General Mills Drops “Natural” Claim For Granola Bars

General Mills will no longer claim on its Nature Valley granola bars that they are 100 percent natural, according to a news report. The company recently settled a 2016 lawsuit that said that oats used in the bars contained the herbicide glyphostate, the active ingredient in the Monsanto product Roundup that has been connected to cancer. Tests by an independent lab found .45 parts per million glyphosate in the Nature Valley products. The company reportedly settled instead of going through "the cost and distraction of litigation" and instead will focus on making sure products have 100 percent whole grain oats.

"General Mills drops '100% Natural' on Nature Valley granola bars after lawsuit", USA Today, August 24, 2018

Perdue To Begin Offering Lower-Priced Organic Chicken Products

Maryland-based Perdue Farms announced its Simply Smart Organics chicken products – including frozen and refrigerated whole grain, gluten-free, and lightly breaded nuggets, strips and tenders – will be available next month at about half the cost of other organic brands. The company says the new organic products will be more affordable relative to other similar products, without compromising organic standards, convenience or taste. The line of chicken products can already be found in stores, but beginning in October they’ll carry the USDA certified organic seal. U.S. sales of organic broiler chickens were up 78 percent in 2016 from the previous year, totalling $750 million, according to the USDA.

"Perdue organic chicken line targets affordability", Salisbury Daily Times, August 28, 2018

Entrepreneurial Couple Succeeds With Mobile Cookie Dough Cart

Wife-and-husband entrepreneurs Katie Pollock and Andy Simms of Ohio are fulfilling their dream of making and selling edible cookie dough in a variety of flavors. But they didn’t open a bakery, restaurant, shop or even a food truck. They operate from a mobile cart that allows them to service weddings, corporate events, bar mitzvahs, family events, graduations, birthday parties, and other Cleveland-area events. They got the idea while on a trip to California where, at Fishermen’s Wharf in San Francisco, they noticed a line snaking around outside a cookie dough eatery. Several bakeries in Northeast Ohio sell edible cookie dough, but the Dough Street mobile cart is the only one selling it exclusively.

"Couple turn ‘aha!’ moment into a safe way to eat cookie dough Innovations", Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH), August 29, 2018

Arizona Donut Chain Continues Expansion Strategy With Funding Help

Long-time Arizona donut purveyor BoSa Donuts continues to expand with the help of new investors. The company is adding two new locations in downtown Phoenix, bringing to 24 the number of shops it has in the state. It has also announced plans to open four more in the coming months. The owners say they are not worried about over-saturation, mainly because their menu includes sandwiches and beverages in addition to donuts. Because BoSa is opening in different locations and in different sized spaces, the owners initial opening costs per new shop vary, but can run upwards of $2 million.

"Popular donut chain looks to make its mark in downtown Phoenix", Phoenix Business Journal (Arizona), August 30, 2018

Missouri Clarifies Restrictions On Labeling Plant-Based Or Lab-Grown Meats

Missouri lawmakers last spring passed a law stating that plant-based and lab-grown meat products cannot be labeled as meat. But on August 30 the state agriculture department issued a reprieve for companies marketing such products, saying they would have until January 1 to comply with the labeling requirements under the law, which took effect on August 28. The law states that products labeled as meat must be derived from an actual cow, chicken, turkey or some other animal with two or four feet. The agriculture department’s advisory said companies would not be prosecuted if labels prominently use words like "plant-based," "veggie," "lab-grown," or "lab-created" near the product name, or if it states the product is "made from plants" or "grown in a lab."

"Missouri ag officials offering `fake meat' companies a reprieve on labeling", St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri), August 31, 2018

Barilla Introduces Four Varieties of Legume-Based Pastas

Acknowledging two key consumer food preference trends – plant-based and high-protein – pasta maker Barilla has launched a line of one-ingredient legume pastas made with chickpeas or red lentils. The products are available in four varieties: red lentil rotini, red lentil penne, chickpea rotini and chickpea casarecce. All are certified gluten free and Non-GMO Project Verified. They retail for $2.99 each and can be found at Amazon.com and select retailers nationwide.

"Barilla Debuts Latest Innovation with One-Ingredient Legume Pastas", PR Newswire, September 05, 2018

How Companies Are Working To Meet Demand For “Free From” Foods

As American consumers increasingly seek out foods that are “free from” gluten, antibiotics, pesticides, and genetic modification – sales of which are poised to grow 15 percent by 2022 – food manufacturers are taking extraordinary measures to ensure they are meeting that demand, changing the way they procure, process, and package food. General Mills Inc., for example, which was forced recall gluten-free Cheerios – oats do not naturally contain gluten – because wheat flour got into a facility in California. The company built a special eight-story sorting plant to make sure gluten particles from neighboring fields did not end up in their oat-based cereals.

"`Free-From' Foods Are Changing the Way Your Meals Are Produced", Bloomberg News, September 09, 2018

California Bake Mix Company Ventures Into Snack Bars

Baking and cake mix maker Cherryvale Farms of California has launched a line of plant-based, clean-label whole grain snack bars. Love It! Bars, available in three flavors, are made with whole grains and real fruit flavor. They are also Non-GMO Project Verified, egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free and contain no preservatives, artificial colors or flavors. The line of snack bars is Cherryvale’s firs step beyond the baking aisle.

"Cherryvale Farms Expands Beyond Baking Aisle", PR Newswire, September 10, 2018