Videos

Gut instinct: The 10 functional ingredients gaining ground in 2026

Dietitians’ latest data points to a more grounded approach to functionality, where gut health, cost and credibility matter as much as claims

Winter Fancy Faire

3 trends revitalizing the sleepy nut butter and seed spread category

From swicy flavors to squeezable pouches, emerging brands at the Specialty Food Association’s Winter Fancy Faire are pushing a mature category into its next growth phase

Diet Trends

Rethinking sweetness in an age of sugar skepticism

As shoppers scrutinize labels and headlines, brands are rethinking sweetness strategies to deliver lower sugar, clearer messaging and commercially viable reformulations

News Bites

From dietary guidelines to cocoa shortages, pressure mounts on CPG brands

This week’s top stories show how nutrition policy debates, shifting views on processing and cocoa supply disruptions are reshaping formulation and sourcing decisions for CPG brands

Healthy, hot and functional foods driving c-store growth

Prepared-food sales are climbing, and younger shoppers are leading the push for fresher, clean-label offerings

From donuts to data: Dawn shows how to bake trends into growth

At IBIE 2025, Dawn Foods used a combination of donuts, data and demos to show operators how to turn consumer buzz into real-world results

Energy costs and falling demand likely fuel Hovis-Kingsmill merger talks: “The bakery sector is unfortunately in the perfect storm”

Soaring energy bills, stubborn wheat prices and shrinking bread sales may be pushing Hovis and Kingsmill into a £75m tie-up that could rewrite the UK bakery pecking order

How two UK chefs baked up a cult artisan bakery brand from scratch

Knead has become one of the South West’s most talked-about bakeries. Now its founders have brought their cult bakes to Oxford

High-protein: Why are consumers so obsessed?

Protein consumption through enriched functional foods is on the rise as consumers seek to boost intake levels

I snacked my way through Disney’s best bakeries: Here’s what I learned about culture and cookies

When most people head to Walt Disney World, they’re thinking roller coasters, princess parades and fireworks. I came for the snacks and ended up stumbling into one of the most thoughtfully crafted food ecosystems I’ve ever experienced

The nut shortage caused by a chocolate trend – how bad is it?

Dubai chocolate craze caused global pistachio nut shortage

Natural Products Expo West

Mondelez SnackFutures’ investments reveal playbook to tackle snack industry’s biggest challenges

Snacking may be here to stay, but what consumers want - and how companies source it - are evolving quickly, prompting Mondelez to narrow the aperture of its investment strategy

One Trick Pony bucks CPG industry’s high failure rate to celebrate second birthday

As peanut butter brand One Trick Pony celebrates its second anniversary, co-founder Lucy Dana acknowledges how few startups reach this milestone and she reflects on lessons she learned to achieve this rare success, including the concept that “done is...

Belly Brand taps into functional, clean-label trends with gluten-free baking mixes

Belly Brand Foods is delivering gut and skin health benefits with its collagen-infused and gluten-free bakery mixes, as the company gears up to spread brand awareness in 2025 with trade shows.

Startup Spotlight

Tips to secure deals in writing: ‘A verbal commitment means almost nothing’

Long gone are the days when a deal was sealed with a handshake and verbal commitment, which is why the co-founder of veggie snack startup Theo’s advises entrepreneurs to be persistent – but not annoying – about securing commitments in writing before acting.

News shorts: Bimbo’s acquisitions and the African Cocoa Marketplace

In this roundup, we take a look at the world’s largest bakery manufacturer expanding LATAM footprint; Campbell’s proposed name change; pladis’ focus in MENAI; and how Boundless nabbed the #1 spot in the UK’s gut-health snacks sector.

Startup Spotlight

Mission MightyMe’s snack puffs hit Target shelves, as brand aims ‘to drastically reduce the rate of nut allergies’

Children's snack brand Mission MightyMe is taking its first big step beyond ecommerce, launching in select Target stores, after raising $2.3 million earlier in the year to fuel growth and raise awareness on reducing peanut allergies by introducing the...

Summer Fancy Food Show

Protein takes centerstage across categories to meet insatiable demand: From frozen dessert to chips

Even though most Americans consume enough protein, they continue to want more and companies at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City are delivering with increasing innovation and sophistication across categories and occasions, including snacks,...

‘A snack is a snack, not a meal replacement’: UPFs, Nutri Score, the EC elections, regulations and other issues impacting the European snacks sector

A major concern for the European Snacks Association (ESA) is the debate over ultra processed foods (UPFs), which director general Sebastian Emig believes is not based on scientific fact and is causing confusion among consumers. We caught up with him at...

Summer Fancy Food Show

Vêsucré’s recipe for creamy, clean-label vegan desserts: neurodivergent employees + simple ingredients

Crafted by a neurodivergent team with special skills for consumers with special diets in a facility where nothing goes to waste, startup Vêsucré is bringing to market decadent vegan desserts that are free from soy, gluten and refined sugar.

Summer Fancy Food Show

Consumers want cleaner-label, better tasting gluten-free options in more categories

Gluten free may not be as trendy as it once was, but the call-out continues to resonate with consumers as the quality, quantity and variety of products making the claim continue to improve – as showcased by brands across categories at the Summer Fancy...

Should bread be tarnished with the derogatory UPF brush?

Ultra processed foods (UPFs) are a hot topic, especially on Capitol Hill, which is following the popular stance that they are typically low in nutritional quality, more prevalent in low income societies and associated with a slightly higher mortality...

[VIDEO] With an eye on being the fastest growing category in the food industry: How ABA walked the talk in Arizona

From sunrise hikes in the desert to networking breakfasts, business sessions, and feel-good opportunities like the Bakers Give Back Community Service Event, a pickleball tournament and Salsa & Margarita Competition, the American Bakers Association’s...

Startup Spotlight

Myna Snacks targets gamers as stepping stone to everyone ‘behind screens’

Contrary to popular belief, not all video-gamers are happy to chug energy drinks and devour junk food for fuel – rather most eSports enthusiasts want convenient, tasty snacks that will not compromise their competitive edge by compromising their health.

Natural Products Expo West

Mondelez: As snacking becomes more ‘purposeful' portion control becomes key

Nearly nine out of 10 consumers snack daily to fuel their busy days, carve out a mindful moment of ‘me time,’ and connect with family and friends – but according to Mondelez International’s recently released 5th State of Snacking report, what they are...

Tajín, bulgogi, furikake and za’atar are trending in the salty snacks category

While consumer interest is peaked by international flavors not widely known, they’re also looking for something familiar, like cinnamon, mac ‘n cheese, sweet potato and pork. We take a dive into T. Hasegawa’s April Flavor Flash.

Mason Dixie’s frozen breakfast sandwiches make comfort food clean

Mason Dixie Foods' transition from foodservice to retail, including Whole Foods and Costco, allowed the brand to tap into whitespace in frozen breakfast foods with a healthy halo and clean label, Ayeshah Abuelhiga, the brand’s founder and CEO, explained...

Natural Products Expo West

Spring Foods offers fresh bread minus preservatives, artificial flavors thanks to innovative packaging, traditional baking techniques

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...

Startup Spotlight

Amia's snack bars are formulated with migraines in mind

In this episode of Startup Spotlight, Jon Katz, founder of baked oat and seed bar brand, Amia Snacks, focused on using functional ingredients to address migraines, as outlined by a trigger-free diet, which includes eliminatings ingredients that may...

Natural Products Expo West

NIQ neuroscientists uncover what marketing resonates with women about health, nutrition

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.

Natural Products Expo West

Public-private partnerships are key to bring more organic, regeneratively farmed food to market, Daily Harvest exec

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 –...

Tackling obesity and addressing inequality: FDF Scotland calls on SME’s to join the reformulation challenge

‘We know from evidence that measures to transform the food environment are more likely to be effective in improving diet – and reduce health inequalities – than measures aimed at encouraging individuals to change their behavior, said Scotland’s Minister...

Keychain eases supply chain constraints with ‘search and discovery’ platform that matches manufacturers with production capacity with brands, retailers in need

Finding a reliable manufacturer that can meet product specifications and has production capacity that aligns with supply needs is one of the biggest challenges brands face, but a new matching platform launching today could simplify and dramatically...

Startup Spotlight

Netflix Snack vs. Chef winner S’NOODS launches noodle snack

Winner of the first season of Netflix’s Snack vs. Chef show, Lauryn Bodden, is taking her award-winning noodle snack concept from TV screens to store shelves with the official launch of S’NOODS, as she shared in the recent episode of FoodNavigator-USA’s...

Bread blast: How the new generation of French bakers is changing the bakery and patisserie arena

A greater focus on the health of the planet is placing emphasis on the baker’s responsibility in where, what and the way in which they source ingredients, along with the processes they adopt and, most importantly, their creation’s health halo. While...

Winter Fancy Food Show

Gâteaux's petit frozen, ready-to-bake cakes offer clean-label, elevated convenience

The frozen dessert aisle may feel frozen in another time to some consumers who are looking for clean labels but who are often confronted by long ingredient lists with preservatives, additives, processing aids and emulsifiers that are unfamiliar and may...

Startup Spotlight

[Video] ELAVI's journey to Costco and reinvigorating its brand

Participating in Costco’s RoadShow and interacting directly with consumers to sample its gut-friendly, cashew dessert spreads gave WOC-founded startup ELAVI insights that would have “cost thousands of dollars” to acquire elsewhere, allowing it to make...

Eddie takes cookie decoration to the next level

Eddie by Primera Technology is the world’s first GMP and NSF certified edible ink printer that uses food colouring to print logos, pictures and celebratory messages directly onto cookies, macarons and confections.

[Video] “Functionality within snacking has just exploded,” Riverside Natural Foods CEO unpacks market trends

Riverside Natural Foods, the parent company of MadeGood and GOOD TO GO, is tapping into the need for allergen-free snacks at all hours of the day, as the company is staying focused on business fundamentals to grow its brand in the new year, company...

Limagrain Ingredients is on a mission to bridge the fibre gap with the globally accepted staple: white bread

Today, the majority of European adults do not meet the recommended daily intake of dietary fibre. Worse still, more than half of the population largely overestimate their intake of dietary fibre, even though a consumer observatory run by the ingredient...

Sustainability, lean manufacturing, AI and bridging connections: ABA’s takeaways from iba

Bakery&Snacks caught up with ABA president and CEO Eric Dell at iba - a leading trade fair for the bakery and confection industry - where the American Bakers Association (ABA) had teamed up with Bakery Equipment Manufacturers and Allieds (BEMA) and...

National Association for Convenience Stores

Creating contextually relevant retail media with Cooler Screens at NACS

Cooler Screens is hoping to transform retail media through its AI-enabled smart screen solutions. Arsen Avakian, CEO of Cooler Screens, spoke with FoodNavigator-USA at the National Association for Convenience Stores show about how brands can use the...

Natural Products Expo East

Joydays launches low-sugar snacks, believes ‘life’s sweeter without the spikes’

While most Americans love a sweet treat, many don’t love the accompanying spike in their blood sugar and inevitable crash that follows – forcing them to choose between an indulgence and their health.

CarobWay demonstrates low caloric, functional properties of carob fruit at IFT FIRST 2023

Many food and beverage CPG companies are tasked with delivering on the trifecta or sweetness, lower calories, and functionality, opening the door for alternative sweeteners from stevia, monkfruit, and the lesser used carob fruit, said Israel-based food...

Summery Fancy Food Show

Root Foods Co. keeps their vegetable chips simple and sustainable

Blurring the lines between whole vegetables and savory snacks, Root Foods Co. featured its line of hand-sliced, vacuum-fried vegetables like tomatoes, zucchinis, green beans and onions during the Summer Fancy Food Show which took place at the Javits...

Summer Fancy Food Show

Unbound Snacks wants to reposition walnuts as more than topping or baking inclusion

When most Americans think of walnuts, if they think of them, they think of a topping for oatmeal or salads or an inclusion in baked goods, not as a standalone snack – but newcomer Unbound Snacks wants to change this with the launch of a line of brightly...

Summer Fancy Food Show

Jack & Friends charts new ‘inclusive’ path for plant-based jerky to better meet taste, nutrition expectations

Plant-based meat snack alternatives – and sales – are climbing as new players, including startup Jack & Friends, enter the market with vegan options that better mimic the taste, texture and chew of their animal counterparts, while also offering a hefty...

Summer Fancy Food Show

Scott's Protein Balls launches new flavor, focuses on taste, nutrition and activism

FoodNavigator-USA spoke to Scott Protein Balls' co-founder, Lori Levine and Tricia Williams, CEO, Daily Dose about how the protein snack brand continues driving growth through convenient formats, nutrition, transparency and activism during the Summer...

Sustainability and future-proofing the food system

Precompetitive teamwork, creative investment, policy reform and consumer engagement are key for a more sustainable food system

Creating a more sustainable food system is a massive undertaking that not only requires a contribution from everyone but will require everyone to work together – often through pre-competitive collaboration and public-private partnerships focused on...

Sweets & Snacks Expo 2023

Adios Chicago: Sweets & Snacks Expo 2023 set to leave its home on a high note

Chicago in May, without the Sweets & Snacks Expo rolling into town, is going to feel different and it will also be a blow to the city’s coffers, as it is estimated the huge trade fair historically pulls in at least $21 million when it sets up shop at...