News & Analysis on the Bakery and Snacks Industries
From Oreo’s first zero sugar sandwich cookie and General Mills’ breakfast reset to £2 pie pop-ups, protein-packed cereals and Burns Night limited editions, January’s launches show how brands are using comfort, culture and clever marketing
The market reaction to Donald Trump’s dietary overhaul isn’t about kale versus cookies – it’s about whether Washington has finally decided the packaged food sector needs firmer rules, not friendlier guidance
After declaring breakfast cereal a category in decline, Cereal Partners UK is quietly placing a £67m bet on its future and exposing how Britain’s morning habits are evolving faster than the flakes
Indulgent treats aren’t being replaced – they’re being refined. This latest wave of NPD upgrades familiar formats with cleaner labels, global flavor cues and subtle functional gains
From billion-dollar brinkmanship to red-dye revolts and zero-gravity corn chips, 2025 proved nothing in bakery and snacks is too big, too weird or too controversial to make headlines
Cutting prices on about two‑thirds of its North America retail lineup helped General Mills beat Q2 estimates and flatten volume declines
This year’s festive one-offs range from a cult trifle to resurrected ‘80s snacks and a Christmas sandwich that thinks it’s royalty
City officials say some of America’s biggest brands helped shape eating habits that are now coming back to haunt public health budgets
Once the poster child for easy mornings, breakfast cereal has been losing shelf swagger. Now a new wave of innovation, investment and protein-packed reinvention is pushing the category back into the spotlight
From colorless chips to collectible crisps and gooey skillet cookies, this season’s launches show how playful storytelling is reshaping what shoppers expect from a simple snack
When the food industry finds itself smeared as guilty by association – it’s not just the definition of ‘processing’ that’s under fire – it’s the entire business model
The CPG giant is adapting products, pack sizes and marketing to place aging consumers, GLP-1 users and Hispanic shoppers at the center of its fiscal 2026 plans
Halloween spending is set to smash records this year, and brands are responding with limited edition launches designed to thrill. From eerie éclairs to glow-in-the-dark Goldfish, 2025’s NPD lineup is frightfully inventive
Opinion
ESG’s under political fire in Washington, but the snack giants keep flexing. From Oreos to Doritos, their reports show that in today’s food industry, trust’s as valuable as profit.
Forget bland gluten-free loaves and chalky sugar-free chocolate. For Gen Z, Free From is culture, not compromise and it’s rewriting what health and indulgence look like
Gluten-free cookies, sugar-free chocolate and GLP-1 diets are colliding. The world’s biggest food makers are scrambling to stay relevant
Weight-loss drugs threaten to cut calorie consumption, but General Mills sees opportunity in a leaner consumer, betting big on protein, fiber and smarter supply chains
Despite steep sales and profit declines in the first quarter, the Cheerios maker says price cuts, increased advertising and innovation are winning over budget-conscious consumers and laying the groundwork for a volume-driven rebound in fiscal year 2026
Sustainable September
At first glance food trends seem led by flavor, convenience and price – but sustainability, climate change and cleaner supply chains are now the real drivers
Heartland Craft Grains’ pact with Grown Climate Smart proves regenerative certification is becoming a supply-chain movement
A US judge tossed the first big UPF lawsuit, but with mounting science and regulators circling, bakery, snack and cereal brands shouldn’t breathe easy just yet
From buttery croissants to protein biscuits and playful pancake mixes, breakfast is getting a fresh wave of innovation
The snackdown
As scrutiny mounts over Bimbo’s stalled bid for Wickbold, Mars’ frozen takeover of Kellanova and Smucker’s costly Hostess misfire, the M&A playbook in bakery and snacks is under serious pressure - from regulators, consumers and the market itself
Major food companies like General Mills, Kraft Heinz, Conagra and Smucker are leading a sweeping shift away from synthetic colours. Here’s where the US food industry stands right now
Big flavours are landing in sync with summer’s biggest moments, from Centre Court drama to fireworks and French flair
The FMCG major has a positive outlook despite a negative end to the year
The US food industry is under significant pressure from federal regulators, state legislators and an outspoken and active subset of consumers to remove artificial dyes from products, although FDA has yet to take official action banning petroleum-based colors
Why settle for just a croissant or a cookie when you can have both in one bite? From Paris to Toronto, bakers are doubling down on unexpected mashups that have moved beyond gimmick and into the mainstream
Clean label used to be the goal. Now it’s just the baseline and the smartest brands are going further, stripping out the fluff, tightening the science and telling a clearer story
Before we even take a bite, colour tells our brain what to crave. And it’s not just the frosting that’s doing the talking – it’s psychology, marketing and a bit of regulatory drama
General Mills is increasingly feeling the pressure on all sides, facing backlash over petroleum-based dyes in its cereals, consumer boycotts and weaker-than-expected earnings
From soft sugar cuts to bold sodium slashes, the push to make baked goods and snacks better for us is heating up but progress depends on where you look
The Trump Administration’s crackdown on artificial colours has manufacturers split: some gearing up for reformulation; others pushing back hard. Will industry cooperation or confrontation shape the future of food colour?
As protests over diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) rollbacks ripple across Corporate America, the General Mills boycott is charting its own path and potentially opening a new front in the consumer protest movement
To celebrate 4/20 - the unofficial cannabis holiday - JM Smucker is giving Hostess a puff of cultural relevance by cozying up to cannabis fans
US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr has accelerated the timeline for food manufacturers to eliminate synthetic dyes such as Red 40, setting a firm two-year deadline during a recent interview
Major US brands like Walmart and PepsiCo are facing a wave of consumer boycotts over rollbacks to their DEI commitments, while General Mills is under fire for allegedly selling overpriced, chemical-laden foods and contributing to worsening food insecurity
Food safety failures linked to plastic contamination are triggering recalls, damaging reputations and shaking consumer trust in even the most established brands. Are you doing enough to keep your products - and profits - clean?
World Vanilla Day is back on 10 April and brands are celebrating with a wave of bold, creamy, vanilla-forward innovations
From quick-grab oat cakes to indulgent chocolatey cereal clusters, breakfast is having a serious glow-up in 2025
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are being blamed for everything from obesity to chronic disease. But is this just another case of oversimplified science leading to knee-jerk policies that could do more harm than good?
Milseáin draíochta (magical treats) await! The craic is mighty (the fun is great) this St Patrick’s Day with a feast of festive flavours - from golden shortbread to cereal that turns your milk green - because every bite should be as magical as the day itself
PepsiCo, Kellogg, General Mills, Smucker’s and Kraft Heinz saw their stock prices tumble as Robert F Kennedy Jr delivered his anticipated ultimatum. Now, these food giants face a stark choice: remove artificial dyes or risk financial and regulatory fallout
As we dive into the world of new product development (NPD) in this seasonal segment, it's clear that pumpkin spice is more than just a fleeting trend.
More than 80,000 consumers have added their names to a petition by food activist and one of Time Magazine’s 2015 ‘most influential people on the internet – Vani Hari (aka Food Babe) – urging Kellogg’s to eliminate synthetic additives from its breakfast...
From Cadbury Mini Eggs Chocolate Cookies to a Popcorn Easter Egg, there’s certainly a bounty available for chocoholics. But Easter isn’t all about chocolate, so we’re also shining a spotlight on better-for-you Welch’s Fruit ‘n Yogurt Eggs, a Moist...
Southern Recipe Small Batch is capitalizing on the growing appeal of BBQ; three iconic brands have come together to bring the savory nuances of cheese and chilli to smoky meat snacks; and Fresh Direct has turned a potential negative into a delicious product.
A study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has brought a lesser-known chemical into the spotlight – used by the agricultural industry to optimise yield and harvest – but it comes with a warning.
Enzymedica has made its debut in the functional foods category with Fiber+ Cookies; Puratos’ latest innovation is a living sourdough made with regeneratively farmed flour from UK-based Wildfarmed and Cheerios is reminding people to take care of their...