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

General Mills has discontinued with immediate effect its animal-free cream cheese brand Bold Cultr, just weeks after expanding its distribution and opening for online pre-orders nationwide.

A new study in the scientific journal Nature Medicine is drawing links between popular sweetener erythritol and blood clotting, stroke, heart attack and death.

Next week, the natural CPG world will converge in Anaheim, California for the biggest annual trade show of the year, Natural Products Expo West. With over 2,000 food and beverage exhibitors and 60,000 attendees expected over the course of the four-day event, there’s a lot to take in, whether you’re there on the ground or following online. But regardless of if you’re a retailer, investor, brand or supplier, the only real ticket you’ll need to get the most out of this year’s show is a BevNET/NOSH Insider membership.

After bringing in $31 million in financing over the past year, Chinese food brand Xiao Chi Jie (XCJ) is preparing for its retail debut, beginning with a new name: MiLa.

Beyond Meat executives expressed renewed confidence that the company’s “decisive actions” to prioritize positive cash flow above growth is beginning to work even as the company announced net revenues of $79.9 million, a decrease of -20.6% from Q4 2021.

In this week’s roundup: JBS fights BBB National Ad Division over net zero claims; Flower Foods completes acquisition of co-manufacturer Papa Pita; USDA appeals to WIC for updated guidelines and Red Lobster looks to CPG to salvage sales.

In this week’s notable new products roundup, Kraft Heinz teams up with musician Ed Sheeran to launch a new hot sauce, Ben & Jerry’s takes inspiration from a classic global treat and Babybel releases its first new flavor since 2014.

When plant-based nutrition brand Soylent began in 2013, it adopted a tech-influenced approach, dubbing its products Soylent 1.1, Soylent 2.0, and so on. Now, after its acquisition by CPG portfolio company Starco Brands earlier this week, the food and beverage maker is in stable release.

Glancing at the ingredient deck for plant-based proteins, you’re likely to find some familiar names, but there’s another ingredient that might soon be universal: konjac. The ancient root veggie found its way into alt-seafood despite not offering any protein content itself.

Direct-to-consumer darling Daily Harvest is making the jump to store freezers across the nation. The frozen food brand will launch in an undisclosed retail chain this summer, CEO Rachel Drori told NOSH

On this week’s show, the team is joined by Eat the Change CEO, Seth Goldman, and Rudi’s Bakery CEO, Jane Miller, to discuss the macro industry-wide issues raised after the departure of Miyoko Schinner from namesake alt-dairy brand, Miyoko’s Creamery.

In the latest episode of Elevator Talk, we feature leaders from Painterland Sisters, Happy Grub, Moodify Food and Zero Knowledge. Watch founders and CEOs introduce their brands and provide a recap of recent news and updates. This week’s special co-host is Melissa Facchina, the co-founder and general partner of Siddhi Capital, who shared her thoughts, questions and feedback with the participants.

Publicly traded consumer products company Starco Brands, Inc. has acquired plant-based food and beverage maker Soylent, completing the brand’s evolution from red hot food-tech startup to cross-category CPG platform.

Looking to meet demand for clean label sports nutrition products, Boston-based food innovation lab Chew announced this month the launch of its first in-house brand, Fastfood.