4 common additives in plant-based meat (and potential clean-label alternatives)
With plant-based meat under pressure to clean up its labels, what kind of benefits could alternatives offer?
Ingredients
Folgers enters functional coffee with protein, prebiotic and focus blends
JM Smucker will launch four instant-coffee varieties in November, as it pursues growth in functional beverages
How do Italians feel about alt-protein?
Traditional food cultures are often perceived to clash with new food innovations, but the truth is more complex
New Protein Watch: Dairy-free ice cream, China plans and EU ‘meaty’ ban
Dairy-free ice cream, China plans and EU ‘meaty’ ban feature in this edition of New Protein Watch
Food inflation may look tame, but rising CPG input costs suggest otherwise
August PPI data show relatively little movement in final-demand food prices, but sharp increases in grains, oilseeds, confectionery, diesel and select packaging inputs could put pressure on food and beverage makers in the months ahead
GLP-1 nutrition trend fuels premium whey demand
Demand for premium whey continues to climb as weight-loss trends shape food and beverage innovation. Can supply catch up?
Can plant-grown proteins bring down the cost of cultivated meat?
Advocates of molecular farming say plants could serve as low-cost bioreactors for producing growth factors, a key and often expensive ingredient in cultivated meat production
Beyond Meat, Daring Foods and Impossible Foods expand plant protein into new occasions
As consumers sour on traditional meat alternatives, Beyond Meat, Daring Foods and others are expanding into protein drinks, bars, powders and complete meals to create new occasions for plant protein
Applegate Farms explores regenerative agriculture’s next selling point: Nutrition
After finding that regenerative messaging alone was not enough to drive purchases, Applegate is investigating whether farming practices can influence the nutritional composition of food and whether that could give consumers a more personal reason to...
Mars pumps $13m into future talent and farmer resilience
Food giant awards more than $13m in grants to six global projects through Mars Impact Fund
AI identifies nearly 800 plant proteins for next generation of meat substitutes
Such plant proteins could offer food manufacturers new clean-label emulsifiers for plant-based products
Beyond ‘GLP-1 friendly’: The nutrition opportunity food brands are missing
Health experts point to muscle, bone and cardiovascular health as key priorities for consumers taking GLP-1 medications and navigating midlife, creating opportunities for food and beverage brands to connect functional nutrition with consumer education
Carob cracks gluten-free pasta’s biggest challenges
New research suggests carob flour can make gluten-free pasta firmer, less sticky and nutritionally stronger
Grass-fed dairy: Ireland eyes Asia’s premium nutrition boom
Ireland has its sights on Asia’s growing premium nutrition market, positioning its grass-fed dairy credentials to meet rising demand for quality dairy products
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast
Raising the functional beverage bar: Drinks are becoming more specific and creative
As consumers look beyond generic energy and wellness claims, emerging brands are creating drinks tailored to specific needs, from focus and calm to protein and recovery
Can ‘touchless’ preservation extend shelf life without adding ingredients?
As consumers push back against chemical-sounding preservatives, startups are developing technologies that protect food from the surrounding environment rather than adding ingredients to it
News Bites
Food’s new rules: Regulation, reformulation and the reinvention of legacy brands
Transparency, health and regulation emerged as the defining forces shaping the food industry this month
General Mills removes artificial dyes from its entire cereal portfolio
A market leader in cereal sales plans to remove artificial colors from all of its products by the end of 2027
FDA wants more GRAS oversight – but can it handle the workload?
FDA wants companies to notify the agency when they determine food ingredients are Generally Recognized As Safe. But with hundreds of potential notifications and fewer staff, questions remain over whether FDA has the resources to review them
Marion Nestle and former Kellogg exec team up on cereal industry exposé
‘Sugar Coated’ connects decades of cereal-box designs to the policies governing food labels and health claims
Could FDA’s GRAS proposal chill investment in novel food ingredients?
Mandatory GRAS notifications could make regulatory risk a bigger factor in fundraising, partnerships and M&A, potentially pushing innovators toward safer bets and away from riskier products
Cultivated protein’s next phase? Integration over invention
The sector is entering an integration phase, according to Ever After Foods’ CEO Eyal Rosenthal, where partnerships, acquisitions and platform-based business models could help tackle persistent cost and scaling barriers that have slowed commercialization
How food companies can prepare for the next drought
Prolonged rainless periods in Europe have put strain on food production
Would you eat a cookie made from a plastic bottle?
US scientists are using engineered yeast to turn plastic waste into protein-rich cookies – but safety, scale and consumer disgust stand between µBites and the snack aisle
Why relevance is shaping the snacking category
Relevance, not reinvention, is driving innovations in snacks as brands aim to meet consumers’ dynamic lifestyles
Lindt takes ultra-dark to the limit with 100% cocoa launch
Lindt expands Excellence range with 100% cocoa as demand for extreme dark chocolate grows
The rise of allulose: Can this rare sugar crack the clean-label challenge?
A patent and a lawsuit are drawing attention to allulose, so here’s what F&B needs to know
PepsiCo bets on healthier versions of legacy brands
PepsiCo cuts sodium and sugar, while betting on fiber and protein
Avo oil under pressure: Science and lawsuits challenge the premium halo
A major authenticity study and proposed class actions against Utz and Campbell’s are exposing the risks behind snacks’ costly avocado oil makeover
FDA considers new natural food color petitions as synthetic dye phaseout looms
Petitions seek approval for safflower yellow, expanded uses for gardenia blue and changes to carrot oil production as food makers move away from synthetic dyes
Matcha made easy: Startups turn ritual into routine with convenient formats
As matcha’s popularity grows, Chuh, Shinzo and other emerging brands are using convenience, flavor innovation and new formats to turn a café favorite into a packaged beverage category
Britain can’t afford to lose control of its wheat
To secure future harvests, the UK must rethink who owns, develops and deploys the genetics behind its most important crop, writes Dr Ross Hendron, co-founder and CEO of Wild Bioscience.
Cadbury breaks category boundaries with beauty launch
Cadbury joins cross-category collaboration trend with MCoBeauty beauty launch
Protein gold rush faces reckoning
The industry’s biggest success story is becoming a major supply chain challenge, writes ACI Group’s CEO Karsten Smet.
Louis Dreyfus Company targets pea protein off-notes with new isolate
As demand for plant-based dairy and protein sodas surges, a new large-scale Canadian facility is producing purified pea protein isolates to eliminate sensory off-notes and support emerging dietary needs