Mega-viral social media trends promoting water “recipes” and consumption, including #watertok, #beveragegoblin and #sexywater, alongside surging demand for hard-to-find Stanley cups may lead one to believe that Americans are sufficiently hydrated – but a recent YouGov/Yahoo News poll suggests the opposite is true, underscoring a tremendous market opportunity for beverages making hydration claims ..read more

Many CPG brands eager to grow their retail footprint often rely on the expertise of brokerage firms. However, finding the right partner can be a nuanced challenge that requires founders to have a detailed growth strategy down to specific channels and regions, as representatives from brokerage firm C.A. Fortune told FoodNavigator-USA during a recording of the Founders’ Fundamentals podcast ..read more

In an era where money is tight for consumers and companies alike, and leeway for new products to fall short of expectations is even tighter, many CPG companies are rethinking their innovation investment strategy to make fewer but bigger bets – a strategy that is paying off for Danone ..read more

At the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City last week, health claims were downplayed and flavor came first – for real – followed by personalization with more brands offering consumers ways to dial up or down the heat, tang, funk and other characteristics that can be polarizing ..read more

An end may be in sight for the capital crunch that has slowed innovation, growth and M&A activity in the food and beverage space in recent years, according to one investment insider, but she warns the timeline is longer for closing deals and the bar is higher for small and midsize companies or startups to successfully exit than pre-pandemic ..read more

As the media landscape has become more fragmented in the past ten years, social media has emerged as one of the most influential sources of information on the consumer path to purchase and many companies are shifting advertising dollars accordingly – but new research from the marketing communication agency HUNTER suggests going all in on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and other social media outlets may not be the best marketing strategy for food and beverage brands ..read more

Food and beverage brands should focus on the fundamentals of growing slowly and strategically to set up long-term success while also complementing a founder's vision with a team of experts with diverse skillsets, Seth Goldman, co-founder and chief change officer at Eat the Change, shared in the first episode of FoodNavigator-USA’s Founders’ Fundamentals podcast ..read more

Today's niche diets, social media blips and internet search spikes could be tomorrow's must-have functional ingredients, breakout snacks or new kitchen staples -- the trick is spotting them early and knowing whether they represent long-term trends or short-term fads and how best to position a launch or brand to capitalize on consumer demand ..read more

More than 100 organic industry stakeholders converged on Capitol Hill in Washington last week to lobby for increased funding, continuous improvement for certification standards, access to additional market data and improved coordination for research and extension activities that will help the now $69.7bn US industry continue to grow ..read more

Consumer tolerance is running out for food and beverage companies raising prices to offset inflation, based on volume and sales declines reported by several large CPG manufacturers during the most recent round of quarterly earnings calls ..read more