Seven food finalists, chosen from 114 food entrepreneur applicants, pitched their upcycled product ideas to a panel of leaders in food innovation at the Natural Products Expo West trade show.

The global snacking, international cereal and noodles, plant-based foods, and North American frozen breakfast business will be named Kellanova. Kellanova will be a global snacking powerhouse with a portfolio of iconic, world- class brands.

Hormel Foods global impact and innovation team members attended the conference's climate day, where over 50 environmental and sustainability experts presented on topics such as regenerative agriculture, traceable supply chain and sustainable trends in the food industry.

FlavorSum, a North American flavor producer, began construction on an expansion project that will add 35,000sq-ft to its Kalamazoo, Mich., facility. With the increased footprint, FlavorSum will build out more technical resources and capacity to meet the needs of small, mid-sized and emerging food & beverage companies.

Zimerfeld will serve as a member of the Global Food & Nutrition Leadership Team, and the Mars, Incorporated, Global R&D Leadership Team.

Solomatin joins the company after more than 10 years at Impossible Foods, where he helped to develop, scale and commercialize their cutting-edge food technology.

The Award, honoring Califia Farms and Odwalla founder Greg Steltenpohl, seeks to encourage and support innovators, entrepreneurs, and change makers building a more positive, plant-centric food system.

Driven by consumer desire for wholesome food options that deliver on taste, Dole is launching new innovations across every category – snacking, beverages, ingredients and frozen treats – and entering new categories like functional supplements and probiotic sodas under a new brand.

The majority of the trends focus on sustainability, which is proving to be the primary motivator for many new and emerging entrepreneurs, a key factor in corporate commitments and an important “why” behind radical transparency and impact assessments.

Circana™ is as leading advisor on the complexity of consumer behavior. Through unparalleled technology, advanced analytics, cross-industry data and deep expertise, Circana provides clarity that helps clients take action and unlock business growth.