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

In an interview included in this week’s episode of Taste Radio, Joy Bauer, the nutrition and health expert for NBC’s “Today” show, talked about her belief that most consumers simply want clean labels, easily understood ingredients and delicious flavors– a perspective that inspired her to launch Nourish Snacks.

Friday, it was announced that protein bar brand RXBAR is being acquired by Kellogg for a staggering $600 million. In this NOSH Voices, Ben Lee, Managing Director of Funds at CircleUp, examines what led to RXBAR’s success.

At a presentation to investors yesterday, Kerry Group CEO Edmond Scalon announced that the Irish global nutrition and food conglomerate had acquired Ganeden, an ingredient company focused primarily on gut health and probiotics.

Hippeas continued its year long roll today, as the pulse-based salty snack brand announced it had received a $10 million investment from CAVU Venture Partners, the investment firm helmed by the CPG veterans Rohan Oza, Brett Thomas, and Clayton Christopher.

Just over a year after launching into brick and mortar retailers, baking and breakfast mix line Foodstirs has validated its recipe for success, as it is set to launch in roughly 7,500 stores by the end of the month. The expansion is a leap from its previous 400 doors.

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?