Ingredient

Both organic and conventional chocolate makers came under fire when a Consumer Reports study found potentially hazardous levels of lead and cadmium in 28 dark chocolate products. The issue became more complex when Trader Joe’s and Hershey’s, were served with class action lawsuits.

Alpha Foods, a maker of vegan meals and plant-based meat alternatives, has issued a voluntary recall of its Meatless Breakfast Sandwiches and frozen burritos after traces of milk were discovered in the products.

Bel Group – maker of Babybel, Boursin and The Laughing Cow brands – is partnering with food technology company Standing Ovation to use the startup’s animal-free, casein milk proteins to develop new cheese alternatives.

Brewer’s spent grain has often seemed like a perfect fit for upcycled food companies but the challenges to getting widespread adoption by breweries goes beyond supply and demand.

Upcycled Foods, Inc. is moving away from packaged goods by expanding its portfolio with five ingredients as it shifts to a business-to-business model in the upcycled food industry.

In this roundup: Grocers embrace new technology to streamline online and in-store shopping; Mondelez opens application process for CoLab Class 2023 program; New clean label emulsifier launches amid sunflower lecithin shortages; and Guacamole pioneer Don Bowden dies at age 90.

In the natural food world, where sustainability, sourcing practices and nutrient density have become key consumer interests, fresh seaweed is starting to surface.

Nestlé’s U.S. R&D Accelerator has partnered with animal-free dairy company Perfect Day to launch an alternative dairy “novel product” that will pilot in the U.S. market later this year.

DTC cookie brands, like virtually all other CPG brands, are still feeling the heat of the over-baked supply chain and inflation propelled by the lingering pandemic.

Meat companies are making blended meat and vegetable burgers and sausages catering to the flexitarian lifestyle but the success of the niche category depends a lot on how brands strategize their marketing to health and sustainability-minded consumers.