Erin Cabrey

In this week’s Checkout: Hakuna Brands rebrands to Must Love; Red Clay Hot Sauce raises $1.5 million; Hershey’s reports Q4 earnings; Dole launches a new “Malnutrition Label” marketing campaign; and Frito-Lay and Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin project Super Bowl snacking stats.

Brain health bar brand IQBAR is ready to start thinking bigger after securing a new round of funding led by CircleUp Growth Partners, with plans to expand into a new category and grow its presence in ecommerce and retail this year.

Just over a year after adding industry veteran Sarah Bird as its CEO, plant-based powdered broth brand Beyond Broth announced last week its new identity as Grace’s Goodness Organics, a move intended to position itself in the broader wellness category with the ultimate goal of building a brand that is “bigger than broth.”

In this week’s Checkout: Partnership for a Healthier America launches “Veggies Early & Often” packaging icon; Zero Grocery expands to Los Angeles; Mondelēz and McCormick report Q4 earnings; and Quevos scores a “Shark Tank” deal with Daniel Lubetzky.

Biltong brand Stryve Foods announced plans to go public on the NASDAQ through a business combination with Andina Acquisition Corp III, a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The new company is valued at $170 million, and will be listed on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol SNAX. Stryve’s goal, the company said, is to become a snacking platform that can exist across categories.

When it comes to new products, keto snack brand HighKey follows a simple philosophy: “more is more.” Since its launch in 2018, the brand has wasted no time on its mission to drive sugar out of the American diet, building out a robust portfolio of products online that spans from cookies to candy to baking and breakfast items. Since the digitally native company has expanded to retail, it now uses ecommerce as a testing ground for new launches.

In this week’s Checkout, cell-based seafood maker BlueNalu raises $60 million; Jensen Meat adds a plant-based division; U.S. Soy launches Sustainably Grown U.S. Soy Mark pilot program; Explore Cuisine owner Ethical Brands acquires Edamama; and SPINS secures new investment.

Things are getting official: as upcycled food brands grow in popularity and consumers continue to scrutinize the environmental impact of what they consume, the Upcycled Food Association (UFA) is taking a major step in helping to shape the way consumers view this emerging movement.

Over the last few years, consumers have continued to gain a better understanding of complex environmental issues connected to our current food system, and have begun to ask more from the food brands that fill their grocery carts. Now, upcycled baking brand Renewal Mill is prepared to meet that demand head on.

In the latest distribution news, jerky brand PREVAIL builds on West Coast ecommerce success with its retail launch at Erewhon, Otamot rolls out its full sauce line at Sprouts stores nationwide and plant-based meat brands make a push in the foodservice channel.