Elizabeth Crawford

Consumer interest in baking and sourdough, which spiked during the pandemic before dipping slightly as the world reopened, is resurging with a particular interest in savory options and simplified weeknight solutions, according to King Arthur Baking Company.

Sales of clean label products are outperforming total store sales, according to new research from the Acosta Group which also found consumer interest in products free of “bad” ingredients or “chemicals” is rising alongside high-profile state legislation seeking to ban specific food additives.

Emphasizing the value of exisiting products appeared to trump breakthrough innovation this year at Natural Products Expo West where many companies either introduced smaller sizes of existing SKUs to lower the entry point or more prominently called out functional ingredients or product purity as a stand-in for safety to justify premium prices.

With the launch of a lower-priced but still premium Essential Infant Formula at Natural Products Expo West last week, Australian-made infant and toddler nutrition company Aussie Bubs also revealed a new look designed to better appeal to the American consumer.

Bovine collagen infused Pretty Tasty Tea may be new to the functional beverage space, after launching in February, but the team behind the beauty-from-within brand includes industry veterans with deep expertise in distribution strategy and retail management – giving them insight into what consumers want, and what buyers need in exchange for shelf space.

Consumers increasingly want food that is not only good for them, but also good for the planet and those who work the land, which is why Daily Harvest is teaming with industry leaders and USDA to help more farmers – including small-scale BIPOC farmers – transition to organic, adopt regenerative agriculture practices.

Women’s health issues that have long been taboo are starting to come to the forefront of marketing, research and innovation, but many brands still do not know how to talk about them – a challenge that Nielsen NIQ is addressing with the help of neuroscientists.

Women’s health issues that have long been taboo are starting to come to the forefront of marketing, research and innovation, but many brands still do not know how to talk about them – a challenge that NielsenIQ is addressing with the help of neuroscientists.

Brand building platform Spring Foods is on a mission to revive what it says is the lost flavor, nutrition and virtue of bread with the launch of Essential – a certified organic, ready-to-bake bread line that is building on the success of the company’s low-carb, low-sugar bread, bagel and bun brand Sola.

Berlin-based food-tech startup Nosh.bio is overcoming capacity constraints that have hampered other fermentation-derived alternative protein players by developing a proprietary production process that is “minimal, scalable and sustainable” and by teaming with unexpected partners – including beer breweries and big-name meat producers.