Food and Beverage News and Headlines
Food and Beverage News and Headlines
The U.S. Gulf menhaden fishery has been recertified to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard following a comprehensive audit by SCS Global Services. First certified in 2019, the fishery undergoes five‑year recertification cycles with annual surveillance audits. The recertification addresses earlier objections from environmental groups by citing independent studies that found no single predator species relies exclusively on menhaden. Industry leaders highlight modernized nets, transparent reporting, and the certification’s role in supporting Louisiana’s economy.
New allergen disclosure laws in California and New York are set to reshape menu transparency for restaurants in 2026. California’s Senate Bill 68, effective July 1, requires chains with 20 or more locations to list the nine major allergens on...
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has published a 2030 Roadmap that charts food‑standards proposals through 2030 across four strategic outcomes: safe food, healthy supply, informed consumers, and thriving economies. The plan modernises standards for sports nutrition, infant formula, and nutrient...
Global dairy production hit record levels in 2025, driven by unprecedented herd growth in the United States. US milk output rose 2.8% year‑over‑year, and cheese exports surged 20% beyond the previous record. While Europe is expected to trim output to...
La Tortilla Factory announced the launch of two refrigerated tortilla lines aimed at health‑conscious consumers. The new products are positioned as convenient, gut‑friendly meal bases, offering fresher texture without the preservatives typical of shelf‑stable tortillas. By entering the refrigerated segment,...
SIAL Paris 2026 is set for October 17‑21 at Paris Nord Villepinte, with organizers reporting a 16% increase in sold exhibition space compared to the same planning stage last year. The trade show now expects up to 8,000 exhibitors, and...
Cafe Spice is expanding its menu to bring Indian street‑food staples into a fast‑casual format. The brand’s flagship Naan Toasties reimagine traditional naan as a handheld sandwich, offering a portable, familiar flavor profile. In addition, the chain has launched a...
The Choose Iowa program announced three meat-related projects.
SmartLabel, the QR‑code based product‑labeling platform, now covers over 106,000 SKUs from more than 1,000 brands, delivering 22 million consumer interactions a year with an average 90‑second page view. The initiative follows GS1’s Sunrise 2027 project, which aims to add 2‑D barcodes...
Kelley Padgett has been appointed vice president of CPG – Intelligent Labels at Avery Dennison, bringing more than two decades of sales and marketing experience from Sanofi, Walmart, Shell and Black & Decker. Her hire follows the recent rollout of...
Anna Harshman, VP of Impact and Development at WishGarden Herbs, steered the family‑run company through B Corp certification, cementing its sustainability and community‑focused ethos. Drawing on a childhood steeped in herbal tradition, she now blends cross‑functional experience with storytelling to...
The company is adding 128,000 square feet of temperature-controlled warehouse space.
Firehouse Subs announced a suite of franchise incentives lasting through 2028 to accelerate its U.S. footprint, including a $75,000 bonus for single‑unit openings and $100,000 per restaurant for multi‑unit developers. The brand’s net openings are projected to rise from 21 in...
7 Brew announced its first on‑campus kiosk at the University of Arkansas, slated to open in the fall. The walk‑through stand will feature indoor seating, diverging from the chain’s traditional drive‑thru format. This move follows the brand’s rapid expansion from...
UK food inflation is now projected to reach between 9% and 10% by year‑end, up sharply from the 3% forecast made in September. The Food and Drink Federation attributes the surge to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which...
Fonterra has settled a Greenpeace lawsuit by acknowledging that its “100 % New Zealand Grass‑Fed” label could mislead consumers. The company will remove the combined claim from Anchor butter packaging, retaining only “Grass‑Fed,” while Greenpeace highlighted the use of imported palm kernel...
Rave Restaurant Group’s CEO Brandon Solano ended the chain’s partnership with Uber Eats after the delivery platform unilaterally raised its marketplace fees, increasing the Lite tier from 15% to 20% and pickup fees from 6% to 7%. Solano said Uber...
The combination will create a company with approximately $20 billion in sales.
Wendy’s announced a refreshed Spicy Chicken Sandwich featuring a new nine‑spice panko‑style breading and a slightly sweet potato bun with homestyle mayo. The upgrade follows more than a year of consumer testing and ingredient refinement. A milder classic chicken version...
Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken franchisee Harris Mullis announced plans to open six additional units across South Carolina, expanding the brand’s footprint in the state. Mullis, who revived the Rock Hill restaurant in 2010, has been recognized as an Operator of...
Brand Bridge Liquids has launched Yeats Irish Whiskey with its inaugural expression, The Lake Isle of Innisfree. The blend combines 90% grain whiskey aged in ex‑Bourbon barrels, 9% triple‑distilled malt finished in Ruby Port casks, and 1% peated malt, each...
Mark Hodge, former head of marketing at McCain Foods GB, has been appointed managing director of Soreen, the Samworth Brothers‑owned malt‑loaf brand. Hodge will build on Soreen’s nostalgic heritage while leveraging its health credentials to capture the rising demand for...
The March NPD Launchpad highlights a wave of functional supplement innovations, from VitClear’s UK‑first creatine soda packed with nootropics and 400 mg electrolytes to Unfabled’s women‑focused Creatine Superblend that adds vegan collagen and electrolytes. Myprotein deepens its partnership with Mars Wrigley,...
Shake Shack announced Project Catalyst, a multiyear digital overhaul aimed at supporting a 1,500‑unit expansion. The initiative partners with commerce platform Qu to replace POS and kitchen displays with edge‑computing technology, while embedding AI‑driven operational insights across its restaurants. A...
Red Lobster, the Orlando‑based seafood chain, has shuttered two underperforming restaurants – one in Michigan and another in Texas – as part of its post‑bankruptcy turnaround. The company, which filed for Chapter 11 in May 2024, has rolled out new menu items,...
Updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans now place seafood at the top of an inverted food pyramid and recommend three servings per week, up from two. Pacific Seafood, the Wild Alaska Sole Association, and the National Fisheries Institute are mobilizing to...
Virginia has awarded a $248,000 grant to Wanchese Fish Company to expand its blue catfish processing capacity in Suffolk. The funding, part of the Governor’s Blue Catfish Processing, Flash Freezing, and Infrastructure Grant Program, aims to increase annual purchases from...
Arnott's is introducing Bizza Shapes, a new dual‑flavour cracker that combines its classic Barbecue and Pizza tastes in each bite. The oven‑baked snack will hit major Australian supermarkets over the next few months with a recommended retail price of $4....
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has released a Guidance Note on controlling Listeria monocytogenes in ready‑to‑heat meals. The guidance follows 2025 listeriosis outbreaks that sickened nine people in Ireland (one fatality) and 28 in the United States (seven...
Nestlé has partnered with the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health to launch the World Food Academy for Sustainable Food Systems, a free, multi‑partner platform aimed at youth in the Global South. The academy expands on Nestlé’s...
The European Commission released detailed guidance to help businesses apply the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) uniformly across the EU. The document clarifies who qualifies as a manufacturer or producer, defines “packaging,” and outlines enforcement of PFAS limits, single‑use...
Japanese seafood giant Nissui will rename its salmon subsidiary Yumigahama Suisan to Nissui Salmon Co. effective 1 April 2026. The rebrand supports the group’s Good Foods 2030 strategy, specifically the second‑stage Good Foods Recipe 2 focused on supply‑chain resilience. Nissui aims to produce...
California will require folic acid in corn masa products starting Jan 1 2026, making tortillas the first major non‑wheat staple to be fortified nationwide. The mandate, driven by Assembly Bill 1830, forces manufacturers to standardize fortified tortillas across the U.S., effectively turning a...
Chancellor Rachel Reeves will meet senior executives from Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons after an earlier attempt to gather the sector was abandoned due to poor retailer response. The rescheduled Downing Street meeting aims to assess how rising energy, fuel and...
Lion has added a strawberry variant to its Kirin Hyoketsu Chu‑hi line, a Japanese‑inspired ready‑to‑drink cocktail. The new 330 ml can contains 6% ABV, under 1 g sugar, and is sold in four‑packs for $26.99 across Australian liquor stores. It joins existing...
GLP-1 receptor agonists, originally developed for type‑2 diabetes, are rapidly being prescribed for weight management in Australia, with about 500,000 users today and projections that 10% of the population could be on the drugs by 2030. Their appetite‑suppressing effect is...
The Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has approved a general‑level health claim for soy protein, stating that consuming 20–25 g of isolated soy protein daily supports heart health by maintaining healthy cholesterol levels. This aligns Australia and New Zealand with the...
OMG Group announced a new distribution agreement with Sydney‑based Little Marionette, adding the coffee roaster to its matcha supply chain. The deal follows recent partnerships with Japan’s Sandai Group and Food & Dairy Co, giving OMG’s authentic Japanese matcha broader...
Rabobank warns that by 2050 roughly 20% of the world’s arabica coffee‑growing land could be classified as unsuitable due to rising temperatures and erratic rainfall. Currently 8% of existing plantations already face marginal conditions, with Brazil, Colombia and Honduras projected...
Tetra Pak has opened its twelfth Product Development Centre (PDC) in Rayong, Thailand, marking the most innovation‑focused facility in its global network. The centre combines a fully integrated pilot plant for liquid foods with a kitchen‑equipped development lab, enabling products...
Beyond Meat, now rebranded as Beyond The Plant Protein Company, reported a record‑low 2025 revenue of $275.5 million, a 15.6% decline year‑over‑year. Gross profit collapsed by 82% and operating losses more than doubled to $332.7 million, including $38.9 million in trademark damages. A...
The James Beard Foundation unveiled its 2024 Restaurant and Chef Awards nominees, spotlighting a diverse slate that includes nine nominations for Los Angeles, four national nods for Philadelphia, and notable entries from Boise, St. Louis, and Mystic. Categories range from Outstanding Hospitality...
Retailers aiming to become produce destinations must invest in staff education to navigate climate‑driven quality swings, rising input costs, and fragile cold‑chain logistics. Shipra Pareek of NSF warns that extreme weather, longer transit times, and labor shortages amplify spoilage and...
Modern soda, a term coined by Walmart in 2024, now emphasizes functional benefits over merely lower sugar. Brands such as Zevia, Olipop and Poppi are adding adaptogens, nootropics and other health‑focused ingredients to stand out. Experts say generic clean‑label claims...
McCormick reported first‑quarter revenue of $1.87 billion, topping analysts' $1.79 billion estimate, while adjusted earnings reached 66 cents per share versus the forecasted 59 cents. Volume slipped 0.7% but price increases of 1.9% lifted margins, offsetting higher tariff costs. The company reaffirmed its 2026...
Papa Johns has introduced a new line of oven‑toasted sandwiches built on ciabatta‑style bread, debuting three varieties—Philly Cheesesteak, Chicken Bacon Ranch, and Steak & Mushroom. Each sandwich retails for $7.99, with a reduced price of $6.99 when customers pair two...
Industrial bakeries are testing hydrolytic enzymes to directly reduce bitterness in bread, shifting flavour at the molecular level rather than masking it. Early internal trials report up to a 62% drop in perceived bitterness, especially in sandwich and toast breads...
Wendy's has refreshed its Spicy Chicken Sandwich, swapping the classic coating for a panko‑style breading infused with nine spices and a new Southern‑inspired mayonnaise. The sandwich now arrives on a toasted potato bun, and the same upgrades extend to the...
Taco Bell is launching its first Global Taco Vote, letting U.S. Rewards members choose between a Thai‑inspired Kickin' Chicken Taco and an Indian Butter Chicken Taco for a limited‑time rollout later this year. Voting runs daily from March 26 through April 1...
Brazilian superfood leader SAMBAZON, which controls roughly half of the global açaí market, is leveraging its unique jungle‑based processing plant to accelerate growth in Japan and the Middle East. Sales in Japan have tripled over the past two years, while...
