Food and Beverage Top Stories

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The Prepared Foods network’s Executive Editor–Technical David Feder interviews ethnobotanist and regular contributor to Prepared Foods Kerry Hughes.

New product introductions deliver fun twists on taste and texture—and still others offer dietary health benefits for those still wanting familiar comfort.

From the refrigerated case to the freezer, dairy processors old and new, big and small are addressing every on-trend aspect of dietary needs, better-for-you functional health, global flavors and snacking.

Overall US bakery launches grew by about 1% in 2024. The category was led by cakes, pastries and sweet goods with a 12% increase in launches versus the prior year.

Circana’s 39th annual “Eating Patterns in America” report highlighted the growing year-over-year trend toward at-home dining, with 86% of eating occasions sourced from home.

Interview with Keith Ayoob, EdD, RDN Associate Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, and author/curator of the EdibleRx newsletter.

Despite inflationary concerns, Innova Market Insights tracking data show cereal and snack bar innovation grew in 2024 with new product launches up by just more than 1%.

Natural products industry sales were expected to hit nearly $320B in 2024 with growth across virtually every department. In advance of Natural Products Expo West, Prepared Foods covers everything from innovation to ingredients with Scott Dicker, market insights director at SPINS LLC, Chicago.

Of seven plant-based dairy categories, only plant-based creamers posted annual dollar and unit sales gains in 2023, according to SPINS data customized for the Good Food Institute (GFI) and Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA).

Chocolate confection processors faced skyrocketing 2024 cocoa prices following intense rain and severe drought conditions in West Africa’s cacao growing regions. Not surprisingly, confectionery innovation was flat in 2024, with double-digit declines in new product introductions.