A survey from the International Food Information Council found consumers ranked vegetables first in every food-function benefit area.

"We hear from parents they want more plant-based protein options that align with their food and climate values," said Gerber President and CEO Tarun Malkani. "Gerber Plant-tastic offers stage-based nutrition across milestones starting with organic toddler pouches, snacks and meals."

When food color innovation turned decisively toward nature for its sources of desirable pigments, food color technologists worked overtime to develop cost-effective, clean-label colors. Some shades proved an extra challenge, with stability and fixing being major trouble spots. Red colors figured largely in that task.

Want to listen to industry news and views on the way to work? Catch a quick video on a lunchbreak? Prepared Foods now goes anywhere—and everywhere—to cover critical topics.

A coating uniquely embodies all the key traits in a finished food product—texture, appearance, flavor, and even, in most cases, aroma. With the increased demand for clean-label nutritious foods, developers are leveraging food coatings as a way to take those attributes and build healthfulness into texture in products designed to meet such requirements.

Watch or listen to David Feder, Executive Editor-Technical, interview Erhan Yildiz, PhD, director of the hydrocolloid consulting group SKC, LLC. Dr. Yildiz provides an overview on trends in gums used in making today’s food and beverage products.

"As demand for vegan cheese continues to grow, many consumers have been vocal about how difficult it has been to find a plant-based cheese that lives up to their expectations," said David Cherrie, Saputo Dairy USA vice president, marketing and innovation.

The Organic Trade Association’s latest Organic Industry Survey shows consumers returned to more stable, buy-as-you-need shopping patterns in 2021. Between 2020 and 2021, organic sales surpassed $63 billion, with $1.4 billion (2%) total growth over the year. Food sales, which comprise over 90% of organic sales, rose to $57.5 billion (roughly 2% growth), and non-food sales reached $6 billion in sales (7% growth).  

Prepared Foods Editor Bob Garrison talks immunity-focused products and ingredients with Barbara Brueckner Shpizner, Vice President, Innovation at Mattson, a third-party innovation consultant in Foster City, Calif.

Crafting a flavored water, even in its most basic form, comes with its own set of challenges. Formulating a non-carbonated flavored water can often be tricky for R&D teams designing a product that balances defined ingredient profiles with a holistically pleasant drinking experience.