Flowers Foods, Inc., producer of Nature's Own, Dave's Killer Bread, Wonder, Tastykake, and other bakery foods, announced organizational structure changes designed to increase focus on brand growth, product innovation, and improving cake business operations.

Understandably, it hasn’t been the best time for CPG food and beverage processors to unveil new products to retail customers or their consumers. Yet it doesn’t have to bring an end to strategic innovation—involving insights, ideation or product development. 

MicroThermics has been the global leader in small scale, UHT/HTST, and aseptic processing for more than 30 years. Its slogan, “Always Innovating,” is the secret behind its success. But besides its equipment, what does this mean to those in food and beverage new product development?

The partnership will focus on driving strategic and innovative growth for the cooperative by leveraging a global startup ecosystem to solve key business challenges with a creative, disruptive, and agile approach.

IRI®, a global leader in innovative solutions and services for consumer, retail and media companies, announced the release of its 2019 New Product Pacesetters,™ the 25th annual report highlfighting the most successful new product launches across food and beverage, nonfood and convenience store sectors. 

Malt Products Corporation (MPC), a Saddle Brook, N.J., manufacturer of malted barley extract and other natural, nutritious sweeteners, has opened an Innovations Lab in Minneapolis to help its food and beverage industry customers test ingredients, experiment with new formulations and gain insight into critical flavor and stability properties. 

Orgain, creator of the first ready-to-drink organic protein shake and innovator of high-quality and convenient clean nutrition products, announced the six finalists that are in the running to receive a total of $150,000 provided by Orgain's Grants for Greater Good program.

By the time I finish writing this sentence, I imagine another industry trade show will have been cancelled. In my 20 years of covering the food and beverage industry, I have never witnessed such widespread disruption to business. I don’t believe any among us have been left unaffected by the current crisis.

Covid-19 has affected bakery players in different ways. With foodservice representing as much as 70% of their sales, frozen bakery players have seen reduced orders as food consumption changes from restaurants to home kitchens.

The National Restaurant Association Show announced the recipients of the 2020 Food and Beverage (FABI) Awards, recognizing food and beverage products that are breaking new ground in taste, creativity, packaging, and profit potential.