Fortified chocolate and artisan vodka distilled from native varieties of potato are just two products to hit the market with the support of Peruvian investment program Innóvate Peru.
US company C16 Biosciences has developed a way to 'brew' palm oil through microbial fermentation, producing sustainable, deforestation-free palm oil. But what will the impact on smallholder farmers be - and will consumers accept it?
From probiotic cheeses in Brazil to mamey sapote-flavored drinking yogurt in Mexico, we take a look at some products tapping into Latin America's top dairy trends, according to market research firm Zenith Global
Mexican fruit pulp and concentrate supplier Mexifrutas will build a new US$20-million fruit processing plant in Costa Rica, its first operation outside Mexico.
Latin American government officials met in Mexico City this week to develop a regional road map to remove trans fats from food. We round up some of the region's regulatory action.
Developing new food products in Brazil, a country of continental proportions, can be a daunting task. We caught up with Brazilian NPD consultant, Cristina Leonhardt, known as Mrs Innovative, to find out where to start.
Nestlé Brazil has launched an own-brand supermarket, Empório, at its new headquarters to give consumers a brand experience with tastings, new products and home delivery options.
Between 65 and 80% of packaged food and beverage products in Colombia would meet criteria to receive front-of-package warning labels, says a new study.
Mexico’s sugar tax is hitting poor people, increasing inequality and failing to tackle obesity, says the country’s soft drink group ANPRAC – but a recent academic paper suggests even regressive sugar taxes are still “socially desirable”.
PepsiCo Latin America is launching its 'Recycling with Purpose' program by rolling out Ecoins in Peru, a virtual currency that offers consumers discounts for recyclable waste.
Mexican food design agency Foodlosofia has worked with industry giants such as PepsiCo and Heineken to develop new products, retail concepts and eating experiences. We caught up with its CEO and creative designer to find out more.
Latin American and Caribbean countries are the biggest consumers of sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juices in the world, according to a recent study.
As of today (June 17), all processed food and drink products sold in Peru must carry a 'stop sign' warning label if they are high in salt, sugar and saturated fat, or contain trans fat.
Benni Alimentos has launched a soluble cashew nut milk powder that has a two-year shelf life, making plant-based milk alternatives more practical, it says.
BioZen, which claims to be the first company to make kombucha in Brazil, is launching fruit kefir. We talked to its co-founder about low-sugar drinks, gut health and reaching male consumers.
Dried fruit and vegetable powders allow manufacturers to add extra nutrients and color to food and drink products, says Brazilian supplier Sylvestre Natural Ingredients.
The rheological properties of fructans from the agave tequilana cactus make them useful as texture agents in food products, according to Mexican scientists.
Nestlé Brazil has launched a sugar calculator that shows the percentage a given product contributes to their daily recommended sugar intake, offering consumers 'critical insight" for "more conscious choices", it says.
Sweet Green Fields has launched a patent-pending taste modulator derived from the stevia leaf that increases the perceived sweetness of high-intensity sweeteners.
Children in Costa Rica are exposed to "an overabundance" of unhealthy food marketing on television with over 90% of adverts against World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations, prompting calls for restrictions.
Eating a diet high in ultra-processed foods causes weight gain because the natural food matrix has been changed to remove fiber, according to the first randomized controlled trial (RCT) in this area.
PepsiCo has patented a process to co-ferment oats and dairy milk, creating a drinkable or spoonable product with "unique" metabolites and a versatile taste profile.
Scientists have discovered the Vanilla bahiana orchid has 'good production potential' to become an alternative source of natural vanilla as it contains the right enzymes for vanillin biosynthesis.
Mexican start-up Xilinat has won first prize at Chivas Venture for its natural sweetener made from 'upcycled' agricultural waste thanks to a patent-protected process .
ConMéxico: 'This confirms the label is correct, truthful and transparent'
Mexico’s Supreme Court of Justice has ruled the country’s nutrition label, SEFAB, is constitutional and respects the public’s right to food, health and information, a decision welcomed by the food industry but decried by civil society.
Mexico’s current nutrition label is deficient, incomprehensible and should be replaced by Chilean-style warning labels, a governmental advisory committee has said.
In a small cohort of overweight children, almost 25% were diagnosed with food addition, says a new study from Brazil. Among the factors associated with this diagnosis was a higher consumption of ultra-processed foods.
Ecuadorian start-up Takay sources fruit that has been rejected by buyers for aesthetic reasons to create its healthy, ready-to-blend smoothie and ice cream mixes.
Argentina's food waste law, which encourages food businesses to donate surplus produce to food banks while protecting them from prosecution, has entered into force.
Brand familiarity and trust create a protective 'shield’ that leads consumers to perceive a product as healthy – even if a red warning traffic light is telling them otherwise, according to data from Ecuador and Chile.
Brazilian farmers are gearing up to harvest guarana fruit as a two-year project to promote cultivation of higher-yielding and hardier guarana varieties comes to an end.
The Cuban government wants more international investment in the country's food industry - a tempting proposition given there are few foreign competitors. But how easy is it to do business in a communist country?
Arcor’s head of nutrition development tells us how it is making its products healthier, from reducing sugar with prebiotics and researching fat crystallization to applying nutrient thresholds and shrinking portion sizes.
Brazil’s Institute of Consumer Protection (IDEC) has launched a platform that allows the public to identify ‘misleading’ or ‘abusive’ food advertising.
The NOVA food classification bears "striking similarity" to the way ordinary Brazilians classify food, increasing its efficacy, according to a study. "This classification has introduced a new way of thinking about food," they write.
Stevia, allulose, and fiber are Tate & Lyle’s three key ingredients for successful sugar reduction in Latin America. “These will show the biggest growth in Latin America for sugar reduction,” it says.
Nestlé Brazil's legal vice president Flavio de Souza, the new chair of Brazilian trade association ABIA, has slammed warning nutrition labels as misleading and alarmist.
De-cocainized coca leaf extract makes diet cola sodas taste better, according to a patent, and the scientist behind it is promising "a revolution in soda beverages that benefits the people of South America, not anonymous multinationals".
Nuts are "delicious, nutritious and tailor-made for the functional food market"- but the market in Brazil is stagnating. FoodNavigator-LATAM caught up with the president of trade association ABNC about how it plans to change this.
In price-sensitive markets such as Latin America, does clean label reformulation to make products healthier or more natural offer a return on investment?
Bean-to-bar chocolate supplier Alerlit talks to FoodNavigator-LATAM about the origins of Mexican-style hot chocolate, the country's 'floral' cocoa flavor and its production process.
Adding the Nutri-Score to food and drink resulted in Colombians choosing more green-labeled products - not fewer red ones - and spending more overall in-store. “This is a potential financial incentive to stores,” say the researchers.
