Dairy Farmers of America has launched a milk-based energy drink that doesn’t rely on caffeine or other stimulants. Available in berry berry, peach mango and strawberry banana—they are made with lactose-free skim milk, fruit juice, whey protein isolate, added vitamins and green tea extract. Unlike traditional energy drinks products, the energy in Live Real Farms is not derived from caffeine. | Beverage Daily


Jackfruit, a previously hard-to-find but popular meat substitute among vegans, is going mainstream in the US with two manufacturers launching ready-to-eat product lines featuring the fibrous plant as the main ingredient. The Jackfruit Company & Upton Naturals both launched plant-based, center-of-the-plate options that can be reheated and ready in minutes. | Food Navigator





Apples and pears aren’t the only fall fruits—try their relative, the quince. The flesh is tart, even astringent, when raw, but cooking coaxes out it sweetness. Quinces are delicious in desserts and savory dishes. | Martha Stewart Living






Charcoal seems to be the drink trend of the year: It’s showing up in all sorts of bottled juices. The purified powder has detoxifying properties—ERs use it for poison control—but health pros are divided on how effective these edible doses are for freshening breath, clearing skin and improving digestion. | Food Network Magazine


Bright-hued foods get all the glory, but the force of antioxidants, vitamins and other key ingredients—are in strong inky eats. The October issue of Health Magazine gives great tasting recipes with healthy “dark” ingredients such as chocolate black quinoa cake, blackberry turkey focaccia flatbread, black lentil beet salad and scallops with black garlic sauce.




Sales of these itty-bitty cabbages a.k.a. Brussel sprouts, have shot up recently. They’re so popular that Mark’s & Spencer, a U.K. grocery chain is launching a holiday collection of Brussel sprouts delicacies: Brussels sausages, sprout juice and Brusselsmole (a sprout-guac mashup). Your move, kale! | Food Network Magazine




There’s a new Dew, but it won’t be seeing a national rollout until 2016. Mt Dew Black Label is a Dew with a dark berry flavor, real sugar, herbal bitters, and 83 milligrams of caffeine per 16-ounce can. According to Mtn Dew Kid, the number one source for Mountain Dew news, the beverage is currently being sold at colleges until the end of the year. | The Impuslive Buy





As the first QSR restaurant, Taco Bell launched their certified vegetarian menu. They added a vegetarian category to its website and mobile ordering app features 13 certified items including dishes like 7-Layer Burrito, Cantina Power Veggie Bowl and to the breakfast menu Biscuit Taco. | Eater


Imagine toffee that’s been pumped full of air pockets—that’s the texture of honeycomb candy. The crispy confection is made when baking soda is added to dark caramel, trapping the bubbles to like, well, honeycomb. Bon Appetit suggests swirling it into buttercream frosting for a cake, tossing it with roasted sweet potatoes or swap it for the butter in an apple crumb topping.




Google recently announced that they will start testing a grocery delivery service later this year in two cities, one of which is San Francisco (the other has yet to be announced). They have already partnered with Whole Foods & Costco for this service, and are looking to give Amazon some competition. | Trendfire