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

Just in time for the Fourth of July, Upton’s Naturals and The Plant Based Food Association (PBFA) are asserting their own independence against the state of Mississippi with a lawsuit to push back against new labeling laws. “It’s just ridiculous,” Upton’s founder Daniel Staackmann said about the new Mississippi law. “Perhaps the city of Hamburg should sue the meat industry in the United States for using [that term]?”

The latest entrant to the bleed-like-meat substitute category, Conagra, sees a $30 billion opportunity in its Gardein brand, CEO Sean Connolly said during the company’s fourth quarter earnings call last week.

In this highlight episode culled from interviews with six innovators, leaders and entrepreneurs who joined us on Taste Radio during the first half of 2019, we explore the role that innovation plays several for category-leading brands.

With the test of two new snack lines, Dirt Kitchen and CaPao, Mondelēz’s SnackFuture’s division is dipping its toes into some of the most current entrepreneurial go-to market strategies. “What you’re seeing is really us bringing to life [our] motto of putting the consumer at the heart of things, disrupting how we do things, and acting like [a] startup,” Brigette Wolf, SnackFutures’ head of innovation, told NOSH.

As part of its announced strategy to expand its geographic reach and customer base, foodservice distribution company Performance Food Group (PFG) today announced its agreement to acquire distributor Reinhart Foodservice from Reyes Holdings.

The Summer Fancy Food Show can prove to be an excellent launchpad for rolling out new or limited-edition branding. Here are a few of the brands that used last week’s tradeshow to show off their new looks.

At this week’s Summer Fancy Food Show, Schuman Cheese debuted an updated look for its Bella Rosa line of cheeses. The hope is to expand the brand nationally and attract new consumers with brightly colored new packaging and a new snackable format.

For Robb Duncan and Violeta Edelman, co-founders and co-CEOs of Washington D.C.-based gelato brand Dolcezza, making gelato has always been a labor of love, and the labor is growing.

In a presentation at the 2019 Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City this week, experts discussed the future c-store experience: one with cleaner food and drinks and efficient ordering systems — all with a personalized touch.

Apple cider vinegar maker Bragg Live Food Products announced today it has been acquired by an investor group led by private equity firm Swander Pace Capital, positioning the 107-year-old wellness brand for expansion and innovation.

Renee Dunn is the founder and CEO of Amazi Foods, a mission-driven company that connects source to consumer. The brand’s plant-based snacks include jackfruit chews and plantain chips that pair subtly sweet flavors with healing spices like turmeric and ginger.

The size of the specialty food market, the top-selling categories and a shift in consumer habits and preferences were just a few of the topics touched on in The State of Specialty Food Industry report published by The Specialty Food Association (SFA) along with research firms Mintel and SPINS/IRI this month.

Last week Mondelēz International announced that it had acquired a majority ownership stake in the refrigerated snack brand. The deal’s two sides had big stakes: for Mondelēz, it’s one more step in a larger reinvention strategy. For Perfect Snacks, the co-founders told NOSH, there’s an attempt to consolidate its first mover advantage while providing the opportunity to ride out uncertainty around future growth and the ultimate trajectory of fresh snacking.

Brands are making the case for consumers to toss the takeout menus, offering a variety of easy frozen, refrigerated and shelf-stable meal options. While some brands put their twist on classics such as pasta, chili and tacos, others got more innovative with products like Swiss hand-held potatoes and cauliflower-based tater tot alternatives.