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

United Natural Foods (UNFI) will consolidate its four operating regions to three in an effort to “enhance profitability, speed decision-making and reduce administrative layers,” the company announced on Tuesday. Though the move shakes up UNFI’s business operations, the company said it does not believe the move will have a significant impact on brands and suppliers.

The USDA announced plans to revise the guidelines for animal-raising claims providing more consumer transparency and oversight for label callouts like “grass fed,” “pasture raised,” “hormone-free” or “antibiotic-free.”

Plant-based meat maker UNLIMEAT will soon be on the menu at Two Hands, a quick-service restaurant (QSR) that specializes in Korean-style corn dogs, as part of a new vegan option.

Kellogg Company is hoping consumers still get the once-you-pop-you-can’t-stop feeling from its new ‘wholesome’ take on Pringles.

Plant-based meat company Meatless Farm appears to have laid off a majority of its workforce, according to social media posts from several former employees in addition to reports by BBC News and The Telegraph.

After 40 years in the salad dressing business, Brianna’s is shaking things up. The company is opening a new chapter that includes new category expansions and, as announced last week, the acquisition of cheese snack maker John Wm. Macy’s

Whoa! Dough has been selling shelf-stable plant-based and gluten-free cookie dough protein bars since late 2020 and now turned its attention to cookie dough’s main use – cookies – with the launch of Eat or Bake Cookie Dough this week.

In this week’s notable new products roundup, Lesser Evil teams up with RIND to launch Piña Colada popcorn, Clevr introduces a new line of SuperTeas and YumEarth expands its Ultimate Line of sweet treats.

The annual report tracks the top 100 food and beverage and top 100 nonfood product launches that completed a full year of sales in 2022, which combined reached $6.8 billion in year-one sales, up from $6 billion the year before. Within food and beverage alone, “New Product Pacesetter” brands reached nearly $3.5 billion in sales, a 19% increase from 2021.

On this week’s show, the team chats about a recent move from Sonoma Creamery and runs down some nutty news from Campbell’s. Later, Neil Booher, VP of Crisis and Reputation Risk at Edelman explains how business leaders should navigate crises that enter the public eye.

MyForest Foods, maker of plant-based, mycelium-grown bacon alternative MyBacon, announced yesterday it has added an additional $15 million in capital to accelerate retail and foodservice distribution across the East Coast and appointed a new CEO.

The Campbell Soup Company reported Q3 FY2023 earnings in line with its expectations as net sales grew 5%, according to the company’s earnings report this morning. Reported earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) fell by 14% to $254 million and adjusted EBIT was down 2% to $313 million.

J.M. Smucker Co. reported a 10% net sales growth year-over-year on the back of its coffee and Uncrustables brands during its Q4 earnings call and is expecting about $8.5 billion in sales for FY2024 with gross margins hovering around 36.5% to 37%.

Kids nutrition company PlantBaby is making its first foray into food with the launch of Kiki Butter, a multi-use spreadable and blendable oat and seed butter.