Leading food and beverage fund VMG is moving from investor to operator with the launch of a new corporate entity that will acquire, run, and create snack brands. Velocity Snack Brands (VSB) kicks off today with the acquisition of salty snack brand Popchips; the company will be led by Amit Pandhi, the former CEO of frozen treat brand Arctic Zero.

Ocean Spray may be almost 90 years old, but the cranberry cooperative is determined to act like a younger startup. Last week the company announced a new model for innovation, known as the Lighthouse Incubator, which will focus on rapid innovation and bring the company into new categories beyond beverage.

Much has changed since Harbinger Ventures launched with its first fund of $1.8 million in 2016. Over the past three years the firm, which invests in early-stage companies that are led by female or “mixed-gender” founder teams, has seen interest in its investment thesis grow exponentially. Perhaps the best indication of the changing sentiment: this week the firm announced the close of its second fund, worth $21.7 million — roughly 12 times larger than its first fund.

Just over a month ago, global snacking and confection company The Hershey Company announced its acquisition of low-sugar, high-protein nutrition bar company One Brands. In this video, NOSH Editor Carol Ortenberg sat down with One Brands CEO Peter Burns to discuss the acquisition and what made the two brands a sweet pairing.

It’s time to learn how the sausage gets made. To offer consumers a means to consume more vegetables, while also positively impacting climate change, Misfit Foods has pivoted away from its signature juice line — and the use of imperfect produce — and into the meat counter with the launch of a new line of veggie and meat sausages.

Seven years ago, Taylor Collins and Katie Forrest helped steward a snacking revolution, introducing consumers to better-for-you, more sustainably raised meat snacks through their brand Epic Provisions and in 2016, the company was sold to General Mills. Now the duo, joined by former Epic CFO/COO Robert Sansom, are ready to bring transparency and sustainability to what they say is one of the last frontiers of the grocery store, the meat counter.

In this video, BevNET CEO John Craven and NOSH Editor Carol Ortenberg sat down to review notable trends and brands from this year’s Expo East, including developments in plant-based dairy items, the reframing of meal kits as “meal solutions” and advances in sustainable animal protein offerings.

At this year’s Natural Products Expo East trade show in Baltimore, Katie Paul, VP of category management and growth solutions for distributor KeHE, sat down with NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg to discuss how KeHE has evolved its internal team and processes to best meet the changing needs of its retail and supplier partners, and also shared her thoughts on popular trends such as CBD and plant-based eating.

Today cereal brand Magic Spoon announced that, five months after launch, it has closed a $5.5 million round of funding to help propel its growth. The $10 a box cereal is sold direct-to-consumer and targets the carbohydrate-avoiding consumer, often associated with the Keto or Paleo diets.

Vital Proteins is ready to go beyond beauty. The collagen-focused company announced today the launch of a line of bars, sports drinks and a liquid creamers, moves CEO and founder Kurt Seidensticker told NOSH are designed to help the brand target a wider array of shoppers and expand beyond its core wellness enthusiast.