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

Heather Terry, the founder and CEO of ambitious platform brand GoodSam Foods and the co-founder of trailblazing chocolate company NibMor, spoke about why acknowledging a lack of business acumen is important for early-stage founders, why adhering to brand mission is paramount to an operational strategy and how GoodSam aligns with consumers and retailers that embrace its vision.

Alongside several former Whole Foods executives, including his former co-CEO Walter Robb, John Mackey will open a chain of wellness centers and restaurants next year. Under Mackey’s leadership, Whole Foods has launched various travel and wellness offerings.

In April, Nespresso announced it was now a B Corp certified company creating a backlash among other B Corps who say the B Lab’s assessment process is “in serious need of repair” and the seal is being used to “greenwash” some companies.

All four flavors from the Laoban’s core set of dumplings have entered a variety of stores in the past few months, including: King’s & Balducci’s, Earthfare, Tony’s/Woodman’s/Sendik’s, Plum Market, Central Market, Met Market, New Seasons and Bristol Farms/Mother’s Market.

Plant-based meat sales continue to trend downward for Beyond Meat during the second quarter, with revenue declining 1.6%. As a result , the company has cut back manufacturing costs and laid off approximately 4% of its workforce.

In this week’s Checkout: Whole Foods settles breach of contract suit with former dairy supplier with $15M payout, Del Monte acquires Kitchen Basics brand amid heightened soup sales, Naturally Network and NielsenIQ launch national fellowship to support minority CPG entrepreneurs and Tabasco and Instacart foray into fashion with new swag.

This week’s notable new products saw brands creating better-you iterations of the classic hot dog, launching Mediterranean-inspired baking mixes and adding new flavors to their existing snack lineups.

Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) is the target of a class action antitrust lawsuit filed last week, alleging the largest national dairy cooperative has acted or has tried to act as a monopsony by constraining the Northeast raw milk market. The complaint, filed on July 29 in the U.S. District Court in Vermont, claims DFA… Read more »

Longtime CPG executive Sarah Bird has joined Quinn Foods as CMO. “The brand is at this incredible place where it can grow,” Bird said of the opportunity.

Marketing firm Vericast explained in its “2022 CPG and Grocery TrendWatch” consumer report that brands who offer competitive pricing and promotions while optimizing the convenience of online shopping with the in-store experience are more likely to succeed across age groups during the current high inflationary period.

The grocery shopping app Flashfood has doubled its business in 2022 and saved 45 million pounds of food waste from landfills by pairing grocery retailers with shoppers looking for a discount.

Vegan cheese has long been associated with highly-processed, non-fermented oil-starch-flavor concoctions. While artisan iterations have emerged within the category, they face a conundrum. What’s the role of these products, given that slices and shreds still lead sales in the category?

While some ecommerce platforms may be navigating a downturn as many consumers return to brick-and-mortar retail, startups Parade and CPGD are looking to the metaverse to make the online shopping experience more fun and personal with their latest platform: The MetaMarket. Launched earlier this year, the MetaMarket calls itself “the first-ever farmers’ market in the… Read more »

Whole Foods Market this week announced the 10 brands selected to participate in its new mentorship and education program for local suppliers, the Local and Emerging Accelerator Program (LEAP).