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?
Health
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
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
Can culturally rooted snacks survive industrial scale?
As regional flavours go global, manufacturers risk engineering away the very character that made them valuable
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
Nestlé bets big on GLP-1s with AI-powered nutrition push
The world’s biggest CPG is using AI and nutritional science to develop products tailored to GLP-1 users
Opinion
No ingredient can make up for a balanced diet: Why ‘maxxing’ trends are not the answer
Consumers should not focus single-mindedly on any ingredient
US snack giants find their fastest growth is no longer at home
Tariffs, weight-loss drugs and a more cautious US shopper are pushing the industry’s biggest names to chase growth in India, Latin America and Southeast Asia instead
The rebel cacao the cocoa industry never saw coming
Ceremonial cacao – minimally processed, traceable to a single farm and allergic to marketing spin – is barging into the mainstream on its own terms, but one UK founder says manufacturers still don’t get it
The hunger switch Ozempic doesn’t actually turn off
Yale scientists have found that some weight-loss jabs don’t switch off hunger at all – they hijack it, and that changes what the food industry should expect next
Is speculoos the new Dubai chocolate? Inside Biscoff’s €500m boom
Lotus Bakeries is making its biggest-ever investment to turn soaring demand for speculoos into lasting global growth
HHS proposes new GRAS rules and addresses UPF definition
HHS Secretary RFK Jr. announced landmark proposals requiring food manufacturers to notify the FDA about additives and confirms a UPF definition is pending
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
5 hard truths every functional food startup needs to learn
The functional food market is booming, but turning a promising concept into a commercially successful product is rarely straightforward
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
How are better-for-you snacks outpacing conventional offerings?
High protein is here to stay while consumers seek fresh, whole foods as part of their healthier snack routine
Hovis Bakeries: Can Britain’s biggest bread shake-up revive its struggling loaf market?
Hovis Bakeries is the latest sign that Britain’s industrial bread sector is being forced to reinvent itself as changing consumer habits, supermarket pressure and rising costs reshape one of the UK’s biggest food categories
Inside the UAE’s push towards a healthier food system
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) National Strategy for Healthy Nutrition 2031 has grand plans to revamp health and nutrition in the country — but lofty challenges lie ahead
Will the beef tallow trend come to Europe?
It’s taking off in the US, but will European consumers be open to the idea?
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
From Ozempic to oat bars: Can peptide science cross into food?
Consumers already associate peptides with dramatic weight loss thanks to drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, and that’s sparking curiosity about whether a food-grade cousin could follow
64% of consumers eating food past use-by dates amid cost concerns
Consumers are taking risks with food safety as concerns over rising food prices continue to impact on behaviour.
Consumers want fewer ultra processed foods, but refuse to pay extra
Food manufacturers are facing increasing pressure to remove ultra processed ingredients from foods while keeping the price for consumers the same.
Florida subpoenas General Mills over bromate flour
General Mills is the first company to face a subpoena as Florida opens a consumer-protection probe into a century-old dough conditioner most of the world abandoned long ago
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.
Four new cacao types just handed chocolate a lifeline
A Peruvian gene-hunt has rewritten the cacao family tree, handing breeders fresh raw material just as disease and extreme weather squeeze the world’s cocoa supply
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
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 great fragmentation of snacking
The biggest opportunities in snacking no longer lie in broad categories, but in owning one highly specific eating occasion
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
Mondelez State of Snacking: The impossible innovation brief
Manufacturers have spent years responding to one consumer trend after another, but today’s snack has to satisfy every expectation at once
Why some food startups succeed while others never leave the classroom
Riff may still be in its infancy, but the lessons four students learned while turning a university assignment into a registered snack business could help other founders avoid making the same mistakes