Pinnacle Foods introduced two new lines of Wish-Bone salad dressing last month with new packaging intended to lend a fresh, handmade look. The E.V.O.O. line features a smaller die-cut label to highlight its contents and a white background to indicate purity, while the Ristorante Italiano line uses graphics emphasizing ingredients such as Parmesan cheese and roasted garlic, said John Nunziato, chief creative officer for design company Little Big Brands.

Angie's Boomchickapop has seen "explosive" growth over the last three years, co-founder Angie Bastian said. The ready-to-eat popcorn brand keeps taste, nutrition and clean ingredients top-of-mind when developing new products, such as its new summer-inspired Sweet Barbecue flavor. "It's a balance of making sure the product first tastes good and then can be lightened up on, let’s say the caramel or cheese, in a way that can reduce the calories and not lose taste," Bastian said.

Several beverage categories saw sales growth in February, led by strong performance in bottled water, according to Nielsen data. The bottled water category posted double-digit volume growth in the four-week period ending Feb. 27, led by brands Poland Spring, Smartwater, Propel and Aquafina, Cowen and Company analyst Vivien Azer wrote in a report. A 10.4% increase in sales by volume for Gatorade led growth in sports drinks, and sales of ready-to-drink teas were up 5.4% by volume.

Visibility is crucial to supply chain management, and new technologies are providing new solutions that can increase efficiency, Vikram Balasubramanian writes. Cloud-based networks can support integration efforts and multi-enterprise platforms, but managers need to evaluate tech programs to ensure they match customer demand while also anticipating disruptions and providing automated solutions.

Food retailers must recognize that millennials see food as a shared experience, and cooking classes and other in-store events and content like recipe cards are key to engaging millennial shoppers, according to this article. Sharing recipes and other food inspiration on social media can also help retailers connect with millennials, more than half of whom have made a recipe they've seen on social media, according to data from Minio Studio.

Doritos is celebrating its 50th birthday with "Bold 50," a yearlong push that is encouraging consumers to break 50 world records while incorporating the brand's chips in their efforts. "Doritos talks about bold flavors, so the idea of breaking records by doing crazy things is absolutely consistent with the brand," SheSpeaks' Aliza Freud said.

Shoppers consider fresh produce the most important factor when deciding where to buy their groceries, according to the most recent United Fresh Produce Association's FreshFacts report. The report also found that produce is the second-largest driver behind fresh sales, accounting for nearly a third of fresh sales and coming after only the meat department.

Ganeden teamed with leading food and beverage companies to introduce more than 60 new probiotic products at the Natural Products Expo West last week. Among the items made with the company's patented GanedenBC30 probiotic were cold brew coffee from Jus by Julie, almond butter from Naturally More and Suja's Pressed Probiotic Waters.

Not only will 2016 see the return of the highly rated idea exchange, conference attendees will hear from speakers Amy Kircher and John Hoffman for a special pre-conference session on food defense. Join your colleagues during this hands-on session, in which attendees will conduct a hypothetical vulnerability assessment and develop mitigation strategies. The 2016 Science Forum is not one to miss; hotel deadline is March 28 -- register today!

The Biotech Labeling Solutions Act did not receive enough votes Wednesday to advance in the US Senate, effectively blocking the proposed legislation that would invalidate GMO labeling laws at the state level. "Despite today's vote, there continues to be a strong bipartisan consensus to protect American consumers from the increased food costs and confusion of a 50-state patchwork of labeling laws," said GMA President and CEO Pamela Bailey. "GMA is committed to rolling up our sleeves to work with Chairman Roberts and Senator Stabenow so that the Senate can enact a bipartisan solution in the near future."