Florida Food Products (FFP), a leader in clean label food and beverage ingredient solutions, is exhibiting at SupplySide West 2023 (SSW23) in Las Vegas, October 25–26, 2023. FFP is helping inspire SSW attendees to create the next generation of health and wellness products with a menu of great-tasting concepts. 

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!

Phytolon, a biotechnology company that offers natural food colors via fermentation-based technologies, and Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA), which is building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity, announced the successful completion of the first development milestone of their multi-product collaboration to produce natural food colors and the resulting distribution of an equity milestone to Ginkgo.

The new barista blends and creamer address the needs of consumers seeking plant-based, café-quality beverages at home for a fraction of the price.

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.

A Prepared Foods infographic highlighting 2024 trends in Natural & Organic seen at Natural Products Expo West.

“The prices for all ingredients can be very high,” affirms Andrea Bayne, owner and head baker of BoriMami Bakery in Melbourne, Florida. “Demand for organic products exceeds supply, which can cause price increases and make consistent sourcing an issue.”

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. 

Buffalo Ranch Canyon Cut Kettle Style Potato Chips are crafted with premium potatoes, cooked in avocado oil, and infused with spicy buffalo and tangy ranch flavor.

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

Prepared Foods surveys natural sweetener ingredients for use in food and beverage product development.

Aleph Farms Ltd. and its research partner at the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, cultivated a slaughter-free ribeye steak, using three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technology and natural building blocks of meat – real cow cells, without genetic engineering and immortalization.

Tate & Lyle, a global provider of food and beverage solutions and ingredients, introduced the “Collaborate at Home Kitchen”, a digital engagement hub where food and beverage manufacturers can explore trends, science and solutions that power modern consumer choices. The hub also provides users with access to Tate & Lyle’s experts, as well as additional resources to help them find solutions to their formulation challenges.

Silicon Valley-based cellular agriculture company Mission Barns announced a $24M Series A to scale up its cultivated fat technology and build a pilot manufacturing plant in the Bay Area.

Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, Inc., announced the opening of its new North American corporate headquarters at 250 East Devon Avenue in Itasca, Ill. The new space is designed to accelerate Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition's commitment to delivering high-quality ingredient solutions that drive value for customers.

Although there may be a pandemic-related slowdown, there’s no stopping new product development. To help readers with new product development strategy, Prepared Foods asked Dave Lundahl, founder of InsightsNow, to create a thought leadership series connecting R&D with consumer insights. 

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.

In conjunction with its February profile of new sports foods and drinks, Prepared Foods interviewed Scott Peters, director of product development at 3i Solutions, Wooster, Ohio. 

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.

Stellex’s partnership with J. Skinner will support investment into production capacity expansion, increased automation, and new product development. 

Food and beverage manufacturers will be able to see the difference natural colors make for themselves in a wide variety of applications in the Beverage, Candies & Confections, Snacks & Bakery Goods, Meat Alternatives, and Nutraceutical categories. Colors are available in liquid, concentrate, and California Natural Color’s proprietary crystal color technology.

Made for any snacking occasion or in-home entertaining, the crackers pack a bold flavor and are a versatile base to upgrade snacking moments.

With 88 calories per 12oz serving, the new Lime, Cranberry, and Pineapple flavors are made up of real fruit, and premium spirits with ultra-purified water at an ABV (alcohol by volume) of just 4.5%.

his collaboration will drive advancements in bioreactor technology, perfusion systems, and media rejuvenation while reducing environmental impact through optimized water usage, power consumption, and circular economy initiatives like waste stream utilization.

Bush, a graduate of Manchester Business School and INSEAD, is an experienced international CEO with nearly 40 years of experience, working across grocery retail. 

The blending and finishing facility is strategically positioned with nearby access to railroads and interstates for efficient truck and rail delivery across the United States. Construction is set to begin immediately.

The study, conducted at the University of Georgia, compared the cumulative impact of daily pecan eating versus not eating pecans on changes in fasting cholesterol levels and responses to a meal higher in saturated fat (meeting 35% of total daily calories). Findings show notable reductions in cholesterol levels with pecan consumption, as well as lower post-meal triglycerides. 

The white paper also calls attention to mitigation strategies and highlights research, collaboration, and public health communication needs to better address the issue while also offering insight into how a global, interdisciplinary approach can expedite solutions.

The 75th annual report surveyed food retailers’ and suppliers’ 2023 developments and expectations for the year ahead, finding that while the industry made key strides in addressing longstanding labor and transportation capacity issues, inflation and other financial hurdles caused industry profit margins to fall to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.

Walmart promoted a 50% discount on its Walmart+ membership in mid-July that lowered the annual fee from $98 to $49 after offering the same deal in May. Meanwhile, Instacart promoted an 80% discount on its annual membership. Both offers are contributing to growth in Delivery users and order frequency.

The report, “Tapping Into the Global Consumer Well-Being Opportunity,” reveals the complexity of personal well-being, with consumers turning to solutions as varied as physical activity, social media, food, pet ownership, beauty, and books, among many other products and services, to harmonize their physical, mental, and social well-being.

Gen Z consumers are just starting to learn their way around a kitchen and will want to advance their cooking skills but also balance quick dinner meals. 

Each year, the fall season ushers in hundreds of new and limited-time offer introductions to retail and foodservice channels. It would be a fool's errand to list all of the products featuring fall flavors in 2024, but Prepared Foods has compiled a list of some of the most compelling examples.

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.

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.  

Ellison Bakery is a manufacturer of cookies, snack bars, crunches, toppings, and inclusion ingredients for retail, food service and private label end markets. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Like all YumEarth treats, the sour bites are free from of the top 9 allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish, gluten, shellfish, soy, and sesame), contain no artificial dyes, are non- GMO, and made with organic and simple ingredients.

“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.”

Dr. Wagoner brings more than 10 years of experience in dairy products research and innovation to the role. He got his start as a trained chef at the California School of Culinary Arts before obtaining his BS, MS, and PhD in Food Science from North Carolina State University. 

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. 

International Delight rolled out its latest holiday flavor edition, new Hot Chocolate Marshmallow Creamer, along with returning favorites Frosted Sugar Cookie Creamer, Peppermint Mocha Creamer, Peppermint Mocha Zero Sugar Creamer and Peppermint Mocha Iced Coffee.

WK Kellogg Co. introduced its latest cereal brand, Eat Your Mouth Off, drawing inspiration from its century-old startup values. Eat Your Mouth Off is an innovative, vegan cereal containing 22g of plant-based protein, 0g of sugar, and 2g of net carbs or less per serving.

Catalina Crunch®'s extensive line of cereals, cookies and snacks has gained widespread recognition for its emphasis on providing cleaner products that are low sugar and high protein without compromising on flavor. 

Kantha Shelke, PhD, CFS principal of Corvus Blue, LLC, shares effective ways to lower sugar content in RTE and heat-&-eat cereal products through both technical means as well as using alternatives to the refined sugars still predominant in these most popular breakfast products.

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

Tropical Trio is JAMBAR’s fifth flavor, and its first new flavor since the company launched in late 2021. In addition to the three vegan fruit flavors, JAMBAR also offers two bars that contain whey protein – Chocolate Cha Cha and Malt Nut Melody.

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

According to the company, 58% of people believe there are better flavors than pumpkin spice during the fall? In a ranking of fall flavors, Salted Caramel came in as a second favorite among fans, the company says.