Sprouts, Beyond Meat and more brands report Q2 earnings in this week’s Checkout.

For the first time small companies with revenues under $1 billion make up more than half of IRI’s New Product Pacesetters report, which was released yesterday. The research firm’s 23rd annual Pacesetters report lists 2018’s most successful new food and beverage product launches in both major retail and convenience stores, as well as non-food by multi-outlet dollar sales.

During its recent 2019 annual shareowners’ meeting and its 2019 first quarter earnings call, Kellogg, the largest cereal company in the U.S., shared details of its financial performance following a challenging year for the category.

Despite the already wide array of choices in the set, the bar category continues to see new entrants thanks to growing sales. To learn more about some of the bar launches, redesigns and new flavors seen on the Expo West show floor, view the gallery below.

Chicago Bar Company, makers of RXBAR, announced today it will rebrand as Insurgent Brands, expand its product mix under the RX brand and launch a new “contrarian” sub brand. All of which will move forward under new leadership. Co-founder Peter Rahal told NOSH that the new product follows the RX strategy. “I’ve always taken a contrarian point of view to everyone else. RX was very contrarian. It didn’t fit with anyone else.”

2018 was filled protein, plant-based innovation and, perhaps not surprisingly, lots of deals. But perhaps what readers paid most attention to was how those deals are paying off — namely RXBAR, which was acquired in 2017 for $600 million. Want a quick reminder of the whirlwind that was 2018? Here are the most read stories on NOSH over the past year.

On Wednesday, the company laid off approximately 40 employees, reportedly 20 percent of the company’s staff. The “proactive” reductions were part of an effort to “support our business objectives in 2019 and beyond,” a spokesperson told NOSH.

In Kellogg’s quarterly earnings report published Thursday, the company said the protein bar brand contributed $59 million in sales during the second quarter and $110 million year-to-date.

The lawsuit claims the brand misleads consumers with its front-of-pack design, and now the suit is driving many industry leaders to question what are the most effective ways to deploy clean label marketing strategies.

Front-of-pack “clean labels” have become one of the most important ways for brands to demonstrate their whole food characteristics. But it’s also becoming a source of legal tension.