News & Analysis on the Bakery and Snacks Industries
Cuisine Solutions’ development of Starbucks’ sous vide egg bites, followed by private label and own-brand retail ranges, shows how a breakfast product can reach consumers through different brands and eating occasions
As Extended Producer Responsibility programs expand, companies’ packaging strategies may be evaluated on performance across the entire system instead of one single sustainability metric
PepsiCo’s Rob Meyers explains why promising agricultural technologies fail to reach scale and what manufacturers can do to help growers turn ideas into action
Cadbury and Oreo embrace collaboration trend with Cadbury Delights Oreo launch, but do health claims go a step too far?
The fine line between effective and attractive packaging comes down to how brands use design elements to stand out on crowded shelves while solving shoppers’ problems within seconds
Pringles claims artificial intelligence has lifted capacity by 10% without new machinery – but can other food producers replicate it?
The trial aims to prepare the industry for PPWR recycled packaging minimums that will be introduced in 2030
The dye deadlines are closing in, but the alternatives aren’t ready
As consumers push back against chemical-sounding preservatives, startups are developing technologies that protect food from the surrounding environment rather than adding ingredients to it
Earlier this month, UK on-pack recycling label scheme operator, OPRL, flagged an important point: where are the finer details around PPWR’s future labelling requirements?
Cem Karakaş once ran one of the world’s biggest branded snack groups; now he’s buying into the manufacturers helping retailers challenge them
US scientists are using engineered yeast to turn plastic waste into protein-rich cookies – but safety, scale and consumer disgust stand between µBites and the snack aisle
Pizza’s Italian cousin is gaining global retail and foodservice traction, but its highly hydrated dough creates major challenges for industrial bakery production
The world’s biggest bakery manufacturer is testing hydrogen-fired ovens, regenerative agriculture and cleaner transport in its push to decarbonise industrial bread
As conventional bread sales stagnate across mature markets, the world’s biggest bakery groups are committing billions to factories, digital systems and new product formats – a race for flexibility, not volume
Lotus Bakeries is making its biggest-ever investment to turn soaring demand for speculoos into lasting global growth
Chocolate leakage and uneven bake performance are often blamed on poor-quality chocolate, but the real problem frequently lies in ingredient performance and process consistency
New research suggests Australia and New Zealand are following the same GLP-1-driven consumer shifts seen elsewhere, offering an early indication of where the wider APAC food market could head next
Outsourcing becomes a priority as CPGs seek greater flexibility, speed and resilience
Traditional flour specifications remain essential but changing wheat quality and modern production demands are exposing the limits of long-established tests
Two recent Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) rulings provide a glimpse into how the new less healthy food advertising rules will be interpreted in practice.
A strengthening El Niño is expected to drive the next wave of food inflation, leaving manufacturers with a narrowing window to protect margins before higher costs work their way through global supply chains
The landscape of smart food labelling has seen rapid evolution globally, but some markets are moving faster than others
Healthy snack manufacturer Wholebake is set to invest £3 million in the roll-out of two new high-speed production lines.
The UPF debate has given ‘processing’ a bad rap, yet new technologies are helping manufacturers reduce oil, cut waste and improve product quality – without adding a single ingredient
As the reformulation goalposts continue to move, experts from PepsiCo, the European Snacks Association, the American Bakers Association, 210 Analytics and FDF Scotland’s Reformulation for Health Programme ask whether manufacturers can keep pace
Drinks packaging may seem plastic-free, but hidden plastic remains widespread
PepsiCo’s driverless truck experiment promises faster, cheaper deliveries, but it’s also exposing a growing battle over jobs, safety and the future shape of food supply chains
New research suggests food manufacturers may be collecting more info than workers can realistically process – with implications for productivity, quality and food safety
In the gap between consumers’ intention and reality, is there room for processed food in a healthy diet?
Not all UPFs are created equal, and a new expert panel says federal regulators should draw a clear line between those that are harmful and those that doctors recommend
Packaging isn’t just a container, it’s a decision that affects cost, brand, sustainability and compliance, so it should be planned early, not tacked on later
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
Chemicals from single-use plastics may increase health risk to consumers
While brands like Babybel are showing the shift to paper packaging can work, moving away from plastic is not universally viable. Here’s why
Up the food chain
Elina Roine describes herself as a ‘banker with purpose’. With energy security under strain, climate pressure mounting and war back on the agenda, that purpose has never been more urgent
The first global study of its kind quantifies the problem in the food and drink industry
Go Raw’s first brand campaign starts with a simple premise: snacks have become too complicated
Thailand’s TaoKaeNoi has appointed Chinese celeb Chen Zheyuan as its global ambassador, tapping rising demand for Asian snacks and building a healthy positioning
Seven states now require producers to track and report packaging data under extended producer responsibility laws, creating a fast-moving compliance challenge for food and beverage brands, importers and distributors
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.
New tools promise sharper answers on ultra-processed foods as regulation struggles to keep up
Oobli’s CEO is betting on protein-based sweetness to cut sugar at scale, but the shift raises uncomfortable questions for regulators, manufacturers and the supply chain
Opinion
To understand how processing affects food consumption, don’t caricature either side of the debate
After negotiations failed to finalise a global treaty on plastic pollution last year, new hope is on the horizon
Automation is reshaping bakery production, but new skills demands and training gaps are limiting the productivity gains manufacturers expected
As PFAS regulation tightens and litigation accelerates, brands are being forced to rethink packaging choices that once seemed low-risk and routine
A new ultra-thin mono-material bread bag suggests the biggest barrier to recyclable packaging may no longer be technology but habit
Functional foods are often ultra-processed – but can they be clean label?
Candy in the crosshairs
Even without enforcement action, publicly released contaminant data could fuel lawsuits, consumer confusion and regulatory scrutiny, while also undermining federal oversight