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

Get ready for our April Community Calls! This month, learn how to find, pitch, and collaborate with angel investors, optimize your brand’s presence among retailers in search results by leveraging RangeMe, and get a deeper look at VMG’s evolving investment criteria.

One tech company is looking to make drop-ship distribution a viable model for early-stage brands to scale up.

Natural Products Expo West saw a plethora of new product launches, and we are digging back into our notebooks to highlight some of what we found. Here’s a roundup of the latest plant-based innovations as well as some notable new snack highlights

We’ve entered a new era of consumer goods, wherein brands have introduced such over-the-top innovations and collaborations in recent years that it has become nearly impossible to discern legit launches from April Fools’ prank products.

In the current macroeconomic environment some brands have become increasingly more strategic about where they set up a booth. We caught up with a few of them to learn why they did not make the trip to Anaheim this year.

Algae Cooking Club launched earlier this year and immediately began to make waves in the industry and online. But, despite the rising popularity of macroalgae – a group that includes seaweed, sea moss, kelp and other ocean-hailing ingredients – in food and beverage products, Algae Cooking Club (ACC) identifies with a completely separate group.

In this episode, the team discusses industry pranks and the controversy surrounding various sweeteners, including allulose and erythritol.

The latest episode of Elevator Talk features leaders from Xinca Foods, Jolly Moss, Doughpamine, Nebula Snacks and S’NOODS. Watch founders and CEOs introduce their brands and provide a recap of recent news and updates. Our special co-host is Mike Fata, the founder of Manitoba Harvest, who shared his thoughts, questions and feedback with the participants.

Many brands took to this year’s Expo West to highlight rebrands and packaging refreshes across existing products and formats. Check out this gallery for the fresh new looks.

Growth equity firm SEMCAP Food & Nutrition has paid $68 million for a “significant” minority stake in plant-based protein brand ALOHA.

Yellow pea-powered pantry staple brand ZenB has grown its lineup to span pastas, sides and snacks with a single legume as its North Star. The brand has quickly innovated and entered new categories – but how does it decide what comes next?

Evergreen talked to Nosh about its packaging rebrand and reformulated better-for-you breakfast products as it sheds its identity of being a health food brand and positions with flavor first towards more conventional consumers.

From butter boards and exotic flavors to premium $11 Les Pres Sales Sea Salt Camargue butter and refrigerated ghee sticks, there’s been plenty of buzz coming out of the solid cooking fats category.

Continuing with our Expo West 2024 coverage, here’s a look at some of the hottest new products and trends that we spotted on the show floor last week, including Lessr Evil’s better-for-you take on Funyuns, Icelandic Provisions’ collection of alt-dairy skyr, and much more.