Elmhurst 1925 Brings Fan Favorite OatNog Back for Holidays
Elmhurst 1925 proudly announces the return of OatNog, just in time for the festive season – and makes a special guest appearance in country music sensation Walker Hayes’ latest music video, “Fancy Like Christmas.” Back on shelves this holiday season at retailers nationwide, it’s the perfect choice for anyone craving the nostalgic and delicious flavor of eggnog without the dairy.
A fan-favorite that year-after-year flies off shelves, OatNog is back by popular demand this holiday season, hitting stores across the country, including Publix, the newest addition to its seasonal retail lineup. Crafted to whisk you into a holly jolly mood from the first sip, Elmhurst’s OatNog is a blend of cozy holiday spices, whole grain oats and buttery cashews that’s so decadently creamy, you won’t believe it’s dairy-free.
“We’re so excited to be bringing back OatNog for the holiday season,” said Heba Mahmoud, senior director of brand marketing and innovation at Elmhurst 1925. “Year after year, our OatNog has been a clear hit with consumers. Winter’s really a time for cozy gatherings where we share these indulgent treats with friends and family. Whether shoppers are vegan, plant-based or just trying to eat healthier, we wanted give them permission to indulge in these festive traditions, so we crafted our dairy-free OatNog as a cleaner and more nutritious option. It’s got the creamy, cozy flavor everyone loves, but with less sugar and zero junk ingredients.”
Elmhurst continues to deliver exceptional seasonal products, driving substantial growth in the market. Following the groundbreaking success of the nationwide launch of OatNog in 2021 and its sustained strong sales in 2022, the brand anticipates a renewed surge in consumer demand for this festive favorite. Alongside the return of Pumpkin Spice Oat Creamer and the introduction of Apple Pie Spice Seasonal Blend, Elmhurst is poised for another season of strong consumer interest in OatNog.
In a heartwarming twist, country music star Hayes, a fan of Elmhurst 1925, showcases his affection for OatNog by pouring himself the beverage in his latest holiday music video, “Fancy Like Christmas,” for a kick of seasonal flavor adding to the excitement surrounding this delightful dairy-free beverage, and further resonating with his followers on Instagram and YouTube.
Elmhurst’s commitment to delivering outstanding plant-based beverages is evident in its careful selection of simple ingredients, ensuring that those opting for dairy-free options don’t miss out on the seasonal excitement. OatNog, renowned for its indulgent holiday appeal, offers an unbelievably creamy, rich taste with minimal sugar and no dilution. Crafted with only six simple ingredients, it’s vegan, gluten-free, Non-GMO Project Verified, dairy-free, and OU Kosher, pleasing even the most fervent dairy enthusiasts.
Like all Elmhurst products, OatNog is crafted through a unique HydroRelease method, maintaining the full nutrition of the source ingredient without added gums or emulsifiers. This zero-waste process upcycles waste into renewable energy and is powered by 100 percent renewable hydroelectric power, championing sustainability every step of the way.
As a part of Elmhurst’s ongoing recycling program, currently saving approximately 10,000 mature trees annually, all cartons are 100% recyclable, made from FSC certified paperboard, and transitioned from plastic to paper-based shipping materials for direct-to-consumer orders now using primarily PCR materials for molded fiberboard trays and scrap corrugate as protective filler.
Elmhurst OatNog will be available for purchase at various nationwide retailers, including Publix, World Market, Sprouts, Wegmans, Thrive Market, New Seasons Market, Giant, PCC Community Market and additional locations soon, priced at $6.99 for 32 fluid ounces.
Elmhurst’s plant-based products are available in natural and traditional grocers nationwide, including Sprouts, Wegmans, Publix, Kroger, Ralph’s, King Soopers, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Smith’s Food & Drug, Roundy’s, Bristol Farms, Gelson’s, Fairway, Shaws, Giant, Erewhon and more, along with online availability at Elmhurst1925.com and Amazon.com. To explore Elmhurst’s plant-based milks, visit Elmhurst1925.com.
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HelloFresh Reaffirms Commitment to End Food Insecurity
HelloFresh, the world’s leading meal kit provider, is unveiling striking new data on food insecurity in the United States and reaffirming its commitment to serving people in need through its charitable programs.
Food insecurity, defined by Feeding America as the lack of consistent enough access to food to lead a healthy life, is a pressing issue across the country, recently exacerbated by the end of pandemic-era benefits and the rising cost of living.
This harsh reality is underscored by the Hunger Matters in the U.S. Report, a representative survey of US adults recently commissioned and released by HelloFresh. According to the data:
- Food insecurity is a sweeping issue across America: Nearly one-third of Americans (32%) reported personal experience with food insecurity at some point, while 40% reported having a friend or relative who has experienced food insecurity. More than two-thirds of Americans (69%) acknowledged that food insecurity is a problem in America, while more than half (51%) acknowledged it is a problem in their own communities.
- The economy is top of mind for Americans: Almost three-quarters of respondents (72%) agreed the economy is causing a larger food insecurity crisis. At the same time, more than half of respondents (51%) cited cost and affordability as one of the biggest barriers to eating well. When asked about pressing issues in their community, Americans cited inflation as the top concern (77%), followed by poverty (66%).
- There is a generational divide, with young adults much more likely to go hungry: Respondents ages 18-34 were almost twice as likely to report having experienced food insecurity, compared to respondents ages 55+ (41% vs. 21%, respectively). More than one-third of 18-34 year old respondents (38%) said they believe they have experienced food insecurity in the last year.
- Americans are looking to brands and organizations to take action: More than two-thirds of Americans (68%) said they would like to see brands and organizations do more about the state of hunger and food insecurity. The top three actions that Americans reported they would like organizations to take to address food insecurity are: creating emergency food programs, such as food banks and meal programs (59%); directly donating to people facing food insecurity (51%); and advocating for government policy that focuses on the causes of food insecurity (42%).
“This research not only underscores that the need to fight hunger is tremendous, but also that people are looking for community organizations and brands like HelloFresh to work together to take action to address it,” said Jeffrey Yorzyk, senior director of sustainability at HelloFresh. “Hunger never sleeps so we are committed to continuing our fight against hunger, through the holidays and every day after, alongside our valued partners and customers.”
Fighting Hunger Through Public-Private Partnerships
HelloFresh created Meals with Meaning in 2020 to provide pre-packaged meal kits, with fresh ingredients and step-by-step recipe cards, to people in need—through partnerships with local nonprofits—where HelloFresh has distribution centers. HelloFresh has delivered more than 6 million meals and provides 40,000 meals to people in need each week in Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Newark, New York City and Phoenix. Earlier this month, HelloFresh and partners, the City of Newark and New Jersey’s first food rescue organization Table to Table, marked a significant milestone through its Meals with Meaning program: 2 million meals delivered to people facing food insecurity in the greater Newark area alone.
“In today’s economy, it’s truly a struggle to pay for necessities like rent, utilities and childcare and still have enough money to put healthy, nutritious food on the table. Often trade-offs must occur,” said Julie Kinner, vice president of operations, Table to Table. “For nearly a decade, Table to Table and HelloFresh have proudly partnered to not only provide and deliver fresh food to hungry neighbors but also to ease their stress and provide hope.”
Fighting Hunger By Supporting Individuals in Need
HelloFresh also will keep nominations for its LimeAid program open through the end of the year to help families in need through the holiday season. LimeAid is HelloFresh’s effort to fight food insecurity on the individual level by providing 3 months of free HelloFresh meal kits to people in need. Anyone can nominate a friend, loved one or neighbor, and the HelloFresh team assesses and chooses winners based on need. Since LimeAid’s inception, HelloFresh has supported nearly 500 families with this program. Nominations remain open here.
HelloFresh donates surplus food, ingredients, supplies, finished meal kits, employee volunteer hours and monetary contributions to organizations fighting food insecurity and food waste.
To learn more about how HelloFresh fights food insecurity and join in the action, please visit www.hellofresh.com.
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Unilever, Accenture Collaborate on Next Generation AI
Accenture is joining forces with Unilever, the consumer goods multinational whose 400+ brands are used by 3.4 billion people every day, as part of a strategic initiative to leverage Unilever’s AI research and implementation of technologies that enhance productivity, drive efficiencies, and accelerate disruptive and AI-powered innovations at scale.
The work will kick-off from Unilever’s global AI Lab “Horizon3 Labs,” recently opened in Toronto—a city recognized for its concentration of AI expertise and home to one of Accenture’s six Gen AI studios in North America.
The two companies will explore new applications to scale generative AI; for example, assets from Accenture’s AI Navigator or its proprietary “switchboard,” which allows a user to select a combination of models to address the unique business context.
“This collaboration builds on our relationship of more than three decades with Unilever, which continues to raise the bar as a digital powerhouse and industry leader,” said Julie Sweet, chair and CEO, Accenture. “The combination of Horizon3 Labs’ disruptive innovation with Accenture’s deep expertise and strong ecosystem partnerships will help Unilever scale AI and generative AI more rapidly and responsibly across its business and discover new pathways to value.”
“We are excited about building on our long-standing partnership with Accenture to step up our innovation agenda and drive value for our consumers, retailers, and distributors. Horizon3 Labs is a unique platform for collaboration and co-creation, and we look forward to working with Accenture and other partners to take our investment in AI to a new level,” said Steve McCrystal, chief enterprise and technology officer, Unilever.
This initiative will leverage the industry solutions and accelerators within Accenture’s previously announced $3 billion investment in data and AI. As part of these efforts, Accenture will connect Unilever with its top data and AI experts, and help capitalize on Accenture’s ecosystem partnerships, ventures, and strategic investments within its Center for Advanced AI, which includes more than 1,450 pending and issued patents in Accenture’s AI solutions and learnings from more than 300 generative AI projects.
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