Headlines

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.

Hummus maker Sabra named Jason Levine, former North America CMO for Mondelez International, as CMO last month.

As part of a wide-ranging interview, Mamma Chia founder/CEO Janie Hoffman spoke about the origins of her brand and how she created a foundation for its rapid ascent. She also discussed a painful lesson about hiring for experience versus cultural fit, explained her belief that “you can’t teach attitude” and why everyday happiness starts with a joyful spirit.

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.

Governmental agencies made several new announcements this week that could impact how brands and suppliers approach food safety.

Yesterday plant-based meat brand Beyond Meat faced the heat and emerged sizzling. The popular protein play began trading on the Nasdaq exchange under the symbol BYND and served up the year’s best IPO debut. However, the question remains, what does the company have to do next in order run alongside fellow protein players and move beyond its current market position?

The consumer craze with cauliflower shows no sign of slowing down. Today, frozen food and snack brand Cali’flour announced the close of a round of capital led by Sunrise Strategic and a leadership transition in an effort to more heavily move the business into retail.

The FDA issued new draft guidance last week for allulose, stating it intends to allow manufacturers to exclude the low-calorie sweetener from total and added sugars on Nutrition Facts labels, marking the first time a sweetener will be exempt from the total or added sugars list.

Ellis Fried is the Founder & CEO of SMPL, a brand that aims to make health and wellness living simple with on-the-go snacks packed with superfoods and adaptogens. Its first SKUs showcase functional ingredients such as CBD, activated charcoal and pine pollen, and are free from dairy, soy, gluten and refined sugar.

Nearly 20 years ago Jesse Laflamme came home from college to find his family’s egg brand, Pete and Gerry’s, on the precipice. In this episode, Laflamme spoke about how the company not only got back on its feet, but also excelled beyond anyone’s expectations.