Snack Bar Startups Draw Capital Around Protein, Function and Format
Stars+Honey, a Detroit‑based collagen protein bar brand, secured a minority growth investment from VMG Partners. The company, which offers 15 grams of collagen‑rich protein per under‑200‑calorie bar, is on track for roughly $50 million in revenue this year. The new capital will fund national retail expansion, product development, and a 60,000‑square‑foot manufacturing facility. Across the category, multiple snack‑bar startups are raising sizable rounds, underscoring investor appetite for high‑protein, clean‑label, and functional formats.
Keurig Dr Pepper’s Meteoric Rise in Energy Offers Blueprint for CPG Category Expansion
Keurig Dr Pepper has turned its energy‑drink portfolio into a near‑10% market share player, growing revenue from $19 billion in 2021 to $30 billion in Q1 2026. The rise stems from a disciplined "build‑buy‑partner" playbook that mixes organic extensions, capital‑light distribution deals, equity...
Inside the Race to Create the Next Viral Flavor in Snacking
Snack brands are accelerating flavor‑centric innovation to capture viral attention, leveraging bold, global and heat‑forward profiles. Core‑flavor sales rose 2.5% while “expanded snacking” flavors jumped 8.5% YoY, and Tabasco‑linked snacks posted a 35% dollar‑growth boost. Companies are mitigating trial risk...
How Consolidation, New Sweeteners and Retail Pressure Are Redefining Food
Ingredion has announced a $3.7 billion bid to acquire Tate & Lyle, a move that could forge a $10 billion global ingredient leader focused on texture, fortification and sugar‑reduction solutions. At the same time, biotech firm Amai Proteins secured Singapore regulatory clearance for its high‑intensity...
East Meets West: How AI and Social Commerce Are Reshaping the Future of Retail
NielsenIQ’s new report highlights a split between fast‑adopting APAC markets, where 58% of consumers use quick commerce and 59% shop via social platforms, and Western regions, where roughly two‑thirds have never tried these services. The study says AI‑driven agents are...
Can Candy Revive RTD Tea?
Ryl Tea Company has teamed with Hershey’s Jolly Rancher to launch a zero‑sugar, five‑calorie RTD tea that mimics the candy’s iconic flavors. The partnership is positioned as a platform to re‑imagine tea for Gen Z and younger Millennials, leveraging nostalgia and...
Mondelēz’s Hu Chocolate Takes Premium, Paleo-Friendly Bites to Target
Mondelēz International has rolled out its Hu chocolate brand nationwide at Target, adding two bite‑size flavors—Cashew Butter + Pure Vanilla Bean and Creamy Coconut Dark Chocolate. The New York‑based brand, founded in 2012 and acquired by Mondelēz in 2021, markets its products...
Cargill Joins Alternative Chocolate Race with Barry Callebaut and Nestlé Amid Cocoa Volatility
Cargill has entered the cocoa‑free chocolate market with NextCoa, a grape‑seed‑derived product launched in partnership with Voyage Foods. The alternative chocolate boasts a 67% lower carbon footprint, is vegan and free of common allergens, and is offered in Mild and...
Kraft Heinz Split in Doubt as Weak Performance Blunts Break-Up Case
Kraft Heinz has indefinitely paused its planned split after weak brand performance and a steep sales decline undermined the original value‑creation case. Berkshire Hathaway’s move to sell its entire stake and the recent leadership change have added strategic uncertainty. Analysts...
US Government Spends Hundreds of Millions on Biotech Pilot Plants as National Security Priority
The U.S. government is pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into BioMADE, a public‑private consortium aimed at scaling bio‑manufacturing for food, defense and industrial applications. Since its 2021 launch, BioMADE has secured $87 million from the Department of Defense (DoD), $450 million...
The Pushback Against Personalized Grocery Pricing Begins
Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed the Protection from Predatory Pricing Act, prohibiting grocers and third‑party delivery services from using personal data to set higher prices for individual shoppers. The law, which targets dynamic, algorithmic and surveillance pricing, applies to large...
From Clicks to Cart: Online Grocery Drives the Next Wave of Growth
Online grocery is set to become the dominant growth engine in the grocery sector, with sales projected to reach $452 billion and capture 25.5% of total grocery spend by 2028. The category is forecast to expand at an 11.6% CAGR, dwarfing...
Coca-Cola to Funfetti: Food Brands Celebrate America’s 250th Birthday with Limited-Edition Products
Food brands are rolling out patriotic products ahead of the United States’ 250th birthday in July 2026. Coca‑Cola unveiled limited‑edition America250 bottles and state‑specific mini‑cans, while Talking Rain’s Sparkling Ice teamed with Flavor Flav to launch a red‑white‑blue Life Savers sparkling water. Pillsbury...
Beef Downturn Hits Tyson and Local Economies as Prices Rise and Supply Shrinks
Tyson Foods reported a 13.1% drop in beef volumes for Q2, even after raising prices 11.5% to counter a shrinking cattle herd. The company said it will reverse the beef loss in the back half of 2024 by tightening plant...
FDA’s Largest Infant Formula Test yet Finds ‘Low’ Contaminants – but No New Rules
The FDA released results from its largest-ever infant‑formula contaminant test, analyzing more than 300 domestic and imported products. Across the sample set, lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury and PFAS were found at very low or undetectable levels, but the agency did...