Food and Beverage Top Stories

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In this video interview, Prepared Foods talks sustainability and plant-based foods with Chef Spike Mendelsohn, Co-Founder of CPG snacks company Eat The Change; and Jonah Goldman, Co-Founder and Culinary Director of PLNT Burger, a plant-based restaurant chain.

Here’s a story where you could say the “i” stands for innovation and the “t’s” refer to taste and texture. It took Hormel Foods about two and half years to develop Happy Little Plants Meatballs, one of the foodservice industry’s first plant-based meatball products. Hormel launched the product last July and showcased it at this year’s National Restaurant Association exhibition.  

Organic Valley introduced two premium lactose-free organic creamers in French Vanilla and Sweet Cream flavors. Officials say the products also contain 40% less sugar than the leading flavored creamer brand, as well as no artificial ingredients.

The world is moving quickly to new forms of protein, but the consumer is not there yet. Protein innovation is currently out of sync with consumer acceptance, but some companies are working to close the gap between the emerging proteins and the consumer.

Want to listen to industry news and views on the way to work? Catch a quick video on a lunchbreak? Prepared Foods now goes anywhere—and everywhere—to cover critical topics.

When broadline foodservice distributor US Foods Holding Corp., introduced as many as 18 “Spring Scoop” products this March, it embraced the theme, “Do More with Less” and emphasized versatile items to help operator customers manage labor shortages and other operational challenges.

Today, the global food system is under tremendous pressure. It's estimated that two out of three people are undernourished, and we're at risk of not meeting the United Nation's SDG Goal No. 2: ending hunger, achieving food security, and improving wellbeing and sustainable agriculture by 2030. It's clear that progress is slow-moving, but there are some tangible strategies that the food industry can implement to overcome the challenges facing today's food system.

Consumer research conducted by Innova Market Insights consistently shows that consumer definitions of natural and of clean label are very similar. Furthermore, many consumers believe that natural products also are organic.

Watch this video to learn how third-party organizations, such as the Upcycled Food Association, have developed a certification program for companies seeking to highlight efforts to reduce food waste.

The clean-label and better-for-you products are moving from a niche marketplace and into the mainstream at a rapid rate. The ingredients for these new formations often have special needs, including the need for clean label bitter blockers, flavor maskers, flavor potentiators, and flavor extenders.