Monica Watrous

Digestive wellness brand BelliWelli bid a “bittersweet goodbye” to its soft-baked nutrition bars to focus on fiber powders, which are expanding nationwide at Walmart this week. The startup’s modern take on Metamucil – featuring added probiotics, electrolytes and collagen – wildly exceeded expectations following last year’s launch, said co-founder Kate Wilson.

Watermelon rinds, apple cores and other overlooked plant parts add fiber to a new line of snack bars created by the founder of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. Earlier this year, Jeni Britton mounted her second entrepreneurial act with the launch of Floura, a brand focused on gut health.

Jing Gao, founder and CEO of Fly By Jing, said she will continue to source and produce the brand’s chili crisps and sauces in China – in spite of the staggering new taxes imposed on them.

Across the packaged food industry, operators are scrambling to reshore supply chains amid sweeping tariffs. New York-based Burlap & Barrel sources spices directly from smallholder farmers in several dozen nations, paying multiples over commodity prices for Vietnamese cinnamon, Zanzibar black peppercorns and Hungarian paprika.

Robert Broome created chilled oat bar brand Mooski three years ago as a fresh take on granola bars using a formulation inspired by his family’s muesli recipe. He didn’t realize then that he had developed the perfect product for skiers and snowboarders, an avid community of consumers seeking slope-worthy snacks that don’t harden in frigid temperatures.

The latest launch from specialty olive oil brand Graza is a single-origin, high-heat cooking oil that co-founder and CEO Andrew Benin described as a “game-changer.” The new varietal debuts this week at Whole Foods Market stores nationwide in spray bottle and squeeze bottle formats. A two-liter jug will be available online in the coming weeks.

Less than six months since its debut, the gold-wrapped, high-protein David bar is rolling out a new recipe featuring artificial sweeteners and flavors. The brand’s co-founders, Peter Rahal and Zach Ranen, claim the new formula improves the taste, texture and shelf life and cited studies showing the safety of ingredients now used in the bars.

The year is barely underway, and already several significant deals struck in the packaged food sector provide reason for optimism after a tough period on the financing front. While some industry watchers anticipate the pace of transactions to accelerate, others expect strategic acquirers and investors to remain prudent and disciplined. “We see investors are being… Read more »

Will the rising adoption of weight loss drugs dent snack sales on Super Bowl Sunday? According to survey data, chances are slim. Retail insights firm Upside polled Americans and found that people with weight loss goals are still likely to indulge on game day as much as – if not more than – anyone else.

After 28 years on grocery store shelves, and ahead of expanding its product line later this year, BELA this week unveiled its first-ever brand refresh along with a revamped website that enables consumers to order directly from the company.