The gut health trend is one of the single biggest changes to hit the food and drinks industry in recent decades. So what are gut-loving consumers buying and what gut-friendly products will we see next?
Emphasizing the value of exisiting products appeared to trump breakthrough innovation this year at Natural Products Expo West where many companies either introduced smaller sizes of existing SKUs to lower the entry point or more prominently called out...
Award winning actor Gillian Anderson is harnessing the power of botanicals to cater to an underserved market. We ask which ingredients align to which need state.
Consumers are demanding additional functional ingredients in beverages as they look for products to support their mental and physical energy while attaining hydration goals.
Pro- and prebiotic sparkling drink brand wildwonder released a Raspberry Lychee flavor and is preparing to seek out additional funding to help grow the retail footprint of the Asian heritage-inspired beverage, company founder and CEO Rosa Li told FoodNavigator-USA.
Japanese dairy giant Meiji is set to release a new Foods with Function Claims (FFC) product that it says would support eye accommodation and improve sleep quality.
Givaudan is tapping into the active nutrition market with flavour-focused food and drink concepts to appeal to the broader demand for immunity, relaxation, focus and physical health.
Connecticut lawmakers once again seek to ban the sale of energy drinks to consumers younger than 16 years, as regulators and researchers raise concerns about the negative health impact of caffeine.
China National Food Industry Association (CNFIA) is to set industry standards for electrolyte beverages, including its definition, technical and manufacturing, testing, labelling, and packaging requirements.
Milk alternatives are the most mature category in alt dairy, but while food brands have largely addressed sensory and functional challenges, nutrition is still lacking.
Functional food frontrunner Kuli Kuli Foods is moving beyond its flagship star ingredient moringa, which it helped introduce to the US over the past decade, to champion other “medicinally potent” and climate-smart “superfood” ingredients that deliver...
Tapping into the multi-billion dollar functional beverage market, Smoove’s RTD prebiotic juice is a cultural nod to African representation through indigenous and traditional ingredients, like tropical almond, tamarind and African cherry, while responding...
Tummy Buddies, a start-up from Australia, has created a range of synbiotics flavoured water designed to address what it perceives as a lack of gut health products for toddlers.
Aussie brand Savvy Beverage has called out what it believes is the prevalence of highly priced functional beverages that contain inadequate beneficial ingredients, imploring greater honesty and transparency among companies to advance the emerging category....
Kirin has reported strong revenue growth for its non-alcoholic beverage business, driven by demand for health functional drinks and especially those in small-volume PET bottles, the company said in its FY2023 financial results.
Functional mushroom brand Odyssey Elixir raised $6m, which will help it keep up with inventory and expand its distribution, including in c-stores, company founder and CEO Scott Frohman told FoodNavigator-USA.
The new year sparks a refresh not only for consumers but also for Kraft-Heinz’s powdered flavor enhancer, Crystal Light, which introduced a new logo, typography, photography and packaging to coincide with its new functional product lines inspired by consumer...
Private-label is shaking off its fast-follower status as partnerships between manufacturers and brands become stronger, allowing for quicker innovation that responds to consumers' demand for endurable and functional products, Andreas Schneider, co-founder...
Kombucha maker Health-Ade is throwing its hat into the prebiotic soda ring again with SunSip, as consumers continue to seek out gut-health claims in the carbonated beverage category.
Just over a year after announcing plans to merge, Danish enzyme and cultures suppliers Novozymes and Chr Hansen have joined forces under a new company name: Novonesis.
PespiCo’s flagship energy drink – Rockstar Energy – is out with a new functional mushroom-infused beverage line called Focus, designed to provide an energy and mental boost, Danielle Barbaro, VP of PepsiCo North America Beverages R&D, told FoodNavigator-USA.
Kombucha brand Brew Dr. launches a low-sugar probiotic seltzer, Sipjoy, as the company continues to focus on its core business of fermented-tea beverages, at a time of increased consumer demand for gut health-focused products, brand CEO Dan Stangler told...
Non-alcoholic beverages continue to gain a foothold, cutting into the overall alcohol market, as brands like Longbottom, HOP WTR, and hiyo tap into consumer demands for quality, functionality, and health.
India-based Morning Fresh is actively expanding its portfolio across categories and formats to fulfil rising demand for functional products, particularly ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages.
Functional beverage brand Mitra9 has released a reformulated cleaner label product ahead of retail expansion plans, as the company looks to improve margins and reduce costs, brand co-founder and CEO Dallas Vasquez told FoodNavigator-USA.
Fortification has the potential to provide abundant health benefits, endowing products with a higher level of important nutrients than they otherwise would have possessed. However, taste and texture can be affected by it, which can in turn affect consumer...
Functional beverage is becoming a cheaper alternative to health supplement as consumers tighten their budget amid the current microeconomic environment, according to the observations of functional ingredients distributor Brenntag.
Euromonitor International has published its 2024 consumer trends report, which spotlights new demands for convenient and effective wellness support, transparency around brand sustainability, and the implementation of AI to personalise the customer experience.
By Luca Bucchini, Chairman, European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA)
Over the last few years, as part of the EU Green Deal, policy makers have focused their efforts on introducing a series of highly ambitious regulations that mean to bring sustainability to every step of the food chain. Among others, a legislative file...
There has been a rising consumer demand for functional drinks promoting relaxation and wellbeing over boosting energy following the COVID-19 pandemic, but an expert says a ‘hero ingredient’ and ‘hero brand’ are needed to propel the category into the spotlight.
Drawing on decades of experience in the beverage industry, Mark Mahoney teamed up with other industry veterans to launch The Drinkable Company. Here, he shares his top tips on launching a cannabis beverage brand, the opportunities and challenges for cannabis...
Thailand-based Hippo Energy Drink believes that its combination of health, natural ingredients and low sugar offerings can help it build on its initial success in South East Asia and take on major brand competitors in the category.
New advice published by the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) earlier this month recommends adults should limit their CBD consumption from food to 10mg a day. But TRIP - the company boasting the country's top selling CBD drink - reports record sales...
CBD brands are coming out in force to refute new advice from the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA), recommending adults should limit CBD consumption to 10mg per day, rather than 70mg.
Australia’s Kommunity Brew believes that hemp has the potential to feature more widely in its NPD and innovation strategies, amidst the addition of more local acquisitions to its healthier beverage portfolio.
The company is pivoting its dairy-derived early life nutrition ingredients into a portfolio designed to enhance the nutritional value of products aimed at children aged 3 and up.
Plant-based beverage brand Rebbl rebranded its line of drinks with a focus on occasions and conveying to consumers how to use the product, as the company looks to LTO flavors to grow trial, brand CMO, Mike Quinones, told FoodNavigator-USA.
Singapore’s Sustenir has expanded its business portfolio to include functional food products, such as ready-to-drink smoothies, to support what it believes is a long-term growth opportunity.
ZOA, the company founded in 2021 by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and business partners Dany Garcia, Dave Rienzi and John Shulman, is adding ZOA+ Powder to its portfolio of energy and pre-workout drinks to help ZOA Warriors like themselves supercharge their...
DAVIDsTEA is growing its loose tea portfolio with more adaptogen-forward blends that promote a wide range of health attributes like relaxation, sleep, energy and more.
Japanese brewery giant Kirin has announced the launches of two beverages – one alcoholic and one non-alcoholic – as it continues its efforts to tap novel ready-to-drink innovation opportunities.
With entrances into new categories including water and energy - alongside a string of recent low and no sugar products and even functional gummies - Gatorade says its portfolio is the ‘most complete offering on the market today across energy, hydration,...
China dairy giant Mengniu believes that the direction for domestic dairy growth lies in the development of localised protein product innovation, especially in the form of ready-to-drink beverage formats.
For many Americans living a fast-paced, on-the-go lifestyle, the meditative benefits of slowly sipping a hot mug of tea may be out of reach, but the health benefits and feeling of refreshment that come from a beverage brewed with adaptogenic, nootropic...
As adaptogens and mushrooms continue piquing the interest of health conscious and sober-curious consumers, the sparkling, functional mushroom beverage brand expanded its convenience and grocery retail presence so “more people are able to experience the...
