More than a dozen Seasoning Blends & Packets, BBQ Sauces, and Hot Sauce varieties will be available this month for online shipping and at select grocery stores nationwide, with greater national retail rollout in June.

USDA certification plays a vital role in ensuring the safety and quality of meat and poultry flavors and is required for food products when meat and poultry ingredients surpass a specific threshold in a recipe.

 Knorr Liquid Seasoning Chili combines the classic Knorr Liquid Seasoning with a spicy kick crafted from chili peppers and soy sauce for a balanced, robust flavor profile. 

Botanical ingredients have been key components in culinary traditions worldwide for centuries, not only for their unique flavors but also for their ability to enhance and balance the taste profiles of various dishes. Spices and herbs, in particular, are powerful tools for both flavor enhancement and masking off-flavors.

The innovative packaging allows rice and noodles to cook separately from the protein, sauce and vegetables, ensuring each meal maintains authentic taste and texture and provides consumers a takeout-style experience with the ease of the microwave.

"I'm so excited for Laoban's new Bao Buns to hit freezers nationwide," says Co-Founder Chef Tim Ma. "We've spent the last year working on the recipes to make sure we're bringing the restaurant experience straight to your home kitchen. The final recipe gives me visceral memories of eating Bao buns as a child with my family, and I hope it evokes that same feeling for everyone who eats them."

Daring Plant Chicken is known for  short and simple ingredient lists, whole muscle texture, and high protein.

Featuring Little Leaf Farms' fan-favorite Baby Crispy Green Leaf lettuce, the new Sesame Ginger Salad Kit includes Thai seasoned wonton strips, sliced almonds, toasted quinoa and sesame ginger dressing, delivering a convenient, fresh, flavor-packed meal ready to be enjoyed anytime.

"We are excited to introduce our newest innovation that responds to the changing needs of consumers," said Angie Madigan, vice president of marketing at Mars Food & Nutrition North America. "With Ben's Original Street Food, we are offering delicious meals that suit their fast-paced lifestyles. This innovation puts Ben's Original at the heart of the plate, not just the side.”

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.

Last year, New Hope Media and SPINS representatives estimated packaged natural and organic product sales in 2022 hit $111.5 billion in sales, a 7.2% year-over-year increase according to SPINS data. Meanwhile, total related sales—including supplements and functional foods and beverages—were projected to surpass more than $300 billion in 2023.

“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.”

Joshi will focus on deepening consumer connections, expanding market reach in the US, leading the R&D organization and driving sustained growth for Nature’s Path’s portfolio of USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Certified breakfast, baking, and snack brands. 

As consumers become increasingly concerned about food safety, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare, organic products have seen a steady rise in demand. Organic September helps bridge the gap between consumers and the farming community by offering insights into the farming practices behind organic certification and providing access to organic products.

The new creamy condiment features Tajín Clásico seasoning, a blend of chili peppers, lime, and sea salt – offering mild heat and a hint of zesty lime.

Campbell’s extends popular Goldfish platform with “mash-up” of crackers and potato chips.

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

If 2020 was the year of supply chain uncertainty due to COVID-19, 2021 may well be the year that transparency in food labeling takes center stage, particularly for gluten-free products.

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. 

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.

Although there may be a pandemic-related slowdown, there’s no stopping new product development activity. To better help its readers with initial new product evaluation and development Prepared Foods asked Nancy Jo Seaton, owner and president of Seaton Food Consultants, to create a thought leadership series. Seaton has more than 30 years of food industry experience and most recently led global product evaluation for the Subway restaurants. She also has worked for such global food brands as Chiquita, Unilever and ConAgra.

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. 

ADM opened a new cutting-edge, plant-based innovation lab, located in ADM’s Biopolis research hub in Singapore. The lab will develop next-level, on-trend and nutritious products to meet growing food and beverage demand in the Asia-Pacific region.  

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. 

“Last September, an operator approached us to help alleviate some labor challenges they were experiencing,” notes Elise Carlson, CFS, King & Prince senior research and development manager. “They were taking frozen, cellophane-wrapped cod, thawing it and then cutting it into pieces. Kitchen staff then cut the cod by hand so not all pieces were exactly the same, which is a desirable attribute."

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. 

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

Founded in 1917, Legacy Bakehouse is a 100+-year-old, Wisconsin-based company in developing and manufacturing a range of baked snack components, including rye chips, garlic chips, bread sticks, pita chips, and more. 

Formulated with healthy ingredients, including 180mg of natural caffeine from coffee bean extract, prebiotic fiber and functional ingredients, like lychee extract, apple cider vinegar, l-theanine and B vitamins, each can of Bloom Sparkling Energy delivers on taste  and clean energy, with just 10 calories and zero grams of sugar.

With a blend of organic lemons, Brazilian wildflower honey, infused with real Peruvian ginger, Uncle Matt's Organic has produced a blend of better for you organic ingredients without the guilt of calories and sugar.

The new facility is located adjacent to The Mart Group’s headquarters, bringing the company’s total employment in Rupert to more than 230 people. The new Mart Frozen Foods facility will directly create 80 full-time jobs, and have an estimated annual economic impact of $11.15 million.  

Chunk Foods creates plant-based whole cuts that rival traditional meats in taste and texture, offering consumers a versatile option for at-home preparation.

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. 

Consumers are drawn to the complementary flavors and heat levels offered by different peppers and regional tastes. Understanding these synergies can help manufacturers discover new product innovation opportunities.

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.

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.

Physically active consumers want convenient, protein-packed options to fit into their on-the-go routine. “Plant-powered” ready-to-drink (RTD) and ready-to-mix (RTM) protein beverages are emerging as a perfect solution to fill this niche nutrition category and grow into the mainstream market.

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.

Consumers continue to say their primary store for purchasing food does an excellent job of meeting their needs, with 79% of shoppers reporting that getting a “good value” when grocery shopping is their top priority. 

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. 

Whether you are a retail store, manufacturer, ingredient supplier, or a foodservice operator looking to capitalize on the next food or beverage trend, having relevant data allows you to make better decisions that affect your bottom line.

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.

The Whole Foods Market Trends Council – a collective of more than 50 Whole Foods Market team members ranging from foragers and buyers to culinary experts – develop these trend predictions each year through a combination of deep industry experience, keen observation of consumer preferences, and collaborative sessions with emerging and established brands.

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.  

The role of chocolate is growing and expanding from the classic sweet confections to combinations of sweet and spicy as well as in savory products.

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.”

“Truffle is a beloved flavor that provides decadent luxury; combining with our rich and bold White Cheddar delivers the best of both worlds,” said Amanda Vaal, brand director at Cracker Barrel Cheese. “Dill also continues to be high in demand, delivering a sharp and savory twist to a snacking classic.”