| Search criteria: |
GET MORE TARGETED NEWS... - Want us to cover other topics? Email us and we’ll try to add them for you
- SmartNews360, a corporate newsletter platform to inform without information overload
OTHER BUSINESS360 SOLUTIONS... Insights & Outsights, a light-hearted annual retrospective (2013 and 2014). Email us for more | | Subject: | FOOD BUSINESS NEWS/Market Segments/Functional Foods or FOOD BUSINESS NEWS/Market Segments/Natural and Organic | | Period: | November 15, 2015 to December 1, 2015 | | Geographies: | Worldwide | | Categories: | All Categories | | Contents | |
| |
| Companies, Organizations | | | |
In a move to diversify its product line to attract younger shoppers with healthier, less-processed foods, Pinnacle Foods will acquire Boulder Brands for $682 million. The deal, which includes $262 million debt and represents a 9.2 percent premium on Boulder’s November 23 stock price, will give Pinnacle, maker of old traditional brands like Duncan Hines and Vlasic Pickles, an entry into the trendy gluten-free, organic foods market. Boulder makes Udi’s gluten-free pizzas and Evol natural frozen dinners The Pinnacle-Boulder deal is the latest in a trend. General Mills Inc. last year paid $820 million – a 37 percent premium – for natural and organic snack maker Annie’s Inc.
"Pinnacle Foods to Buy Boulder Brands", The Wall Street Journal, November 24, 2015
A green technology food company has signed a manufacturing and distribution agreement with New Global Energy (Thermal, Calif.) to produce a protein bar containing the blue-green algae spirulina. International Sustainability Group, Inc. (Malvern, Pa.) has developed a portfolio of nutritional products based on spirulina and other healthy ingredients that deliver minerals, proteins, antioxidants, vitamins and omega-3s. The new protein bar will be called MoringaUP – the bar also contains leaves of the Moringa tree – to complement its other AlgaeUp products. According to ISG executives, the algae industry is considering focusing efforts and resources more toward the health and food industries.
"International Sustainability Group (ISGP) Signs Distribution & Manufacturing Agreement with New Global Energy, Inc. to produce a new MoringaUP Protein Bar", News release, International Sustainability Group, Inc., November 11, 2015
The need to enhance one’s nutritional intake before, during, and after pregnancy, without having to take big, nausea-inducing vitamin pills, led an entrepreneur and her friend to develop ERZO vitamin biscuits. The biscuits offer a more palatable and convenient daily solution for expectant moms. The vitamin-fortified, whole grain cereal biscuits are a good source of fiber, and provide nutritional values similar to prenatal pills and gummies. They avoid common problems such as nausea, reflux and food aversions. And they dovetail neatly with a major food trend: the rise in popularity of breakfast biscuits.
"ERZO Delivers a Functional Prenatal Biscuit", Nutraceuticals World, November 11, 2015
| Firmenich, November 24, 2015 DDW The Color House, November 24, 2015 The Grocer, November 21, 2015 BakeryAndSnacks.com, November 06, 2015 NewHope360.com, November 04, 2015 BizTimes, November 04, 2015 Markets and Markets, November 01, 2015 Business Insider, October 27, 2015 Mitsui & Co., October 19, 2015 | |
| Legal, Legislation, Regulation, Policy | | | | A former FDA official says don’t worry about the efficacy of dietary supplements – at least for now. Pay attention instead to their safety. Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, now at Johns Hopkins University, argues that many dietary supplements – vitamins, minerals, herbal extracts, etc. – are spiked with pharmaceuticals, are poorly manufactured, or lack the stated ingredients. Unfortunately, there is gridlock in dealing with the problem at the national level because manufacturers oppose closer scrutiny of efficacy and federal laws handcuff the FDA, keeping it from effectively monitoring the thousands of products on the market. But Sharfstein says that manufacturers would probably support stronger safety controls if they were not tied to... More "Breaking the gridlock: Regulation of dietary supplements in the United States. ", Drug Testing and Analysis, November 20, 2015
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has a thing about caffeine as a food and food additive. He believes it’s dangerous. He has pressured the FDA to issue warning letters to makers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages and powdered caffeine. He’s on the warpath again, this time targeting a new peanut butter that contains 170 mg of caffeine in a two tablespoon serving, the same amount of caffeine as two cups of coffee. STEEM peanut butter, sold only in Massachusetts and Connecticut so far, also contains electrolytes and protein. It’s perfect for athletes, active people, and just normal people, the company says. The FDA hasn’t received a letter from Schumer yet, but promises to respond when it gets one.
"This new peanut butter has twice the caffeine of a cup of coffee", Quartz, November 09, 2015
| Natural Products Insider, November 25, 2015 Food Safety News, November 20, 2015 NewHope360.com, November 17, 2015 The Guardian, November 17, 2015 European Food Safety Authority, November 12, 2015 Nutraceuticals World, November 02, 2015 Nutraceuticals World, November 02, 2015 United States Department of Agriculture, October 28, 2015 | |
| Trends | | | | Clean eating, organic, “free from,” and “flexitarian” (i.e., part-time vegetarian) are some of the key trends in food and drinks for 2016, according to an analysis of product launches by Innova Market Insights. The desire for transparency in food ingredients showed itself in the form of the “clear label" trend, a step up from “clean label.” Though most consumers don't need foods “free from” gluten, wheat, or dairy, they want them anyway, making it a major trend. Part-time vegetarians have reduced meat consumption for health, sustainability or animal welfare reasons, and that’s having an impact on new food products. Consumers are looking for fresh alternatives to preservatives, like fermentation and other ancient techniques. Other... More "Top Food & Beverages Trends for 2016: "Clean Eating" Trend Inspires a Back to Basics Approach", News release, Innova Market Insights, November 17, 2015
Foods perceived by consumers as “naturally healthy” – so-called “clean label” items like oatmeal and spring water, free from adulteration or refinement – dominate the health and wellness category, Euromonitor says, though all categories are performing well. Naturally healthy is largest in world sales ($276 billion) and the fastest growing. New superfoods and beverages will contribute to a forecast growth of $69.2 billion by 2020. But that doesn’t mean other categories of health and wellness foods are fading. Fortified/functional offerings, for example, are showing healthy growth, especially those containing protein and energy. Gluten-free is becoming a food industry behemoth, and gluten-free versions or bread and pasta are making... More "Health and Wellness Market Performance 2015: What’s New?", Blog, Euromonitor International, November 17, 2015
Plant-based dairy company WhiteWave Foods, a spinoff of Dean Foods, is riding a trend of health-conscious shopping and nontraditional diets to increased profits. WhiteWave, maker of almond- and soy-based milk products like Silk, expects adjusted 4th quarter EPS of $0.34 to $0.35. The company also increased the full-year EPS guidance to $1.17 to $1.18 from $1.14-$1.17, beating consensus estimates of $1.15. WhiteWave cited cost leverage, higher productivity, improved commodity and other cost overlaps, and increased contributions from acquisitions as key drivers of better financial performance. Dean Foods, meanwhile, posted a 3rd quarter EPS of $0.30, up from a $0.03 loss year ago, thanks in part to a 30 percent decline in milk costs.
"WhiteWave, Dean Foods Rise On Cheaper Milk, New Diets", Investor's Business Daily, November 09, 2015
| BakeryAndSnacks.com, November 25, 2015 Future Market Insights, November 09, 2015 Natural Products Insider, November 06, 2015 | |