Meagan McGinnes

The future of food may not be that far off. Here is the latest in natural food news this week.

During this year’s Natural Products Expo West, the NOSH team sought out five natural food founders, from newcomers to seasoned vets, to get the low-down on the best — and worst — advice they have ever received.

Farmwise LLC, the makers of Veggie Fries, Veggie Tots and Veggie Rings, announced Tuesday night that it closed a $4.5 million financing round led by Cleveland Avenue LLC, the venture capital firm founded by Don Thompson.

The value-added seafood company announced last week it had raised $1.3 million from newly established equity firm Arbel Growth Partners, run by Carl Lee, the former president and CEO of Snyder’s Lance, Inc.

The Austin-based fermented vegetable maker announced last week that it will now be known as Barrel Creek Provisions and will sport a new look.

Some of CPG’s biggest players are embracing change. Here is the latest in natural food news this week.

During this year’s Natural Products Expo West, Senior Reporter Meagan McGinnes spoke with Four Sigmatic founder Tero Isokauppila about the his love of mushrooms, why adaptogens are trending in food and how he is getting people to give his fungus-filled products a try.

The new cash brings the total to nearly $400 million in financing behind the plant-based, “bleeds like meat” brand.

Protein is breaking free from the nutrition bar, which historically has been the most popular format for protein-supplemented CPG outside of powders. In this deep-dive, we explore why brands are interested in new protein snacking formats: bites, balls and everything in between.

In an effort to embrace customer feedback, Ips Snacks has launched a completely new look across both its high-protein chip and popcorn lines.