Deep Dive
Industry insights from our journalists
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Courtesy of Beyond Meat
How can plant-based meat get back to growth?
As business indicators have worsened, Beyond Meat and other companies in the space have tried new strategies — but analysts say they may have forgotten consumers along the way.
Megan Poinski • Nov. 17, 2022 -
Alex Wong via Getty Images
From science to CPG: New ventures create opportunities for startups
While many larger players in the food tech space had to build their own facilities and processes from scratch, entities are planning to give those starting out now a smoother beginning.
Megan Poinski • Nov. 11, 2022 -
Courtesy of Air Protein
From science to CPG: Finding the right team to go beyond the lab
While scientific processes and developments are core to what food tech companies do, they need employees who can turn the science into a successful business.
Megan Poinski • Nov. 10, 2022 -
Courtesy of Upside Foods
From science to CPG: Adapting R&D to regulations — and eventually consumers
As food tech startups grow, their focus needs to shift from scientific breakthroughs to meeting stringent manufacturing rules, as well as thinking a lot about the people who will one day eat their products.
Megan Poinski • Nov. 9, 2022 -
Courtesy of Future Meat Technologies
From science to CPG: How money makes the food tech startup world go round
Fundraising and understanding a realistic timeline are high barriers for these companies as they face R&D and regulatory challenges.
Megan Poinski • Nov. 8, 2022 -
Permission granted by Finless Foods
From science to CPG: How food tech companies grow into tomorrow’s food manufacturers
It’s difficult to take a scientific discovery that could change the way the world eats and get it to consumers’ plates. Startups need tenacity, money, R&D, patience and an understanding of reality.
Megan Poinski • Nov. 7, 2022 -
Retrieved from Dot's Homestyle Pretzels.
How CPGs are using M&A to boost manufacturing amid supply disruptions
While dealmaking often focuses on food or beverage brands, more companies are buying plants to ramp up production, widen an offering’s reach and lessen dependence on outside manufacturers.
Christopher Doering • Aug. 31, 2022 -
Christopher Doering/Food Dive
Small candy makers forced to rethink their business strategies
Sweets manufacturers, many of them family owned, are doing away with long-time traditions in order to survive amid labor shortages, high costs and unreliable deliveries of some ingredients.
Christopher Doering • July 18, 2022 -
Courtesy of Upside Foods
How should cell-based meat be labeled? What 1,179 comments to USDA say about stakeholders' priorities
With decision-making coming soon, players in cultivated and animal meat industries, state governments and policy groups expressed opinions about how the nascent space should be represented.
Megan Poinski • May 31, 2022 -
Natalie Behring via Getty Images
Big Food's sustainable packaging goals hit supply and demand reality
As CPGs set targets to cut virgin plastic use, chaotic forces like the pandemic, poor weather and war complicate the timeline.
Samantha Oller • May 25, 2022 -
Stockah via Getty Images
What's standing in the way of a circular food packaging economy?
As CPGs test new bottle and wrapper prototypes and set goals to cut virgin plastic use, critics warn roadblocks could trip up their progress.
Chris Casey • May 24, 2022 -
Photo Illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images
Tracking sustainable food and beverage packaging innovation
Kraft Heinz has removed the signature plastic ‘shaker’ bag from its Shake ‘N Bake products, which it says will save 900,000 pounds of plastic annually.
Updated Nov. 14, 2022 -
Permission granted by Sonoma Brands
Lost and found: Brands neglected by large CPGs thrive under new ownership
Krave jerky, Funfetti baking products and Häagen-Dazs are just a few of the lines that have flourished after being divested, with their new owners spending more on marketing, innovation and improving product quality.
Christopher Doering • May 3, 2022 -
Permission granted by Back of the Yards Algae Sciences
Beyond the blue: Interest in spirulina shifts to new applications
The microalgae can provide a desirable natural color, but it's also sustainable and nutritious — and finding its way into a wider assortment of uses.
Megan Poinski • April 14, 2022 -
Permission granted by OK Kosher
The 'silent salesman': How kosher certification went mainstream
While the seal signifies that items meet Jewish dietary laws, it increasingly represents purity, good practices and trustworthiness to non-observant consumers.
Megan Poinski • April 13, 2022 -
Permission granted by Hostess Brands
With a portfolio of iconic snacks, Hostess Brands sweetens its business for another century
Just a decade after bankruptcy, the Twinkies maker is thriving under CEO Andy Callahan, who has prioritized innovation and moving its iconic offerings into faster-growing occasions.
Christopher Doering • March 30, 2022 -
Courtesy of Johnsonville
Food suppliers wade into logistics as trucking rates soar
Businesses can't evade the trucking market, but there are strategies they can adopt to lessen the impact of market forces.
Shefali Kapadia • Feb. 25, 2022 -
Christopher doering/Food Dive
Once an afterthought, brand licensing reaps billions for CPGs hungry for growth
Hershey, Conagra and Post are a few companies using the strategy to expand their business, build equity and keep products relevant.
Christopher Doering • Feb. 22, 2022 -
vm via Getty Images
Why famous people are joining food tech advisory boards
Hollywood A-listers including Leonardo DiCaprio and Ashton Kutcher, former government officials and other household names are working with companies, lending their expertise and cachet.
Megan Poinski • Feb. 8, 2022 -
Permission granted by Silver Fern Farms
Beef has a sustainability problem. Is this the year the industry finds a fix?
As producers explore the potential of regenerative farming and emission-busting feed additives, critics argue that more compelling solutions deserve investment.
Chris Casey • Jan. 27, 2022 -
Courtesy of Nature's Fynd
Why fermented meat analogs will steal the spotlight in 2022
As interest in plant-based food has surged, several companies using an age-old method to grow high-quality proteins are bringing a meat-like texture and sustainability story to plates across the U.S.
Megan Poinski • Jan. 18, 2022 -
Permission granted by Hain Celestial
CPGs grapple with a murky 2022 outlook as inflation, supply chain weigh on operations
Uncertainty over the severity and permanence of these and other challenges is making it hard for CEOs to determine whether they should make moves such as price increases.
Christopher Doering • Jan. 11, 2022 -
Edwin Tan via Getty Images
For food CPGs and grocers, finding harmony online is a difficult dance
Product manufacturers face a sometimes-daunting array of requirements when seeking to sell products through e-commerce channels run by retailers.
Christopher Doering and Sam Silverstein • Jan. 10, 2022 -
Nodar Chernishev via Getty Images
6 trends shaping food and beverage growth in 2022
The lingering effects of the pandemic will continue to influence everything from consumers' meal choices to the ability of manufacturers to meet demand.
Chris Casey, Christopher Doering and Megan Poinski • Jan. 4, 2022 -
Rawf8/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
Who wins in food industry class action cases?
Litigation can be long and expensive and relief can be hard to come by, as consumers find themselves with small rewards and brands struggle with keeping their reputations intact.
Megan Poinski • Dec. 16, 2021
