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

At Supply Side West 2017, held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas from Sept. 26 – 28, BevNET spoke to several companies working in the space about the state of the market for pea protein, what’s driving new innovation on a supplier level, and both the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

It’s a relationship that both parties say has been unconventional from the start, but it’s still moving to the next level. This week Denver, Colorado-based cracker producer 34 Degrees and its erstwhile contract manufacturer, Fresca Foods, announced that Fresca was investing in the brand.

The Kellogg Company announced it has agreed to acquire Chicago, Illinois- based nutrition bar brand RXBAR. According to Kellogg, RXBAR is the “fastest growing nutrition bar brand” in the US, with net sales of approximately $120 million in 2017.

Both nut-butter maker Wild Friends and grain-free granola brand WildWay launched products in new categories developed through research and feedback that each team collected through social media, specifically Instagram.

Episode 78 of BevNET’s Taste Radio podcast features a conversation with triple-threat Chris Hunter, who is the co-founder of plant-based protein drink brand Koia. In our interview, Hunter discussed his history of spotting innovative brands and helping them get to their next phase of growth. We also explore the newest trend in food allergies

Gabriella’s Kitchen, a Canadian line of better-for-you fresh pasta and frozen entrees, is expanding across the U.S., adding over a thousand doors this month.

The lawsuit is striking nerves because of its potential impact on organic products using anything from dairy to eggs — and also due to its eerily familiar pattern to the current administration’s other recent handlings of food regulation.

If Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods Market was a marriage, as executives have referred to it in the past, then the two retailers are still in the honeymoon phase. Even so, post-nuptial changes are already evident: some are the product of Amazon’s guiding hands, others are the result of previously announced changes at the natural grocer.

There’s often a clear correlation between time and quality in coffee and tea preparation: in theory, the longer it takes to prepare, the more rewarding the drinking experience should be. But if that same artisan beverage craftsmanship can be replicated in a fast and convenient format, would that idea still hold true?

The Consumer Goods Forum announced last month that it’s looking to trash current expiration date labels to help reduce food waste not only within the U.S. but around the world.

In this week’s episode of Taste Radio, Pat Brown, the founder and CEO of Impossible Foods, sat down to chat about the creation of and business strategy behind Impossible Burger, as well as his vision for the future of plant-based meat.

Under the Obama administration, brands had until July 26, 2018, to adjust all packaging. With the new extension, manufacturers with $10 million or more in annual food sales will now have until Jan. 1, 2020; manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual food sales have until Jan. 1, 2021.

The legal saga between Snyder’s-Lance, the maker of Pretzel Crisps, and PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay, maker of Rold Gold’s Pretzel Thins, seems to be only beginning.– and the ongoing court proceedings are already serving as a cautionary tale to emerging food and beverage brands.

Just like the high-end frocks of this past month’s New York Fashion Week, across the country new packaging is strutting down their own catwalks: grocery store shelves. It may be hummus instead of Hermes, but the new designs are just as riveting to those in the industry. After time spent listening to consumers and retailers, brands including Ithaca Cold Crafted, One Degree and Hippeas all have launched refreshed designs to help them stand out in crowded categories. Here are a few examples that caught our attention.