Innovation

The latest launch from specialty olive oil brand Graza is a single-origin, high-heat cooking oil that co-founder and CEO Andrew Benin described as a “game-changer.” The new varietal debuts this week at Whole Foods Market stores nationwide in spray bottle and squeeze bottle formats. A two-liter jug will be available online in the coming weeks.

Less than six months since its debut, the gold-wrapped, high-protein David bar is rolling out a new recipe featuring artificial sweeteners and flavors. The brand’s co-founders, Peter Rahal and Zach Ranen, claim the new formula improves the taste, texture and shelf life and cited studies showing the safety of ingredients now used in the bars.

Food technology company Oobli has aligned with ingredient supplier Ingredion in a deal that will help scale its operations and client base and support new product development.

Starday Foods uses a proprietary artificial intelligence platform to find where there is pent-up demand in packaged food and quickly launch new products to meet emerging trends.

After making a name for itself with lower-sugar gummy worms and ‘90s gross-out culture-inspired branding over the past 15 months, Rotten is expanding its portfolio with the launch of Gummy Cruncheez, a better-for-you take on the wildly popular (and successful) Nerds Gummy Clusters. The new innovation, a gummy ring covered in tart candy pieces, is… Read more »

As we review our notes from the final Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas earlier this week, the presence of premium pantry staples, new positions for konjac jelly brands and a rising tide around the use of A2 dairy caught our attention. Here’s all of the notes from our reporter’s notebooks, which also includes a new spin on frozen fruit and love for lentils across new formats.

In this week’s new products gallery, Once Upon A Farm rolls out refrigerated protein bars, YumEarth expands its organic candy lineup with two new items, and Cholula cranks up the heat.

The specialty food industry said “aloha” to a handful of Hawaii-based brands during the Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas this week. A cohort of exhibitors from the University of Hawaii Leeward Community College’s ‘Āina to Mākeke program showcased locally produced and heritage-inspired snacks and pantry staples.

Purely Elizabeth Cookie Granola was the biggest new product line launched in the granola category last year, creating new eating occasions for a segment traditionally tied to the morning meal and propelling the brand’s sales up 85% year-over year, according to SPINS data. This week, Purely Elizabeth expanded the cookie-inspired granola line with the addition of a peanut butter recipe, crafted with organic oats, coconut sugar, coconut oil, chia seeds and maple syrup.

What’s in and what is on its way out for packaged food in 2025? A panel of industry experts weighed in on what trends are hot, which are simmering and which ones are cooling off.