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In recent weeks several brands operating in the natural, organic, sustainable and healthy food space have announced new relationships with restaurants and other foodservice providers across the U.S., offering each exposure and awareness beyond a traditional retail setting.

In an effort to improve the labeling requirements of certain gluten-free products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed new rules on the designation for producers of fermented, distilled or hydrolyzed foods.

ProYo, a three year-old company that produces high-protein frozen yogurt pops, launches this month in 170 military bases nationwide. The strategy is unique in that ProYo will achieve national distribution through the military before seeing the same geographic coverage in traditional retailers.

Crowdfunding platform CircleUp announced it has raised a $30 million round of funding to support its own growth and has launched a new fund through 301 INC, General Mills’ business development and venture capital unit.

Jeff Grogg, Managing Director of JPG Resources, discusses how we can approach food safety while still allowing for innovation and how small and large companies differ in their approach.

Project NOSH hosted its first official strategy and networking conference for emerging natural foods brands at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles on Thursday, Nov. 5. Featuring upwards of 20 seasoned experts from the space as presenters and panelists, the audience of entrepreneurs were treated to an educational event that dove deep into an accelerating and evolving natural and organic foods world that has become more norm than niche.

Perfect Fuel, a functional chocolate brand, quietly announced this week that it had closed an initial seed round of funding. This most recent round will be used to launch their products more widely, as well as test out new line extensions.

Whole Foods Market announced several key items that will impact producers of products sold in their eponymous stores as well as its new retail chain of 365 by Whole Foods Market locations.

Chickpea pasta producer Banza announced this week that the company had completed its first seed round of a $1.3 million dollar raise from institutional and angel investors. Project NOSH spoke with co-founder Brian Rudolph to find out what the funds will be used for and details of the raise.

Faced with the “normalization” of superfoods such as chia and hemp, innovative producers are turning to new exotic parts of the globe for functional ingredients. Moringa is fast becoming a top option, found in several products that are new or about to come to market.