Food and Beverage Top Stories

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Replacing sugar is more complex than simply replacing sweetness. Sugar carries flavor, enhances mouthfeel, provides bulk, is essential for browning through the Maillard reaction with amino acids, and attracts and retains moisture. In cookies and biscuits, for example, sugar interfaces with flour and fat to affect texture, firmness and spread. Without sugar, products may not crystallize properly, aerate, or set. 

David Feder, Executive Editor-Technical for Prepared Foods, interviews Allison Rittman, research chef and expert on the art and craft of creating organic foods and beverages.

Prepared Foods talks “indulgent snacking” with Mike Senackerib, CEO for Dewey’s Bakery Inc., Winston-Salem, N.C.

Product launches with more than 30% fat content—such as high-fat dairy—are up, and butter sales have jumped, outpacing the growth of margarines and spreads by 360%.

Beverages that blur category lines are leading drink product launches as consumers continue to expect more functionality from the products they buy. Botanical ingredients are a key focus for consumers fulfilling this expectation.

Product developers discover inspiration for innovation in the kids snacks category with products such as edible stickers and organic snack bars.

Whole Foods Market’s Trends Council unveiled their top 10 anticipated food trends for 2023 in the retailer’s eighth-annual Trends predictions. Yaupon-infused beverages, produce packed pastas, repurposed pulp and climate-conscious callouts are among the food trends expected to rise in popularity in the next year.

This month’s survey of new introductions includes keto powders, protein bars and a line of bone broths.

According to the American Heart Association, the average American consumes more than three times the recommended amount of sugar. The number for kids is even worse, as they are consuming 81g per day, equaling over 65 pounds of added sugar per year. American children are ingesting over 30 gallons of added sugars from beverages alone.