We should have known we were nearing the bottom of the (metaphorical) pumpkin patch when products like Pumpkin Spice SPAM, or even worse, pumpkin spice-scented cat litter first graced store shelves. While the annual autumn indicator may have come earlier this year than ever before (August 24th to be exact) – recent sales data paints a sad status for pumpkin proponents.

For the year ending July 2023, pumpkin spice product sales reached $802 billion, according to data from Nielsen IQ. While total dollar sales are fairly robust, sales growth is slowing. The market researcher found that unit sales of spiced pumpkin products fell 1.5% over the same period – marking the second consecutive year unit sales in the flavor segment have declined.  

Although consumers are beginning to pick less pumpkin products, CPG makers have continued to pump purees and spices into a wide array of new innovations. Take Fly by Jing’s collaboration with Washington, D.C.-based hummus brand Little Sesame for example. The two food companies layered sweet and sour pumpkin and FBJ’s Sichuan Chili Crisp into its classic hummus recipe. 

According to insight from Tastewise, social media conversations about Pumpkin Spice have jumped nearly 75% over the past year. The AI food and beverage insights platform found that consumers are seeking out the flavor most in the snack segment and vegan varieties have become the “dominating diet” within the seasonally-flavored set.

So far this year, natural food producers have been tapping into that trend. Laird launched two new seasonally spiced snack bars, Diamond of California intro’d Pumpkin Pie Spice Snack Walnuts and LesserEvil brought back its Organic Pumpkin Spice Popcorn.

Check out the roundup on NOSH for more cinnamon/nutmeg/clove snacks and stuff. 

The challenges of running a startup cannabis company have consumed TSUMo snacks. According to a LinkedIn post written by former CEO and co-founder Caroline Yeh, the company has closed up shop after an “extraordinarily difficult” past 18 months of operations in California’s regulated cannabis industry.

• Yeh also cited funding difficulties as the reason for the closure, stating in the post that investment “that kept this industry running for the past five years started to run out” and has now completely dried up.
• TSUMo made THC-infused snacks, including mini tortilla rounds, tortilla strips, popped potato chips, crispy flavored rings and puffs. The crispy flavored rings, called Snazzle O’s, were made in collaboration with Snoop Dogg. 
• “I am so proud of my team and what we achieved at TSUMo. We created a new line of truly differentiated products that resonated with consumers and that people loved,” wrote Yeh. “We actually grew the category – doubling it in size in a year.” 

Go Deeper: Hear more of Yeh’s thoughts on the cannabis food space from NOSH Live Winter 2022.

Drug store giant Rite Aid has expanded its private label offerings with the launch of Ello Market – a new collection of snacks, treats and pantry staples. 

• The brand encompasses both better-for-you and indulgent products with an array of products spanning savory nuts to assorted sweets like chocolate almonds and peach rings and trail mixes in Protein and Probiotic varieties.
• The private label line also features pantry and cooking staples like honey and spices.
• According to the Food Industry Association’s (FMI) Power of Private Brands 2023 report, 90% of shoppers said they are likely to continue purchasing private brands even if inflation or the price of groceries decreases. 
• The news comes amid ongoing bankruptcy negotiations for the retailer including an agreement that may decrease its store footprint by nearly 500 locations.

Cell cultivated seafood company BlueNalu announced this week it has raised $33.5 million from new and previous investors. The company is currently working to commercialize a premium bluefin tuna toro.   

• London-based cell-cultured investment group, Agronomics, has brought its equity stake in BlueNalu to 5.12% and total investment of $8 million following the close of this round.
• The San Diego-based food tech company currently operates a pilot facility but is working on a larger 140,000 sq ft facility to be operational by 2027. 
• In a slightly slower approach to commercialization, BlueNalu’s first product tuna product will launch into food service channels, taking a similar strategy to its cultivated-poultry producing colleagues UPSIDE Foods and GOOD Meat.

The Summer of Love might be long gone but soap (and chocolate) maker Dr. Bronner’s is still pushing for the decriminalization of natural psychedelics. The 75-year-old brand said it was a “major disappointment” that California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 58 which would have decriminalized possession for personal use and transportation of mescaline, dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and psilocybin by persons 21 years of age or older.

• Dr. Bronner’s has been an outspoken advocate for drug policy reform including legal hemp farming, ending cannabis prohibition and advancing clinical trials for MDMA and psilocybin-assisted therapy.
• The company has invested and supported legislation similar to the California bill in other states including Oregon, Colorado, and Washington, D.C and has helped strengthen the use of traditional medicines within Indigenous communities through support for the Indigenous Medicine Conservation Fund.