Natural sweeteners

Lawsuit over ‘100% natural’ claims on Nectresse monk fruit sweeteners to proceed

Johnson & Johnson’s Nectresse monk-fruit-based sweeteners were discontinued late last year owing to disappointing sales. However, a lawsuit challenging the products’ claims to be ‘100% natural’ is still very much...

Monk Fruit Corp doubles capacity as more US firms add monk fruit to sugar reduction toolkit

BioVittoria and Guilin GFS Bio-Tech Co have doubled their monk fruit supply and significantly boosted production capacity following a multi-million-dollar investment leading to the formation of a new company -...

Smucker’s will launch more “clean” & “healthy” products in fiscal 2016, executives say

Peanut butter and jelly maker J.M. Smucker Company plans to introduce more than 100 new products in the coming year – most of which will be “clean” and “healthy,” according...

The Cookie Department aims to help children fight obesity with a healthy cookie alternative

As counter-intuitive as it sounds, the founder of The Cookie Department says he wants to “fight the good fight for anti-obesity” by marketing a vegan cookie to children and their...

Americans believe ‘preservatives / chemicals’ are significantly more harmful than added sugar, saturated fat and sodium, says new poll

A poll* of more than 4,200 US consumers conducted in April 2015 by CivicScience shows Americans believe that ‘preservatives / chemicals’ are significantly more harmful to their heath than added...

Comment

Could humor be the secret weapon in the GMO debate?

Attacking biotech companies and spurning ‘artificial’ ingredients will usually generate some positive PR for your business, even if food scientists wearily point out that there are greater threats to our...

‘This is one step up the ladder of desperation to remain relevant’

Diet Pepsi reformulation: ‘Does making aspartame the bad guy solve diet soda’s problems? Probably not.’

While cynics might paraphrase PepsiCo’s move to axe aspartame from Diet Pepsi as ‘Pepsi replaces one very unpopular artificial sweetener with another slightly less unpopular artificial sweetener’, it highlights the...

'We’re confident that with this change, consumers will come back into the Diet Pepsi franchise'

Pepsi exec: Aspartame is the #1 reason why US consumers say they are drinking less diet cola

To those arguing that replacing one artificial sweetener (aspartame) with another (sucralose) won’t arrest flagging sales of Diet Pepsi, PepsiCo SVP Seth Kaufman told FoodNavigator-USA that consumer research had singled...

Aspartame has been deemed safe by all major scientific and regulatory bodies

PepsiCo ditches aspartame from Diet Pepsi in US: ‘While decades of studies show aspartame is safe, we recognize that consumer demand is evolving’

While aspartame is safe, many US consumers don’t want it in their cola, said PepsiCo this morning, announcing plans to ditch the much-maligned sweetener from Diet Pepsi, Caffeine Free Diet...

Dr Pepper invests $15m in minority stake in Bai Brands

Dr Pepper Snapple Group has invested $15m in a minority stake in Bai Brands, which has generated explosive growth in multiple retail channels with its 'antioxidant infusion' low-calorie Bai5 beverages.

Cargill's Viatech platform deconstructs stevia leaf to identify better blends

Cargill is “all in on stevia,” according to Scott Fabro, global business development director.  At the forefront of this commitment is the company’s Viatech stevia technology, which analyzes the various...

IN PICTURES: From WTRMLN WTR to Temple Turmeric, beverage trendwatching at Expo West

From watermelon juice with a dash of lemon; to artichoke water with ginger; maple water; coconut smoothies; caffeine water; protein-packed dairy and non-dairy beverages; and a new wave of turmeric-laced...

'I wouldn’t say it’s out of the question that we could be a public company'

Zevia CEO: ‘One of the things that has been a key contributor to our success is our independence’

Multinationals are snapping up smaller, more entrepreneurial brands in the natural or organic food and beverage space faster than you can say ‘because that’s where the growth is’. So will Zevia...

Sales growth from lower-calorie products inspires companies to promote healthier options

Research showing that 99% of sales growth from packaged food from 2008 to 2012 came from lower calorie foods is inspiring major manufacturers to more aggressively promote and launch healthier...

Tate & Lyle unveils Dolcia Prima allulose low-calorie-sugar: ‘We believe this will change the food and beverage landscape forever’

Tate & Lyle is launching a new ultra-low-calorie sugar that is found naturally in jackfruit and raisins, but is being made in commercial quantities via the enzymatic conversion of corn...

'Semi-skimmed soft drinks!' Mid-calorie soda could become the mainstream choice, Zenith International

Mid-calorie soft drinks have the potential to gain ground on traditional full calorie drinks – and could eventually become the new mainstream choice, according to Zenith International. 

Sugar can be “powerful tool” to improve children’s diet, AAP

Added sugar in foods and drinks offers no nutritional benefits and contributes to the obesity epidemic by increasing consumption of empty calories, but it also can help children eat a...

New product launches aim to make Jif, Smucker’s $1 billion brands

The J.M. Smucker Co. will roll out a wide variety of new products across categories and platforms under its Jif and Smucker’s in an effort to boost the iconic brands’...

Consumers increasingly claim to avoid sweeteners, but purchasing behavior says otherwise

Before manufacturers reformulate food and beverages in response to consumers’ increasing claims about avoiding sweeteners, they should double check shoppers’ purchasing habits, which betray a different truth, according to new...

Tessemae’s All Natural charts its own course in crowded condiment category

The founder of Tessemae’s All Natural, the maker of the No. 1 refrigerated salad dressing at Whole Foods and Safeway, originally took the road most traveled, but when that did...

Beverage trend watching panel highlights: ‘Sugar has become a major concern for American consumers’

From the steady decline of carbonates to the dramatic rise of energy, the prospects for Keurig Cold and how 7-Eleven evaluates new products, our beverage trend-watching panel debate covered a...

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Pure Circle targets Kenyan smallholders in stevia production drive

Pure Circle is close to signing an agreement with the Kiambu County Government that will see them work together to boost stevia crop production in the Kenyan region. 

Latest trends on beverages, gluten-free, clean-label, snacks

What is coming up on FoodNavigator-USA’s events calendar? From protein to non-GMO and Food Vision USA

From the perils of putting ‘all-natural’ on your label to what beverage execs really think about plummeting sales of diet soda, FoodNavigator-USA’s online discussion forums and face to face events...

One week to go! Join us at the Beverage Innovation Summit on February 4

Will Pepsi True & Coca-Cola Life revitalize the cola market, or are today’s more demanding and sophisticated consumers looking for more than refreshment and ‘no-artificial’ claims from their beverage calories...