Are mystery flavours just a one-pack wonder?
Brands are asking shoppers to pay for a secret, but the real test is whether the product still sells once the answer’s out
Reformulation
The psychology of protein I: What is driving this megatrend?
The demand for protein is climbing worldwide, but what are the mental triggers driving this?
The psychology of protein II: Are consumers blinded to the negatives?
Protein is granting ‘permissible indulgence’ to consumers, and this could have long-lasting impacts
What can food brands learn from Doritos’ recipe rethink?
PepsiCo Europe’s VP of marketing innovation explains how manufacturers can improve nutrition, protect brand appeal and give shoppers a reason to keep buying.
The race to replace artificial colours intensifies
From Nestlé to Mars, manufacturers are reformulating to remove artificial colours. The challenge? Delivering the same vibrant appeal consumers expect without synthetic dyes
Debunking snacking as we know it
Europe’s snack market expands from €187bn to €302bn in sales value when products beyond the traditional snack aisle are included, challenging manufacturers to rethink where growth will come from
How do you modernise a heritage brand without killing what made it famous?
Legacy can be priceless, but changing the wrong thing can destroy in months what took generations to build
How functional became food’s future
Functional food and drink is booming. How did it get here and where does its future growth lie?
Chocolate has a new problem. And it’s not cocoa prices
Rising temperatures are hitting chocolate demand, forcing manufacturers to rethink products, formats and sales strategies
What neuroscience reveals about functional bread
Measuring brain activity during tasting could help bakers understand consumers’ reactions to texture, aftertaste and functional messaging
Exposing the mistakes that sink healthier snacks
Health messages that put shoppers off, recipes pushed too far and unreliable suppliers can derail even the most promising better-for-you snacks
Protein + fibre + probiotics + collagen + adaptogens + electrolytes: Does your snack really need another superpower?
How much nutrition can one product carry before taste, cost, credibility and consumer understanding start to crack?
Fibre targets, sugar caps and lunchbox rules: Is school snacking heading for a reset?
England’s school food overhaul will reward bakers and snack makers who pair better nutrition with products that survive a canteen, a budget and a hungry 11-year-old
‘Outdated’ nutrient rules let unhealthy foods slip through net
The Obesity Health Alliance is calling for swift government action, as its argues decades-old nutrient rules are letting ‘less healthy’ foods off the hook.
Ferrero targets protein-led growth beyond chocolate
Confectionery giant strengthens position in fast-growing snack market with Power Crunch revamp
Gluten-free claims in the Middle East face tougher regulations
GCC regulators have submitted new standards to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that could tighten gluten-free food requirements
Looking beyond healthy: Why better-for-you isn’t enough for snacks
Better-for-you snacks must deliver more than health as consumers continue to seek indulgence, familiarity, convenience and value
Flavors of the future: global inspiration meets local innovation
Flavor via fermentation reaches new efficiency with AI
AI simulations could help Crush Dynamics reduce energy use by an expected 30% while optimizing fermented grape purées and powders used to reduce sugar and sodium in food formulations
From aspartame to allulose: The future of sweeteners takes shape
The sweetener landscape is becoming increasingly diverse, but what does the future hold?
The race to perfect gluten-free
Gluten-free is booming, but the sector’s next test is balancing clean labels, better nutrition and great taste without compromising safety or affordability
EFSA approves sweetener aspartame-acesulfame salt
The sweetener’s re-evaluation has been completed
Baby food still has a sugar problem
Sugar is still a burning issue in baby food. New research suggests many popular products are high in free sugars, while campaigners and nutrition experts say voluntary guidelines are falling short
Carob cracks gluten-free pasta’s biggest challenges
New research suggests carob flour can make gluten-free pasta firmer, less sticky and nutritionally stronger
The egg crisis failed to crack manufacturers’ reliance on eggs
After four years of disease, flock losses and punishing prices, manufacturers had every reason to replace eggs – but the crisis instead exposed just how difficult that is
Big Food’s colour promises are colliding with supply chain reality
The dye deadlines are closing in, but the alternatives aren’t ready
Would you eat a cookie made from a plastic bottle?
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
Why food products live or die on shelf: A retailer’s perspective
Winning supermarket shelf space is difficult but keeping it can be considerably harder
Overturning 7 industry assumptions about the GLP-1 consumer
The newest evidence challenges some of the food industry’s most comfortable conclusions about GLP-1 consumers
Gen Alpha’s early eating habits offer a roadmap for the future of snacking
NIQ research finds that children are already thinking about ingredients, nutrition and the benefits they want from snacks, which could shape the category as they gain purchasing power
Flavour flipping: Why tomorrow’s snacks won’t taste the same from first bite to last
Food scientists are learning to control not just what consumers taste, but exactly when they taste it – opening up a new frontier in flavour design that could reshape snack innovation
The GLP-1 effect reaches ANZ
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
A new protein contender emerges as whey prices surge
ADM and The Every Company are scaling up US production of a fermented egg white protein pitched at formulators tired of whey’s price swings
News Bites
Legacy brands are evolving from products into platforms
For the majors like The Hershey Co., General Mills and Kellanova, growth comes from strategically stretching trusted brands across occasions, benefits and formats – broadening the snacking landscape itself
‘Plus and minus’: Why clean-label success goes beyond removing ingredients
Markets across Asia Pacific are increasingly shaping clean-label innovation – what can European and US markets learn from the region?
UPF legislation raises stakes for food labeling and child-directed marketing
The debate around the Childhood Diabetes Reduction Act signals rising political interest in warning labels, marketing restrictions and a federal definition of ultra processed foods
Why traditional flour specifications may no longer predict performance
Traditional flour specifications remain essential but changing wheat quality and modern production demands are exposing the limits of long-established tests
IFT First
Upcycling enters new phase as startups unlock premium ingredients from food sidestreams
Advances in extraction, refining and on-site processing showcased at IFT FIRST are shifting upcycling from a sustainability strategy to a platform for premium proteins, bioactives and functional fibers
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
5 functional snack trends for an ageing world
Older consumers are becoming one of the food industry’s fastest-growing demographics, prompting snack manufacturers to rethink everything from ingredients and nutrition to texture, packaging and portion sizes
Cortisol: The viral trend that’s rewriting shopping lists
The internet’s favourite stress hormone is fuelling a fibre boom, and shoppers are being told to slow down and think again
5 lessons from the start-up that’s seen an 85% spend uptick from GLP-1 users
Jackson’s CEO delves into why GLP-1 users are spending more with it, not less
The climate shock that could reshape food costs until 2027
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
Artificial colours: How Europe regulates differently from the US
The use of food colours in the EU is stringently defined but it contrasts with the US approach
Is beef tallow becoming food’s next billion-dollar ingredient?
The resurgence of beef tallow is forcing manufacturers to ask whether the MAHA movement has created a lasting reformulation trend or just food’s latest political fad
FDF warns new regs could see fibre-rich foods disappear from shelves
Food and drink manufacturers have provided two billion servings of fibre to the nation in five years since 2021, but new restrictions could undo progress.
Ozempic maker backs game-changing GLP-1 implant to end drop-out
A rice-grain-sized device being evaluated by Novo Nordisk is designed to solve the one problem that’s kept the GLP-1 boom from hitting food and drink sales even harder – patients giving up
Obesity in retreat as GLP-1 use nearly quadruples: New data paints a different picture for manufacturers
America’s obesity rate is falling as GLP-1 use reaches record highs, with similar trends emerging elsewhere and raising fresh questions about the future of food demand
Grupo Bimbo claims category first with US clean label overhaul
The world’s biggest bakery company says it will become the first in its category to remove artificial colours, flavours, preservatives and emulsifiers across such a broad portfolio of everyday baked goods by the end of 2028
The coming UPF regulation revolution
The regulatory landscape surrounding ultra-processed foods is changing rapidly. Here’s what has already happened, what’s coming next and why manufacturers should be paying attention
Nestlé to axe artificial colours worldwide in industry first
Nestlé to remove artificial food colourings from all products globally by the end of the year