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

In 2018, fermented dairy brand Lifeway announced the beginning of “Lifeway 2.0,” a strategic revitalization plan to invigorate growth and expand. Now, speaking today at the 2022 ICR Conference, CEO Julie Smolyansky said the goals of the plan have been achieved and the company is now beginning a new phase: “Lifeway 3.0.”

FoxTrot thinks convenience stores and corner markets need a makeover, and now it’s got more cash to make that a reality. The retailer announced today that it has raised $100M to help expand into new markets and to invest into its ecommerce business.

Food technology company Botaniline announced it has signed an agreement with National Food Group (NFG), a wholesale foodservice manufacturer and distributor, to begin distributing its better-for-you and additive-free processed meat products to retail and foodservice locations this month.

Jack & Annie’s founder/CEO Annie Ryu spoke about her initial vision to support farming communities in India by incentivizing production of jackfruit, how she began building the company while still an undergraduate student at Harvard, how Jack & Annie’s is positioned within a competitive set for plant-based meat and what she’s learned about entrepreneurship and the value of persistence.

Foodservice-focused Enlightened Hospitality Investments (EHI) announced today that it has closed its second fund at $332 million.

Imperfect Foods Brings On Dan Park as CEO Online grocery shopping platform Imperfect Foods announced this month it has named Dan Park as CEO. Park, who began in the role on January 3, comes to the company from a four-year tenure as CEO at BuildDirect Technologies, a Canadian ecommerce platform specializing in building materials. During… Read more »

Pretzel and popcorn brand Quinn announced today that founder and CEO Kristy Lewis has stepped down from her current role and will transition to a new role as Chief Visionary Officer and chairwoman of the board at the company. She will be succeeded by Mike Keown, who most recently was the CEO of sports nutrition brand Honey Stinger.

In this week’s checkout: the Biden-Harris Administration announces its Meat and Poultry Supply Chain Action Plan, Whole Foods launches the Resolutions Renovator competition and Conagra looks to Gen Z and Millennials for future innovations.

The ice cream category may already be crowded, but two New England-based ice cream innovators believe there’s still white space in retail for a value-oriented, plant-based offering. Sweet Tree Creamery, once a food-service only partnership between the FoMu brand of plant-based ice cream and co-packer, New England Ice Cream (NEIC), is now launching in stores.

While new plant-based alternatives continue to enter the market, food makers are expanding their reach beyond retail and driving product discovery through partnerships ranging from traditional fast food restaurants to fast casual dining locations.

As far as timing goes, early January feels like the perfect month to unveil a new look or makeover. Here are seven food brands looking to make a fresh start in 2022 with revamped branding, packaging and overall design.

At NOSH Live four executives — Nick Ajluni and Nick Guillen, co-founders of Truff; Sashee Chandran, founder and CEO of Tea Drops; and Matt Jung, CEO of Last Crumb — shared their perspectives on direct to consumer sales strategies.

Plant-based meat makers The Better Meat Co. and Meati Foods (formally Emergy Inc.) are set to face off in court, with the two companies suing each other last month in the U.S. District Court of Eastern California over allegations of stealing confidential trade secrets and “tortious interference.”

Through a variety of finished CPG products, foodservice and brand partnerships, and investments OmniFoods seeks to engage both existing plant-based consumers and those who still view vegetable-based meat replacements as “a novel idea.”