Martín Caballero

Outgoing U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) chief Scott Gottlieb today announced new steps towards clarifying and constructing a legal framework around cannabis and cannabis-derived products, including the formation of an exploratory group examining CBD supplements and foods, and a public hearing for “stakeholders to share their experiences and challenges with these products.”

During the company’s annual investor meeting, Starbucks Coffee today announced the launch of Valor Siren Ventures L.P. (VSV), a new $100 million fund to support “the next generation of food and retail start-up companies.”

CytoSport, founded in 1998, was acquired by Hormel in a deal valued at $450 million in 2014. The company markets a variety of protein-focused sports nutrition products under the Muscle Milk brand, including powders, ready-to-drink beverages and bars.

Roughly one year after joining Forager Project as the company’s chief marketing officer, Alex Matthews has departed the plant-based food and beverage brand to launch Here Studio, a multi-faceted branding, design and CPG product development house in Los Angeles.

At the first-ever Cannabis Forum for Food & Beverage, a panel of four speakers — Adam Miron, co-founder and chief brand officer of HEXO; Hesaam Moallem, president and CEO of Charlotte’s Web; Errol Schweizer, co-founder and partner in mood33; and Evan Eneman, founder of Sands Lane Capital — came together to examine how cannabis is developing into a cooperative industry even at an early stage.

In this clip from the BevNET/NOSH Cannabis Forum in Santa Monica, Calif. in December 2018, Sprig CEO Michael Lewis shared lessons and learnings from his career in cannabis. By creating a two lines, the company was able to position its products to work in a variety of use occasions and become integrated into their daily lives.

Mapping this new landscape of cannabis CPG and charting a path forward for the nascent industry was the focus of discussion at the first-ever Cannabis Forum for Food & Beverage, presented by BevNET and NOSH, on Dec. 1 in Santa Monica, Calif.

While the finalized version of the 2018 Farm Bill, which is expected to receive President Trump’s signature before the close of the current legislative session, represents a watershed moment in the pro-hemp movement, it doesn’t mark the end of the journey.

The question of how to bring consumers into new categories and products rather than freezing them out — to grow the tribe, in other words — was posed by NOSH.com editor Carol Ortenberg at the start of the first day of NOSH Live Winter 2018 today. Over the course of the morning’s main stage presentations, experts from across the industry weighed in on how food companies both large and small can tackle this critical challenge.

Organic condiment maker Primal Kitchen is set to be acquired by The Kraft Heinz Company in a deal valued at approximately $200 million, the companies announced earlier today. The transaction is expected to close in 2019.