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.
Health
What do GLP-1s mean for chocolate?
The rise of weight loss medications has prompted a wave of speculation about how people’s eating habits are changing - but what do these drugs mean for chocolate?
7 consumer shifts that will define food and drink in 2027
Consumers are changing fast. Here are seven shifts set to reshape F&B in 2027 and beyond
Baker’s yeast muscles into high-protein snacks
The organism that’s raised bread for millennia is now being turned into a complete protein, just as whey prices are going through the roof
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
What diets are consumers following?
Diets can have significant influence on food trends, shaping which foods and ingredients thrive and which do not
How functional became food’s future
Functional food and drink is booming. How did it get here and where does its future growth lie?
UPF labeling could cost $14.2bn annually, study estimates
A University of Chicago-affiliated analysis estimates mandatory ultra-processed food labeling could affect 72% of packaged food products, while the Consumer Brands Association warns of additional costs, potential litigation and uncertain public-health...
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
Healthy or ultra-processed? Why snack ratings disagree
Competing nutrition and ultra-processed food (UPF) standards are complicating reformulation and dividing opinion on what makes a healthier snack
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
UPF classification doesn’t tell the whole story about nutrition, study reveals
Analysis by IFIC and NIQ of more than 40,000 US grocery products finds nutrient density varies widely among ultra-processed foods, raising questions about the relationship between processing, nutritional quality and affordability
What do GLP-1 users want to eat and drink when they’re out?
From snacks to cocktails, GLP-1 users are changing consumption habits outside the home and the industry needs to adapt fast
Nestlé backs landmark effort to improve cancer care
Food and beverage giant partners with the WSSO to make nutrition a standard part of cancer surgery care worldwide
Can GLP-1 innovation benefit all consumers?
The same protein-, fiber- and nutrient-dense formulations designed for GLP-1 users could help brands meet broader consumer demand for functional, value-driven foods
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
Are snack suppliers stuck between meals?
Gen Z’s shifting meal routines, Millennials’ appetite for solo dining and competition from retail are challenging what snacks sold through cafés and takeaway outlets should deliver
Lost confidence in nutrition information offers CPG makers opening to rebuild trust
The latest IFIC Food & Health Survey finds consumers increasingly unsure what, or whom, to believe as self-assessed health declines, but also points to a path for food companies to rebuild trust with credible facts, practical guidance and scientific evidence
Mars’ vision for 2036: The trends set to transform food and nutrition
Food and beverage giant bets on fibre, AI and personalised nutrition as solo eating reshapes food’s future
What sous vide egg bites reveal about selling breakfast beyond the café
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
Can better bread build a better sandwich?
Demand for sourdough, better nutrition and distinctive formats is pushing sandwich makers to rethink what goes around the filling
Weight-loss maintenance: The next GLP-1 innovation frontier?
GLP-1 users want to maintain weight loss after they stop using the drugs
What nutrition education in medical schools could mean for CPG
The initiative creates new implications for how consumers evaluate nutrition guidance, dietary recommendations and health-focused foods
GLP-1 creep: How weight-loss drugs are moving beyond their intended users
They have a specific criteria, but a new study has found that it’s not always met
Fi Asia 2026
Climate change fuelling mycotoxin risks with ‘no known solution’
Climate change is adding on a new threat to an age-old food safety problem faced by the food industry, one that could be more dangerous that most people realise
Are consumers really asking AI what snacks to eat?
From protein targets to dietary restrictions, shoppers can now describe what they need and get a shortlist of snacks in return but the effect on sales is still unclear
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
Up The Food Chain
Smöoy India head: Balancing health and personalisation in frozen desserts
Spanish frozen yoghurt brand Smöoy is targeting health-conscious consumers with a dessert that combines indulgence, personalisation and nutritional attributes
Cutting UPFs linked to lower depression
A study looked at depression before and after cutting back on ultra-processed foods
Are GLP-1s creating Big Food’s next valuation trap?
GLP-1s are entering food industry due diligence, but buyers risk discounting resilient snack assets while overpaying for anything carrying a health halo
Can zero-waste snacking survive the leap to scale?
Earthnutz is taking its protein crisps from startup idea to scalable production, with virgin peanut oil giving the remaining raw material a second commercial life
When food marketing slips into misinformation
New EU-funded research reveals how vague claims, hidden sponsorships and emotive content can mislead consumers – and where producers risk crossing the line
Oreo, Wonka and Yasso take snacking off script
Protein guacamole, croissant-topped drinks and fantastical confectionery reveal an NPD pipeline refusing to play safe
Obesity drug could have fewer side effects than GLP-1s
A new drug trial has shown consistent weight loss. Could it offer a viable alternative to GLP-1s?
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?
GLP-1 prescriptions for young children up 310-fold
GLP-1 use among US children has risen rapidly, signalling a shift that Europe should watch closely
From cocoa microbes to bloom, the battle for consistent chocolate
New research is revealing how fermentation, fat crystallisation and sugar structure determine chocolate’s flavour, performance and shelf life
Arsenic for breakfast? Cereal’s contaminant problem exposed
New testing raises awkward questions about what ‘better-for-you’ breakfast really means
Carob cracks gluten-free pasta’s biggest challenges
New research suggests carob flour can make gluten-free pasta firmer, less sticky and nutritionally stronger
Xylitol linked to heart attacks and strokes in major study
A large new study has thrown xylitol into the spotlight after scrutinising its long-term health effects
California passes non-UPF food seal, setting potential blueprint for other states
AB 2244 creates a voluntary government-backed certification for non-ultraprocessed foods and requires certain large retailers to prominently display certified products
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
Does sponsoring one team turn its rivals against your brand?
Sports sponsorship can turn fan loyalty into sales but brands may also inherit the rivalries, anger and controversies surrounding the teams they support
Which food trends are big in Africa?
The continent’s consumers are fusing tradition and modernity
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
Better-for-you kids snacks expand at Target, Whole Foods and beyond
The global kids snack market is projected to exceed $168 billion over the next decade as brands including cadootz!, Häppy Candy and Earth’s Best introduce cleaner-label, lower-sugar and organic options
Avo oil under pressure: Science and lawsuits challenge the premium halo
A major authenticity study and proposed class actions against Utz and Campbell’s are exposing the risks behind snacks’ costly avocado oil makeover