BIA 2026 countdown: Products, brands and green bets
From 21-plant sourdough to circular flour production, meet the finalists chasing Britain’s biggest bakery honours
Cakes & pastries
Pillsbury, Food Thoughts and Matthews Cotswold Flour get playful at home
Premium mixes, sourdough kits and decorative finishes give home bakers reasons to get creative
Pop-Tarts, Cheerios and Snickers pair up for new launches
Flavour swaps, exclusive products and some unlikely merchandise lead the latest brand collaborations
Bimbo has the capacity but where are the bakery buyers?
Grupo Bimbo’s improving margins haven’t stopped North American volumes falling, leaving the bakery giant chasing different purchases while preparing for higher costs
Pringles, Hostess and Goldfish get their Halloween on
Brands are mixing familiar snacks with seasonal surprises as shoppers seek affordable ways to celebrate
Will Vandemoortele and Délifrance’s integration squeeze bakery buyers?
Vandemoortele and Délifrance have the scale to reshape frozen bakery, but customers will want to know how much of the benefit reaches their businesses
Cheetos, Hostess and Chips Ahoy! take Halloween beyond sweets
Bakery and snack brands are putting their own stamp on Halloween celebrations beyond the confectionery aisle
A celebrity event designer’s playbook for Halloween launches
Edward Perotti argues that brands must move beyond predictable colours and seasonal sprinkles if they want their Halloween launches to command attention
Is pumpkin spice making autumn bakery lazy?
Bakery launches and flavour forecasts reveal how fruit, roasted notes and dessert mashups can give seasonal ranges more bite.
Chocolate without cocoa? Why the industry’s taking alternatives seriously
Can alt cocoa secure chocolate’s future? As supply pressures mount, manufacturers are increasingly turning to cocoa-free and hybrid alternatives
Nestlé Professional exposes supermarket bakery blind spots
Supermarkets command a sizeable share of Britain’s £2.7bn sweet bakery market, but Nestlé Professional says confused ranges and lacklustre presentation are leaving growth on the table
Oreo, Wonka and Yasso take snacking off script
Protein guacamole, croissant-topped drinks and fantastical confectionery reveal an NPD pipeline refusing to play safe
Cadbury x Oreo: Do collaborations and health claims still drive growth?
Cadbury and Oreo embrace collaboration trend with Cadbury Delights Oreo launch, but do health claims go a step too far?
Inside the leadership strategies reshaping British baking
Britain’s first Bakery Leader of the Year finalists reveal what it takes to build stronger teams, resilient businesses and sustainable growth
McVitie’s, Snickers, Cadbury and Cheez-It turn snacks into something bigger
Nine brands are using launches to enter new markets, create experiences, revive rituals and even give people a second chance
7 ingredients European food manufacturers are quietly falling out of love with
As costs rise and clean-label demands grow, European food manufacturers are replacing once-essential ingredients, creating fresh formulation challenges
Which food trends are big in Africa?
The continent’s consumers are fusing tradition and modernity
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
IQBAR, Fox’s and Paris Baguette fuel pumpkin spice’s autumn takeover
Starbucks’ famed Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) is now turning up in biscuits, bars, pancakes, yoghurt and tortilla chips
Oreo, Pringles and Pepperidge Farm turn scarcity into snack theatre
From chicken-and-waffle cookies to huckleberry potato gummies, brands are using limited runs to make seasonal launches feel unmissable
Why chocolate goes wrong in baking
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
Summer Fancy Food Show
Why flour is having its specialty coffee moment
Can heritage grains revitalize the flour category?
William and Kate’s wedding cake maker joins Oreo, Hello Kitty and St Pierre in latest bakery launches
Character licensing, premium formats, bakery-inspired flavours and purpose-led innovation dominate the latest launches
Red, white and chew: The limited edition treats marking America’s 250th birthday
America’s biggest birthday party is inspiring a summer of patriotic flavours, nostalgic treats and celebratory packaging
Sourdough, Seoul and social media: The new rules of global bakery
Global flavours, artisan credentials and algorithm-driven demand are colliding in the bakery aisle, creating new opportunities – and new pressures – for bakers around the world
Protein crisps, cereal milk ice cream and matcha cookies: Meet snacking’s new shape-shifters
From pizza-flavoured protein bars in the US to matcha cookies in the UK, brands are blurring the boundaries between indulgence, functionality and convenience
Nestlé and Ghirardelli reboot cookie dough
Nestlé leans into bold, trend-driven twists while Ghirardelli bets on premiumization of classic flavors to reach consumers looking for ‘homemade’ indulgence
Australia’s baking boom is masking a growing skills crisis, warns industry leader
The Australian baking industry is finding growth through premium products and innovation, but a shrinking pipeline of skilled workers is becoming an increasingly urgent concern
Britain’s biggest bakery honours are back
As the Baking Industry Awards (BIA) return for their 39th year, a new leadership category offers fresh insight into what excellence looks like in a bakery industry facing unprecedented change.
New product launches: Jaffa Cakes, Pukka and PAUL lead a great British summer of bakes
From Bakewell Tarts and football cupcakes to pie pop-ups and potato buns, brands are serving up a distinctly British mix of nostalgia, innovation and indulgence this season.
Bake less, sell more: How bakers can capitalise on frozen bakery growth
Labour shortages, seasonal celebrations and social media trends are turning frozen cakes into one of bakery’s fastest-growing opportunities
The Portuguese tartlet that’s conquering the world
Santa Nata’s 10 millionth sale shows how the pastel de nata has evolved from a Lisbon monastery pastry into one of bakery’s fastest-growing global opportunities
Brewing loyalty: How coffee is powering bakery footfall
Coffee’s not just a pick-me-up anymore. It’s helping bakeries pull ahead in a slowing market
What artisan bakers can learn from the fashion, fragrance and scarcity culture
Today’s smartest bakeries aren’t just selling desserts – they’re selling aspiration, atmosphere and the emotional pull of exclusivity wrapped in laminated dough
Inside the science of making healthier food consumers will actually buy with ADM
ADM argues food makers can no longer tackle sugar, sodium or clean label goals one at a time without risking taste, texture and cost
Alfalfa-based egg white alternative inches closer to market
With a WeFunder campaign and institutional raise underway, Fudi Protein is positioning its alfalfa-derived Rubisco as a cost-competitive egg white replacement
Cinnabon swaps the UK high street for a licensing deal
Just months after disappearing from UK shopping centres, Cinnabon is returning to instore bakery instead – highlighting how licensing has become one of food and drink’s most valuable commercial tools
Nine doughnut trends shaping 2026
From nostalgic glazes to loaded dessert mashups, doughnuts are having a serious moment in 2026
Calm in the chaos: How US bakers are fighting back on regulation, reformulation and a restless consumer
At the recent American Bakers Association Convention (ABA), industry leaders made one thing clear – in a volatile market, credibility, collaboration and consumer connection will decide who thrives
GLP-1s: Is the industry asking the wrong question?
New data and clinical insight suggest the real impact of GLP-1 drugs isn’t less eating – it’s a rethink of how, when and why people eat
The new wave of health-first bites and sips
From fibre-packed grains to protein-loaded snacks and low-sugar treats, ‘better-for-you’ is getting more targeted and far less boring
Aldi ramps up clean-label push with 44 new ingredient bans
Move affects 90% of store assortment as private-label-focused retailer responds to consumer ingredient concerns
The butter price crash: Winners, losers and what comes next
As butter prices collapse, farmers are feeling the sting – but it’s not all bad news for the industry at large
Sales stall, shares fall: What’s next for Barry Callebaut?
Barry Callebaut’s size has long been its strength. But with volumes down and shares under pressure, cracks are starting to show
Easter shopping trends in 2026: Darker, smaller, last minute
Easter shopping is shifting towards premium, playful and last-minute purchases
Puratos strikes deal to acquire Dawn Foods
One of the biggest deals in the bakery ingredients sector this year is taking shape after Puratos confirmed plans to acquire US-based Dawn Foods
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
National Snack Day: Inside the billion-dollar brands refusing to slow down
From Oreo’s $4bn global machine to Uncrustables’ rapid ascent, the snack aisle’s biggest names are banking billions and still investing like challengers
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
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