• 📉 WK Kellogg Q4 Sales Drag
• 💉 Danone Enters The GLP-1 Chat
• 📈 eGrocery Sales Climb 17% 
• 🤨 Meatable Steps Out Of Protein
• 🤝 Retail Media and Product Sampling
• 🍸 ‘Cream Will Rise To The Top.’ How Emily Heintz Is Raising The Bar With Sèchey.

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How is General Mills bulking up its innovation pipeline? A new brand by the conglomerate – Lofty Eats – appeared to be gearing up to launch a full set of protein-enhanced foods made from a handful of natural-leaning ingredients. 

We did some sleuthing, found a handful of preliminary landing pages, but heard back from General Mills that “Lofty Eats was a consumer insights test website for one of [the company’s] innovation teams to better understand consumer preferences.”

The spokesperson confirmed that none of the items listed – which range from flatbreads and dips to ice cream and waffles – are planned to launch. 

Wow, though, General Mills is really looking hard at Cottage Cheese. The on-trend ingredient was listed as the main protein source for pages detailing whipped cottage cheese dips as well as flatbreads, waffles and ice cream. There were also mentions of cannellini beans and edamame-based dips for “even more protein.”

What’s with this new work(out)? Well, ICYMI, cottage cheese is cool now. And so are high-protein products. Add clean, simple ingredients to that list, and it appears General Mills was testing an on-trend trifecta for CPG products in 2025. 

One of the main formats – cottage cheese ice cream – already has early momentum in the market with upstart brand Smearcase debuting at the Summer Fancy Food Show last July. 

For a large conglomerate, General Mills has a history of moving fast on food trends, by way of insights from its venture arm 301 INC and venture studio G-Works, which were rolled into the Gold Medal Ventures division in 2023. But its track record for keeping those innovations alive hasn’t produced stellar results. Its many G-Works endeavors, including animal-free dairy brand Bold Cultr, probiotic kids brand Doolies and diabetic-friendly bar brand Good Measure, are now all deceased. 

Does Lofty Eats signal a new era in the General Mills innovation strategy? The spokesperson said the test was used to “evaluate consumer interest and engagement, and then use those learnings in their innovation model.”

While 301 INC was an early investor in cottage cheese category captain Good Culture; we’ve confirmed there is no affiliation between Good Culture and this test project. 

Could experiments like this help keep General Mills ahead of the curve? We will be watching. 

Go Deeper: How Cottage Cheese Is Keeping Its Cool

The “challenging” business environment pushed WK Kellogg net sales down 1.8% year-over-year in Q4, per its earnings report this morning. Here’s a look at the key numbers: 

• Full-year net sales fell 2% to $2.7 billion in 2024
• Productivity improvements and supply chain waste reduction efforts pumped up Q4 net income 26.7% to $19 million
• Full-year reported net income dropped 34.5% due to a portfolio realignment and restructuring costs 

⏩ Organic net sales are expected to decline 1%, and adjusted EBITDA is expected to grow between 4% and 6% during 2025. 

GLP-1 drugs have entered the Danone North America chat. The company partnered with registered dietitians to offer nutrition advice and education on the medications during a live, five-hour chat on Instagram today.

🥣 The yogurt maker said it tracked a spike in searches for weight loss medications during the Super Bowl. It also launched a GLP-1 nutrition website promoting its Oikos, Too Good and Dannon Light + Fit Greek yogurt products.

📈 As interest in GLP-1 weight loss medications continues to rise, packaged food manufacturers including Nestle and Conagra Brands are finding ways to capitalize on the trend – while staying top of mind for consumers with a shrinking share of stomach.

Go Deeper: Innovating in the ‘Ozempic Era’

Online grocery sales jumped 17% year-over-year to $10 billion in January, driven by membership and subscription discounts, per the latest Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey. 

🗓️ January marked the sixth consecutive month where online grocery sales were above $9.5 billion. 

🚚 All three order fulfillment methods – delivery, pickup, and ship-to-home – posted sales gains in January. 

💭 Delivery sales accelerated dramatically, surging 37% to $4.1 billion, primarily from growth in mass (Read: Walmart). The fulfillment method also posted an “exceptionally strong” expansion in its monthly active user base (MAUs) and gains in order frequency. 

Food tech company named Meatable is developing inedible products. No, not that kind. 

🐄 Meatable has partnered with fellow Dutch tech company Pelagen to make animal-free leather using cultured animal cells.

🥩 Last year, Meatable brought on meat industry veteran Jeff Tripician as CEO as it refocused from cell-cultured meat production to providing its IP to various industries.

💭 “Just as Meatable is revolutionizing the way we produce and consume meat, Pelagen is redefining leather manufacturing with a sustainable approach,” Tripician said in a statement.

Product sampling capabilities are coming to retail media as Upshop partners with Swish Brand Experiences to integrate the latter’s data-led sponsored product sampling software into its platform.

🛒  Retailers will be able to launch data-driven sampling campaigns with CPG brand partners via the collaboration – unlocking new revenue streams and bridging the gap between digital and physical shopper engagement, according to the companies.

💬 The offering is poised to convert incremental shoppers and “create long-term customer value” said Swish CEO Adam Stave. 

Emily Heintz, the founder of dynamic non-alcoholic beverage platform Sèchey, joins us for a deep dive into her vision for the company, including how Gen Z and millennial lifestyles are shaping awareness and trial, and why the founder’s voice is the most essential tool in connecting with customers.

Listen to the episode now. Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.