New CEO Leads on Juice Burst Rebrand
Purity Soft Drinks is rebranding as The Juice Burst Drinks Co. to spotlight its flagship Juice Burst line, now a staple in UK grocery aisles. The transition will roll out over the coming months, supported by a major consumer campaign launching in September 2026. The company also appointed Scott Snell, former head of Naked juice at PepsiCo, as its new CEO to drive growth across retail, convenience and foodservice. The strategy targets Gen Z shoppers and aims to expand distribution and sales velocity.
Seaboard Sees Potential for Prairie Fresh, Garozzo’s Sausage to Go Beyond KC
Seaboard Foods’ Prairie Fresh brand has launched an Italian‑style ground sausage made with Garozzo’s Ristorante, aiming to deliver restaurant‑quality flavor to grocery shelves. A taste test convinced product‑innovation director Eric Hamilton the sausage was “surreal,” prompting a Kansas City rollout...
When Paper Packaging Fails the Sustainability Test
Paperisation is gaining momentum as brands chase consumer trust in paper over plastic, exemplified by Bel Group’s pledge to shift all Babybel products to paper packaging by 2027. The transition reveals technical hurdles, especially for wet or oily foods that...
AI Robots Automate Tray Assembly for Fresh Produce Packing
Chef Robotics unveiled an AI‑driven system that automates tray assembly for fresh‑produce packaging. The platform uses computer‑vision‑guided piece‑picking for whole fruits and a weight‑based scooping module for items like corn and peas. It supports three placement strategies—offset, multi‑item, and stacked—to...
Costco Hot Dog Combo Stays at $1.50, and Now You Can Have a Bottle of Water with It
Costco confirmed its iconic hot‑dog‑and‑soda combo will remain $1.50, a price unchanged since the 1980s. The retailer added a new option: customers can swap the soda for a 16‑oz. bottle of water at no extra cost. CFO Richard Galanti dismissed...
Fresh Analysis Reveals Farm Stops Are Poised to Shake up Local U.S. Food Economy
Farm Stops, a nascent retail model that lets local farmers drop off produce for daily consumer sales, are gaining traction across the United States. Fewer than 36 locations currently operate, yet Kalibrate’s location‑intelligence data shows they attract 70% of visitors...
Solar Foods Secures €350,000 in EU Hydrogen Valley Project to Expand Solein Output
Finnish food‑tech firm Solar Foods has secured €350,000 (about $385,000) from the EU‑funded BalticSeaH2 hydrogen valley project to boost production of its protein ingredient Solein at Factory 01. The five‑year initiative, backed by a €33 million ($36.3 million) Clean Hydrogen Partnership budget, aims...
AL Grocers Face State Tax Holiday As National Rollback Accelerates
Beginning May 1, Alabama will suspend its 2% state sales tax on SNAP‑eligible groceries for two months, while city and county taxes remain in effect. Retailers must reconfigure point‑of‑sale and online systems to apply a split‑rate tax structure and continue...
Lallemand Bio-Ingredients to Present Yeast Protein and Savory Solutions at IFIA Japan 2026
Lallemand Bio-Ingredients will exhibit at IFIA Japan 2026 in Tokyo, showcasing its yeast‑based Engevita HiPRO Beyond protein ingredient and savory yeast‑extract concepts. The protein ingredient offers a neutral sensory profile and no rheological impact, allowing formulators to boost protein in...
Coors Light Launches First Nonalcoholic Beer
Molson Coors is rolling out Coors 0.0%, the first non‑alcoholic version of its flagship Coors Light, in select Northeastern markets this May, with a full‑nation rollout slated for 2027. The launch expands Molson Coors' growing zero‑ABV lineup, which already includes Blue...
Rip Van Sees Opportunity as Rising Snack Prices Narrow Gap for Better-for-You Treats
Rip Van, the Brooklyn‑based snack maker known for its Dutch stroopwafels, has transformed its flagship cookie from a 14‑gram sugar bomb into a 3‑gram low‑sugar, high‑fiber treat using monk fruit. The healthier formula has unlocked a broader product portfolio, adding...
Graza Just Came Out with My New Favorite Spread (I’m Slathering It on Everything)
Graza, the olive‑oil brand known for its squeeze‑bottle packaging, has launched three new olive‑oil‑based mayonnaises—Original, Fancy, and Garlic Aioli. A recent review by shopping writer Micki Wagner praises all three, highlighting the Garlic Aioli as the standout for its versatile,...
Protein Ice Cream Brands Scoop Up Cash
In this episode of CPG Week, Brad Avery and Lucas Southard discuss the rapid growth of online grocery sales, highlighting a new FMI and Nielsen IQ report that projects e‑commerce to reach $452 billion by 2028 and to outpace brick‑and‑mortar growth....
South Dakota Grocers Navigate Market Shifts, Trends
South Dakota’s grocery sector is experiencing an "average year," with consumers trading down from beef to chicken and shifting toward store brands. Convenience stores are adding fresh items, eroding traditional grocery sales, while big‑box retailers deliver groceries to rural areas...
Hed 11 Expands to New York with $126 Thai Sharing Tasting Menu
Owner Billie Wannajaro is opening Hed NYC in West Chelsea on May 23, bringing her Michelin‑recognized Thai fine‑dining concept to New York with a five‑course, $126 sharing tasting menu. The expansion marks the first East Coast outpost for the San Francisco‑based...
Delhaize’s Private Label Hits the Shelves at Louis Delhaize
Delhaize completed its acquisition of the Louis Delhaize neighborhood‑store chain earlier this year, and the first integration steps are now visible on the shop floor. More than 500 Delhaize private‑label products have been added to the assortments of over 300 Louis Delhaize...
Taco Bell Pilots AI‑driven Dynamic Drive‑thru Menu, Eyes Nationwide Rollout in 2026
Taco Bell U.S. began testing an AI‑powered, dynamically personalized drive‑thru menu, using real‑time data to adjust item recommendations. The pilot is part of Yum! Brands' AI adoption plan and could expand to all U.S. locations in 2026, signaling the first...
Cell-Based Chocolate? Oh, Why Not.
Celleste Bio has produced the world’s first milk chocolate bar using cell‑cultivated cocoa butter, marking a breakthrough in lab‑grown food technology. The process extracts cocoa cells, ferments them with nutrients, and converts the resulting biomass into chocolate‑grade butter, yielding enough...
Building AI Employees for Hospitality: How AITropos Takes Orders Where Customers Already Are
AITropos has built an AI employee that takes restaurant orders entirely within WhatsApp, handling menu recommendations, modifiers, payment links and status updates. The founders iterated through three product forms—hardware for waiters, a waiter‑facing app, and finally a customer‑facing conversational agent—to...
Exclusive: Democrats Ask USDA to Drop ‘Risky’ Meatpacking Proposal
Democratic lawmakers, led by Sen. Cory Booker, have asked the USDA to abandon a rulemaking effort that would permanently raise line speeds at poultry and pork processing plants. They argue that faster lines increase worker injuries, including amputations, and diminish...
Dak Coffee Roasters Turns Its Boxes Into a Psychedelic Art Drop
Specialty coffee brand Dak Coffee Roasters has launched its Neon Milk release, featuring packaging designed by Koppel Studio. The box is covered in a psychedelic, neon spot‑color swirl that appears to glow from within, a technique not achievable with standard...
“Operational Rigour” Pays Dividends for The Magnum Ice Cream Volumes
The Magnum Ice Cream Co. (TMICC) reported Q1 volume growth that more than doubled, with organic volume growth (OVG) rising to 2.9% versus 1.4% a year earlier. CEO Peter ter Kulve highlighted operational rigour, especially the rapid rollout of 50,000...
Forget Silly Squeeze Bottles For Olive Oil; D’Arbequina Uses Photos of Wild Deer
D’Arbequina, the premium olive‑oil brand from Catalonia, has launched a limited‑edition series of 280 bottles, each featuring a unique black‑and‑white motion‑sensor photograph of the farm’s resident fallow deer. Designed by SMLXL, the labels replace conventional refined graphics with raw wildlife...
Global Veganism Data Has a Major Blind Spot, New Faunalytics Report Finds
A new Faunalytics report reveals that 87% of globally‑representative vegan and vegetarian data comes from Europe and North America, which together make up only 16% of the world’s population. No comparable data exist for Sub‑Saharan Africa or South Asia, regions...
Nathan’s Famous Modernizes Its Classic Hot Dog
Nathan’s Famous, a Smithfield Foods brand, introduced 100% grass‑fed beef franks, blending its historic Coney Island recipe with premium, ingredient‑forward meat. The uncured hot dogs contain no artificial flavors, preservatives, fillers or by‑products, appealing to consumers seeking cleaner protein options....
Private-Equity Firm KKR Said to Be Eyeing Disposal of Flora Food Group
Private‑equity giant KKR is reportedly exploring a sale of its Flora Food Group spreads assets, with bankers valuing the deal at up to $10 bn. KKR acquired the plant‑based brand portfolio from Unilever in 2018 for roughly $7.9 bn and the business...
Mississippi Bans Fake Milk to Support Human Health and Farmers
Mississippi enacted bipartisan House Bill 1153, prohibiting the manufacture and sale of lab‑grown dairy products and restricting labeling of alternative‑protein foods. The legislation targets so‑called “fake milk,” which uses precision‑fermentation technology to replicate cow‑milk proteins. Lawmakers framed the ban as...
Hershey Sales up on Pricing as “Elasticity” Eats Into Volumes
Hershey reported first‑quarter net sales of $3.1 bn, a 10.6% year‑over‑year rise driven by aggressive pricing and the integration of its LesserEvil organic‑snacks acquisition. Despite the sales boost, overall volumes slipped about two percentage points, with North America confectionery down roughly...
Your Pie Debuts Streamlined Business Model to Drive Southeast Growth
Your Pie, the fast‑casual pizza chain founded in 2008, announced a streamlined business model to fuel expansion across the Southeast. The plan targets metro Atlanta, the Chattanooga‑Knoxville‑Nashville corridor, and Columbia, SC, leveraging smaller footprints, simplified kitchens, and off‑premise dining. The...
Where to Find Food Trucks in Los Angeles: Tips, Events, & Apps
Food trucks have become a defining feature of Los Angeles, with an estimated 4,000 mobile kitchens operating in 2026. The city’s sprawling layout and culture of culinary experimentation have kept the trend thriving, unlike many other U.S. markets where the...
Nov Soybeans Reach Record High, Rare April Spike
📈Nov CBOT soybeans inked a new yearly high of $11.78 per bushel in overnight trade on Thursday, replacing the old high from March 12. They have since eased. Setting annual highs in April is rare for new-crop soybeans. May is a...
Independent Restaurants Facing Alarming Closure Rates, Data Shows
I've been posting on the plight of the independent restaurant for a while, & our @Technomic data paints a pretty dire picture of challenges facing these operators based on overall closure rates. Thanks to my Informa colleague @livetodineout for including...
The Buildout Podcast: Trick Dog
The Buildout Podcast released an episode featuring San Francisco bar veteran Josh Harris, co‑founder of the acclaimed Trick Dog. Harris discusses how he built the bar by drawing on personal memories and art, fostering a culture that rewards creative experimentation. He also...
Starbucks Turns Refreshers Into $2B Energy Boost
Starbucks has quietly built Refreshers into a $2 billion business and has now added energy, which has boosted sales. So no, it's not worried that everybody is doing them now, too. https://t.co/9gjBmTQ0fG
Record Beef Prices Trigger Shift to Other Meats
The biggest food price problem has nothing to do with the US-Iran war. Beef prices are rising higher, today setting a new all-time high above $2.55 per lb. The rise in beef is prompting demand switch to other meat forms, putting...
Convenience to Lose Market Share Despite £740BN Forecast
The Institute for Grocery Distribution (IGD) projects global convenience sales to reach roughly $947 bn by 2030, up from about $851 bn in 2025. Despite a 3.5% CAGR, the channel’s share of total grocery spend is expected to dip from 10.7% to...
U.S. Export Sales Meet Expectations; Corn, Beans, Wheat Strong
🇺🇸Last week's U.S. export sales met trade expectations. Corn stayed above average for the time of year, led by Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela & unknown. China led in net bean sales (though most were switched from unknown), Egypt was 2nd. Old-crop...
Cascading Agrifood Shocks Demand Predictive Modeling for Resilience
Agrifood crises aren’t linear. Risks cascade over time. Example: @FAO's Hormuz analysis shows how energy shocks ripple through fertilizer, productivity and food security. Modeling can predict crises and identify policy combinations that boost resilience. https://t.co/xeHzPqdSuB
USDA Pushes Faster Meat Plant Lines, Sparking Labor and Safety Backlash
The USDA announced proposals to increase line speeds in poultry, turkey and swine processing, raising poultry to 175 birds per minute and removing caps for pork. Labor unions and environmental advocates have lodged tens of thousands of comments warning of...
Rare‑Earth Mine Runoff Pollutes Mekong Tributaries, Endangering $10 Billion Rice Export Industry
Heavy‑metal runoff from unregulated rare‑earth mining in Myanmar and Laos is contaminating the Mekong River’s tributaries, sparking fears among 70 million downstream users. Thailand’s $10 billion rice and fruit export sector faces a potential collapse as toxins threaten fish stocks and crop...
Starbucks Expands Cold Beverage Offer with New Cloud Frappuccino® Blended Beverage Range
Starbucks is rolling out a new Cloud Frappuccino® blended beverage range in the UK, adding three flavors—Strawberry Matcha, Brown Sugar, and Caramel Mocha—each topped with a signature cold foam. The launch targets the summer season, with Rewards members gaining early...
The Role of a PRA in Strategic Cost Management for Food and Beverage Packaging
Food and beverage packaging procurement faces rising cost volatility due to geopolitical disruptions, energy price spikes, and logistics bottlenecks. A Price Reporting Agency (PRA) such as Fastmarkets provides independent, market‑reflective price assessments for materials like corrugated board, aluminum, and pallets....
KKR Restarts Flora Food Sale at $10 B Valuation
KKR revives Flora Food Group sale process with $10bn price tag Read more here: https://t.co/yGF3OTrNBY https://t.co/Fu6a3q9jGj
Costco Adds Bottled Water to $1.50 Hot Dog Combo, Price Stays Unchanged
Costco quietly rolled out a bottled‑water alternative to its legendary $1.50 hot dog and soda combo, keeping the price unchanged for the first time in 40 years. The move, announced across U.S. warehouses including 13 Ohio locations, is framed as a...
McDonald’s Rolls Out Premium ‘Dirty Soda’ and Refresher Line to Revive Afternoon Sales
McDonald’s is debuting six new premium beverages—three fruit‑based refreshers and three crafted “dirty” sodas—across its U.S. network on May 6. The rollout targets the $100 billion beverage category and aims to lift sluggish afternoon sales while delivering higher margins than traditional fountain...
Monica Galetti Is Launching a New Restaurant in Primrose Hill
Chef Monica Galetti is launching 130 Primrose, a social‑enterprise restaurant in Primrose Hill that will open on May 8. The venue will employ and train people impacted by homelessness, offering six‑month contracts and ongoing support. Galetti will design a menu that showcases...
McDonald’s Appoints Mustafa Husain as U.S. CIO to Accelerate Digital Overhaul
McDonald’s has named Mustafa Husain senior vice president and U.S. chief information officer, effective May 1. The veteran technologist will inherit a portfolio that includes AI‑enabled operations, point‑of‑sale standardization, and a multi‑year digital transformation agenda.
Seamless Guest Interaction Drives Restaurant Revenue
Restaurants are shifting focus from attracting diners to capturing intent the moment a guest reaches out. Real‑time, omnichannel responses—via Instagram, WhatsApp, email, web forms—turn inquiries into bookings and boost revenue. Operators that automate instant, on‑brand replies also free staff from...
Users Want Zomato Web App for Desktop Ordering
I wish Zomata had a web app. Let me order food from my desk on a big screen without needing to pick up my phone and stare into a tiny screen @zomato @albinder
Yum Brands Takes Flight in Q1 as KFC Fuels Global Ascent
Yum Brands posted a strong Q1 2026, with system sales up 6% and unit growth of 5%. KFC drove most of the momentum, expanding internationally and scaling its Saucy by KFC concept across eight of its top 20 markets. Taco Bell delivered...