• 🆕 Gallery: This Week’s Notable New Products
• 🌱 A Bite With… Samantha O’Donnell, co-founder of Punch Edibles
• 🥚 Vital Farms Reports Record Q1 Revenue
• 💅 Ring Pop, Sally Hansen Launch Nail Polish
• 🥵 NYT: Another Sriracha Shortage?

Who would have guessed Jerry Seinfeld’s directorial debut would be for a movie so tied to CPG it almost feels as if he’s a… BevNET and Nosh Insider? 

Although the real Rotten Tomatoes effectively dubbed “Unfrosted” a snore – “much like a preservative-packed toaster pastry… it's ultimately an empty experience that may leave the consumer feeling pangs of regret” – I dare to say these common critics (a.k.a. non-CPG people, we’d assume) just simply do not have the deep Insider knowledge to truly appreciate Marjorie Post’s demands for premium shelf space: “nothing near Kosher food or cat chow,” she asserts, while being played by Amy Schumer. 

The humor of Post’s new artificial sweetener – aptly named carcin-o-sweet – may resonate with reformed Splenda users, but for all of you natural products nerds who have spent months (and plenty of money) hunting for the right sweetener for your better-for-you treats, the idea of carcin-o-sweet may just hit a little bit harder.

But the utter ridiculousness, and how closely that ridiculousness may resonate with all of you visionary food innovators out there, is the real reason we are so sweet on “Unfrosted.” Take one of the early scenes where Kellogg’s and Post execs are gathered at the “Bowl and Spoon Awards” – a big night for the cereal tycoons of Battle Creek – where they compete for prizes like inventor of the “Easiest To Open Wax Bag” and “Best Use of Niacin.” 

These may seem like insignificant accomplishments, but you all know well, it's the small things, like new forms of packaging, that make a product successful. We may even be convinced to start an “In Memoriam” section of this newsletter, which, during the “Bowl and Spoons,” celebrates the lives of all the SKUs that got discontinued, such as Wilt Chamberflakes and Grandma’s Holes. 

The awards ceremony may be the most tame scene of the whole thing. It is quickly followed by Seinfeld’s character, Bob Cabana of Kellogg’s, finding two children dumpster-diving to “get the goo” (i.e. scraps of Post’s early Pop-Tart-like product), which forces breakfast category competitor Kellogg’s to think outside of the (cereal) box in order to beat Post in creating the first shelf-stable, fruit-filled breakfast pastry. Cabana even enlists the “most innovative, unconventional minds of the 60s,” including “canned meatball whiz kid, Chef Boyardee” and fitness guru Jack LaLanne, to spearhead R&D.

And don’t worry about spoilers (yet): That all happens in the first 15 minutes. While Kellogg’s and Post pursue the perfect toaster pastry, they create a sea-monkey-filled ravioli that goes on to terrorize Kellogg’s offices (at some point it also grows a face), a January 6th-like riot of cereal mascots takes place (we still aren’t sure about this sub-plot line), all while Big Dairy adopts a mob-like approach to protecting breakfast as they knew it way when back then. You know, all standard industry stuff. 

In conclusion, while we don’t believe “Unfrosted” will win any Academy Awards (though we may have to make some room on the upcoming Nosh Notables list), the expert parodying of the CPG innovation process is a spectacle worth seeing… maybe just once.

It’s finally Friday, folks! And that can only mean one thing – it’s time for the release of our weekly new product gallery. Here’s a brief overview of what’s in store:

🌛 Lesser Evil shoots for the moon with its new Moonions crunchy organic corn rings available in Hyperspace Hot Onion and Intergalactic Onion flavors. Both flavors are crafted using organic avocado oil.

🍪 Chips Ahoy unveils its first ever certified gluten-free chocolate chip cookie, set to begin rolling out to stores this month. According to the brand, its innovation team developed more than 40 recipes over 3,000 hours before landing on the final gluten-free product. 

Keep an eye out for the full NPG on Nosh later today. 

California-based cannabis company Punch Edibles and Extracts has evolved over the past decade from its roots as a THC chocolate bar maker to producing a wide range of products. Most recently, Punch acquired savory edible brand Tempo Crackers. Nosh caught up with co-founder Samantha O’Donnell to hear how the company has matured alongside the changing cannabis market and how it's strategizing for the future. Here’s a taste of the Q&A:

What was the attraction to acquiring Tempo Snacks? “Early on, we saw the potential of tapping into the savory market in cannabis. We knew it wasn't the biggest of categories, but a lot of things that you do in cannabis is a long play.”

What's the biggest potential impact of rescheduling? “The prospect of the tax constraints going away is interesting…Having a reduced tax burden provides a higher profit after tax. It would allow us to have more capital to grow, to come out with new products faster and pay off expenses.”

Check out the full interview on Nosh for more insight about where O’Donnell believes the state of THC is heading.

Ethically-sourced egg and butter producer Vital Farms reported record revenues at $147.9 million, up 24.1% compared to the same period last year during its Q1 earnings this week. Vital also announced it will acquire land for a new egg facility, a key part of its plan to hit $1 billion in annual revenue by 2027. Here’s a rundown of the earnings:

• Gross margin added 400 basis points to 39.8%, compared to 35.8% a year ago
• Net income jumped to $19 million, compared to $7.2 million
• Adjusted EBITDA reached $29.1 million, compared to $13.9 million

In response, Vital raised its full-year expectations with net revenue now $575 million (22% growth) compared to the previous guidance of $552 million or 17% growth. It now expects adjusted EBITDA to be at least $70 million (+45%) compared to previous expectations of $57 million (+18%).

Iconic wearable candy brand Ring Pop has teamed up with beauty brand Sally Hansen to launch a collection of quick-drying nail polish and ready-to-wear artificial nails. The collaboration will be available this month at retailers nationwide. 

💎 The Ring Pop x Sally Hansen Insta-Dri polishes, inspired by the candy’s colors and unique shape, come in a variety of crème, jelly, shimmer and glitter finishes with shades ranging from Very Cherry Jelly to S-melon Like Summer.

🍓 Ready-to-wear artificial nail designs include Do Me a Flavor (orange, oval shape), Straw-Jelly (pink, almond shape), Thank You Berry Much (pink with blue squiggle, almond shape), and Put A Ring On It (blue with green squiggle, coffin shape). 

Sriracha sauce maker Huy Fong Foods told distributors it is pausing production until September due to difficulties sourcing red jalapeño chiles, sparking fears of another shortage of the trendy Asian condiment, the New York Times reported yesterday. 

🌶️ Per Huy Fong in its letter to distributors, the chiles were “too green to proceed with production as it is affecting the color of the product.”

😣 Déjà vu? The company has decreased or halted production multiple times in recent years, citing factors such as crop failure due to drought. Supply issues also stem from the ending of a key sourcing relationship with Underwood Ranches in 2017 over a payment dispute.

👀 Looking for alternatives? Underwood has produced a sriracha sauce since 2020, and Tabasco offers its own version, too.

And last, but not definitely not least, it appears kitchen device producer Ciarra Appliance named a new countertop steam oven and air fryer after us. Introducing the Nosh Oven. We aren’t too sure about the “Where Crispy Meets Moist” tagline but to each their own (oven).