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

Whether it’s for the good of the planet or for a specific health benefit, consumer demand for animal-free proteins continues to increase, according to food company ADM. Here are a few updates from the alt-protein market this week.

The Colorado-based brand is one of dozens of emerging players dealing in super-premium recreational cannabis, including flower, pre-rolls and extracts. But in forming a partnership with specialty coffee roaster Intelligentsia to collaborate on new products – the first being a cannabis-infused chocolate bar with espresso shavings, which began rolling out at dispensaries in Colorado, Nevada and California last month – the self-styled “luxury cannabis” brand is aiming to distinguish itself as a leader in boutique, artisanal edibles.

Snack brand Beanfields has been acquired by Vancouver-based Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc.. The deal, which was announced last week, officially closed on Wednesday.

GrandyOats is now GrandyOrganics, a move the 47-year-old snack and cereal maker said will allow it to better move beyond its flagship line of granola.

The total U.S. CPG industry grew 2.7% to $962 billion in 2021 as pandemic-related shifts in consumer behavior and routes to market began to cement themselves, according to the latest CPG Growth Leaders report by market research firm IRI. The 52-week sales growth reflected an anticipated slowdown from 2020, when sharp spikes in retail sales… Read more »

Plant-based meat maker No Evil Foods introduced a new look, updated its packaging and entered the alt-beef category this week with the launch of a line of vegan beef strips called “Best Life.” These changes arrive after a year of financial challenges for the North Carolina-based company.

Despite launching during the COVID-19 pandemic, plant-based protein brand Next Gen Foods isn’t slowing down. The Singapore-based company announced today it has raised $100 million, in part to finance the launch of its plant-based chicken brand TiNDLE into the U.S.

Plant-based products brand KOS announced today it has closed a $12 million Series A financing round led by food and beverage industry veterans Clayton Christopher and Brian Goldberg. The two investors are now playing active roles in guiding the brand’s strategy, KOS co-CEO Allan Stevens said in a phone call. Christopher, a co-founder of CAVU… Read more »

This week we’re joined by Kat Cole, the president and COO of rapidly growing wellness brand Athletic Greens, who spoke about how she’s applying her extensive experience in branding, leadership and community building to the recently minted unicorn company, which last month raised $115 million at a valuation of over $1 billion.

In this distribution roundup: GummiShot enters brick-and-mortar retail with new partnerships; ZEGO rolls out specialty oat line nationwide; Chia Smash expands to Sprouts; Harmless Harvest reaches Canada and Rowdy Bar launches two flavors at Meijer.

In the context of modern CPG, a better-for-you snack can be anything – from a function-enhanced bar to a low-sugar sweet or crunchy vegetable chip alternative. As the category itself seems to be expanding exponentially, the role snacks play in consumers’ lives has also evolved.

Maybe they aren’t sports bras or vitamins, but food and beverage brands are establishing a presence among the country’s fastest-growing direct-to-consumer companies. Fly By Jing, Tea Drops and Golden Ratio were among the CPG names to feature in the top 25 fastest-rising D2C brands in Q4 2021, according to new research by Similarweb.

According to Freestyle Snacks, 82% of consumers cannot name a single brand of olives. The Atlanta-based company, which launched last month, is hoping to change that, starting with a line of products they say can transform the martini staple into a healthy snack option via innovative packaging and bold branding.

In this week’s Checkout: Vital Proteins founder steps out of CEO role as former CRO takes the lead, IRI finds snack sales spike leading up to the Super Bowl, Sunbasket adds Fresh & Ready bowls to menu offerings and PepsiCo reports Q4 earnings.