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

What started as a way to treat mental health for a father and son has evolved into a wellness-focused tea brand with the support of Gwyneth Paltrow that offers both RTD cans and loose leaf blends targeting marginalized communities.

California-based Goodles has landed its better-for-you mac and cheese in Whole Foods Market stores nationwide, marking its first placement in a natural channel retailer.

Consumer demand for BFY frozen pizza has begun to gain ground on conventional varieties. With this increased demand, brands have begun to view the segment as a mode to expand their better-for-you comfort food lines and reach new areas of the store.

Jen Liao, the co-founder of XCJ, a fast-growing direct-to-consumer frozen food brand inspired by Chinese street cuisine, spoke about how rapid planning and thoughtful execution have paid massive dividends in the company’s development, why self-manufacturing was the only path forward and how XCJ is managing multiple business divisions while continuing to grow and maintain quality standards.

UK-based wellness brand TRIP has closed a $12 million funding round as it expands from CBD-infused drinks and oils into gummies.

Frozen food sales in convenience stores have continued to rise as consumers seek out meal shortcuts and convenient dinner options beyond the peak of the pandemic. In the past year alone, frozen category sales in c-stores rose 18.3%.

Rachel Kusin was announced as Last Crumb’s marketing director earlier this week, where she will be tasked with utilizing an omni-channel marketing approach to help generate more buzz and establish a lasting brand identity for the luxury cookie brand.

This week’s roundup of notable new products saw brands creating new products with fall-inspired flavors, turning popular pureed baby food into a new snack for toddlers and launching superfood cereals packed with Vitamin D3.

In this week’s Checkout: Pressure on the FDA to enact front-of-pack nutrition labels ramps up; Stryve reports record high revenue despite execution challenges and restructuring; Fermented Food Holdings acquires Great Lake Kraut foods business; and the USDA tracks record high honey consumption.

Child labor, unfair wages, deforestation and unsustainable sourcing methods have long plagued the global cocoa supply chain, but two social impact-focused companies are joining forces in an attempt to change that narrative.

Things are about to look a bit more rosy in the condiment and sauce set as Dave’s Gourmet partners with TikTok star Chef Pii to re-launch her viral Pink Sauce that shot to fame this summer.

Last week, low-alc aperitif brand Haus announced that it would shut down after a funding round fell through, leaving the company without the necessary cash on hand to continue operating. But rather than filing for federal Chapter 7 or Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections, the California-based brand instead looked to a different type of common law… Read more »

In the latest episode of Elevator Talk, we feature leaders from Bonito, Heartbeat Hot Sauce, Raw Rev, Sundial Foods and Leto Foods. Watch founders and CEOs introduce their brands and provide a recap of recent news and updates. This week’s special co-host is Alex Sonageri, an investor with VMG Partners, who shared his thoughts, questions and feedback with the participants.

ADM is digging deeper into the animal-free dairy market through a new partnership with Bay Area-based food tech company New Culture. The alliance will accelerate development and commercialization of New Culture’s animal-free dairy products, beginning with a mozzarella variety.