Investment

Paine Schwartz Partners is deepening its footprint in the sustainable food chain, announcing today its investment in specialty food distributor Chex Finer Foods.

This week, the podcast team explores an antitrust lawsuit centered around protein bar David’s acquisition of its supplier Epogee. Next, the hosts look toward regulatory headwinds in hemp drinks and why there are signs of optimism despite retail setbacks. Finally, the team looks at candy maker Joyride’s new $30 million funding round before discussing the future of plant-based cheese.

Lembas, which describes itself as an artificial intelligence-powered peptide discovery company, aims to offer a more accessible alternative to high-priced injectables sold under brand names like Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy with its first solution, GLP-1 Edge.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) under the second Trump term does not seem to be signaling support for its core constituents: small businesses.

Next-gen pasta sauce slinger Sauz announced today the closing of a $12 million funding round led by CAVU Consumer Partners, with participation from existing investors such as Coefficient Capital, Palm Tree Crew and Strand Equity.

In an industry where cash is hard to come by, but insights and experts are plenty, one expert makes a case for part-time hiring as a strategy to scale up.

NielsenIQ has joined forces with FoodHealth Co. to integrate their respective datasets, enabling brands to spot and craft pitches around the incrementality their products could bring to a retailer’s set on the basis of price, health and how those factors affect consumer purchasing habits.

Cleveland Kitchen is preparing for a period of high growth following a few years focused on consolidating manufacturing and expanding operations at its Ohio production facility. The sauerkraut slinger recently raised $2.9 million that will support brand-building initiatives as its founders aim to capitalize on heightened interest in digestive wellness and fermented flavors.

Conagra is selling off more brands, this time moving its Van de Kamp’s and Mrs. Paul’s frozen seafood brands to their co-manufacturer, High Liner Foods, in a $55 million cash deal. According to an announcement today, the deal only divests the intellectual property rights and inventory for the two brands, but does not include employees or manufacturing facilities.

Are plant-based cheese alternatives having an existential crisis after one of the biggest cheesemakers refocused its approach to the category?