Top 5 Sources of Prebiotics for Gut Health

As we continue to discover how gut health impacts our overall well-being, scientists are exploring the value of consuming prebiotics to maintain a healthy gut microbiome.

Protein Bars Proliferate, Yet they Confuse Consumers

Amid the health and wellness movement, protein bars are flying off grocery shelves. Yet, it’s debatable how healthy many of these protein snacks actually are in 2023. The protein bar market has become massive. According …

Emergent Functional Foods Are Flooding the Market

Cereal, by most conventions, is a breakfast food. Yes, cereal can also make a great snack, and has been snackified for decades as a familiar and kids-friendly alternative to vegetables and other foods with more …

Back-to-School Season Crunches Budgets

The average family back-to-school spend is $890.07, driven largely by the cost of electronics.

What Does Wellness Mean to Consumers?

Although the terms “health” and “wellness” are often lumped together or used interchangeably, there is an important distinction between the two. Understanding this difference is essential to understanding the modern consumer.

Analysis: Has Aspartame Gotten an Unfair Rap?

By now, you’ve likely seen the ominous headlines about aspartame being deemed carcinogenic. The news about the sweetener – which is commonly used in sodas – was met with alarm by many consumers. But what …

Can Buzzfeed’s AI Chefbot Save Your Kitchen?

Tasty enjoys over 1 billion cross-platform views each month and is widely regarded as the most robust and user-generated food community and platform on the internet. That the big cheese of big apps and data is involved with AI recommending food choices and providing budget and grocery tips should not surprise anyone.  

Customizable Multivitamins Have Nutritionists Intrigued

The world’s first fully customizable multivitamin has been launched, and some accomplished nutritionists expect the trend to gain momentum.

Top Trends at the Summer Fancy Food Show

“Companies must stand out,” said Food Institute CEO Brian Choi. “To win in the marketplace, products have to have a differentiated selling point – just being ‘good’ is not good enough in this environment.”

Hot Dogs, Happiness, and the Health-Conscious Consumer

In the age of the health-conscious consumer, devotion to the traditional hot dog reflects a growing movement towards “all things in moderation.” What does this mean for plant-based varieties?

Four “Toxic” Food Additives that Increase Appetite

Across the U.S., the number of households purchasing products that contain potentially harmful food additives appears to be on the rise. Between 2001 and 2019, the proportion of purchased food products that contained additives increased …

Fungi in the “New Age” of Functional Energy Drinks

While functional fungi are now a well-established ingredient in coffees, powders, and shots, their use in the ready-to-drink (RTD) energy category is just starting to gain momentum.

The Continued Rise of the Flexitarian Diet

Gregory Banzon, chief operating officer of Century Pacific Food, has come to a decisive conclusion: Grocers should target “flexitarian” consumers – those who only occasionally eat meat – because that movement “could be the future …

The Better-for-You Blockbuster Snacking Season Has Arrived

As families gear up for movie night across the country and CPG companies figure out how to get their snacks off the shelves and into the hands of consumers before the previews even start, what constitutes a typical movie night snack, for many, is going the way of the dinosaurs.

Ozempic & Other Drugs: Explaining the Weight-Loss Medication Craze

Several medications approved to treat diabetes are being used as “miracle” weight-loss drugs, and the category continues to grow.

Analysis: The Healthiest Superfoods

Eat a balanced diet. We’ve heard that edict since we were children, but now all the shouting is about superfoods and supplements that can do everything from lower blood pressure to improve gut health to …

5 Plant-Forward Alt-Meat Innovations

Innovators are shaking up the alt-meat category with plant-forward creations that contain more whole foods and less processed ingredients. Here are five companies to watch.

Groundbreaking Consumer Insight: The Snack 50 Psychological Ranking

According to Circana Group and reported by The Wall Street Journal, nearly half of American consumers snack three times or more every day, a figure up 8% in the past two years. Last year, U.S. snack sales soared to over $180 billion, up 11% from the previous year.

American Jerk: The Salty, Smoky, Spicy, and Thriving Business of Jerky

There are many notable jerky and meat snack companies out there and most are thriving as the snackification of America continues apace. Jerky in any form has been a staple snack since navigators used sextets to sail the seven seas and discover more jerky, as John Smith is purported to have in the early 1600s when he marked a map of Virginia and wrote, “as drie as their jerkin beefe in the West Indies.”

5 Healthy Alt-Meat Products

The Food Institute spoke with two dietitians to outline some of the healthiest alt-meat products available today and break down best practices for reading nutrition labels.

Top 5 Healthiest Diets

A diet may help you lose weight quickly, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a healthy choice. To help people parse through the wealth of information (and misinformation) available today, the American Heart Association (AHA) …

‘Soup and Shake Diet’ Sparks Controversy

The soup and shake diet has grabbed headlines recently, but some medical experts fear its drastic requirements send a bad message.

Study: 3 Diet Factors Driving Rise in Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes continues to be diagnosed at a staggering rate, even though it’s often preventable—so what, exactly, is going on?

How to Win in the 2023 Snacking Universe

“Snacking is still a lifestyle in the U.S., fueled by the younger generation,” Wyatt began. “We’re in an unprecedented situation as price hikes in this category are outpacing other food/bev categories.”

8 Common Food Sickness Culprits

Most consumers are aware that products like deli meat trigger occasional foodborne illness outbreaks. Those same people might be surprised, however, to find that items like onions, peaches, and flour are also common culprits of …

What the Health Star Rating (HSR) System Reveals

Nestle SA recently announced that only 30% of its portfolio is considered healthy after conducting a self-assessment using the Health Star Rating (HSR) system. The rating test also showed that a third of Nestle’s sales …

Analysis: Why the ‘MIND Diet’ is Gaining Momentum

According to a new study, the so-called MIND Diet could help reduce certain health risks, including dementia.

Report: Global Salt Consumption Spiraling Out of Control

The World Health Organization had hoped to reduce worldwide dietary salt consumption by 30% by 2025, but a report issued this month by the U.N. agency admits the plan is woefully off track. Sodium is …

How Bioprotection Naturally Prevents Moldy Yogurt

Bioprotection prevents yeast and mold from growing, extending the shelf life of fermented foods and the manufacturer’s bottom line.

Another City Bans Junk Food at Supermarket Checkout

Perris, California has become the second U.S. city to ban junk food at supermarket checkouts, replacing sugary snacks with healthier alternatives.

Search Still on for Convenient Peanut-allergy Pill

The new peanut-allergy treatment Palforzia has been slow to gain acceptance, due to both its price and its inconvenient treatment regimen. Meanwhile, two other peanut-allergy medications are in the development stages.

Trouble Brewing? Study Shows Coffee Chains’ Huge Differences in Caffeine 

A new study sheds light on alarming caffeine disparities between coffee chains.

Study: Portion Control Top of Mind for Many Americans

The goal of Georgetown’s study was to learn whether America’s eating habits have changed lately. Clearly, Americans now want smaller portions.

‘Keto’ Was Most Searched Diet Plan in 2022

Americans searched for “keto diet plan” an average of 52,000 times per month last year, according to a Total Shape report.

Ergonomic Assessment Key to Increasing Productivity for F&B Manufacturers

Reports show that $1 out of every $3 spent on workers’ compensation claims results from a lack of proper ergonomics. By matching workplace conditions to workers’ needs, food and beverage manufacturers can avoid costly injuries.

Functional Health, Global Flavors Driving Ingredient Trends

Consumers are redefining healthy eating with a growing taste for functional, authentic, and adventurous ingredients, according to a new report from Tastewise.