For under $5, parents can use these quick mixes to create  Mexican or New Orleans-style school lunches. They’re also a convenient shortcut for whipping up family dinners like chicken and rice bowls, soups, or casseroles in under 30-minutes. 

Building on the success of its recent salmon bowl launch, Scott & Jon's is expanding with two innovative meals: Lemon Butter Dill Salmon and Baja Fish Taco Bowl.

Del Monte Foods' ability to anticipate and quickly respond to consumer preferences is driven by its robust Product Innovation Teams, who work in tandem to spot the latest restaurant and menu trends, collaborate with culinary chefs, and partner with suppliers.

The US Congress recently passed bipartisan legislation that ensures organic standards evolve and improve, while holding the federal government accountable for remaining familiar with the needs and expectations in the organic marketplace.

Cheddies® Crackers is on a mission to disrupt the $7.5 billion snacking cracker category with a cheese snacking cracker made from 100% fresh, organic cheddar cheese sourced from regenerative farms. 

In this podcast, Scott Dicker, market insights director at SPINS LLC, discusses those natural and organic categories that are doing well (think global flavors, at-home meals) and he shares an inside look at SPINS’ top trends for 2024!

The treats are USDA certified organic, use Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa, are Non-GMO Project Verified and are available in two varieties, Dark Chocolate Peanut and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter.

Next In Natural, a firm specializing in bespoke operations for emerging organic food and beverage companies, announced the expansion of a new M&A division and the appointment of Ted Tieken as chief future officer at its helm.

With 7g of complete protein per serving, Fit Butters x PEBBLES™ is made with premium whey protein and coconut oil to provide healthy fats and a decadent, low-sugar nut butter. 

Lay's Wavy Tzatziki, Lay's Masala and Lay's Honey Butter flavors, inspired by Greece, India and Korea, are hitting store shelves in the US for a limited time, helping fans experience the tastes of these countries. 

The new hires reflect PIM Brands' continued commitment to driving overall global growth, supporting its public policy advocacy, and expanding reach across North America and abroad.

"We're so excited to bring a flavor that is loved by so many to our Blue Diamond snack portfolio," said Maya Erwin, vice president, Marketing & Innovation, Blue Diamond Growers. "We’re always looking for new ways to incorporate trending flavors into our products, and with Ranch, we hope our customers feel inspired to take their taste buds to a new level of deliciousness.”

Zapp's, a brand of chips and pretzels inspired by the sights and sounds of New Orleans, added two bold flavors to its bestselling Kettle Potato Chip and Sinfully-Seasoned Pretzel Stix.

Churro Chocolate Caliente Palomitaz Popcorn swirls together the Mexican flavor pairing of hot chocolate and churros into one recipe.

Sovos Brands announced that Wendy Behr has joined the company as chief research & development (R&D) officer. Behr brings 30 years of experience in lead research and development roles at organizations including Keurig Dr Pepper, WhiteWave and Diageo.

The Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences (IAFNS), is a new 501(c)(3) organization focused on catalyzing science for the benefit of public health.

Although there may be a pandemic-related slowdown, there’s no stopping new product development. To better help readers with corporate innovation strategy, Prepared Foods turned to leaders at the Eureka! Ranch and the Innovation Engineering Institute, Cincinnati. Founded in 1986, Eureka! Ranch has become a global think tank and innovation training company. 

Danone North America honored a commitment to science and education through the ninth annual Gut Microbiome, Yogurt and Probiotics Fellowship Grant Program. This year's honorees, selected by a committee of nutrition scientists, are Catherine Shelton of Vanderbilt University and Alice Solomon of the University of Arizona. Winners were chosen based on the quality of their proposals, faculty recommendations and each of their studies' value to human health and wellness.

CP Kelco, a leader of nature-based ingredient solutions, launched a new global innovation center, adding to the company’s growing network of innovation and technical support facilities around the world. The Atlanta-based innovation center is designed as an open, collaborative space for scientists and customers alike to engage in ingredient research, problem-solving, development and pilot plant scale-up of food, beverage, home care, personal care and other consumer and industrial products.

COVID-19 has certainly brought an ever changing "new normal" to the food industry but one thing that will be a sure constant in 2022 is that food safety and quality testing will continue to be important for the integrity of the global food chain.

Mars Wrigley broke ground on a new, best-in-class, global research and development hub adjacent to the company's existing Global Innovation Center on Goose Island. Leaders from Mars as well as key Chicago stakeholders, including Michael Fassnacht, CEO, World Business Chicago, and Alderman Walter Burnett Jr., gathered together to commemorate the milestone for the company.

Five new types of Tradición tortillas include Fajita, Soft Yellow Corn Tortillas, Soft White Corn Tortillas, Burrito Flour Tortillas and Soft Taco Flour Tortillas

The family-founded, chickpea hearts have a crunch with savory, zesty flavor profiles. Now that they’re available through Redstone Foods Inc., more people in the US can access the product.

The final packaging contains at least 60% UCO-based bio-renewable polymer material, which is part of SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE™ portfolio. Oerlemans Plastics member of OPACKGROUP, a specialized manufacturer of flexible films and packaging, converts these polymers to a multilayer PE film for Lamb Weston’s pre-fried frozen potato products.

As inflation slowly moderates, US consumers continue to feel the pinch of higher food costs. Value retailers are seeing more foot traffic as shoppers shift to store brands and cut back on non-food expenses. According to Circana, formerly IRI and The NPD Group, consumers are looking for ways to make their budgets stretch, from canceling subscriptions to favoring at-home meals over dining out.

“Consumers are looking for wellness across every aspect of their lives, and food and beverages are playing a critical role in this transformation,” said Sally Lyons Wyatt, global executive vice president and chief advisor at Circana. 

There will be an increase in diversified ingredient sourcing, while the humanization of technology will be essential for consumers who are apprehensive about technology being used to create, modify and produce the food they put into their bodies.

Parents care about health and wellness for their children, and their purchasing patterns drive innovation toward healthier children’s food and beverage products. We see growth in numerous categories in children’s products that are positioned as healthy and better-for-you, including dairy alternatives as well as new items in the sweet and savory bakery, and confectionery categories.  

Founded in 1983, Ancient Harvest pioneered the sale of quinoa in the US and continues to be a leading brand of value-added, plant-based products including gluten-free pasta, polenta and a brand of quinoa. 

This summer’s Sweets & Snack Expo in Indianapolis drew more than 16,000 attendees and 1,000 exhibitors, from 25 countries. The trends I noticed involve lots of activity around texture—including freeze-dried candies and crunchy and chewy protein snacks. There also are intriguing new flavors in snacks and chips. 

“If your company manufactures yogurt or other cultured dairy products—such as frozen yogurt and kefir—and you are interested in using the LAC Seal on your products, IDFA is now making it easier than ever to obtain the seal for use on product packaging and labels, demonstrating to consumers and other customers that your products contain valuable live and active yogurt cultures,” said John Allan, IDFA vice president of regulatory affairs and administrator of the IDFA’s LAC Seal program. “The LAC Seal is the best way to reach consumers with this unique health and wellness attribute.”

Apuzzo has 30 years of experience in food sales and operations management, focusing his career on working in industrial and functional ingredients in the food, beverage and pet food industries. 

To develop the final collaborative ice cream flavors, the McConnell’s and See’s teams innovated to merge the top beloved See’s Candies pieces with McConnell’s house-made artisan ice cream bases to create four custom-confection flavors for fans.

This innovative product provides consumers with a rich and creamy texture, similar to Icelandic Provisions traditional dairy skyr, with 12g of protein and simple plant-based ingredients.

Trends and innovations that took place in the cereals and bars market for 2023, and what formulators can look for going into 2024.

Kettle Brand is diving into the rich and complex world of the popular Korean pepper paste, with a burst of sweet and spicy flavor in each chip.

Post Consumer Brands launched three new cereals and two size extensions.

Each crêpe is crafted using original French recipes and filled with the timeless American combo of creamy peanut butter and sweet grape filling – providing the best of both worlds in each bite.

The addition of these two new items is building on Belgian Boys' core assortment of breakfast offerings: Belgian Waffles, Crepes, and Bite-Sized Pancakes.

Individually wrapped and appropriate for grab-and-go snacks between meals, find these new bars on Amazon and in retailers nationwide for an SRP of $7.99-8.99. 

As we move into 2025, the food industry is poised for significant transformations. Reducing sugar in kids' cereals, embracing the snack revolution, and innovating in the bakery sector will shape the future of food. These trends reflect a broader shift towards health, sustainability, and consumer satisfaction, paving the way for a more nutritious and delicious future.

Functional foods and flavors continue to climb in popularity as such foods achieve just that: beyond providing nutritional benefits, they bring flavor, comfort, and excitement to the table. Among these, immunity-targeting products are in the forefront.

Kate Farms prioritizes high-quality ingredients to provide nutrition, and believes that a shake doesn't need to be pink to enjoy an organic natural strawberry flavor.

Fermented foods other than dairy are trending, with sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, and other vegetables; kombucha; sourdough; natto and tempeh leading the pack. Yet with cultured dairy still at the forefront, there are multiple fermented dairy products that offer benefits besides the immunity support of probiotics.

The FDA considers the term “natural” to mean that nothing artificial or synthetic (including all color additives regardless of source) has been included in, or has been added to, a food that would not normally be expected to be in that food.

Konscious Foods™, a plant-based seafood brand, announced its plan to expand its foodservice offerings across North America in 2024. The brand is now officially entering the US foodservice market, while appointing Affinity Group Canada as broker for the Canadian market.

The International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) released its final 2023 estimates and its latest 2024 Food Away-From-Home (FAFH) Industry and Segment Projections.

The Verona facility has the capacity to produce more than 100,000 pounds of product a day using high-pressure processing, a cold pasteurization technology that retains the flavor and nutritional benefits of CAVA’s fresh ingredients, with no preservatives.

I am finding some of my aging family members are increasingly in need of guardrails where their Android phones and tablets are concerned as they keep downloading shady apps and falling for fake virus ads and fake shopify hosted stores that pollute...