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The last products to launch in 2020 reflected many of the top trends in natural products from over the past year in the natural products industry, including plant-based, immunity-boosting and sustainably sourced products. Check out the gallery for several of December’s notable releases, including Simulate’s latest chicken “simulation” and new superfood blends from Orgain and Laird Superfood.

In this session from NOSH Live Winter 2020, Kathryn Peters, EVP of Retailer Services at research firm SPINS, delves into the trends and strategies that saw success in 2020. Peters not only offers insight into how shoppers approached and engaged with natural products throughout this year, but also looks at what channels saw growth, the types of products and portion sizes that yielded the most sales, and the ingredient-based diets that remained relevant.

The effects of COVID-19 on the many facets of the food industry was clearly a major theme throughout 2020, from the impact on food workers’ safety, supply chain disruption, cancelled trade shows and the shift to ecommerce. Despite the tepid investment landscape in the first half of the year as the industry grappled with these many changes and brands faced financial struggles, the latter portion of the year saw several notable deals and launches as the industry adjusted to the new reality the pandemic presented.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) today released its 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs). This edition of the guidelines marks the first time the USDA organized its recommendations by life stage, outlining dietary needs from birth to older adulthood, and is the first time since 1985 the USDA has included dietary guidance for infants and toddlers.

In this session from NOSH Live Winter 2020, Bob Burke recaps the changes the past year (and the Covid-19 pandemic) have brought to the natural foods industry, and advises brands what “resolutions” to set for the upcoming year.

Brands celebrated the holidays this year with a slew of seasonal plays offering consumers sweet snacks, stocking stuffers and dishes fit for holiday meals. Check out the gallery for this season’s notable festive releases, including sweet twists on salty classics from Beanfields and LesserEvil and holiday ice cream flavors from NadaMoo!, Halo Top and High Road.

For GoodFish, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, things are going swimmingly. The company announced today it had closed $4 million in funding in a round led by Siddhi Capital.

In an unprecedented step, the FDA today announced via a news alert that it had sent a warning letter to Whole Foods Market for “engaging in a pattern” of receiving and selling misbranded store brand food products that did not carry appropriate allergen warnings.

Technology has begun to catch up to plant-based dairy. As alternatives to traditional yogurt, ice cream, and cheese have entered the market en masse, variety has been restricted by manufacturing advances. But plant-based category leader Kite Hill is betting that process improvements will allow it to fully realize the benefits of a slate of new products for 2021.

An emerging new brand is flying the coop. Snackable egg concept Peckish has been acquired by Egg Innovations in an all stock deal. As part of the transaction, former Peckish owner and creator Sonoma Brands has become an equity holder in Egg Innovations, which also is the owner of the Blue Sky Family Farms line… Read more »