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

"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.”

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.

Embracing a new packaging design, Amy's offers six dishes designed to meet the needs of busy families seeking an effortless dinner. As with all of Amy's products, Family Size Entrées are made with organic and non-GMO ingredients.

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.

This latest product line, which includes three caffeine-free SKUs blended to evoke distinct mood-enhancing functionality, is now available on the Numi Website and is available on Amazon and at select retailers, including Sprouts Farmers Market.

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!

Dr. Bronner’s Regenerative Organic Certified Salted Dark Magic All-One Chocolate goes beyond USDA Organic and Fair Trade standards, demonstrating that regenerative organic agriculture can be practiced at the scale needed to meet global market demands. 

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.

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.

Crafted with premium organic ingredients, the brownies offer a chocolate experience while upholding a commitment to clean eating.

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.”

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.

Farm Rich added four new snacks to its product lineup: Stuffed Buffalo Crunchers with Frank’s RedHot® Sauce, Spinach Artichoke Dip Bites, Grilled Cheese Bites and the return of a fan favorite, Pepperoni Pizza Roll-Ups.

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

Motif FoodWorks, the ingredient innovation company on a mission to make plant-based food taste better and more nutritious, announced the grand opening of its new lab and office space in the Boston Seaport neighborhood, a growing hub for science and technology innovation.

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.

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.

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.

By expanding its capabilities to address the growing consumer interest in functional beverages, the company is poised to offer partners and customers the opportunity to meet consumer needs and expectations while embracing current food and beverage trends and advancements in the market.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

Combining Claussen’s tangy flavor with Baked by Melissa’s famous handcrafted cupcakes, these bite-sized delights feature a dill pickle-infused cake and pickle buttercream icing complete with festive red and white sprinkles on top.

With zero sugar and zero BS, Main Character 5-hour ENERGY® gives you zero reasons not to bring it to every room, every Friday, and every moment of the summer.

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.

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.  

GHOST's net sales have more than quadrupled over the past three years, and GHOST Energy is one of the fastest-growing brands in the energy category, characterized by its unique identity, distinctive flavors and packaging, and strong consumer appeal.  

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.

“We were so honored to be invited to the Fancy Food Show this year. It is a great way for our students to see how broad the food industry is and understand the impact of the work we do at the lab,” said Drexel Food Lab Associate Director Chef Rachel Sherman. “I find it encouraging to see what products and trends jump out to them."

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.

Joan Driggs, Circana’s vice president for content and thought leadership, sits down with Prepared Foods to break down trends fueling success for Circana’s top New Product Pacesetters at both the retail and convenience store channels.

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. 

There is some indication that “pickle flavor” is experiencing its highest search interest in years. Perhaps that has led to such an explosion of pickle-flavor products on the market in summer 2024.

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.

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.

Made with Bob’s Red Mill’s signature blends of premium flours and quality pantry staples, each mix delivers light and fluffy pancakes in minutes. And, with home cooks preferring recipes with a short list of ingredients, they’ll become an essential shortcut for easy, convenient breakfasts with scratch-quality homemade taste. 

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. 

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.