Food Industry News, Insights, and Education for the CPG Community

The Winter Fancy Food Show kicked off on Sunday with numerous new products tapping into consumer demand for culinary convenience.

Financial advisory firm Solomon Partners reported its expectations for M&A activity in food and beverage this year with a slow escalation in acquisitions as inflation recedes and the Fed lowers interest rates.

Will Nitze, the founder/CEO of brain health-focused CPG brand IQBAR, shared candid takes on how to scale a food/beverage company, including those on funding (“bootstrapping is the worst thing you can do”), staffing (“how to build a $50M brand with a staff of six”) and retail (“choose channels that scale well).

Half of startups fail within the first five years. How does a founder know when it’s time to move on?

Having helped consumers reimagine one familiar confectionary format with its nut butter cups, Justin’s is again tapping into heightened demand for nostalgic foods with the release of Chocolate Candy Pieces.

As digital tools help to democratize ecommerce for brands both large and small, why can’t influencer marketing be part of that conversation, too? That’s the question being posed by minisocial.

Made by Whole30 meals are free from grains, dairy, added sugar and alcohol.

Condiment and beverage brand Acid League will close its online store at the end of this month, pivoting to focus on the expansion of its international retail line.

Cereal and snack maker Catalina Crunch is looking to a future beyond the keto-friendly category by appointing a seasoned CPG executive as CEO last week and shifting its positioning from diabetic and weight-conscious consumers to the fitness-focused community.

Building community through candy has become the cornerstone of founder and CEO Mika Shino’s mochi gummy brand Issei.

Tom’s Perfect 10 is shifting its focus towards brick-and-mortar retail expansion this year, beginning with today’s launch in Whole Foods Market stores across the New York tri-state area.

Sweet Nothings is expanding its frozen footprint with the launch of Acai Bowls exclusively at Sprouts Farmers Market.

In this week’s new products gallery, Once Upon a Farm branches out into the past category, Kabrita launches what it touts as the only goat milk-based infant formula to meet all FDA requirements in the U.S. and Cheez-Its launches a new Extra Crunchy innovation perfect for ASMR lovers.

IQBAR is rolling out new packaging across all three product lines next week that will bring simplified nutrition claims and see the adoption of a new tagline: “For Smart Mouths.”