Latin America's food and beverage retail scene is extremely vibrant but also fiercely competitive with a stronghold of local majors, so entering requires forward-thinking and a strong partnership strategy, an expert says.
The food and beverage giant has reported that organic revenue grew 3.5% for Latin America, with strong growth in Argentina and Colombia. However, the truckers’ strike in Brazil hit overall revenue.
Nestlé has been reinstated to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil's (RSPO) certificate and membership scheme after almost three weeks of suspension for failing to file sustainability reports.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has been operating in Latin America for ten years but the majority of its membership remains producers, so the next big push has to come from local brands, says its outreach and engagement manager.
Young entrepreneurs with bright ideas are critical to the progress of food and beverages and PepsiCo is always on the lookout for innovation within this community, says its president for Latin America Beverages.
Awareness of acrylamide among consumers across Latin America is slowly on the rise, but progress in Europe and the US shows there are solutions to help prevent formation of this suspected carcinogen.
Gluten-free and lactose-free are two of the leading growth categories in the evolving free-from category in Brazil, with ‘free-from’ also tipped as the most promising trend across the whole region, according to Euromonitor International.
“Latin America is one of the largest opportunities for probiotic fortified foods and beverages,” says Kerry’s Mike Bush, but consumer education is a challenge to growing the market.
Dairy-free 'milk' alternatives remain modest in Latin America with consumers being priced out, following years of economic strain, says the executive director of dairy at Rabobank.
PepsiCo will use more local Brazilian ingredients like mandioquinha, arrowroot and açaí to develop nutritious and unusual products for its global portfolio, according to the company's vice president of R&D in Latin America.
Corona leads the throng of beer brands that dominate the 2018 BrandZ Top 50 most valuable Latin American Brands list, and with only three food companies ranked it begs the question: what can industry learn from the likes of Corona and Skol?
Frito-Lay has developed a method to manufacture tortilla chips without oven toasting or fresh corn processing, providing a cost-effective and efficient alternative to traditional production.
Producing probiotic beverages made with pineapple juice and the yeast Meyerozyma caribbica leads to good sensorial characteristics and high consumer acceptance.
Following a year blighted by corruption, Brazil's beef sector needs to work hard to market its produce better, and sustainable messaging could be key to unlocking expansion, says a Rabobank Brazil analyst.
Replacing some of the sugar in cookies with an aqueous stevia extract produced high consumer liking scores, while also boosting fiber content and showing good metabolic benefits, report Mexican scientists.
Latin America consumes large amounts of unpackaged artisanal dairy products but brands can innovate and sophisticate consumption to grasp new business, and the success of cheese is a good point of inspiration, according to Euromonitor International.
Yogurt sections in grocery stores across LATAM are growing as consumer demand for the products increase. In response, brands are innovating with on-the-go and high protein versions increasingly in demand.
When it comes to sugar, fat and salt reduction, Latin America can learn a lot from Europe and the US as most of the complex, technical aspects have already been refined, says a formulation expert.
Food firms need to think small to be big in today's consumer market, using personalized marketing and investing on a regional level, says Rabobank's global consumer foods strategist.
Protein is hot, and nowhere more so than in Latin America, where the percentage of high protein new product launches per year is almost double the global average.
Denmark-based Novozymes is seeing significant opportunity in a number of sectors in Latin America, with significant opportunities in low-lactose applications and artisanal-baked goods in Brazil, says the company’s VP for food and beverages, Americas.
'Exclusive with FAO LATAM's Senior Food Security and Nutrition Officer'
Fighting obesity and malnutrition in Latin America requires sustainable change across the entire food system, not just silver bullets in parts of the chain, says an FAO executive.
Welcome to FoodNavigator-LATAM.com, the home of authoritative and independent news and insights about the food and beverage industries across Central and South America.
Quaker aligns well with increasing nutrition concerns throughout Mexico, so it will play a key role in growing presence in this important market, says PepsiCo Mexico's corporate affairs head.
Engaging and interactive packaging in Latin America is a must for food and beverage brands because consumers are highly connected digitally, says Tetra Pak's global marketing head.
Cost-effective formulations are a must in Latin America where the majority of end consumers still have a limited disposable income and are seeking out low-cost products, says Ingredion.
Starch from the seeds of loquat (Eriobothrya japonica) showed stability to heat than conventional starch sources, and could “represent a promising alternative to chemically modified starches”.
Health and wellness must be collectively addressed and space must be made for improved dialogue and policy development between industry and the public sector, says the president of the Alliance of Food and Beverage Associations in Latin America (ALAIAB).
Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Sensient Technologies completed its acquisition of the natural color business of Lima, Peru-based GlobeNatural. The new entity will operate as Sensient Natural Colors Peru S.A.C.
Consumers in Latin America want healthy food and beverages made in a sustainable and transparent way and expectations are much higher than the global average, says consulting major Edelman.
The United Kingdom wants to drive up food and beverage exports to Latin America but high tariffs and complex trade barriers may make market penetration hard, says UK industry head.
Industry and governments must unite to address the astonishing problem of obesity in Latin America and a focus on early-life nutrition must be prioritized, says a food policy expert.
Naturex has expanded its regional application network with two laboratories in Latin America that it hopes will spur growth and deepen presence in the region.
The dedicated regional group will work with beverage players across Latin America and the Caribbean to create a collective agenda; streamlining policies, processes and communication, its executive director says.
Latin American manufacturers can thrive in the fast-expanding global halal market, especially by targeting the booming UAE region, say industry experts.
High inflation in many Latin American countries is pushing consumers to shop based on value, but whether they define this as higher quality or larger quantity varies on their age, goals and specific country, according to recent research from Nielsen....
The harmonization of regulations means a bright future is ahead for the export of food products and food ingredients into Latin America, a consultant says.
Startup Vega Coffee wants to create a “more equitable coffee experience” by empowering small-holder farmers to roast and sell their own beans directly to consumers through a subscription at a higher profit margin than their unroasted green beans would...