Hershey’s salty strategy
The confectionery giant’s latest move – snapping up LesserEvil – pulls it deeper into the everyday snacking landscape it’s been circling for years
Clean label
Natural or not? Cape Cod Chips called into court over citric acid
Cape Cod Chips now faces two lawsuits alleging the brand’s ‘no artificial’ claims don’t square with its use of synthetic citric acid
Cocoa’s gone wild: Could malted barley flour be the calm in the chaos?
With cocoa costs spiraling, Briess is pitching malted barley flour as a reliable, clean label lifeline for bakers and snack makers
Top 5 F&B retail trends for 2026
Discover the five trends that will define 2026, and why agility, authenticity, and technology will determine who succeeds and who fails
Why brands are dropping synthetic dyes ahead of regulation
Synthetic dyes may still be legal but shifting consumer trends and rising US state-level pressures mean bakery and snack brands aren’t waiting for mandates to start cleaning up their color palettes
NPD: Feel-good snacking gets serious as brands go big on nostalgia, kindness & chaos
From colorless chips to collectible crisps and gooey skillet cookies, this season’s launches show how playful storytelling is reshaping what shoppers expect from a simple snack
The snackdown: The great UPF witch hunt
When the food industry finds itself smeared as guilty by association – it’s not just the definition of ‘processing’ that’s under fire – it’s the entire business model
Sustainability gets real: It’s crunch time for Europe’s snack makers
New ESA president Christopher Gosau says the region’s snack makers must turn bold sustainability promises into measurable progress or risk losing credibility
5 meat snack innovations at NACS 2025
The tradeshow featured hundreds of innovative new products at the Cool New Snacks preview room
Protein, please: NPD with real muscle
Protein’s still flexing hard, but it’s left the gym and hit the grocery aisle
Inside the gluten revolution: The 3 breakthroughs bakers should pay attention to
From gene-edited wheat to a three-minute gluten test, scientists are rethinking gluten-free baking and the results could change everything
How to turn ingredient chaos into market advantage
Cocoa’s up, eggs are unpredictable and consumers still want it all. Ardent Mills’ Matt Schueller reveals how data – not luck – is driving the next wave of bakery innovation
The silent revolution bubbling in your dough
Microbes are moving from background biology to bakery’s next big advantage - driving cleaner labels, longer shelf life and smarter sustainability
Gen Z and Millennials redefine wellness: Protein, fiber and flavor drive food choices
Spins data reveals how younger consumers are reimagining nutrition around functional benefits, global flavors and ingredient transparency
The UPF contradiction: What consumers really do
The anti-UPF noise is getting louder, but behind it lies a quieter truth about what people actually buy, eat, and believe
Why emulsifiers deserve a second look
They’ve been branded unnecessary by the clean label crowd, but their role in texture, stability and sustainability is hard to ignore
Opinion
The snackdown: Apparently, we forgot what potato chips are made from
Turns out, more than half of us didn’t know chips are made from potatoes – and now food brands are scrambling to remind us what we’re actually eating
What if memories had a flavor…
Mondelēz’s latest State of Snacking report explores how memory and emotion have become the new currency of snacking
Healthy, hot and functional foods driving c-store growth
Prepared-food sales are climbing, and younger shoppers are leading the push for fresher, clean-label offerings
Pink pastries, prison bakes & purpose: October’s most meaningful bakery & snack launches
Producers are proving that good food can do good, too – turning patisserie counters pink, tackling loneliness and funding second chances through every bite
Bread isn’t the enemy: How bakers can reclaim bread’s healthy image
Bread’s reputation has had a rough ride, but enzymes, fiber and a clearer story about nutrition could help bring it back into favor
Women are shaping the next frontier of protein innovation
Protein’s health halo attracts female consumers to various products from food and drink to supplements. Here’s what’s driving demand
When cocoa and eggs get costly, bakers get creative
Commodity shocks, shifting diets and a hunger for nostalgia are forcing bakers to rethink their recipes and proving that innovation thrives under pressure
Quick bites: The snack built for the GLP-1 generation
In a world of grazers, go-getters and GLP-1 users, The Protein Ball Co’s bold refresh proves that clean, portionable snacking still has power
The great color reckoning: America’s breakup with fake dyes
With US states set to ban or label synthetic dyes, Sensient CEO Paul Manning unpacks the economics, supply pressures and sensory science driving America’s shift to natural color
NPD report: Bread innovation goes big on protein, purpose and planet
A new study is changing what bakers know about sourdough, while a wave of launches from Thomas’ to Sara Lee is proving bread can be nutritious, inventive and purposeful all at once
Best of Anuga 2025: From functional dairy to next-gen alternatives
Protein innovation remains at the fore for most brands, but diversification into spoonables and beverage formats was notable this year
Boomers vs Gen Z: Both want functional foods, but results vary by generation
Younger consumers seek energy; older counterparts prioritize preventative care
PepsiCo and Frito-Lay sued for ‘mold-made’ molecule in Poppables
A new lawsuit claims the citric acid in Frito-Lay’s Poppables isn’t natural but brewed from black mold and that PepsiCo misled consumers with its ‘no artificial flavors’ promise
GLP-1-friendly snacks: protein-packed NPD
Weightloss drugs are changing the way people snack and brands are answering with protein-packed launches designed to keep cravings at bay while delivering serious flavor.
Regeneration is no longer a CSR box-tick - it’s the future of food security
ADM’s Kelsey Cambruzzi insists regen ag isn’t about soft sustainability claims but building a resilient supply chain, linking farm-level practices to consumer trust
Sustainability September
Farming for function: Edacious and ROA put nutrition under the microscope
Edacious and the Regenerative Organic Alliance are teaming up to prove that how food is grown can directly boost nutrition, safety and consumer trust
From Oreos to Ozempic: Inside the $100bn Free From race
Gluten-free cookies, sugar-free chocolate and GLP-1 diets are colliding. The world’s biggest food makers are scrambling to stay relevant
Consumers prioritise food safety in purchases
More consumers understand food safety than ever before, according to EFSA
From donuts to data: Dawn shows how to bake trends into growth
At IBIE 2025, Dawn Foods used a combination of donuts, data and demos to show operators how to turn consumer buzz into real-world results
Sustainable September
Sorghum-soy chips promise high protein, low GI crunch without the carbon
A new study suggests chips made from sorghum and soy tick the health and sustainability boxes without sacrificing taste. Could this be the crunch the snack aisle has been waiting for?
Alternative materials market strengthens as sustainability declines
As the need for alternatives becomes clearer, sustainability fades into the background
Why bakers should take a cue from Michelin-starred chefs
From Parker House rolls to ancient-grain sourdoughs, fine dining chefs are transforming bread into a course of its own. Bakers have a golden chance to do the same
Opinion
The snackdown: Can bread ever be clean with glyphosate in the mix?
Bayer’s latest push for legal immunity puts the future of ‘clean’ bread and cereal under the spotlight
Leaf-powered protein: Leaft blazes new trail in APAC with Lacto Japan
Exclusive: New Zealand-based Leaft Foods partners with Lacto Japan to bring its leaf protein into staple categories such as bakery and dairy foods
Pumped for pumpkin NPD: Fall’s favorite flavor is back in force
From cookies and coffee to yogurt and popcorn, pumpkin spice is once again ruling the shelves
From Europe’s baguette to America’s bagged loaf: What sets them apart
Americans often say bread in Europe feels lighter on the stomach. Differences in wheat, fermentation and regulation suggest they may be onto something
The new rules of snacking: How to navigate a $150bn market in flux
Data from Conagra and Circana shows how shifting tastes, wellness demands and convenience are rewriting the playbook for snack makers worldwide
Sustainable September
From net zero to no hunger: Bakery&Snacks powers up Sustainable September
Climate roadmaps, community kitchens and cleaner labels – Sustainable September showcases how bakery and snacks are delivering for consumers, the planet and communities, proving collaboration is the real gamechanger
“Good bread has its own story”: A conversation with Poland’s first bread sommelier
Aleksandra Bednarek wants the baking industry to stop treating bread as background product. For her, every loaf carries value – in craft, in culture and in how consumers perceive quality.
IBIE 2025: 7 reasons Vegas will be the hottest oven in baking
IBIE 2025 lands in Las Vegas this October with fresh pavilions, global talent, big competitions and the innovations set to shape baking’s future
Flavor bombs: 11 snack launches that push the taste envelope
From swicy seaweed to smoky crisps and cupcake bites, these NPD show flavor is still the ultimate snack currency
Unlocking flavor: Scientists crack the code to designer chocolate
Scientists in Nottingham say they’ve found the ‘secret sauce’ behind fine chocolate. By isolating nine key microbes, they can now steer cocoa’s fermentation in the lab – a discovery that could ripple across confectionery, bakery, and snack aisles worldwide.
The underground secret that would put more nutrition in every loaf
A common soil fungus could help wheat grow bigger, more nutritious grains – boosting iron and zinc naturally, with no GMOs or chemical fortification
From Pringles cookies to bread in a suitcase: 15 snacks redefining fun
Beckham-backed honey snacks, Pringles-topped cookies and even a suitcase built for sliced bread — the latest wave of NPD pushes boundaries of fun, flavor and fandom