Iran Conflict: The 5 Biggest Pressure Points for Food and Beverage
Weekend peace talks between the United States and Iran ended without an agreement, sending oil prices above $100 per barrel and prompting a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. The spike in oil costs is inflating freight rates for ocean‑borne cargoes such as coffee, cocoa and spices, while trucking surcharges become volatile. Energy‑intensive dairy, meat and grain processors face higher fuel and LNG expenses, and disruptions to Gulf‑sourced fertilizer, polyethylene and aluminium raise raw‑material costs. Cybersecurity threats and mounting inflation add further pressure on food and beverage firms to adapt quickly.
Vinarchy UK Hit with £8million Packaging Tax
Vinarchy UK, the merged entity of Accolade and Pernod Ricard Winemakers, recorded an £8 million (≈$10 million) Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) packaging levy in 2025 that wiped out its profit. The levy, which applies to firms handling over 25 tonnes of packaging, coincided...
Greggs Tweaks Packaging, Food Waste and Climate Goals
Greggs’ 2026 sustainability report reveals a pivot from cutting packaging weight to improving recyclability, acknowledging that lighter formats hinder recycling. The chain has removed all unnecessary single‑use plastics and offers a reusable‑cup discount of 25 pence (≈$0.33). It retired its 25%...
Kraft Mac & Cheese Unveils Restaurant Edition
Kraft Heinz has introduced Kraft Mac & Cheese Restaurant Edition, a premium line that adds 30% more food per box and offers three upscale flavors—Parmesan Pesto, Romano Cacio e Pepe, and Monterey Jack Caramelized Onion. Each 9.5‑oz box sells for...
Brands Ramp up Protein with Fresh Wave of Food Launches
A wave of protein‑focused launches is reshaping the UK food aisle. Plenish introduced two clean‑label protein powders with 20 g protein per serving at a $57 price point, while Hungry Boar rolled out five‑pack meat stick multipacks in Tesco for $5....
Strength in Depth: Stock Spirits Group
Stock Spirits Group is leveraging its market leadership in Eastern Europe—where it commands roughly a quarter of clear‑vodka volumes and a third of flavored vodka—to accelerate growth in the mainstream vodka segment across Europe. The company has intensified its presence...
Louis Roederer Enters Talks for Burgundy Estate
Louis Roederer has entered exclusive talks to acquire Domaine Pierre Damoy, an eight‑hectare Burgundy estate in Gevrey‑Chambertin known for Grand Cru wines. The deal would give the Champagne house access to premier Chambertin, Chambertin‑Clos de Bèze and Chapelle‑Chambertin vineyards. This...
Wells & Co Sees Sales Revenue Increase to £66.2 Million
Wells & Co reported a 5% rise in FY2025 sales to £66.2 million (approximately $84.7 million), driven by steady growth across its UK and French estates. Group EBITDA climbed 5% to £10.3 million ($13.2 million) and operating profit before exceptional items rose 21% to...
Armorik Chouchenn Whisky Given Permanent Spot
French whisky maker Armorik has moved its Small Batch Chouchenn expression from a limited 2025 release to its permanent portfolio. The 2,500‑bottle edition was aged in Chouchenn mead casks and Breton oak, bottled at 46% ABV and retailed for €54.50...
Chipotle Relaunches Loyalty Program to Capture Younger, Rewards-Driven Diners
Chipotle Mexican Grill has relaunched its loyalty program as “Rewards on Repeat,” targeting younger, rewards‑driven diners. The revamped scheme, now live in the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec), expands benefits for its 21 million members, including a one‑year point expiration, monthly...
Salvatore Calabrese Guides New Donovan Bar Menu
The Donovan Bar at Brown’s Hotel in London’s Mayfair has launched the 2026 edition of its Our Way cocktail menu, developed with renowned mixologist Salvatore “The Maestro” Calabrese and director Federico Pavan. The menu stays rooted in classic cocktails but...
AI Fosters Paradoxical Trend for ‘Authentic Human Connection’
Heineken’s Amstel brand launched a photographic campaign that captures spontaneous moments between friends in neighborhood bars, emphasizing unfiltered human connection amid growing AI fatigue. The project, shot by Spanish photographer Javier Tles, relied on voluntary participation and explicit consent, avoiding...
Bordeaux 2025 Vintage Profile: Quality over Quantity
The 2025 Bordeaux vintage is shaping up as a record‑low crop—the smallest harvest since 1991 and the second consecutive year of reduced volume. Despite the tiny output, the growing season was hot, dry and largely free of hail, frost or...
With Aldi Süd Commitment, All Major UK Supermarkets Have Set Time-Bound Shrimp Welfare Standards
Aldi Süd announced a global shrimp‑welfare policy to eliminate eyestalk ablation by 2030 and to require electrical stunning for all farmed shrimp by 2035. With this pledge, every one of the UK’s 11 major supermarket chains now has a time‑bound commitment...
MCS Downgrades Cod, Langoustine, Mackerel Ratings in Its Latest Good Fish Guide
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has downgraded UK‑caught cod, langoustine and mackerel to its red category in the latest Good Fish Guide, signaling serious sustainability concerns. Cod is now deemed unsafe for domestic consumption, with MCS urging shoppers to buy...
Wellness Brands Dominate Alantra Fast-Growth Poll as Dirtea Takes Gold
Dirtea, a five‑year‑old mushroom coffee and supplement brand, topped the Alantra Food & Beverage Fast 50 with a 230% compound annual growth rate over the last two fiscal years. The poll, which includes firms with more than £3 million in sales, placed...
Iconic Skipping Girl Reimagined as ‘Scrolling Girl’ in Dairy Farmers’ Call to Get Aussie Kids Moving Again in New Campaign...
Dairy Farmers, together with creative agency The Royals, has transformed Melbourne’s historic Skipping Girl neon sign into a new "Scrolling Girl" installation to spotlight rising screen‑time concerns among Australian children. The campaign, backed by research from YouGov, launches a 10‑week...
Kenyan Court Clears Path for Diageo’s US$2.3bn EABL Sale
A Kenyan High Court has dismissed a legal challenge, removing the final obstacle to Diageo’s $2.3 billion sale of its 65% stake in East African Breweries (EABL) to Japan’s Asahi. The ruling paves the way for the transaction to close in...
Artificial Sweeteners: Why the Science War Is Raging On
Artificial sweeteners are back in the spotlight as new studies link them to health risks, including faster cognitive decline in Brazil and higher type‑2 diabetes risk in Australia. Industry groups defend their safety, citing benefits for sugar reduction, while regulators...
Nesto Raises €11m From Expedition to Scale AI Workforce Management for Restaurant Groups
Karlsruhe‑based Nesto Software raised €11 million (≈$12 million) in growth equity from Expedition Growth Capital to accelerate its AI‑driven workforce‑management platform. The round, Nesto’s first institutional financing after bootstrapping to over €5 million ARR, will fund product development, sales expansion, and the evolution...
Turns Out, This Subtropical Superfruit May Help Reduce Inflammation and Support Blood Sugar Control
Monk fruit, long used in Chinese medicine, is gaining attention as a zero‑calorie sweetener that may help regulate blood sugar and reduce inflammation. Recent studies highlight its antioxidant‑rich compounds—mogrosides, flavonoids, and terpenoids—that do not spike glucose or insulin. Most clinical...
Fermentation Is Faster: How Next Generation Technologies Accelerate Alternative Protein Production
Fermentation is emerging as a rapid, scalable method for producing alternative proteins, with a 48‑hour run delivering results up to 90 times faster than traditional six‑month animal cycles. The global fermented foods market, valued at $585 million in 2024, is pushing producers...
Why Manual Work Persists in Food and Beverage and How Connected Data Eliminates It
Manual processes still dominate food and beverage product development, with 82% of teams using spreadsheets, email and paper despite digital tool investments. Only 2% report fully automated, end‑to‑end workflows, highlighting a data‑connectivity gap rather than a technology shortage. Disconnected supplier,...
EU Aquaculture Group Calls for Bloc to Refine Its Planned Plastics Regulations
The Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP) is urging the European Commission to separate aquaculture from traditional fishing in the upcoming revisions of the Single‑Use Plastics Directive. FEAP argues that classifying nets, pens, buoys and ropes as “fishing gear” misrepresents...
High Oleic Sunflower Oil Supports Food Formulations that Are Both Adventurous and Eco-Conscious
High‑oleic sunflower oil, grown in the United States, is being promoted as a versatile ingredient that meets both flavor‑driven and sustainability goals for food manufacturers. Its neutral taste profile lets bold, cross‑cultural flavors shine while delivering a longer shelf life...
Indonesia's Kenangan Coffee Lands in Taiwan with First Outlet at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi
Indonesia’s fast‑growing coffee chain Kenangan Coffee opened its first Taiwan outlet in Taipei’s Shin Kong Mitsukoshi A11. The launch marks the latest step in a multi‑year international push that already includes Australia, India and other Southeast Asian markets. Kenangan now runs more...
Why UPF Panic and Scratch-Cooking Nostalgia Won’t Send Food Backwards
Consumers are gravitating toward traditional food practices such as fermentation, pickling, and scratch cooking, yet overall eating habits are shifting away from classic three‑meal structures. The rise of “snackification” sees about 60% of shoppers breaking meals into frequent snacks, while...
Dutch Pig Slaughter Falls by 780K in Five Years
Dutch pork processors reported a 7.4% year‑on‑year drop in slaughter, with 3,733,125 pigs processed up to week 14 of Q2 2026 – about 300,000 fewer than a year earlier. The decline reflects a five‑year fall of roughly 780,000 pigs, pushing the national...
From Skipping to Scrolling: ‘Bega Girl’ Reinvented for New Campaign
Bega has launched a new health‑focused campaign that swaps Melbourne’s iconic “Skipping Girl” sign with a temporary “Scrolling Girl” version for eight days. The initiative responds to YouGov data showing teenagers spend nearly three hours daily on small screens, far...
Lab-Grown Meat: Invest in Food's New Frontier
The plant‑based protein market, valued at $14 billion in 2024, is losing momentum as sales in the U.S. fell to $1.1 billion and British revenues dropped to £898 million (≈$1.15 billion). Consumer fatigue, rising skepticism toward ultra‑processed foods, and the appetite‑suppressing impact of GLP‑1...
India's March Palm Oil Imports Fall 19% to Three-Month Low
India’s palm oil imports slumped 19% in March, falling to 689,462 metric tons—the lowest level since December 2025. The decline was driven by a rally in global tropical oil prices that prompted domestic refiners to delay purchases. Overall edible‑oil imports...
Plant Based Meat Giant Beyond Meat Continues to Spiral Downwards
Beyond Meat posted a dismal fourth‑quarter, with revenue falling 19.7% year‑over‑year to $61.1 million and gross margin shrinking to 2.3%. Gross profit plunged to $1.4 million, while a $548 million non‑cash debt‑restructuring gain inflated net income to $410 million, masking an adjusted pre‑tax...
EU Asked to Include Microbial Proteins & Fermentation in Upcoming Biotech Act
Climate advocacy group WePlanet is urging the European Union to explicitly include advanced fermentation—single‑cell proteins, mycelium and precision‑fermentation products—in the upcoming Biotech Act II, slated for Q3 2026. The brief argues that Europe’s food system is overly dependent on imported soy and...
Alt Protein Strategies: ‘Identity Priming’ and Hybrid Meat
Researchers highlight two levers to accelerate alternative‑protein adoption: identity‑priming messaging that frames plant‑based foods as extensions of shared meat‑eater values, and hybrid meat products that blend plant and animal proteins. Experiments showed omnivores responded more positively to ads featuring a...
Bangkok-Based Coffee Startup Ve/La Expands Into Singapore
Bangkok‑born specialty coffee brand Ve/la is set to launch its first airport café at Changi Airport’s Terminal 1, slated for late summer 2026. The 24‑hour location will be the chain’s third international market after Thailand and London and will feature a...
Plant-Based Milk Options: What To Know Before You Choose
Plant‑based milks have moved from niche shelves to mainstream grocery aisles, capturing roughly 12% of total milk sales and growing about 20% year‑over‑year. While they offer dairy‑free options for lactose‑intolerant, vegan, or health‑conscious consumers, nutritional profiles differ widely across soy,...
Why Imports Won’t Fix Canada’s Beef Price Problem
The Canadian Cattle Association has petitioned Ottawa to limit beef imports as Mercosur trade talks advance, warning that cheaper South American beef could flood the market. Canadian beef prices have risen about 13‑14% year‑over‑year and sit roughly 40% above their...
Candy Brand Behave Bet Everything on TikTok Shop, Went Viral and Secured a Target Launch
In summer 2024, low‑sugar candy brand Behave faced bankruptcy with only 60 days of cash left. The founders pivoted to TikTok Shop, posting multiple daily videos until a viral post of their Super Sour Skulls sold out in three days...
Shuman Farms Energized to Kick Off 2026 Vidalia® Season
Shuman Farms kicked off the 2026 Vidalia onion season on April 13, shipping its RealSweet® and Mr. Buck’s Farm Fresh® varieties to retailers across North America through Labor Day. The company unveiled Shuman Farms University, a digital training program for produce teams,...
McDonald’s to Add Energy Drinks, Crafted Sodas to US Menus, WSJ Reports
McDonald’s will add a Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer, a Dirty Dr Pepper and a Mango Pineapple Refresher to its U.S. cold‑drink menu, with a rollout slated for August. The chain plans to price the new beverages below rivals such as Starbucks, Dutch Bros and Sonic....
A2 Milk Lowers Financial Outlook, Cites Middle East Challenges
The A2 Milk Company lowered its FY2026 outlook, saying revenue, EBITDA and net profit will fall short of prior guidance. The downgrade stems from higher air‑freight costs linked to the Middle East conflict and slower customs clearance for infant formula...
Seedlab’s Bootcamp 13 Shifts Beyond ‘Better-for-You’ Products
Seedlab, Australia’s leading food‑tech incubator, has launched the thirteenth cohort of its six‑week Bootcamp, a springboard for early‑stage FMCG founders across Australia and New Zealand. While the program traditionally taught commercial fundamentals, this round signals a strategic pivot away from generic...
Global Food Systems May Be Functional - but They Are Far From Resilient
Global food systems can meet current demand but lack true resilience, leaving them vulnerable to shocks such as pandemics, geopolitical conflicts, and climate extremes. Recent crises—from COVID‑19 disruptions to the Ukraine war and severe weather events—have exposed bottlenecks in processing,...
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Understanding Shrinkflation: Causes, Examples, and How to Identify It
Shrinkflation—reducing product size while keeping prices unchanged—has become a common tactic in the food and beverage sector as companies grapple with rising raw‑material and labor costs. Notable examples include Mars cutting UK chocolate bars by 15% in 2017 and Walkers...
Chinese Milk Tea Brands Expand in US, South Korea as Southeast Asia Grows Crowded
Chinese milk‑tea chains are moving beyond the crowded Southeast Asian market, targeting South Korea and the United States. Over 60 brands operate more than 6,100 outlets in the region, but saturation is prompting a shift from rapid expansion to tighter...
‘Two Aussie Icons’: Cadbury Old Gold Teams up with Bundaberg Rum for Limited-Edition Bark
Cadbury’s Old Gold brand has partnered with Bundaberg Rum to release a limited‑edition chocolate bar that blends 45% dark chocolate with a rum‑infused centre. The product, developed by agency Asembl, is now stocked across Coles, Woolworths and independent retailers nationwide....
Why This Midwestern Craft Beer Has A Cult Following
Zombie Dust, a 6.5% ABV American Pale Ale from Indiana’s 3 Floyds Brewing, has maintained a cult following since its 2010 launch. The beer’s single‑hop formula, using only Citra hops, delivers a balanced bitterness and caramel‑rich malt backbone that appeals...
Can High-Fat Dairy Withstand the GLP-1 Effect?
UBS projects 40 million global GLP‑1 users by 2029, with roughly 18 million in the United States, where one in eight adults already take weight‑loss drugs. Despite the surge, USDA data show record butter consumption (6.8 lb per person) and steady cheese (41.9 lb)...
Chipotle-Style Chain Shuts Restaurants, Exits Key Market
Mo' Bettahs, the Hawaiian fast‑casual chain known for plate lunches, announced the closure of all its Kansas City metro locations, effectively exiting a market it entered in 2022. The shutdown comes after the brand, now backed by private‑equity firms Trive...
Why Bordeaux Is Winning Over Younger Wine Drinkers
U.S. restaurants are seeing a surge in Bordeaux sales, especially among Millennials and Gen Z diners. Sommeliers at venues like Vinyl Steakhouse and Avra Madison are curating lists that spotlight Bordeaux bottles priced between $125 and $400, with several standout...