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

Aiming to make single use cans and bottles a thing of the past, former “trend spotter” Max Luthy and event producer-turned-beverage entrepreneur Luke Montgomery-Smith have launched Plink!, a vintage-inspired brand of beverage tablets.

Snack sales, emerging market growth and positive price realization helped Kellogg’s overcome cereal inventory issues to score a 4% increase in organic net sales during Q1 2022.

In this courtroom roundup: Kellogg’s fight against misleading veggie claims returns, Beyond Meat and Dunkin’ sued by Philadelphia plant-based meat company over trademark infringement, Motif challenges Impossible’s heme-tech patent and more.

Over two years into the pandemic, demand for CPG products has changed to reflect consumers’ need for convenience, while high inflation has fueled increased demand for self-care and wellness products, according to an IRI webinar earlier this week. Analysts from IR predicted that pandemic buying trends in CPG will continue into the next year as… Read more »

In the latest episode of Elevator Talk, we feature leaders from District Snacks, Kazoo Snacks, Fila Manila, Toodaloo and Red Belly Honey. Watch founders and CEOs introduce their brands and provide a recap of recent news and updates. This week’s special co-host is Sarah Nathan, the founder of Bloom CPG, who shared her thoughts, questions and feedback with the participants.

After completing its first year on the market, better-for-you cookie maker Mmmly is tightening up its sales strategy and refining its product with a new plant-based formulation and “stronger” packaging as it targets growth opportunities with high-end natural grocers.

Wellness aficionados know you are what you eat. But now, Huel is hoping consumers will also wear what they eat. Last month, the U.K.-based protein and meal replacement beverage maker announced its latest product line, Huelwear, a sustainably produced fashion line featuring animal-free clothing. The clothes are available direct-to-consumer via Huel’s website and the line… Read more »

The Coca-Cola Company will pay $21 million to the plaintiffs of a class action lawsuit, which alleged the company had falsely marketed its Fairlife branded milk as coming from humanely treated dairy cows.

Direct-to-consumer frozen food brand Daily Harvest last week announced the launch of Crumbles, a line of meat alternatives that takes the brand further out of its initial product portfolio of cook-and-eat meals and smoothies.

In this distribution roundup: Dan-O’s Seasoning grows retail footprint nationwide, credits growth to its TikTok strategy; Planet Based Foods launched hemp product on Amazon; Cocomels reaches Walmart; MUSH signs on with Kroger and Every Body Eat Snack Thins now available at Whole Foods.

In 2021, the rapidly-growing plant-based food industry saw several technological advancements across the value chain, ranging from crop optimization to ingredient isolation and functionalization all the way to end product formulation and manufacturing.

Sweet Loren’s was founded just over a decade ago, and like many brands it’s taken time for the cookie dough company to find its place in the market. At NOSH Live Summer 2022, Sweet Loren’s founder and CEO Loren Brill Castle will talk about the way her company was able to find its place in the market by determining the answer to one overriding question: the problem the brand solves for consumers. She’ll also share how focusing on this answer has helped to energize the company, which has now landed on the Inc. 500 list for the past three years.

This week’s notable new products saw brands launching vegetarian versions of on-the-go breakfast food, reinventing the classic PB & J sandwich and shaking up salad toppings. Check out the gallery for new items from Lightlife and Cleveland Kitchen as well as a rebrand from Harvest Snaps.

In this week’s Checkout: Neat Food Co secures investment from actor Leonardo DiCaprio as it looks to CPG extension; Mars looks to AI-technology for functional food research; ByHeart opens new infant formula facility; IFF and SimpliiGood look to make alt-salmon from spirulina; and food companies appeal to Congress to combat copycat THC products.