Mars-Kellanova: What Brussels really decided about brand power
The EU cleared Mars’ $36bn Kellanova deal without conditions and its reasoning reveals how much bargaining power a brand really has left.
Kellanova & WK Kellogg Co
WK Kellogg Co to cut artificial dyes and BHT a year ahead of schedule
The cereal giant has faced intense scrutiny for its use of controversial ingredients like petroleum-based dyes and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)
From Mars to Intersnack: Are family dynasties becoming food’s new dealmakers?
As public markets keep discounting listed food companies, family-controlled giants are stepping in with the patience – and the premiums – to buy them
Cheez-It, McVitie’s, Goldfish, Cabot and more bet big on cheese
From beer-flavoured crackers to slate-cave cheddar, cheese brands are finding new ways to win over snackers
Kellogg’s new cartoon snack bars raise a bigger question: What really counts as healthy?
The manufacturing giant has launched a range of new non-HFSS snack bars featuring the highly popular cartoon character, Bluey. While the move reflects a wider shift towards healthier products, experts question whether it is changing children’s eating...
Health halos mask sugar content: Children’s cereal claims face scrutiny
A new Canadian study finds that sugar levels in children’s breakfast cereals remain high, despite a proliferation of health claims
The great fragmentation of snacking
The biggest opportunities in snacking no longer lie in broad categories, but in owning one highly specific eating occasion
Who’s winning the World Cup before kick-off?
With FIFA forecasting a record $13bn in revenue from World Cup 2026, snack manufacturers are betting that football’s biggest tournament can deliver equally outsized returns
The big brands chasing the experience economy
From snack cafés to immersive retail and branded restaurants, food and drink companies are turning physical experiences into a new form of marketing.
Iran conflict drains the colour from snack packs
Calbee’s decision to strip colour from its packaging amid naphtha shortages is an early warning that the Iran conflict is beginning to fracture the petrochemical supply chains underpinning the global food industry
From protein to prebiotics: 11 launches tapping into longevity nutrition
Brands are reformulating everyday foods with more protein, fibre and functional ingredients as consumers look to support strength, digestion and long-term wellbeing through daily eating habits
Cult favourites, remixed: 13 snack launches turning hype into shelf power
From sell-out chocolates to viral condiments and nostalgic collabs, cult favourites are scaling up and forcing the industry to rethink how loyalty is built
Next-gen potatoes: Why crisp makers are getting serious about what’s in the ground
New potato varieties are being designed to meet the snacks industry’s exacting demands on yield, storage and fry performance
Opinion
The toy is back in the box but should it ever have left?
Kellogg’s is reviving cereal box toys and with it, the debate about whether selling breakfast to children should ever feel like a prize draw
10 iconic food and drink brands that flopped worldwide
From New Coke to Crystal Pepsi, even the biggest brands can fail fast
CEO churn exposes growing cracks in Big Food’s growth model
Leadership changes across Big Food are starting to look less like succession and more like a response to cracks in the growth model.
Why Big Food is reformulating growth not just recipes
From halted breakups to billion-dollar buyouts, the world’s biggest food groups aren’t just tweaking products, they’re rethinking how growth works
Ingredients Compendium No 3: Resistant Starch
The ingredient blurring the line between starch and fibre
As manufacturers push fibre levels higher while cutting sugar and protecting texture, resistant starch is emerging as one of the most practical tools in modern food reformulation
Why Lay’s, Oreo and M&M’s are engineering consumer experiences
PepsiCo’s Lay’s restaurant in Madrid highlights a growing strategy among snack giants to extend blockbuster brands beyond the supermarket shelf and into cafés, retail attractions and immersive consumer experiences
The tale of two spin-offs: What the Kellogg breakup really achieved
Kellogg’s 2023 split was sold as a focus play. Less than two years later, both companies had been sold. So what was the split really for?
Why Mars is powering up M&M’s as it reshapes its global growth strategy
As Mars expands through mega‑deals, sustainability pushes and portfolio diversification, the company is placing a bigger strategic bet on M&M’s to anchor growth and relevance in a changing global snacking landscape
Pringles, Nakd and Haldirams make flavour the main event in 2026
From mystery heat and nostalgic fruit to saffron-soaked indulgence, the latest launches show brands using flavour to provoke, reassure and seduce shoppers.
World’s biggest snack companies: who’s really got the crunch in 2026
In a near-$700bn global market, a handful of companies now decide what scales, what sticks and what survives, and in 2026, the power gap is only widening
Fiber, FOMO and famous faces: Why brands are all-in on the Big Game
From cereal brands breaking decades-long silence to snack giants doubling down on celebrity and spectacle, Super Bowl 2026 is becoming a referendum on where brand marketing goes next
When trust turns toxic: Mars exec jailed in $28m fraud case that exposed insider risk
Former Mars executive Paul Steed’s 63-month prison sentence for stealing more than $28m exposes how insider fraud can persist inside global food companies – and why scale can magnify risk
Crack it, snack it, recycle it: Packaging that’ll rule 2026
Snack packs are finally starting to look like they belong in 2026 instead of 2006, and the pressure to keep evolving isn’t letting up
Sugar, stocks and scrutiny: Mondelez, Kraft and General Mills caught in Trump’s nutrition reset
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
Scandals, shockwaves & shakeups: 12 of 2025’s most standout moments
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
Mars completes Kellanova acquisition in deal set to reshape snacking
Mars and Kellanova join forces in a landmark deal set to reshape the global snacking industry
Mars-Kellanova merger “approved unconditionally”
Mars seals €31bn Kellanova deal after EU approval - what does this mean for snacking’s future?
San Francisco sues Kellogg, General Mills, PepsiCo, Mondelez and more over ‘engineered’ foods
City officials say some of America’s biggest brands helped shape eating habits that are now coming back to haunt public health budgets
Biscuits, cookies & crackers: What’s trending now and into 2026
Premium treats, grab-and-go minis and a burst of festive innovation are giving the aisle more energy than it’s had in years
General Mills, WK Kellogg & Ferrero spark a fresh fight for the breakfast bowl
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
NPD: Feel-good snacking gets serious as brands go big on nostalgia, kindness & chaos
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
Sustainability gets real: It’s crunch time for Europe’s snack makers
New ESA president Christopher Gosau says the region’s snack makers must turn bold sustainability promises into measurable progress or risk losing credibility
Halloween: The White House gets spooky, Pringles begins to glow and McVitie’s brings back Jaffaween
From the White House lawn to your local supermarket, brands are pulling out all the tricks this Halloween with glowing crisps, monster bakes and desserts to die for
Opinion
The snackdown: Apparently, we forgot what potato chips are made from
Turns out, more than half of us didn’t know chips are made from potatoes – and now food brands are scrambling to remind us what we’re actually eating
Opinion
The snackdown: Mars may win EU approval but retailers will decide Pringles’ fate
The European Commission may be ready to wave through Mars’ $36 billion takeover of Kellanova, but in Europe’s snack aisles, the regulator isn’t the kingmaker. The retailers are
Press start to snack: Inside the $200 billion gaming boom brands can’t ignore
Ahead of FoodNavigator-USA’s free webinar ‘Fueling Fun: Connecting with Esports Enthusiasts and Everyday Gamers FTW’ (October 15), we look at how brands from Doritos to Heinz are stepping inside the $200bn gaming economy
Ferrero’s WK Kellogg takeover has everyone talking
With Ferrero’s $3.1 billion deal for WK Kellogg done and dusted, the cereal aisle is buzzing again and competitors are scrambling to figure out what this means for the rest of Big Food
GLP-1-friendly snacks: protein-packed NPD
Weightloss drugs are changing the way people snack and brands are answering with protein-packed launches designed to keep cravings at bay while delivering serious flavor.
Done deal: WK Kellogg now a subsidiary of Ferrero
Less than three months after the acquisition announcement, WK Kellogg is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ferrero
Opinion
The snackdown: Trump calls ESG a scam – why snack giants call it survival
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.
From Oreos to Ozempic: Inside the $100bn Free From race
Gluten-free cookies, sugar-free chocolate and GLP-1 diets are colliding. The world’s biggest food makers are scrambling to stay relevant
Buffalo Wings, Stranger Things and greener packs: Chips NPD heats up
A wave of global flavors is storming the snack aisle. Yet research shows that for many consumers, the crunch on the outside matters just as much as the crunch inside the bag
Final countdown: Ferrero-Kellogg merger one step closer to completion
Following a landslide shareholder vote, the merger deal is expected to close within days
Banks, bakers and brands bet on Africa’s supply chain
Erratic weather and rising costs are forcing Africa’s food sector to rethink how it sources grain and dairy – and how to keep bakeries and cereal lines running
Mars-Kellanova Deal: Commission restarts the clock
The EU has resumed its investigation into Mars’ $35.9bn merger with Kellanova, following a stop in July
Opinion
The snackdown: Can bread ever be clean with glyphosate in the mix?
Bayer’s latest push for legal immunity puts the future of ‘clean’ bread and cereal under the spotlight
Pumped for pumpkin NPD: Fall’s favorite flavor is back in force
From cookies and coffee to yogurt and popcorn, pumpkin spice is once again ruling the shelves