Gut instinct: The 10 functional ingredients gaining ground in 2026
Dietitians’ latest data points to a more grounded approach to functionality, where gut health, cost and credibility matter as much as claims
Retailer & shopper insights
Retro and nostalgia: Why consumers are looking to the past
Consumers seek comfort and familiarity from food
How snacks are cashing in on the low/no alcohol trend
Gen Z might be easing off the booze, but it’s crisps, cheese and protein-packed nibbles that are quietly keeping things interesting
Global snacking with Ginsters, Lay’s, Frankie’s and more
From buffalo pastry pockets and protein scone bites to sprouted nuts, snack mixes and football-fuelled crisps, brands are pushing harder on flavour, format and occasion
Sweet proteins promise a sugar reset but new questions are emerging
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
5 big food trends in Spain
What do Spanish consumers want?
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
Ozempic’s chocolate contradiction: Indulgence isn’t disappearing, it’s trading up
As appetite-suppressing drugs take hold, the real shift in snacking may not be how much people eat but how deliberately they choose to indulge
Oreo, Lucky Charms and Barbie lead a new wave of celebration-driven launches
From Nutella pastries and Marvel cookies to Barbie smoothies and Irish oats, brands are rolling out limited-time products designed to turn everyday eating occasions into something special
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
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
Dole Whip, Lucky Charms, Cookie Pop and SuperPretzel kick off March’s spring snack surge
From tropical frozen desserts to stadium-style pretzel bites, brands are leaning into brighter flavours, playful formats and seasonal moments.
British Pie Week meets Pi Day: The pies stealing the spotlight this March
Two pastry-themed celebrations are putting pies firmly on the global menu this month
The Ozempic effect reaches the bread aisle: Bimbo redesigns bakery for GLP-1 users
The world’s biggest baker says GLP-1 weight-loss drugs are already reshaping how people eat, so it’s redesigning bread and snacks to keep up
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
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
Baking NPD: Protein muffins, pistachio nostalgia and cookie culture
Smaller households, impulse occasions and better-for-you cues are driving a new wave of baking innovation
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
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
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
Protein is the price of entry at Expo West 2026
Expo West lands in Anaheim this March, and protein isn’t just a trend – it’s the baseline. The real fight is over taste, texture and who can make functionality feel effortless
Inside the $330bn functional food frenzy fuelled by PepsiCo, Coke & Nestlé
From PepsiCo to Nestlé, global giants are racing to cash in on the booming functional food craze, but with trends shifting fast, the stakes have never been higher
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
Gen Z is rewriting the value playbook for bakery and snack brands
Gen Z’s mix of wellness, value-seeking, and indulgence is reshaping global bakery and snack strategies, demanding brands adapt fast to stay relevant.
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.
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
The GLP-1 wake-up call for food makers: Appetite loss is exposing ‘weak’ products
As GLP-1s suppress appetite at scale, manufacturers are running into an awkward reality: when people eat less, nutritionally weak products are exposed fast
Big FMCG vs TikTok: Who leads trends and who can win?
Bubble tea, matcha, Dubai chocolate, cottage cheese, pistachio and hot honey: Just a small selection of products and flavours that have gone viral on social media in recent years
Food makers must listen to ageing populations - or be left behind
As the population changes, food will have to reshape itself around the needs and preferences of its demographics
Valentine’s Day NPD from Cadbury, Paris Baguette and Wisconsin Cheese
Chocolate still anchors Valentine’s Day, but 2026’s launches show how brands are pushing the holiday further through format, experience and gifts that feel less predictable
Postcard from Tokyo: Where precision meets pastry drama
From mochi buns to croissant cubes, Tokyo’s bakeries are turning tradition on its head and the world is watching
Opinion
The GLP-1 tsunami isn’t a diet trend – it’s a stress test for the food system
GLP-1 drugs are shrinking appetites at scale, but they’re also exposing how thin modern nutrition really is and the food industry can’t dodge the consequences
Is the protein snack boom running out of steam?
Flattening consumer interest and growing format fatigue suggest the category may be hitting a ceiling unless brands evolve beyond bars and bold claims
Why GLP-1s have turned fiber-maxxing into a snacking strategy
As GLP-1 drugs suppress hunger and compress eating occasions, fiber is emerging as a way to make smaller snacks feel functional, tolerable and worth the calories
Why the Super Bowl still delivers what TikTok can’t for food brand power
In a marketing culture obsessed with speed and efficiency, Southern Connecticut State University associate professor Amit Singh argues the Super Bowl exposes an uncomfortable truth about how real brand power is actually built
Trends vs fads: What’s shaping CPG in 2026?
In 2026, longevity – not hype – is the real differentiator
Game on: Flipz, Velveeta and SuperPretzel gear up for the Super Bowl
Super Bowl week snack sales reached $742m last year, and snack makers are leaning into shareable formats, bold flavors and activations again as the Big Game approaches
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
Amazon retreats in grocery with Fresh and Go closures across the US and UK
After years of testing AI checkouts and new store designs, Amazon is walking back its physical grocery ambitions to refocus on Whole Foods and experimental formats
Ultra-processed food fears mount even as consumer understanding about it lags
Americans increasingly factor processing into food choices, but inconsistent definitions and tradeoffs around convenience and cost leave room for clearer communication, according to new IFIC research
A bakery & snacks survival guide for 2026
Top 10 TikTok trends shaping bakery and snacks in 2026
From pistachio-packed fillings to products engineered to break, pull and ooze on camera, TikTok is reshaping what indulgence and value look like in 2026
From Snickers Ice Cream Minis to Oreo’s Marvel: Situational snacking takes shape
Big brands are rethinking formats, flavors and channels as snacks are redesigned for specific moments, tighter rules and more intentional eating
Healthy Snacking
Snacks are eating into the meal occasion creating new opportunities for brands
Consumers are turning to snacks for nutrition, satiety and convenience – blurring the line between eating occasions and pressuring brands to deliver more
Letter from the editor
2026 diet trends: What is in, what is out and what does it mean for CPG brands?
Consumers are redefining ‘healthy’ and rethinking nutrition to focus on their physical and mental well-being, which is creating opportunities and challenges for brands
How BuzzBallz became Gen Z’s global RTD obsession
BuzzBallz has become Gen Z’s go‑to party prop, fusing bold flavours, playful design and recession‑proof pricing to rewrite the rules of ready‑to‑drink cocktails
Rye January reveals how little Brits know about what’s in their bread
New consumer research shows that most UK consumers eat bread every day without really knowing what’s in it
The 3 nutrients quietly shaping mainstream snacks
Fiber, protein and whole grains aren’t new ideas but in 2026 they’re doing more than any superfood to reshape snack portfolios
Ingredients Compendium No. 1: L-theanine
The need for calm drives a green tea amino acid into the snack aisle
In a world that feels louder, faster and harder to switch off, L-theanine is finding a new role in snacks