With Red dye No. 3 soon to be banned in California and potentially in other states, and Red dye No. 40 along with the whitener titanium dioxide also in the crosshairs of some legislators and public health activists, food and beverage companies that rely on the colors are searching for alternatives that will deliver vibrancy without significantly impacting taste or driving up costs.

Between ongoing inflation, rising fears about climate change’s impact on the food system, and increasing physical and mental health concerns turbo-charged by the pandemic, consumers have been through a lot in recent years, and in response, new data from Cargill shows they want a lot in return.

The Startup Pavilion at the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual Food Improved by Research Science and Technology (IFT FIRST) in Chicago earlier this month featured cutting-edge solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing the food system, including food safety, nutrition security, climate change and diet-related chronic disease.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.