The new rules of snacking: How to navigate a $150bn market in flux
Data from Conagra and Circana shows how shifting tastes, wellness demands and convenience are rewriting the playbook for snack makers worldwide
R&D
Meat juggernaut JBS launches new plant-based company
The world’s biggest meat company is launching a ‘new leader in European plant-based food’
Could grapevines hold the key to creating biodegradable packaging?
Old grapevine canes could be converted into a plastic-like film that is stronger than traditional plastic and decomposes quickly
From regenerative to organic: How eco-friendly claims fuel growth
Natural food and drink products with sustainable label claims are flying off the shelves in the US: here’s why
Food’s answer to Ozempic? New ingredients mimic GLP-1 without the pharma price tag
Once everyone’s had enough of injections, side effects, and the vast expense of GLP-1 drugs, it could be natural alternatives’ time to shine
Top trends shaping plant-based meat and dairy in 2025
Plant-based trends are rising to the surface as the year hits its halfway mark
What every food and drink brand must know about AI and innovation
AI can speed up your pipeline – but it won’t tell you why everyone still picks chocolate. Here’s how to innovate without losing your edge
4 natural food ingredients that boost GLP-1
It’s not only drugs that induce the satiety-causing hormone
Future Food-Tech Chicago
Investors’ appetite for food-tech enters new era with shifting interest in alternative ingredients
The investment landscape for food-tech remains chilly, but there are bright spots for alternative fats and oils and some appetite for sweeteners as well as alt protein with proven business models
What is ‘super ultra-processed food’?
A new UPF classification system has been developed by scientists for consumers
5 ingredients powering the high-protein craze
Protein is popping up in everything. Which ingredients promise to further propel this powerful trend?
Positive Nutrition
Beyond the noise: Ethan Brown on plant-based meat’s next chapter
With consumer skepticism around ingredient transparency, faltering retail momentum and backlash from the meat industry, the company finds itself at a crossroads – one it is determined to navigate with what CEO Ethan Brown calls “radical transparency.”
Vit D food fortification a ‘major industry challenge’ - until now
The problem of fortifying food and drink with sensitive ingredients is well known to industry. How can innovation help solve it?
Hue got it: The colour psychology behind top snacks
Before we even take a bite, colour tells our brain what to crave. And it’s not just the frosting that’s doing the talking – it’s psychology, marketing and a bit of regulatory drama
Eat chocolate, lower risk? New research fuels healthier indulgence
Can chocolate really improve blood pressure and reduce heart disease risk? Emerging research suggests it might – and the findings are sweet news
Meat alts face unfair UPF slap despite low artificial ingredients
Plant-based meat’s heavy UPF criticism may be unfairly placed as exclusive research uncovers what ingredients go into some of the market’s most popular products
R&D insights: How to make a trendy dairy product
From high protein to sugar reduction, how is one of dairy’s major players leveraging its R&D might to address industry trends?
Five top coffee trends for 2025
What’s driving the coffee category forward in 2025? Here are five top trends to watch
Striking a balance: How food producers can thrive in the GLP-1 era
Consumers want to shed, gain or simply maintain weight. What does that mean for core food and drink categories - and is there still a place for permissible indulgence?
Big Interview
Nestlé’s nutrition head on declining birth rates and ageing populations
From niche health needs for infants to catering for an ageing population, Nestlé’s head of nutrition has a vast and changing portfolio to grapple with
Top 10 rising food and beverage trends for 2025
Food and beverage is awash with new and growing trends. We discover what consumers are craving in 2025
AI is taking over snack production: Revolution or risk?
AI is streamlining everything from recipe development and quality control to supply chain efficiency and sustainability. But as intelligence reshapes the way we produce food, how will manufacturers balance innovation with transparency, cost and consumer...
CBD-infused beverage sales to skyrocket
CBD-infused beverage industry entering period of strong growth. What NPD opportunities does this create?
AI with robotics: The next frontier in packaging optimization
Packaging has a lot to gain from AI - but steep upfront costs mean businesses must consider which parts of their operations need it the most
Sorghum cereal and probiotic combination improves gut health in kidney disease patients
A symbiotic meal consisting of a breakfast cereal made of sorghum BRS 305 associated with a probiotic containing Bifidobacterium longum improves gut health, reduces body weight and reduces uremic toxin serum levels in people with chronic kidney disease...
Is macauba a rainforest-friendly alternative to palm oil?
Palm oil is cheap to produce in large quantities but unsustainable production methods, notably deforestation, means the bad can far outweigh the good. As a result, brands are increasingly distancing themselves from the use of irresponsible palm oil in...
Animal proteins... made by plants? 'Molecular farming’ co Moolec Science to go public via SPAC
Moolec Science – which has developed a ‘molecular farming’ platform to produce plants that express animal proteins – is going public via a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC)* in a deal expected to close later this year.
Forgotten fermentation: Uncovering Mexico’s traditional beverages
Could Mexico’s traditional fermented beverages offer inspiration for healthy beverages today? Researchers are calling for the recovery and conservation of ancient fermented drinks, which could offer an 'outstanding reservoir' of genetic resources such as...
Food pairings 'ripe for innovation' as immunity mega-trend rolls on
Exploring unique food pairings offers food brands the chance to tap into consumer desire to improve immunity via functional food, according to a report.
‘Coffee pulp can be a cost-effective forest restoration strategy’
Coffee pulp – a waste product in coffee production – could be used to speed up recovery of tropical forests on post-agricultural land, according to researchers.
Modified starch ‘ink’ developed for 3D printing: ‘They’re simple, cheap and easy to implement on an industrial scale’
‘Ink’ used to make foods and novel materials by additive manufacturing have been developed by food engineers from modified starch.
Custom-designed yeast can make food healthier, says biotech start-up
A Brazilian biotech start-up is custom-designing novel, natural yeast strains that can be used to make plant proteins, replace artificial additives and boost the bioavailability of minerals.
Grupo Bimbo goes electric in Mexico
The Mexican bakery giant has invested $146m into its initiative to grow its electrically powered fleet to make emissions-free deliveries in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.
Probiotic ice cream promotes health benefits in Chile
Ice cream is a treat for most children, but a startup in Chile is incorporating a strain of probiotics as a healthy supplement in the form of a daily snack.
Ambev reduces CO2 emissions by 482 tons a year
Brazilian brewery Ambev has introduced new microturbine technology in its factories to reduce CO2 emissions by 482 tons a year.
Guatemala’s palm grower association advances zero deforestation
Since going public with its zero deforestation commitment last October, the Palm Grower Association of Guatemala (GREPALMA) has more than doubled the number of signatories to its sustainable development targets.
Marfrig hits record-high revenue and earnings in Q4 2019
Marfrig Global Foods finished 2019 with record returns, posting R$14.2 billion in fourth quarter revenue, a 23.5% increase year-on-year. Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was R$1.6 billion, up 70.2% from the same period last year.
AI software looks to drastically improve pathogen monitoring in food sector
Cutting edge artificial intelligence technology is promising to disrupt environmental monitoring in the food and drink processing sector by dramatically improving efficiency in the way pathogen monitoring programs are managed.
Nano-scale quillaja extract can replicate fat for plant-based juiciness
Scientists are using Chilean quillaja extract to create nano-scale oleogels in plant-based proteins, mimicking the taste and texture of fat in meat and creating a 'juicy' product that, until now, has been "a real challenge", says the Good Food Istitute.
Fight against Panama disease intensifies
German pharmaceutical giant Bayer is leading a new global strategy to combat Fusarium TR4, a strain of the Panama disease that decimated banana crops in Central America in the mid 20th century.
Argentinian Researchers Turning Rice Waste into Silica
Researchers at Argentina’s National Institute of Industrial Technology (INTI) are using rice stubble and husk to create amorphous silica.
Latin America's food system needs 'biological transformation', says expert
Latin America's food system requires "a biological transformation" in order to become more sustainable, embracing both biotechnology and digitalization as well as traditional farming practices and native foods, according to one expert.
Mondelēz patents soluble corn fiber for reduced sugar chocolate
Soluble corn fiber can reduce the sugar content in chocolate by up to 50% while retaining similar levels of sweetness and leaving no aftertaste, according to a recently published patent by Mondelēz International.
Vegan ‘yogurt’ fermented with lactic acid bacteria from plants an industry first, claim researchers
Scientists in Denmark have developed a plant-based ‘yogurt’ made from just three ingredients: soy drink, brewer’s spent grain, and lactic acid bacteria from plant materials.
Brazilian biotech lab creates dish from banana waste
A gastronomy student and agro-industry analyst in Fortaleza, Brazil have developed a biodegradable dish made from banana crop residues.
‘A similar liking score with half the sugar’: SureChoc formulation finds favour in sensory tests
Scientists have developed a new milk chocolate formulation that contains almost half the sugar of a standard milk chocolate recipe while also delivering a ‘similar consumer liking score’ in sensory testing.
A better berry: AmazonFlora brings 'improved' açaí variety to market
With 30% more fruit pulp and year-round berry production, the tried-and-tested açaí cultivar BRS Pai d'Égua is being commercialized by AmazonFlora.
Demystifying hemp and cannabidiol: Introducing the CBD Global Summit
CBD has caught the public's imagination as an ingredient offering a host of potential health benefits. But for all the hype, CBD also courts controversy. To move from a trending ingredient to an ingredient trend, the sector will need to address some...
Study: Sale of unhealthy foods decrease in Chile public schools
Research following the implementation of the Food-Labeling and Advertising Law in Chile showed a substantial reduction in the availability of competitive food and beverages sold in school kiosks.
Extracting protein from grass: ‘It should be cheap to buy, offer good functionality in food, and it must be tasty’
Denmark’s National Food Institute is contributing to a novel food application for grass protein, which researchers say need not be reserved for ruminants.