Headlines

The 10 largest U.S. food and beverage companies need to step up efforts to improve the nutritional content and accessibility of their highest-selling products, according to the first-ever U.S. Access to Nutrition Index.

Samy Kobrosly, Co-founder and Chief Snack Bagger of Snacklins, has reimagined indulgent junk food with a line of crunchy, salty vegan chicharrones made from mushrooms, onions and yucca root. At 80 calories per bag with a low price point, the brand offers consumers a healthy and affordable vegan version of a popular meat snack.

To give consumers a boost in their kitchens, food brand BOU announced today the close of a $4 million dollar round of funding. An undisclosed family office invested $1.5 million, according to Jakobi, who also took part in the round himself.

Sometimes to see growth you need to add a little fertilizer. That’s the concept PepsiCo hopes to offer brands with the Nutrition Greenhouse. The soda and snack giant’s food and beverage accelerator yesterday announced the nine brands to join the program’s inaugural North American class. Each company will be given a $20,000 “no strings attached” grant and challenged to “demonstrate collaboration and measurable progress” in an “entrepreneurial fashion.”

Daily Harvest is breaking out of the cup. Last week the brand launched a new product line that strays from its core cup packaging and subscription model for the first time. The brand also opens a new interactive retail space this week. Founder and CEO Rachel Drori told NOSH that the new products were “co-created” with the brand’s customers.

This week a retailer decided to make it a little harder to get your sugar fix, while another may have had an interesting connection to the midterm elections. And in product news, Beyond Meat may see new competition in retail.

Although there are increasingly more and more new brands in the ice cream category, two leaders — Nestle and Unilever — own over one third of the market share. But leaders can fall if they don’t stay ahead of the curve. In response to these changing dynamics, last month Unilever launched Culture Republick, its first new ice cream brand in 16 years, with the aim of drawing in shoppers with an offering that incorporates both probiotics and purpose.

Joe Carr, Co-founder and CEO of Serenity Kids, uses pasture-raised meats and organic vegetables to offer an alternative baby food option. The paleo-inspired brand is low in sugar and high in fat, with a higher percentage of meat than competitors. The company has committed to sourcing ingredients from farmers that practice regenerative agriculture, appealing to millennial parents who care about environmental impact.

From Walmart embracing a vegan meat alternative to brands playing with trendy ingredients seeing new retail pickup, here are some of the newest wins in retail for brands.

Former Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong joined us for an intriguing interview about his current career as a podcaster and investor, whose portfolio includes a stake in cold brew brand High Brew Coffee.