"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.

Mama’s Creations—company on the grow targets consumers on the go.

Functional kids nutrition brand Yumi is expanding its retail footprint by introducing its line of organic, nutrient dense snacks to Whole Foods this fall.

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. 

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.

GNT will demonstrate how its plant-based, sustainable EXBERRY® colors can help maximize product appeal at ProSweets Cologne (January 28-31, 2024).

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!

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 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.

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.

With an impressive leadership track record and a deep understanding of the food and beverage market, Maria Stipp is poised to drive Suja Life to transformative new heights as the company continues to build its strong portfolio of consumer brands. 

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.”

The eye-catching shades – including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple options – will give attendees the chance to see how color shapes product appeal and influences the tasting experience.

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. 

Pepperoni fans can enjoy all the flavors of APPLEGATE NATURALS® pepperoni, now in new, organic options. 

Two pioneers in global sustainability certification, FoodChain ID and ReSeed, announced the launch of a new industry-leading ReSeed Soil Carbon Methodology for carbon market initiatives. The Soil Carbon Methodology rewards farmers not only for maintaining existing soil organic carbon built through sustainable farming practices, but also for the removal and storage of additional carbon dioxide emissions by soils. The Soil Carbon Methodology is the first program on the market to offer these two key benefits, while also making voluntary carbon markets accessible for vulnerable and small farmers to scale agriculture climate initiatives worldwide.

Made with beef stock, roasted beef, ginger and anise, the Organic Beef Pho Base makes it easier for consumers to make a savory, flavorful pho broth.

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.

HIPPEAS® Chickpea Puffs are made from chickpeas. With 4g of protein and 3g of fiber per 1oz serving, the new fiesta-flavored Chickpea Puffs pack a punch of plant power with flavor.

Like all Bubbies flavors, Milk Tea is made with simple, yet premium ingredients, no rBST dairy, is gluten free, and has just 90 calories per serving.

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. 

Tantos is breaking pasta out of the confines of a dish and putting it at the intersection of where pasta meets snacking. What makes Tantos interesting is that it's like eating pasta but with a form & texture like a puffed snack.

The chips provide all the health benefits found in sustainably harvested kelp, lightly fried with natural seasonings. Rich in minerals, vitamins, and antioxidant activity, Kelpie Chips have many potential uses in snacks and meals.

Stellar Pretzel Thins marks a launch for the vegan and peanut-free pretzel company as the brand becomes even more inclusive to the everyday consumer, especially those with gluten allergies and health-restrictions.

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.

"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.”

The new Smoothie Pops line includes three varieties: Organic Acai & Blueberry, Organic Dragon Fruit & Mango, and Organic Passion Fruit & Peach. The new Organic Smoothie Pops are both health-forward and tasty.

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.

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

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.

Eat Just, Inc., a company that applies cutting-edge science and technology to create healthier, more sustainable foods, in partnership with 1880, an establishment founded to inspire conversations that change the world, made history when their cultured meat was served and sold to guests for the first time at a series of dinners.

The new co-manufacturing division of BumbleBar, Inc. recently recruited its quality food safety manager from Archer Daniels Midland, one of the world’s largest food processing companies.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

“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.