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

Whole Foods has redrawn its national footprint and dropped to six total regions, creating a new organizational structure. Though this may change which regions brands are sold in, a spokesperson told NOSH that suppliers will not be impacted when it comes to merchandising or distribution.

Opposition surrounding the proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons continues to mount, as the leading grocery giants are fighting legal action from their own customers.

Most snack makers aspire to create a product that users can’t put down and, in many ways, Tempo is no different. But for the THC-infused line of crackers, that proposition is a bit more complicated.

In this week’s roundup: Bedrock Analytics unveils its ChatGPT integration; SOUND Bar brings military snacks to everyday consumers; Kellogg drops Incogmeato burger from its MorningStar Farms portfolio and more.

The cultivated meat and seafood space continued to cash large checks and garner new investor support in 2022. However, as regulatory powers in the U.S. pushed the industry closer to commercialization, discussions surrounding future challenges to scale, like price parity and consumer adoption, continue to generate uncertain expectations for growth.

The Coca-Cola Company has licensed its Simply and Minute Maid brands to distribute fresh grapes and citrus fruit marking the first time the beverage maker has partnered with a fresh produce company.

In this week’s notable new products roundup, Blackbird Pizza teams up with plant-based protein maker Daring Foods, Lavazza launches a “new” coffee blend sourced from Mars and Icelandic Provisions expands its portfolio of skyr with four new fruity flavors.

A Dozen Cousins has announced The Birthing People Foundation, the non-profit arm of Kindred Space LA, as the recipient of its 2023 Social Impact Grant as the brand works to shed light on the issue of Black maternal health.

On this week’s show, the team chats about recent news from the FTC regarding functional food claims. Later, we host a 4/20-themed talk about the impact hemp-derived THC has had on the CPG industry and how this unregulated space has contributed to consumer awareness of cannabinoids.

U.K.-based Marlow Foods, owner of legacy plant-based meat alternative brand Quorn, announced this week the launch of a new division to begin selling its flagship mycoprotein ingredient to other food and beverage companies.

Gourmend Foods is suing the USDA and FDA over the use of proven, low-FODMAP labeling claims on beef bone broth packages saying “the government does not get to decide which facts consumers are allowed to learn.”

Over the last three years, Simpli has established ingredient partnerships with Whole Foods, sweetgreen and Daily Harvest, among many other natural products players. But now, the company is taking significant strides toward establishing its own brand in the natural food space.

Winter hibernation may be over, but New York-based startup Folk Revival is taking a cue from the squirrels with its line of hot cereal cups featuring a healthy serving of acorn. Founded in 2021 by CEO David Cantor, Folk Revival is a line of grain-free hot cereal cups made with hemp, nuts, coconut and, its hero ingredient, acorns.

With snacks trending upward and vertically-integrated supply chains becoming increasingly appealing to large corporations amid continued market volatility, The Hershey Company is doubling down on both.