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

The FDA announced last week that it will not enact specific provisions from the 2021 Yogurt Standard Of Identity (SOI) regulations after the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and Chobani filed six objections to specific articles regarding ingredients and processes used for yogurt production.

Coffee wholesaler Westrock announced today it is merging with Riverview Acquisition, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), to go public in a transaction that values the combined company at just over $1 billion.

Food makers have long viewed April Fool’s day as a time for some out of the box new product innovation. While it seems many brands have forgone lighthearted launch “announcements” this year, a select few have poked fun at emerging trends, mocked the personal care aisle and overall, had us raising a few eyebrows. Here’s a look at some of the pranks we fell for today.

From chocolate bars and frozen treats to vegan sauce and organic baby oatmeal, this week’s new product releases will offer consumers plenty of variety. Check out the gallery for this week’s notable new items, including new flavors from Beyond Good and Haven’s Kitchen alongside launches from Atlas Bar and Betterland Foods.

In this week’s Checkout: Eat Your Coffee sells to a Chicago-based private equity firm; A Louisiana court sides with Tofurky on labeling legislation; Lenny & Larry’s teams up with the San Diego Zoo; and Upfield voluntarily discloses methane emissions.

On this month’s Market Share, we’ll hear from Pangaia Health’s CEO, Ira Laufer, about how the apparel company has made the jump into food and brought customers along for the journey.

Delivery service Gopuff has fired hundreds of employees as it aims to cut costs, the company confirmed today. Former employees claimed the number was more than 1,000.

A new plant-based meat brand is trying to disprove the old adage: never trust a skinny butcher. Launched in March, new brand Skinny Butcher’s line of breaded, Crazy Crispy Chick’n tenders, breasts, nuggets and patties are designed to not only catch the eye of mainstream consumers with its “futuristic yet retro” packaging design and mascot, but also drive conventional shoppers to the crowded category as flexitarianism continue to rise.

Indoor agriculture company Gotham Greens announced earlier this week its plans to double the size of its total U.S. greenhouse capacity from 600,000 square feet to over 1.2 million square feet by the end of this year. The Brooklyn-based company, which describes itself as a “fresh-food company farming with the future in mind,” was a pioneer in what’s become known as “urban agriculture” when it launched in 2011.

The Coconut Collaborative is embracing its dark side. The European yogurt and dessert brand this month announced a relaunch as Bon Devil in the U.S.

In the case of Zero Grocery, sustainable grocery delivery does not make for a sustainable business model, according to retail analysts. This month, Zero Grocery abruptly announced on its social media platforms that it had closed up shop.

Coming on the heels of launching 15 new products into Whole Foods this winter, condiment and beverage brand Acid League announced it has closed a $6.2 million funding round aimed at supporting expansion into new product categories and reinforcing manufacturing and marketing.

Maruha Nichiro announced last week it has invested an undisclosed sum into Happi Foodi’s business with the stated aim of bringing the better-for-you, keto-focused frozen food brand into new “foreign markets.” The move represents an opportunity for the company, one of Japan’s leading frozen food distributors, to easily integrate a new brand with established tenants into its core business, said a spokesperson from its execution team.

This week, we explored the ideation, business plans and growth strategies of three innovative and on-trend brands in conversations with Susan Buckwalter, the co-founder and CEO of ginger-powered wellness brand Recoup; Dr. Juan Salinas, the founder and CEO of P-nuff Crunch, a brand of nutritious baked peanut puffs; and Michelle Razavi and Nikki Elliott, the co-founders of functional, decadent snack brand ELAVI.