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

Fast casual restaurant chain Smashburger teamed up with plant-based dairy product producer Eclipse Foods to launch the chain’s first dairy-free menu item, plant-based shakes. Available in six flavors– Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Peanut Butter, Tangerine Dream and Oreo – the new menu item utilizes Eclipse’s plant-based ice cream, which is made using a proprietary production platform that replicates micelles found in dairy milk.

Thirty-five years after launching Power Bar with her late husband, food scientist Jenny Maxwell is aiming to showcase organic ingredients while celebrating music and active living with her new venture in the category, JAMBAR. Launched in the Bay Area in October 2021, Maxwell told BevNET that JAMBAR emerged from a dinner table conversation she had with her daughter regarding a lack of organic energy bars that provided the complete package she was searching for.

Plant-based meat maker Mrs. Goldfarb’s Unreal Deli is looking to scale its production capacity as the demand for alternative-deli slices gain momentum. According to founder and CEO Jenny Goldfarb the products have garnered positive impressions from consumers and higher than expected order volumes from retailers. Just last month, the company entered Costco with new multipack and bulk formats and the retailer has already ordered 2,000 more units than originally expected.

Kellogg’s announced today that it was splitting itself into three companies in order to focus its resources in the cereal and plant-based categories while emphasizing the growth potential of its global snack brands.

Daily Harvest is asking consumers to dispose of its recently launched alternative meat product after multiple reports that it is causing severe gastrointestinal issues. The D2C frozen food brand, announced on Sunday that it was aware of the issues. The product is French Lentil + Leek Crumbles, which launched at the end of April and also comes in a Walnut + Thyme variety. That SKU has not been linked to any reports of illness.

Food conglomerate Mondelēz International has agreed to pay $2.9 billion, with additional contingent earnout consideration, to acquire organic snack bar maker Clif Bar & Company.

The Austin-based company has been on a path toward rapid growth over the past year: participating in Mondelez’s inaugural CoLab class accelerator program, securing additional early-stage funding, designating c-suite duties to former NFL player and sports broadcaster Tim Tebow and launching its first new product line: Plant Krunch Bars.

New Harvest, a non-profit dedicated to advancing cellular agriculture in food and beverage, addressed one of the leading questions for the biotech industry: how can cultured protein be readily accessible to consumers without causing more harm than conventional agriculture?

In this week’s Checkout: Nuts For Cheese raises $5 million to expand operations and production capabilities; Smallhold opens urban mushroom farming location in Los Angeles; and DouxMatok secures its second partnership for Incredo Sugar.

Mars is partnering with food tech company Perfect Day to launch a new chocolate bar made with animal-free whey protein. The bar, which will be released under a new brand called CO2COA, is the latest chocolate product launch featuring Perfect Day milk protein as the ingredient company tries to push further into the confection set.

In this distribution roundup: Blue Stripes Urban Cacao adds Whole Foods as retail partner; Moonshot Snacks launches nationwide at Target; Vermont Tortilla Company expands to Sprouts; Mary’s Gone ‘Kookies’ roll out to a range of new retailers and more.

There was a wide array of new products present at the Summer Fancy Food Show 2022, with many brands embracing globally-inspired flavors and plant-based iterations of traditional meat products. Checkout the roundup below for a selection of notable new products spotted during the show this week.

The Specialty Food Association (SFA) Summer Fancy Food Show returned in-person to New York City this week for the first time since 2019. While more limited in its scope, energy and total attendees than mega-shows like Expo West, the biannual event represents an important showcase for CPG brands looking to grow in the specialty food market, which is expected to rise to $185 billion in 2022, according to the SFA State of the Industry report.

Sweet Loren’s CEO and founder Loren Castle announced at NOSH Live Summer 2022 on Wednesday that the better-for-you cookie dough brand will be launching a range of reduced sugar products in Publix next month.

Castle began her presentation by taking audience members on a journey through the history of Sweet Loren’s, which has grown from a frozen cookie dough sold at New York City farmer’s markets in 2011 to a multi-SKU brand of refrigerated cookie dough products available at more than 15,000 stores nationwide. Founded in 2011, Sweet Loren’s was born in Castle’s kitchen as she set out to pioneer a health-conscious sweet treat after beating cancer.