Consumer interest in comfort foods, especially indulgent foods, is higher than ever. Yet the forces driving that interest are in conjunction with an equally high awareness of the importance of nutrition to health. The two trends need not be in conflict, however. Several strategies already are firmly rooted in formulating better baked goods.

If 2020 was the year of supply chain uncertainty due to COVID-19, 2021 may well be the year that transparency in food labeling takes center stage, particularly for gluten-free products.

GT's COCOYO, from GT's Living Foods, debuted refreshed labels that bring a brighter and bolder label to the yogurt aisle. GT's COCOYO is crafted with raw young coconut meat and cultured to probiotic perfection, unlike the traditional yogurt category that is primarily based on dairy.

France’s Lesaffre Group entered the human health market in 2007 with the establishment of Lesaffre Human Care, which quickly became a world expert in fermentation dedicated to the human nutrition and health market. During the following decade, the Lesaffre Group integrated several leaders in human health, including Gnosis Advanced Biotech, Omniabios, and invested in Envera and Intralytix.

The culinary brand focused on healthy fermented foods is expanding its newest line of products, Fermented Dressings and Marinades, with the addition of another first-of-its kind product, naturally fermented Backyard Ranch. 

According to report produced by The Good Food Institute (GFI), 2019 and the first seven months of 2020 were record periods of investment in fermentation companies creating sustainable alternatives to conventional animal-based foods and ingredients. 

Today's consumer recognizes that Asian Cuisine is made of a complex web of interrelated relationships of molecular compounds, ingredients, cooking methods and techniques within cultural contexts that are at the same time unique and similar in resulting flavor experiences.

Pioneering animal-free dairy maker, Perfect Day, announced the expansion of its Series C to $300 million through a new tranche led by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments). This follows an initial $140 million C round shared late last year, which was met with excitement and additional inbound interest after production breakthroughs in the company's proprietary flora-made dairy proteins. 

Cleveland Kitchen, a culinary brand focused on healthy fermented foods, launched a line of fermented dressings and marinades. Cleveland Kitchen is the same fermentation-forward brand that found an audience for being the creator of fresh, crunchy, unpasteurized and probiotic sauerkraut, Cleveland Kraut.  

Fermented Sciences Inc. (FSI) was founded in 2017 by Bill Moses, a well-known expert in the art and science of fermentation, co-founder and former CEO of KeVita, which he sold to PepsiCo. Flying Embers handcrafted hard kombucha is the first product line developed and launched by FSI.