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

Earlier this morning, Whole Foods Market shareholders voted to advance the proposal for e-commerce pioneer Amazon to acquire the natural and organic grocer. While the business community was eagerly awaiting the merger’s approval, consumers are just as excited for what this union may bring to their pantry shelves, according to market research firm GfK.

It didn’t take long for Andrew Buerger, co-founder of B’More Organic, to jump into the skyr business. In fact, it only took one taste.

From globally-inspired sauces to gluten-free cookies, here’s some of the industry’s latest distribution news.

A strong affinity toward French culture is starting to influence more than just Francophiles’ diets. Leading French brands shared with NOSH the challenges they faced in entering the U.S and what they are doing to accommodate the different tastes and preferences of the American consumer.

Bill Weiland, founder and CEO of Presence Marketing, told attendees at this summer’s NOSH Live that companies need to think not only about what they add to their portfolios, but also how they talk about those products.

In this week’s Taste Radio episode, Doug Zell talks about “chasing perfection with the hope of never catching it,” and how that concept guides the core mission of Intelligentsia, the super-premium coffee retailer and roaster he co-founded 22 years ago.

Boulder, Colorado-based venture capital group Range Light is ready to climb to new heights under a new moniker, Ridgeline Ventures.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced late last week that products labeled as Chicken Chile Verde actually contained the company’s Turkey Meatloaf dinner, which has additional allergens, like eggs and fish, that were not declared on the others’ package. Ultimately, 1,203 cases of product were affected.

President Donald Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum and Manufacturing Council formally disbanded Wednesday after business leaders opted to leave the panels following controversial comments from the President regarding riots in Charlottesville, Va. last weekend.

Ice cream and novelty brands highlighting natural ingredients or embracing full-fat indulgence are in full demand. Here’s the scoop on the latest in frozen dessert news from Vice Cream, My/Mo Mochi, Halo Top and Snow Monkey.

With several recently disclosed investments in prominent food-related companies, activist investors are turning up the heat on CPG brands, retailers and related companies. In keeping with the tradition of activist investors, the message is clear: fix your issues, or else we will.

The chickpea-based pasta company announced it had closed a round of funding with District Ventures Capital, a venture fund and CPG accelerator backed by Canadian food processor, distributor and retail owner George Weston Ltd.

Snyder’s-Lance, The Kraft-Heinz Company, Tyson Foods, and Dean Foods all held all held quarterly earnings calls last week to share their latest sales and strategy insights. Here’s a look into what some of these leading players are up to.

While Steve Savage has been bringing environmentally friendly brands to the table for decades, it wasn’t until recently that they were the kind you could eat. The former CEO and founder of Eco-Products, Savage recently focused his attention on consumer products, backing better-for you brands under the corporate name 1908 Brands. But cleaning up in the food aisle has been more arduous than Savage expected, and as a result, 1908 has decided to take some time to digest.