Under the Hood: The Reset Spreads
Napa Valley’s wine slump has broadened into a wider contraction across the visitor economy, with recent restaurant closures and tasting‑room consolidations framed as repositioning rather than crisis. Large producers are rationalizing capacity and cutting jobs as inventories swell and market demand weakens. Transaction activity is shifting toward split‑asset structures, supply agreements and lender‑driven outcomes, reflecting a more defensive capital stance. The foreclosure sale of Stanly Ranch at a discount to its original debt underscores a regional valuation reset rather than a temporary dip.
USDA Confirms 136,000 Tons U.S. Corn Sale to South Korea
USDA confirms the sale of 136,000 metric tons of U.S. corn for delivery to South Korea in 2025/26.
New School Food Rules on the Horizon?
The USDA is preparing to roll out new MAHA dietary guidelines that could reshape school nutrition standards. Advocacy groups, including United We Eat, are pressing the agency to tighten rules around processed animal products, citing additives, antibiotics, and cancer‑linked preservatives....
At the Seattle Mariners’ Stadium, a Secret Door Is Dispensing Gonzo Cocktails
On Opening Day at Seattle’s T‑Mobile Park, a hidden pentagonal door appeared, dispensing exclusive cocktails such as the blue‑cotton‑candy topped Atmospheric River. The door’s location is undisclosed, and fans who discover it are asked to keep it secret. Mariners vice...
RFK Jr Asks Hospitals to Prioritise Non-UPF Proteins, Including Plant-Based Options
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., via a CMS memo, warned hospitals that continued Medicare and Medicaid funding hinges on aligning food purchases with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The directive emphasizes eliminating ultra‑processed foods and prioritizing minimally processed...
Some Ultra-Processed Foods Are as Addictive as Cigarettes and Cocaine
Recent research shows ultra‑processed foods (UPFs) trigger brain reward pathways similarly to cigarettes and cocaine, making them highly addictive. About 57% of calories consumed by U.S. adults and 67% by children come from UPFs, with addiction rates comparable to alcohol...
Simply Good Foods Slashes Outlook, Slips to Second-Quarter Loss
Simply Good Foods announced a sharp downgrade of its fiscal 2026 outlook, projecting adjusted EBITDA 19%‑22% lower at $217‑$225 million and net sales down 7%‑10% to $1.31‑$1.35 billion. Gross margins are expected to shrink by 300‑350 basis points, and the company posted...
Ultra-Processed Foods May Raise Risk of Preterm Birth and Pregnancy Complications, Study Finds
A large U.S. study of 6,693 pregnancies found that each 10‑percentage‑point rise in calories from ultra‑processed foods (UPFs) during pregnancy is associated with an 11% higher risk of preterm birth and a 5% increase in hypertensive disorders such as preeclampsia....
Hungry Howie's Offers National Pet Day Secret Menu
Hungry Howie's has teamed with pet‑treat brand Happy Howie's to launch a limited‑time secret menu for National Pet Day, beginning April 11. The menu features three online‑only combos—Pup & Roll, Bone Appétit Pack Party, and Bark‑Back Add‑On—pairing pizza or rolls with...
Costa Coffee Strengthens London Footprint with Pipeline of New Stores and Site Upgrades
Costa Coffee is allocating up to £3.5 million (about $4.5 million) to expand and upgrade its London estate. The chain plans to open up to seven new stores in 2026 and refurbish more than 10 existing locations, targeting high‑footfall commuter hubs. The...
Ask a Distiller: What Does It Mean When a Spirit Is ‘Overproof’?
Overproof spirits are defined as any liquor exceeding 50% alcohol by volume (100 proof), a threshold most commonly applied to rum. Historically, British sailors tested proof by igniting gunpowder soaked in the spirit, cementing the term’s naval roots. Jamaican rums...
St Pierre Launches Category-First Croissant Loaf
St Pierre is launching the UK’s first croissant‑loaf, a hybrid bakery product that combines a sliced loaf’s convenience with the flaky texture of a croissant. The Croissant Loaf, priced at £2.85 (≈$3.60), will hit Sainsbury’s now and roll out to Tesco...
Culture Pop Soda Delivers Nostalgic Taste with Better-for-You Benefits
Culture Pop Soda, founded in 2020 in Watertown, Massachusetts, is positioning itself as a healthier alternative in the carbonated soft drink market by offering probiotic, prebiotic beverages made with organic fruit juice and no refined sugars or artificial sweeteners. The...
The Disappearing Operator Is Changing How Decisions Get Made
Foodservice manufacturers once relied on a single decision-maker—the operator—to drive product adoption. Today, procurement, finance, and digital platforms are fragmenting that power, creating a multi‑stakeholder ecosystem that influences menu choices before they reach the kitchen. Centralized commissaries further standardize orders,...
Grocery Update #149: That Town That Bought Its Grocery Store.
Edgewood, Iowa residents collectively purchased Karl’s Grocery to prevent the town from becoming a food desert after the original owners sought to exit in 2020. About 50‑60 locals invested between $500 and $10,000, giving the community roughly 5% equity in...
Chile Promotes Research to Improve the Quality of Hass Avocados and Reduce Black Spots
Chile’s leading avocado producers are funding a four‑year research program to curb black‑spot disorder in Hass fruit, a cosmetic defect that currently forces the rejection of 10‑20% of exported shipments. The project, led by Prof. Romina Pedreschi at PUCV, focuses on...
ED+U: An Expansive, Free New Coffee Academy By Cafe Imports
Cafe Imports has launched ED+U, a free, open‑access coffee academy that debuted on April 10, 2026. The six‑part series, created by former US Brewers Cup champion Dylan Siemens, covers the coffee supply chain from plant biology to brewing art, offering...
ABD Maestro Launches ZOYA Pink Mix Berries Gin at ₹2,500 in Maharashtra
Allied Blenders & Distillers' premium arm ABD Maestro launched ZOYA Pink Mix Berries Gin in Maharashtra, pricing it at ₹2,500 (≈$30). The gin blends a classic juniper base with strawberry, cranberry, blackberry and raspberry, and is produced in small batches...
Allagash Brewing: Rethinking Supply Chains From the Ground Up
Allagash Brewing Company’s founder Rob Tod explains how the craft brewer is redesigning its supply chain by sourcing grain from Maine farms and investing in local processing infrastructure. The company pairs this regional sourcing with granular sustainability measures—water‑use reductions, logistics tweaks,...
Lidl Begins Building Its First Ever Pub
UK discount grocer Lidl has started construction on its first dedicated pub adjacent to its Dundonald store in east Belfast. The move circumvents Northern Ireland’s strict off‑sales licensing regime, as a court ruling in January 2025 cleared a High Court...
Paper‑based Bottles at Scale Are Drawing Closer
A coalition of PulPac, PA Consulting and Diageo launched the Bottle Collective to develop fibre‑based drink containers that can replace single‑use plastic and glass. Using PulPac’s dry‑molded fibre technology, the group produced prototypes that require only a thin plastic liner,...
How Temu Gave a Quokka Coffee the Boost It Needed
Quokka Coffee, a two‑person UK coffee startup, listed its products on Temu in August 2025 and quickly saw the platform become a vital sales channel. Within five months Temu accounts for roughly 15% of the company’s orders—about 20 weekly shipments—and...
Brasserie Zedel Has a Rival in New London Restaurant Offering Three (Amazing) Courses for £30
Jeremy King, famed restaurateur behind Brasserie Zedel, has launched Romano’s on the Strand, offering a three‑course set menu for £24.95‑£29.75. The new venue mirrors Zedel’s affordable‑luxury concept but delivers stronger British‑centric dishes, including a heritage courgette tart, pork faggots and...
How Regional Grocers Can Win With Fresh Over The Next Decade | 5IM
Jeremy Levine, senior director at Alvarez & Marsal’s Consumer & Retail Group, explains why fresh departments are a strategic priority for regional grocers, driven by consumer shifts toward healthier, protein‑rich diets and away from processed foods. He highlights that fresh...
Chef Brendan Pelley Opens Kri Kri Grill, a Solo Greek Eatery in Chelmsford
Chef Brendan Pelley, famed for Bar Vlaha and Krasi, is opening Kri Kri Grill, his first independent restaurant, at 18 Boston Road in Chelmsford this summer. The venue will showcase homestyle Greek dishes inspired by a recent vacation to Crete,...
Coca‑Cola Rolls Out "Uncanned Emotions" FIFA 2026 Campaign to Amplify Global Fan Engagement
Coca‑Cola unveiled its second global brand film, "Uncanned Emotions," as part of a three‑part FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign. The film centers on fans’ emotional highs and lows, while the brand layers the narrative with a trophy tour and a...
French Food Giant LDC to Beat Sales, Earnings Targets
French poultry and prepared‑foods group LDC reported full‑year revenue of €7.28 billion, a 15% increase year‑over‑year (about $8.5 billion) and a 7.6% rise on a like‑for‑like basis. The company’s fourth‑quarter sales jumped 12.5% to €1.98 billion ($2.31 billion), driven by strong poultry consumption, price...
How Restaurant Merch Became Cultural Currency
Restaurant merchandise is evolving from a souvenir to a strategic brand asset, with nearly 20% of hospitality businesses now offering branded items. In high‑performing cases, merch accounts for 11% of monthly revenue and can reach as much as 27%. Limited‑run...
Logistics and Little Necks
Chef Joe Frillman’s new Chicago restaurant, The Radicle, required a $1 million renovation despite occupying an existing space, and faced two years of delays due to licensing, inspections, and scheduling hurdles. The Eater series documents the costly and time‑intensive process of...
Enhancing Restaurant Profitability Immediately with Real-Time Insight
Hospitality operators are grappling with soaring labor costs, higher business rates and lingering inflation, prompting many to cut staff or hours. Yet restaurants can instantly improve margins by leveraging real‑time data on inventory, staffing and menu performance. The article argues...
SEADLING Founder Simon Davis on Bringing Long-Term Economic Benefit to SEA’s Seaweed Farmers
Biotech startup SEADLING, founded by Simon Davis, supplies Elkhorn sea moss seedlings to smallholder farmers in Malaysian Borneo and processes the harvest into fermented, functional ingredients. In 2025 the company closed a $1 million seed round and opened a second processing...
A Great North London Pub Is Set to Reopen After Two Years’ Closure
After more than two years of shuttered doors, the Mother Red Cap, a historic Irish pub in Holloway, is set to reopen within the next month. The closure followed the retirement of its publican in 2024, during a period when...
This Shoreditch Wine Bar Will Soon Serve Britain’s Greatest Toasties
Shoreditch’s Nekter Deli, a wine‑focused bar launched in summer 2025, is adding a line of high‑end toasties. The inaugural sandwich, called “The Ynyshir”, is a milk‑roll filled with Fat Cow cheese, black truffle and shiitake ketchup, priced at £20 (about...
Don’t Waste Your Money on Expensive EVOO or ‘High Polyphenol’ Olive Oil!
A review of clinical and mechanistic data finds extra‑virgin olive oil (EVOO), especially high‑polyphenol varieties, superior to canola oil for cardiovascular health. The PREDIMED trial (≈7,400 high‑risk participants) reported a 31% reduction in major events with about four tablespoons of...
Fermentation Waste Could Be Food Industry Goldmine
Emerging research shows that the biomass waste generated by large‑scale fermentation contains microbial fibre that can be extracted and used as a functional food ingredient. Western consumers currently consume only 12‑14 g of fibre daily, well below the 28‑42 g recommended for...
Solnul Expands European Presence with Lehvoss Distribution Deal
Solnul, MSP's potato‑derived resistant starch, has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Hamburg‑based Lehvoss Group to broaden its European reach beyond the single client Sunday Natural. The partnership targets ready‑to‑mix fiber powders and meal‑replacement formulas, with the strongest inquiries coming...
New Dietary Recommendations in the Netherlands: Less Meat, More Legumes
The Dutch Nutrition Center has revised its “Wheel of Five” to curb meat and cheese consumption while boosting legumes. Adults 18‑50 should limit meat to 300 g per week (no more than 100 g red) and cheese to 20 g daily, and increase...
The Co-Op Plans Full Takeover of Struggling Southern Co-Op
The Co‑op has proposed a full takeover of the struggling Southern Co‑op, which would bring roughly 300,000 Southern members into The Co‑op’s seven‑million‑member base. The deal would add about 300 food, funeral and Starbucks outlets plus three crematoria to The...
Flavour Trends in 2026: What’s up and What’s Down?
In 2026 consumers are gravitating toward bold, intense flavours, sweet‑savory fusions and comfort‑oriented profiles. Matcha’s base popularity jumped 87% globally, with fusion variants such as banana‑matcha soaring 594% year‑over‑year. Savoury indulgence is resurging, driven by beef tallow (+106%), hot honey...
Study Evaluates Pathogen Reductions on Microgreens Treated with UV-C
A recent MDPI Foods study examined post‑harvest ultraviolet‑C (UV‑C) treatment on sunflower and radish microgreens inoculated with Salmonella, STEC and Listeria. Bidirectional exposure at 10 cm for 120 seconds achieved the greatest reductions—up to 3.1 log for Salmonella, 3.0 log for STEC and 2.0 log...
Blended Proteins 4% Cheaper Than Meat As Supermarkets Drive Category in Netherlands
Netherlands leads blended protein market, with supermarkets launching 115 private‑label products that combine animal meat with plant ingredients. The hybrid offerings are on average 4.4% cheaper than conventional meat and dairy, translating to roughly $1.38 per kilogram, and often deliver...
Just Launched: Nestlé Nesquik Plus Battle of the Meat-Free Steaks…
A wave of UK product launches underscores the FMCG sector’s shift toward indulgent yet health‑focused innovation. All Things introduced a low‑fat cottage cheese projected to generate over £4 million (≈$5.1 million) in sales, while Redefine Meat unveiled a plant‑based flank steak that...
European Plant-Based Market Hits €16.3BN
European plant‑based food and drink sales hit roughly $17.8 bn in 2024‑25, representing just 2.4% of the overall market. Growth of 5.1% year‑on‑year is led by nuts and seeds, which make up 45% of category value, while flexitarian consumers now account...
Glasgow 2026 Names JUBEL as Beer Partner of Commonwealth Games
Glasgow 2026 has appointed JUBEL as the official beer partner for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, adding the brand’s fruit‑infused lagers to the beverage lineup alongside Tennent’s and Tennent’s Zero. The deal expands a growing sponsor ecosystem that already includes Coca‑Cola,...
Rising Prices Mask Weakening Demand in Canada's Food Manufacturing Sector
In this episode, Farm Credit Canada’s new Chief Economist Craig Johnston breaks down the 2026 Food & Beverage Report, highlighting that while sales are projected to rise in 2026, they are driven by higher prices rather than volume growth, which...
Shrinkflation Shock: US Report Shows Stark Rise in True FMCG Prices
A new InvestorsObserver study finds U.S. shoppers are paying roughly $741 more per year for the same staple foods compared with 2020, largely due to shrinkflation. Coca‑Cola’s 2‑liter bottle remains the cheapest per ounce, while its 7.5‑oz mini cans now...
Gov't Designates 145 Companies to Lead S. Korea's Food Exports
South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced the selection of 145 leading and emerging companies for the Global Next K‑food Project, aimed at accelerating food exports. The initiative encourages large corporations to collaborate with SMEs to develop...
Finish Introduces Paper-Based Packaging for Dishwashing Tablets
Finish, Reckitt’s dishwasher detergent brand, has launched a paper‑based, kerbside‑recyclable pack for its tablet range. The new design is expected to cut up to 48 tonnes of plastic each year – roughly the weight of 1.8 million plastic water bottles. Development took...
Dare Launches Hazel-Nutty Flavour
Australian iced‑coffee brand Dare, part of Bega Group, has rolled out a limited‑edition Dare Charged Hazel‑Nutty. The new ready‑to‑drink can delivers 200 mg of caffeine and is brewed with 100 % Arabica beans. It targets the growing appetite for nutty coffee flavors...
Deliverect Launches AI Agents and Smart Assistants to Boost Restaurant Sales and Protect Digital Revenue
Deliverect has introduced Deliverect AI, a suite of autonomous agents and smart assistants that continuously rewrite digital menus, resolve technical issues, and launch themed promotions in minutes. The technology is live for UK clients and will roll out to Australia,...