Fermented grape is crushing reformulation’s toughest trade-offs
As pressure mounts to cut sugar and sodium, fermentation-derived ingredients are helping manufacturers cut trade-offs across flavour, texture and cost.
Industry voices
Toast-time trade-off eases as gene-edited wheat cuts acrylamide risk by 93%
Rothamsted field trials show gene-edited wheat can sharply reduce acrylamide risk in baked and fried foods without denting yield
Up the food chain
Celleste Bio CEO on the urgency of cultivating chocolate’s ‘magic’ ingredient - as missiles fall
Scaling biotech ingredients for a sector under strain is a hard. Doing it while conflict closes in is even harder
Hormuz blockade leaves food industry pricing in the dark as volatility becomes the baseline
Escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz are pushing up energy, freight and insurance costs – but the bigger challenge for the global food industry is managing risk in a market that is becoming increasingly unpredictable.
General Mills’ $697m Brazil hit shows how fast Big Food has changed
General Mills’ sale of its Yoki business in Brazil underscores a broader shift across the food industry as global players move away from expansion and towards tighter, margin-led portfolios
Could the GLP-1 boom open the door to shrinkflation?
Users of the drugs want smaller portions - this could help food companies save money
Mould, microbes and the $10m mistake food companies keep making
As climate shifts and supply chains stretch, food safety failures are becoming faster, costlier and harder to contain
Unilever and McCormick defend food tie-up after investor jitters
Executives from both companies reframe planned combination of food businesses as a ‘flavor-led’ growth strategy, despite sharp share price declines following the announcement
Cross‑industry food waste coalition targets 30M meals a year by 2028
Five major supermarkets have rolled out a joint fundraising campaign, as the food industry partners up to transport food to redistribution charities for the first time.
California pushes ‘non-UPF’ seal as certifications multiply and confusion grows
A proposed state-backed label aims to simplify ultra-processed food choices, but could competing definitions and private certifications risk muddying the message for consumers and complicate reformulation efforts?
Stagflation is food manufacturing’s worst-of-both-worlds scenario
Costs are rising again just as consumers start to hesitate and that’s a far more difficult mix than inflation alone.
Circana: Private label takes different paths in the US and Europe
With national brands leaning on promotions, retailers are betting on premium private label, better-for-you innovation and ESG commitments to build long-term trust and loyalty
Future Food-Tech San Francisco
Beyond disruption: What Big Food actually needs from startups
What separates startups that move forward from the ones that stall?
Up the food chain
How Clio plans to turn Greek yoghurt bars into a $300m business
As protein, satiety and indulgence converge, Clio CEO John McGuckin explains how the refrigerated bar brand went from ‘bleeding cash’ to chasing $120m – and why the real prize is building a whole new snacking category
Easter shopping trends in 2026: Darker, smaller, last minute
Easter shopping is shifting towards premium, playful and last-minute purchases
Retro and nostalgia: Why consumers are looking to the past
Consumers seek comfort and familiarity from food
Why the food industry can’t innovate alone anymore
As cocoa volatility, fat replacement and GLP-1 trends reshape demand, startups are becoming critical partners in ingredient innovation
Glyphosate in baby cereal sparks safety alarm in South Africa
A watchdog report detecting herbicide residues in bread, flour and infant cereal is reigniting the safety debate and putting pressure on regulators to act
The raisin squeeze: Iran tensions expose a fragile ingredient supply chain
Raisins sit quietly inside thousands of everyday foods, but the global trade behind them is far more concentrated than most manufacturers realise
Iran at war: What food and beverage needs to know
Israel and US attacks on Iran have long-lasting implications for global food and drink industries. Here’s the latest
Are we wrong about plant-based’s decline?
Some predict that plant-based growth could balloon in the coming decade
Opinion
The new paradox: Protein vs processing
Protein is the snack industry’s hottest claim but if the foods delivering it are still ultra-processed, the sector may be building its next health halo on shaky ground
Expo West brands embrace ‘sensemaxxing’ with layered textures, bold flavors and playful formats
Brands at Expo West showcased snacks engineered for crunch, chew and snap, layering textures and subtle flavors to deliver bigger sensory experiences in smaller bites
Chocolate without trees? The science racing to reinvent cocoa
From cacao cells grown in bioreactors to fermentation-built chocolate flavours, scientists and startups are experimenting with ways to produce cocoa ingredients without growing cacao trees
The rise of lifestyle brands in today’s beverage industry
What is a ‘lifestyle brand’ - and how can a brand become one?
Half of US shoppers worry about artificial ingredients, want EU-style bans
A new Acosta Group study finds growing demand for transparency and cleaner labels as consumers push for stricter rules on artificial ingredients
Up the food chain
Fox’s Burton’s Companies factory chief: “I was told being a woman would hold me back”
Ahead of International Women’s Day, the manufacturing leader behind millions of Jammie Dodgers reflects on sexism on the factory floor and why emotional intelligence matters more than bravado
Bakery, snacks and cereals: The next cost shock may start in the Gulf
Geopolitics rarely stays confined to energy markets. Sooner or later, it reaches the food system
UK obesity epidemic: The UPF scapegoat debate
Industry experts have their say on ultra processed food and the UK’s obesity crisis.
Iran closes Strait of Hormuz: Which foods will get pricier?
The sudden closure of the Strait of Hormuz is triggering immediate ripple effects across global food markets
Amazon’s disruption of Walmart is a slow work in progress
The tech giant’s endless experimentation in grocery reveal less about innovation and more about indecision
The snacks market right now: still huge, but structurally ‘slower’
Plant closures across PepsiCo, Smucker and Campbell’s reveal a structurally slower snack market adjusting to selective consumers and GLP-1 disruption
Why women-led food brands matter in 2026
Every International Women’s Day, we talk about representation. In food and drink, we should also be talking about transformation, with improved recognition for women-built businesses, writes Giulia Berretti, founder and CEO at Sunny & Luna.
Food cravings on GLP-1s? What formulators need to know
It’s a common misconception that GLP-1 drugs erase food cravings. Actually, they alter them
How food retailers and suppliers are driving health and affordability
Grocery retailers and food suppliers are reformulating products, leveraging dietitian expertise and integrating health services to meet rising consumer demand for nutritious, affordable food
Swicy, smoke and sourdough: Bakery and snacks turn up the flavour fest in 2026
Contrast is crowding out subtlety as 2026 forecasts point to bolder, layered and higher-impact flavour across bakery and snacks
Flavour first, fibre close behind: Bakery resets for 2026
Bakery’s next growth phase won’t be driven by a single mega-trend, but by flavour authority, fibre credibility and formats that make everyday indulgence feel justified
The 2026 reset: Why protein strategy is now a structural business challenge
Protein has become expected – and delivering it at scale without breaking flavour, cost or compliance is testing manufacturers like never before
Is Gen Z rewriting the rules of value?
Financially stretched but digitally fluent, the world’s youngest adult consumers are forcing food and drink brands to explain themselves
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?
Acid whey in sourdough: Fixing a commercial pain point or provoking the purists?
New research suggests Greek yoghurt’s most problematic byproduct could boost loaf volume, extend shelf life and cut additives, but does swapping in acid whey cross a line for sourdough traditionalists?
Protein is the baseline as GLP-1 accelerates the shift
As consumer appetite changes and nutrient scrutiny intensifies, protein is moving from differentiator to design standard
Opinion
The ultra-processed foods debate has nuance - let’s recognise it
To understand how processing affects food consumption, don’t caricature either side of the debate
The power of hue: Why beverage colour matters more than ever
In a category driven by flavour innovation, functionality and format, the colour of a beverage remains one of its most powerful and immediate signals.
Cocoa alternatives won’t fix chocolate’s pricing problem
Reformulation may steady margins, but unless manufacturers tackle cocoa’s income gap at source, volatility will keep coming back
At what point does ‘transparency’ become operational chaos?
In the US, the drive for ingredient transparency is beginning to feel less like steady progress and more like a stress test for the modern food system
Postcard from Aruba: Where the bread rises with the breeze
From pasteles to pan de coco, Aruba’s bakeries are mixing island pride with digital savvy and the world’s finally paying attention
Why governments across southern Africa keep bread prices on a tight leash
From subsidies to price caps, bread pricing remains politically charged across southern Africa, forcing governments to intervene to curb inflation and prevent unrest
Brand protection strategies in an evolving retail landscape
UK retail is operating in a challenging environment. Consumers are cautious, competition is global, and ‘dupe culture’ continues to blur the boundaries between inspiration and imitation, writes Michael Conway, partner in the intellectual property team at...
Why consumers don’t trust healthy indulgence
Consumers think some healthy products are too good to be true. Here’s what F&B brands can do to make healthy indulgence believable