Foods has been hit with new class action lawsuits in Pennsylvania and New Jersey accusing it of significantly understating the sugar content in its 365 Everyday Value plain Greek yogurt, just days after a lawsuit making the same allegation was filed...
Although the US private label market has a ways to go in catching up with Europe, a shifting consumer landscape has more consumers than ever examining products’ origins, paving the way for private label manufacturers to seize on those looking to shop...
United Natural Foods Inc. the dominant force in organic and natural food distribution in North America, says its acquisiton of Tony’s Fine Foods will help it stave off competition in the space from more mainstream distributors.
Three months after a federal judge in California gave the preliminary thumbs up to a $3.4m settlement of a class action lawsuit accusing Trader Joe’s of falsely advertising products as ‘all natural’, a fellow judge has allowed most claims in a similar...
The first Non-GMO Project verified frozen food entrée in the US will hit store shelves by the end of the month under the Saffron Road brand. It was a complicated, time-consuming process but one that company officials believe will ultimately pay off.
The serial entrepreneurs behind Terra Chips and Stonyfield Farms look set to achieve similar success with gourmet world cuisine brand Saffron Road - another niche brand that is rapidly moving into the mainstream, this time in the frozen food aisle.
Non-GMO Project Verified has become the fastest growing food eco-label in North America, as sales of certified products hit $1bn in 2011, according to findings unveiled at Organic Monitor’s Sustainable Foods Summit in San Francisco last month.
