UPF litigation: What brands need to know now
Early preparation, thorough documentation and proactive governance remain the best defense in a landscape where litigation and regulation related to ultra-processed food are still evolving
Meat
Quorn cuts additives and embraces health trend
The legacy brand is responding to consumer demand for clean label foods
Archer gives snack meat market something to chew on
Premium protein company carves its niche in the rapidly evolving jerky industry
Kraft Heinz split: What happens now?
Kraft Heinz is officially splitting into two companies. What does this mean for its iconic brands, shareholders, and the future of the food industry?
Global guidance on meat and dairy consumption in the works
What’s the optimal intake of animal-source foods?
News Bites
Energy drinks, snack trends and a big split
Energy drinks, snacking behaviors and corporate restructuring made headlines this week, underscoring how rapidly the food and beverage landscape is shifting under competitive and consumer pressures
Cultivated meat innovators UPSIDE and Wildtype sue Texas over new law
The Lone Star State is the seventh in the nation to ban cultured meat
Sustainability September
Compostable packaging gains ground: What CPGs should know about PHA
Innovations in compostable packaging are moving towards a commercial reality, and CPG brands that engage early with PHA solutions will be better positioned to meet sustainability and compliance demands
Top food and beverage disruptions in 2025
From labour shortages to climate chaos, the food and beverage industry is fighting fires on all fronts
Is food and drink failing the planet? Share your view now
The global food and drink industry’s biggest sustainability call to action has kicked off in the first month-long Sustainable September event
Meat stick brand Singing Pastures leans into clean nutrition and joy
The company’s storytelling piques the interest of consumers who crave ethical protein and expands appeal to women consumers
Hormel joins other CPG giants in raising prices to offset inflation
Pork, beef and nut costs worsened beyond company’s second quarter projects
From stockouts to shelf strength: How retail data can boost CPG sales
AI-driven retail insights firm Crisp Data helps seafood brand Safe Catch recover lost sales and fuel double-digit growth
In struggling alt-protein scene, The Better Meat Co. raises $31 million in series A, plans to beat beef on price by 2026
Better Meat Co. raises $31 million series A to scale mycoprotein ingredient
News Bites
From deregulation to reformulation: MAHA draft, consumer trends and California’s UPF ban in schools
From Washington’s deregulatory MAHA draft to consumers reshaping shopping habits and California move to curb ultra-processed foods in schools, this week brought pivotal shifts for food and beverage stakeholders
Protein quality essential consideration for consumer health
Not all protein sources provide equal health benefits
Sustainable squid snacks: How The Hermit is disrupting the jerky category
Squid jerky startup targets the clean-label snack market
Tariffs in flux: What CPG brands need to know about ‘unavailable natural resources’ and cost pressures
The uncertainty and volatility of the US tariff environment are pushing CPG brands to navigate higher input costs while waiting for potential relief on essential commodities
Retail realities: Modest food and beverage growth amid shifting consumer priorities
Divergence across income and demographic groups, heightened health consciousness and evolving definitions of value are reshaping retail strategies
News Bites
Shifting plates: Ultra-processed food declines as protein innovation and labeling transparency rise
Consumer demand is pushing the food industry toward cleaner labels, greater transparency and innovation that balances nutrition, sustainability and taste
More trips, tighter budgets: How is inflation influencing grocery shoppers?
Circana sales data from July reveals US consumers are buying groceries more often, but where they shop and what they buy is shifting – with winners and losers emerging across bakery, protein and frozen
Are tariffs to blame of select food price hikes even as overall inflation for groceries cools?
July’s CPI data reveals notable upticks in the price of everyday staples subject to new tariffs, while consumer data reveals increasingly grim attitudes about the economy
Positively Groundfish’s Catch+Create Accelerator seeks startups to scale sustainable west coast seafood products
The new accelerator empowers early-stage seafood innovators to develop and launch value-added products that meet growing consumer demand for sustainable, traceable West Coast seafood
Could plant-based chicken brand Daring’s sale to v2food revive US alt-protein?
Acquisition pairs Daring’s retail reach and clean-label appeal with v2food’s tech stack to tackle taste, texture and nutrition challenges holding back sales of plant-based protein in the US
Summer Fancy Food Show 2025
What makes charcuterie premium?
From sourcing and ingredients to production methods, Marco Ortolani, CEO of Italian cured meat producer Rovagnati North America, shares the key elements the company prioritizes for its Italian and North American markets
Top proteins trends in 2025: From cell cultivated to plant-based
A deep dive into the consumer shifts, ingredient innovations and market opportunities redefining the global protein landscape
Beyond Meat’s troubles continue as alt-meat major feels bite of sector’s decline
Once a leader in the category, Beyond Meat has been hit by consumer sentiment against alternative meat and dairy in its Q2
Tyson Foods’ turnaround tactics hit their stride – and their mark
‘We’re driving efficiencies across all businesses while delivering growth with world class service and value for our customers and with innovation for our consumers,’ CEO Donnie King says of the company’s 4% sales increase in Q3
IFT FIRST 2025
Methylcellulose’s match? ICL’s Rovitaris offers clean-label binding alternative in plant-based meat and seafood
Powered by Plantible Foods’ Rubi Protein, ICL’s binder system outperforms methylcellulose’s gelling capabilities in plant-based meat and seafood and delivers better nutritionals
Future Food Tech Chicago
Mission Barns charts next steps after winning USDA & FDA nods for cultivated pork fat
Following the greenlight from USDA last week, Mission Barns is not wasting time bringing its animal-free cultured pork to market – it is targeting a Sprouts Farmers Market launch this summer, while simultaneously pursing B2B partnerships
What does renewed pushback against California’s Prop 12 mean for state ingredient bans?
Challenges to California’s animal welfare standards could have implications for states’ ability to restrict synthetic dyes and other ingredients – potentially undercutting the Trump administration’s backdoor approach to regulate food safety
Trump’s FDA clears first foreign cultivated meat firm, Believer
A global food tech disruptor just made history in the US – and it happened under an administration not known for regulatory expansion
Summer Fancy Food Show
From deli to disruption: Coro Foods brings modern flavors to the charcuterie case
From deli cult classic to national retail rollout, the women-owned brand modernizes a category dominated by heritage brands and European tradition
Joyn Foods joins blended meat category on retail shelves
The blended meat - or balanced protein - category continues to grow as players invest in ingredient technology to align with consumer preferences for healthy, clean-label protein
dsm-firmenich taps Meala to elevate texturized pea protein with clean-label functionality
The partnership leverages Meala’s patented technology to simplify formulation while meeting the technical demands of plant-based and hybrid food applications
Clean label plant meat innovator lands $11m to boost production
With a fresh injection of funding, a next-gen meat alternative business is preparing to take a bigger bite out of the protein market
Future Food Tech Chicago
Blending in to standout: What is the market potential for ‘balanced proteins’?
Products that combine animal- and plant-protein are a time-tested culinary technique that offer untapped market potential to win over consumers based on taste, nutrition and sustainability goals
Future Food-Tech Chicago
Who eats plant-based meat and how can brands expand their appeal?
The Good Food Institute found three-quarters of consumers are open to eating plant-based meat, but to win them over alternative protein manufacturers must understand subtle nuances between what motivates them, including different definitions of ‘healthy’
Future Food-Tech Chicago
Investors’ appetite for food-tech enters new era with shifting interest in alternative ingredients
The investment landscape for food-tech remains chilly, but there are bright spots for alternative fats and oils and some appetite for sweeteners as well as alt protein with proven business models
Positive Nutrition
Tailoring plant-based protein for performance, taste and trust
The next phase of plant-based innovation must go beyond any one hero product, delivering category-specific solutions that balance nutrition, clean labels, sensory appeal and transparent communication.
Regen ag could make EU farming carbon negative
Using regenerative agriculture makes farms more efficient than those using traditional agriculture
Inside National Pork Board’s Gen Z campaign
The National Pork Board aims to connect with Gen Z with a data-driven and flavor-forward campaign
Positive Nutrition
Beyond the noise: Ethan Brown on plant-based meat’s next chapter
With consumer skepticism around ingredient transparency, faltering retail momentum and backlash from the meat industry, the company finds itself at a crossroads – one it is determined to navigate with what CEO Ethan Brown calls “radical transparency.”
Pressure points: How policy, pricing and preference are reshaping food
Food and beverage continues to face complex challenges driven by economic, policy and consumer shifts
Summer barbecue prices set for record highs, but do not blame tariffs
Prices of grilling-related foods and beverages are heating up, but trade tensions and tariffs might not be the main reason for higher prices
Positive Nutrition
How can plant-based brands bridge the gap between innovation and adoption?
As inflation continues to strain household budgets, consumers are zeroing in on grocery staples that offer clear nutritional and economic value, which often exclude plant-based foods
Almost all plant-based meat and dairy categories are down in 2025, Spins reports
Steep dollar and volume declines ripple across the plant-based meat market, while soy- and coconut-milk and shredded non-dairy cheese offer glimmers of hope amid slumping alt dairy sales
CPG reset? Beyond Meat’s new moves, gut health education and FDA’s dye crackdown
Beyond Meat expands amid sinking category sales, consumers show a growing but shallow interest in gut health and FDA’s focus on dyes signals a potential distraction from larger regulatory tasks
Plant-based meat manufacturer freezes prices for year in tariff response
Plant-based meat’s march to price parity hits a tariff wrinkle, as private label provides a growth opportunity for the slumping category
Beyond Meat doubles down on plant-based chicken with Beyond Chicken Pieces
Beyond Meat’s Chicken Pieces launched earlier this week in 1,900 Kroger stores nationwide