Adrianne DeLuca

Private label products are “nipping at the heels” of name brands according to a new report from consumer market research firm the Hartman Group examining the key drivers behind consumers’ purchasing decisions. The report notes that although demand for private label brands typically increases during periods of economic downturn, current growth is also being driven by generational differences in why consumers make a purchase and how they interpret the meaning of a brand.

In this People Moves: Bob’s Red Mill moves Trey Winthrop into the role of CEO, Mindy Grossman steps down from WW International, Kodiak adds new CMO position for Cory Bayers, Maxine’s Heavenly expands team with two new hires and more.

Baby food manufacturers are under fire once again. A new staff report from the House Oversight Committee found additional infant and baby food products that contain high levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury and that product recalls following a February congressional report disclosing the category’s toxic levels of heavy metals were insufficient.

The Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2021 was reintroduced to Congress last month and proposed sweeping changes to how nutritional information is displayed on food labels. Among the most significant would be a list of demands for the FDA including issuing guidance on a standardized symbol for calorie information on the front-of-pack and definitions for common terms such as “natural,” “healthy,” “artificial” and “synthetic.”

After a year of pandemic-induced pantry loading, the fresh food market saw sales increase more than 10% while the frozen food category grew 21% over the same period, according to the third edition of Deloitte’s annual Future of Fresh series. The data suggests the previously negative stigma toward frozen food may be thawing, which may come at a good time as industry experts are wary as to whether the supply chain for fresh food can sustain this increase in demand.

Snack maker Barnana’s latest upcycled product furthers the company’s commitment to regenerative agriculture, while its recent acquisition of farming and supply partner Agroapoyo has solidified its ability to execute that mission as it looks toward future growth and expansion.

Looking to meet rising consumer demand for higher fiber, higher protein options in place of carbohydrates staples, Barilla has expanded its legume-based pasta line with the addition of another single-ingredient cut: chickpea spaghetti.

Better-for-you pudding producer Noops announced last week it closed an additional $2 million in funding earlier this month led by Lerer Hippeau. Along with the investment, the company also announced that former CEO of The Fresh Market Larry Appeal and CEO of Hungryroot Benjamin McKean will join Noops’ advisory board.

Better-for-you chocolate maker Bon AppéSweet announced today it will unveil a new look and an expansion to its line of plant-based, date sweetened chocolate bars at this years’ Natural Products Expo East in Philadelphia. The Virginia-based brand said it will officially begin to roll out its bars in brighter and more colorful packaging to retailers this October.

In this week’s distribution roundup: Plant-based meat alternative brand Barvecue expands to Sprouts, Whoa Dough launches a Festival Foods, Ella’s Flats enter South Florida Publix, Rowdy Bar Expands to Whole Foods and SIMULATE introduces NUGGS to Stop & Shop.