Investing in the Future of Food: Manna Tree investors seek emerging brands focused on human health As the ongoing pandemic accelerates consumer interest in the role of nutrition in wellness and underscores the supply chain’s fragility, the investors at Manna Tree Partners are looking for at least three growth stage companies that are revolutionizing the production, delivery and consumption of food to support human health.
With $235 million in assets under its management as of last month and six investments already in its portfolio to date, Manna Tree’s managing director Pam Shepherd shares in this episode of FoodNavigator-USA’s Investing in the Future of Food where she see the most potential to improve human health and create a more transparent, stable supply chain.
Retailers challenged with restoring customer satisfaction lost during the pandemic: ACSI report Customer satisfaction with the retail sector has hit a low point across most channels particularly supermarkets and online retail hit where consumer sentiment dipped to a five-year low, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s (ACSI) Retail and Consumer Shipping Report 2020-2021.
ACSI’s
annual report is based on interviews with 70,767 US consumers between Jan. 13, 2020 and Dec. 27, 2020.
Waves of disruption impacted all channels of retail, and customer sentiment declined across the board, reported ACSI.
“From mandatory closures that halted in-person shopping to stock shortages caused by panic buying, retailers experienced anything but business as usual. Deliveries from online retailers were delayed, and customers were frustrated when high-demand items sold out. And it shows, as 86% of the retailers measured suffer downturns in cu
Danone splits chairman and CEO functions, begins recruitment process for new CEO Danone s Board of Directors has confirmed a proposal from current chairman and CEO, Emmanuel Faber, to separate the functions of chairman and CEO in the near future, and has begun looking for a new CEO.
Danone said it has launched the recruitment process for a new CEO, and once complete, Faber will focus on his role as non-executive Chairman. In the meantime, Faber will continue as chairman and CEO of Danone.
The multi-billion dollar global CPG company, which has a strong presence in dairy and a growing portfolio of plant-based dairy alternatives, came under pressure after activist investor, Bluebell Capital Partners, criticized Danone for its
Maple Leaf Foods: ‘We unequivocally believe that the investments’ in plant-protein ‘will be rewarded’ Maple Leaf Foods will continue to invest heavily in plant-based protein, including renovating and relaunching two of North America’s “best-known and most-loved” brands Lightlife and Field Roast, although the division fell far short of company targets and competition increased during the company’s fourth quarter.
During fiscal 2020, Maple Leaf’s plant protein division drove revenue up 19.5% but it failed to meet the company’s 30% target increase due mainly to pandemic-related supply chain challenges, incremental costs and commercialization restrictions that hampered new product launches and limited food service, the company revealed late last week in its fourth quarter earnings report.
Consumer Brands Association marks first anniversary with growth, renewed industry trust, on point agenda A sharp increase in the Consumer Brands Association’s membership in 2020 underscores how the trade group’s “pro-consumer, pro-growth agenda” is helping it regain the trust and support of the CPG industry, including some companies that left the organization while it was under different leadership as the Grocery Manufacturers Association.
In the year since the Consumer Brands Association rebranded from the Grocery Manufacturers Association, 18 CPG companies have returned to the fold or joined for the first time – representing a 30% increase in membership that includes both large established players and emerging brands.