They say necessity is the mother of invention. Yet here’s the story of an innovation father figure. Meet David Jones, creator of plant-based Bakon and co-founder of Thrilling Foods Inc. in Portland, Ore.

"Our Butter Snack Spread line is designed to bring more flavor to our consumers so we are thrilled to add Lawry's, a family favorite kitchen staple to our latest offering," said Michael Burdeny, president of Challenge Dairy Products, Inc. "Challenge and Lawry's products have been loved for generations and we predict fans of both will be ecstatic to easily elevate their snacks and meals with this new versatile butter."

While sports nutrition is often targeted on athletic performance, health, and human performance, it is important for all throughout the lifespan.

Tastes, trends and teamwork helped seven new products earn top honors in Prepared Foods’ 21^st annual Spirit of Innovation (SOI) awards competition this summer.

"Babybel Plant-Based has seen an overwhelmingly positive response to-date among flexitarian and vegan shoppers," said Ridhi Barber, senior brand manager at Babybel. "We wanted to continue this momentum and introduce a second dairy-free Babybel snack option in the fan favorite White Cheddar variety."

The events of the past few years have sealed cultured dairy in the minds of most consumers as the primary method for attaining a healthy gut microbiome.

Protein is a key and vital nutrient, necessary not only for maintaining muscles and other tissues but for production of key components of the body’s operating systems—virtually every metabolic function relies on the protein structures known as enzymes. 

As consumption and popularity of meat grows globally, it is estimated that animal agriculture contributes nearly 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. TiNDLE Foods was founded in 2020 by Andre Menezes and Timo Recker, two veterans of both the meat and plant-based food industries, with a mission to reduce our reliance on animal agriculture.

“Here at GoodPop we’re enabling families to make better and healthier choices by cleaning up and innovating in categories that typically have lots of sugar ― from ice cream and freezer pops to now beverages,” said Daniel Goetz, CEO and founder of GoodPop, in a statement. “Not only do our Mini Cans have much less sugar than the juice boxes and sodas we're used to seeing in lunch boxes and coolers, we’re proud that they are more sustainable by coming in a recyclable can format.”

Prepared Foods Chief Editor Bob Garrison talks protein with Dr. Baljit Ghotra, co-CEO and co-founder of EQUII Foods, a San Francisco Bay-area start-up whose Equii retail and foodservice breads and bread mixes boast two times more protein, 30% fewer carbs, and 50% less sugar compared to other leading brands.