• 🍽️ Daily Harvest Launches GLP-1 Companion Collection
• 👔 New Year, New Executive Appointments (and Departures)
• 🪓 Perfect Day Splits With Co-Founders
• 🏀 Catalina Crunch Gets An Alley-Oop With NBA Star Partnership

As we look into the Nosh crystal ball and attempt to make sense of what to expect in 2024, we called up a few regulatory experts to run through what they are watching this year. 

Sam Jockel is partner at law firm Alston and Bird and previously served as counsel at both the USDA and FDA and Kristi Boswell, also counsel at Alston and Bird, is a former Senior Adviser to the Secretary of Agriculture. Here’s a look at what they are watching for this year:

🌱 Strengthening The Organic Enforcement Rule: This is one of the most significant updates to the organic standards in nearly a decade, Jockel claims. The new rule goes into effect in March and gives the USDA greater oversight authority over the organic supply chain globally.

Major updates include a new requirement for all processors and handlers of organic products and ingredients to hold a certification through the USDA. There are plenty more changes wrapped into this rule, so be sure to catch up with your organic certifiers and suppliers. 

🧑‍🌾 What's Up With The Farm Bill? Boswell believes legislators and regulators are on the same page about the need for a new farm bill. However, following the bill’s full year extension in September, the new deadline lands right in line with the 2024 presidential election, making matters a bit more difficult.  

Nevertheless, the hemp industry has been lobbying for the FDA to regulate CBD-containing CPG products while marijuana industry proponents have been pushing for stricter definitions and an effective ban on hemp-derived delta-8 THC.  

🧪 Bioengineered Food Disclosures: Jockel believes 2024 could be the year debates around bioengineered or non-GMO food disclosures are finally put to rest. In the final rule, the USDA permits food producers to use QR codes for these disclosures – a first for a mandatory label claim – which sparked debate and lawsuits from retailers and consumer interest groups alike. 

Despite the ongoing litigation, the USDA has enacted little to no enforcement over the rule since it went into effect at the beginning of 2022. Jockel believes this may signal that consumer interest has since moved on to other issues like environmental contaminants and the safety of food ingredients: “maybe [non-GMO] was the flavor of the day.”

For more on what to expect in 2024 – read the full story on Nosh.

Today, Daily Harvest announced the launch of its ‘January Jumpstart’ plan with 15 “calorically conscious” dishes spanning breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. The meals start at less than $20 per day for new customers.

🆕 The plan also marks the rollout of the brand’s new GLP-1 Companion Food Collection – created to support consumer’s weight management when on GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy. 

📦 The full GLP-1 Companion Food Collection – which includes meals like Mushroom + Miso Soup, Gigante Bean + Savoy Cabbage Harvest Bowl and Tomato Basil + Portobello Bolognese Pasta – is available online for $118.46. 

🤔 According to a recent survey conducted by Daily Harvest, just 17% of consumers believe their diet meets their nutritional needs “very well.” Thirty-seven percent of respondents polled by the brand said they’d be generally willing to try GLP-1 drugs to lose weight. 

The new year is here and with it has come some exciting new hires in the food CPG industry. Here are some of the most notable “people moves” we’ve observed over the past week:

🍜 Brian Huff has been named president and CEO of Nissin Foods USA (owner of Top Ramen and Cup Noodles) as the company expands U.S. operations. Huff brings over 33 years of industry experience and is a former executive of Diamond Foods, Whole Earth Brands and Kellogg’s. 

👤 Hain Celestial has brought on Amber Jefferson as chief people officer to oversee the company’s global human resources function and provide leadership for the culture and talent strategy supporting Hain’s transformation efforts. 

🥕 Bolthouse Farms president and COO Bill Levisay announced his retirement in a LinkedIn post. He will pass the reins to Tim Escamilla for the ag-side of the business. Steve Cornell will now run the CPG beverage and salad dressing business under the Generous Brands arm.

Keep an eye on Nosh today for more People Moves.

After a somewhat tumultuous 2023, this year is shaping up to be another season of change for precision fermentation company Perfect Day. 

👋 On Friday, Ag Funder News reported that the company had parted ways with co-founders Ryan Pandya and Perumal Gandhi and installed current president TM Narayan as interim CEO.

💸 The co-founders are not retaining their board seats and the changes come as the alt dairy company is in the process of raising a $90 million investment round. Thus far, the company has brought in about $750 million in outside capital.

⏭️ Perfect Day laid off 134 employees in July and said it would sell its CPG arm, The Urgent Company, as it looked to prioritize its B2B ingredient business. New plant-based CPG platform Superlatus acquired The Urgent Company in August.

Taking a page from the Wheaties playbook, today Catalina Crunch launched a limited-edition Honey Nut With Almonds with New York Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson, who is also featured on the front of the box.

👏 The partnership will also see Catalina make donations to City Harvest, one of New York City's largest food rescue organizations, for every box of the LTO cereal sold.

🍫 The company produces high-protein, non-GMO products and most recently has worked to diversify its range into new categories by leaning into chocolate and cereals.

Stay tuned to Nosh for more on how Catalina Crunch is positioning itself to disrupt the snack category later this week.