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

In this week’s Checkout: Conagra reports Q4 earnings, Flower Foods invests in Base Culture, Amazon automates an MA Whole Foods Store with Dash Cart, The Fresh Market scraps its IPO plans and Motif Foodworks restructures with layoffs.

Soon-to-expire snacks, surplus single-serve beverages and excess energy bars are the types of products that are now being donated to food insecure families through nonprofit organization Wellfare’s Better Box. The program currently distributes boxes of better-for-you grocery items nearly 800 recipient families at no cost.

Faced with unprecedented and extended supply chain disruptions, CPG brands are fighting back any way they can. In a June survey by ingredient-sourcing and management platform TraceGains, over 300 food, beverage, and dietary supplement companies reported having expanded their respective co-manufacturer networks and made recipe changes in order to remain agile and resilient during market disruptions.

Luxury cookie company Last Crumb has closed a $3 million seed round which will help the direct-to-consumer company fund marketing and R&D and move into an “offensive” position ahead of its next growth phase.

ISH is taking a “whole system” approach to drive improvements in its three core pillars – human health, ecological health, and community health – and believes innovative, sustainable and healthy plant-based products are the way to accomplish that feat.

Greenwich, Connecticut-based snack brand Munk Pack announced last week it closed a $5 million funding round led by an undisclosed private investor.

Delta Airlines revamps in-flight offerings with a greater focus on supporting purpose-driven and diverse businesses. Plant-based products also heat up with strategic partnerships of vegan proteins in restaurants nationwide as well as a “Stranger Things” collaboration for Gopuff and matcha drinks for Joe and the Juice.

This week’s new product launches saw a cereal brand collaborating with Emma Chamberlain’s popular coffee company, new noodle shape creations and the salsa category heating up with the launch of ‘Pickle’ de Gallo.

In this week’s Checkout: The Bel Group and Superbrewed team up on biomass fermented proteins; a new report from Boston Consulting Group emphasizes the positives of alt-protein investments; Siete Foods opens round two of its Juntos Fund; and Smithfield settles another price-fixing lawsuit.

After hiding in plain sight for years, could low-acid coffee be having something of a moment? While it may represent just a fraction of the larger coffee market, the low-acid segment has become a small but steady profit generator for a handful of rising brands looking to separate themselves from the pack, whether as a central element or as a complementary piece.

Check out this gallery for nine notable new food CPG refreshes from brands like Pastene, Nancy’s Probiotic Foods and Break Coffee Roasters. The refreshes range from updated packaging to reformulated products to name changes.

Ben & Jerry’s filed an injunction in U.S. District Court in Manhattan yesterday, aiming to block Unilever’s sale of its Israeli business to its licensee American Quality Products Ltd, claiming the sale violates “the Essential Integrity of the Brand.”

The Very Good Food Company (VGFC) has announced Parimal Rana, previously VP of operations, as its new CEO effective immediately, a move that brings stability to the c-suite after a series of executive changes that saw the plant-based food company’s founders, president/CFO and interim CEO all depart in rapid succession.

In the latest episode of Elevator Talk, we feature leaders from FFUPs, Absurd Snacks, Milksta, The Farmer Foodie, Revival Food Co. Watch founders and CEOs introduce their brands and provide a recap of recent news and updates. This week’s special co-host is Julianne Hummelberg, a vice president with PowerPlant Partners, who shared her thoughts, questions and feedback with the participants.