The GM debate

Consumers found algae oil to have a 'cleaner taste than other cooking oils’

Solazyme makes algae oil to order: ‘We take a normal crop cycle and compress that into three days’

There are lots of pretty cool things about algae oil, from its clean flavor and stability to its striking nutritional profile (unprecedented levels of healthy monounsaturated fat, low saturates and...

GMA: 'HR 1599 protects the consumer from a costly and confusing 50 state patchwork of labeling laws'

House passes Pompeo bill that would prevent state-mandated GMO labeling

The US House of Representatives has passed the industry-backed voluntary GMO labeling bill - The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act 2015 - by 275 votes to 150, and rejected...

News in brief

House to vote on Pompeo voluntary GMO labeling bill today

The US House of Representatives will vote on H.R. 1599 – The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act 2015 – at approximately 1 p.m eastern time today.

What were the hottest - and weirdest - ingredient trends at IFT? From fermented stevia & mushroom mycelium to the world’s smallest vegetable…

Can the world’s smallest vegetable give other sources of plant protein a run for their money? Will consumers accept ‘synbio’ ingredients, and will the rare sugar allulose be a hit?...

Eight things to know about the Pompeo voluntary GMO labelling Act

There are two bills about GMO labeling floating around Congress, but the momentum appears behind the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015. Here are eight things to know...

Summer Fancy Food Show

NonGMO verification opens retailers’ doors for I Heart Keenwah’s puffs and cluster snacks

Earning the NonGMO Project verification for every product in the I Heart Keenwah line was a “frustrating” and “taxing” year-long process, but it was worth it, said the company’s president...

Trendwatching at IFT 2015: From on-trend botanicals, tiger nuts, and matcha to non-GMO claims

Market researchers Innova Market Insights and Mintel shared new data on what’s hot and what’s not in food & beverages at the IFT show this year, exploring everything from dairy-free...

Boulder Brands slashes salaried headcount by 15%; unveils more ‘streamlined’ structure

Boulder Brands – the firm behind EVOL Foods, Udi’s Gluten Free and Smart Balance – has reduced its salaried headcount by 15% and integrated its sales, marketing and innovation functions...

Kraft in legal hot water over 'natural cheese' and 'all-natural' Capri Sun

Kraft Foods Group has come under renewed fire over ‘natural’ claims this month, with a judge certifying a false advertising lawsuit over its ‘natural cheese’ and a plaintiff filing a...

New products gallery: From Nello’s biodynamic pasta sauce & Hormel's 'game-changing' snacks to 'detoxifying' hot cereal

Pope Francis weighs into the GMO debate

Pope Francis has weighed into the debate over GM crops, arguing that while he doesn’t believe there is any “conclusive proof that GM cereals are harmful to human beings”, he...

Ingredients made via synthetic biology won’t qualify for Non-GMO Project verified stamp

Food ingredients produced using ‘synthetic biology’ techniques – such as Evolva's vanillin, which is made from genetically engineered baker’s yeast - do not qualify for the Non-GMO Project Verified stamp, says...

Kashi agrees to pay up to $3.99m to settle 'all-natural' lawsuit; Campbell Soup under fire over Prego labels

New developments in three high-profile false advertising lawsuits underline the risks associated with making ‘all-natural’ claims on foods made with genetically engineered ingredients, with Kashi and Karlin Foods agreeing to...

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...

MAY 2015 NEWS QUIZ: Are you up to speed with the latest food & beverage industry news?

Do you know what Panera plans to oust from its menus, or which food & beverage giants just snapped up Blake's and Applegate? And what do we know about Millennials...

Millennials and food shopping: Are you up to speed?

Compared to previous generations Millennials are far more likely to make spur-of-the-moment food decisions and have less well-stocked pantries, say market researchers. But many food retailers are not geared up...

Meet execs from Sparkling ICE, Chobani, Tio Gazpacho, NASA

Innovate or die: Introducing Food Vision USA... from 3D printing to personalized nutrition

Imagine a place where you can meet the entrepreneurs behind new food & beverage categories and retail channels; pioneers in the field of nutrigenomics, edible insects, and 3D printing; food...

Experts untangle GMO developments and impact on firms at FoodNavigator-USA’s Going Non-GMO forum May 20

Pressure on food manufacturers to label genetically modified food and provide non-GMO alternatives is mounting as consumer concern and confusion about the technology increases in response to a deluge of...

USDA Process Verification Program provides non-GMO certification alternative

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Process Verification Program could provide an avenue for firms to certify the veracity of non-GMO claims without indirectly suggesting that genetic engineering is undesirable or...

News in brief

Cargill and Evolva prepare for commercial launch of fermentation-derived stevia in 2016

Swiss fermentation specialist Evolva and sweeteners expert Cargill have agreed to start engineering work so they can produce next-generation stevia sweeteners via fermentation at a Cargill biofuel and corn milling...

“Our entire line of soda will be clear in color.”

Zevia unveils 'clear' colas: 'This is an important step in changing the way Americans think about soda'

Zevia – a zero-calorie carbonated beverage line sweetened with stevia, monk-fruit and erythritol – has removed colors from its entire product range, including colas, and put every SKU through the...

'Millennials are increasingly health conscious...'

Second wave of conventional retailers now demanding natural, organic, non-GMO, says Hain Celestial

Retailers want growth, and CPG giants such as Heinz and Kraft are no longer delivering it, said Hain Celestial bosses this week.

GMA et al file appeal vs Vermont GMO ruling, but they are running out of time, say attorneys

As widely predicted, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) is appealing a federal court ruling denying its bid to halt implementation of Vermont’s GMO labeling law (Act 120) until a lawsuit...

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...

News in brief

CSPI on Panera's clean label drive: ‘Just because something is hard to pronounce, doesn’t mean it’s unsafe’

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has welcomed news that Panera is removing partially hydrogenated oils, butylated hydroxyanisole, and some other ingredients from menus by 2016, but...