InsightsNow, a behavioral research firm, in partnership with CuliNex, a clean label product development consulting firm for the food industry, have released a new product development solution called CRAEVS (an acronym for Clean Label Research through Agile Evolutions into Stores). The companies brought together their respective consumer insights and culinary innovation expertise to build this end-to-end solution for food and beverage company’s innovation efforts.  

Flavor Producers, LLC, introduced a new brand and website to reflect its transformational growth in natural, plant-based, organic flavors and extracts. 

Modern flavor-building techniques must be low-cost, allergen-free, and naturally derived (clean-label), all while surviving processing.

Customers can feel good knowing they are eating a clean protein option full of flavor and made with non-GMO, soy-free ingredients. The OZO foodservice line is now available in four plant-based offerings: burgers, ground, nuggets and breakfast sausage patties, catering to all dayparts.

Ficin, a natural non-GMO proteolytic biocatalyst from the latex of Ficus species (tropical fig tree), is approved for use in food and perfect for clean label products. Ficin functions similarly to other plant cysteine proteases, such as Papain and Bromelain, but has a lower deactivation temperature, making it ideal for meat tenderizing applications, particularly thin cuts of meat such as fajita strips.

In the pantheon of snack foods, "salty and crunchy" stands on the highest pedestal of cravings. "Salty snacks are supremely satisfying to all consumers," says Elisa Maloberti, director at the American Egg Board.

With the clean label trend now established, consumer interest increasingly is shifting to other aspects of clean food and drinks. Sustainability has emerged as a key driver, particularly with regard to packaging and plastics.

Vegetable oils still lead the field over animal-based fats when it comes to new food oil developments. Perceived as healthier in that they contain more unsaturated fatty acids, they have faced challenges when it comes to cooking or baking, as they are not normally robust at the high temperatures needed in heat processing.