Organic foods were a big draw for US consumers in 2014 as sales of organic products jumped up 11 percent to $39 billion, a record for the industry, according to the annual Organic Trade Association (OTA) survey.
The specialty food industry is stimulated by current trending cuisines and emerging buzzword foods like pickled, fermented, grass-fed, sustainable and smoked flavors.
Proving once again that beer is big business, the Brewers Association released its annual lists of the top 50 craft and overall brewing companies in the US, based on sales volume.
Increasing population and a trend towards healthier lifestyles has given birth to a sustained gluten-free products market which is projected to be worth nearly $6.84 billion by 2019, according to the market researcher MarketsandMarkets in the recent report “Gluten-Free Products Market by Type (Bakery & Confectionery, Snacks, Breakfast Cereals, Baking Mixes & Flour, and Meat & Poultry Products), Sales Channel (Natural & Conventional) & Geography - Global Trends & Forecasts to 2019”
Mergers and acquisitions within the $28 billion pet food market have become common in recent years, but the companies doing the buying are not those known to the category with more companies known for producing human food entering the pet food market.
Louisiana-style hot sauce is still the leader in terms of volume, but increased variety has meant growth for flavors like habanero, chipotle and Sriracha.
When it comes to snack and nutrition bars, convenience and taste rank high among what consumers crave, according to a recent article published in Food Technology magazine by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).
Jessica Alba, Kristen Bell, John Cena, Victor Cruz, Stephen Curry, Nick Jonas, Colin Kaepernick, Cam Newton and other celebrities and athletes support the healthy food campaign.
In the last decade, the cases of food allergies have doubled, and the number of hospitalizations caused by severe allergic reactions has increased seven-fold.