Located in Lenexa, Kan., the Hostess Innovation Lab employs around 20 researchers, product testers and bakers whose mission is to create new snack cakes that resonate with consumers and bring moments of joy to daily life.

Product pipelines don't disappear, marketing efforts don't stop, and the bottom line is still the bottom line. Consumer needs may have changed (or, have they?), and now is the time for disruptive innovation. 

According to the International Food Information Council’s 2020 Food & Health Survey, 85% of Americans have made at least some change in the food they eat or how they prepare it because of the coronavirus pandemic. Do we expect consumers to return to pre-pandemic behaviors?

The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) announced the return of its dairy product innovation competition with the launch of the Real California Milk Snackcelerator to inspire new ideas integrating the flavor and functionality of California dairy into snack formulations that meet the needs of today’s consumers.

Powered by an exclusive proprietary blend of pea and rice protein fermented by shiitake mushrooms, all of the new OZO™ products are an excellent source of protein (with up to 22g per serving).

With demand for seafood at an all-time high and supply in an increasingly vulnerable state, a group of food innovators and culinary leaders joined forces with tech experts to create BlueNalu Inc., the global leader in cell-based seafood, that produces seafood directly from fish cells. 

The old saying is that when life gives you lemons—you make lemonade. Yet here’s a case where a world leading cooperative, Ocean Spray Cranberries, is seemingly now making everything—from just a single berry. In mid-2019, Ocean Spray hired 18-year CPG innovation and marketing veteran Rizal Hamdallah as Chief Global Innovation Officer.

JBS USA wasn’t one of the first companies active in the meat alternatives space, yet the Greeley, Colo., meat and poultry giant (one of the nation’s largest) is on pace to disrupt the category! JBS formed Planterra Foods in Boulder County and invested years of research in food science, consumer insights and packaging in support of OZO™, a new line that debuted just this past April. 

Listen in as Amanda Young, VP-R&D, US Zone, Kraft-Heinz, talks about leading one of the nation’s largest innovation teams in the midst of a challenging marketplace and ever-evolving consumer eating habits.

In the past three years, Del Monte Foods has tripled its number of innovation initiatives. In 2019 alone it launched 31 products launched and earned three Product of the Year awards.