Processing & packaging

FN+Confectionery fraud surges as manufacturers struggle to stay ahead

Fraudsters target high-value ingredients and premium claims, leaving confectionery manufacturers battling risks from farm to finished product

FN+Xanthan gum linked to gut inflammation, putting manufacturers on alert

Study suggests long-term xanthan gum consumption could impact gut health, raising formulation questions for food and beverage

FN+Private label goes premium as brands fight to keep up

Premium ingredients, sophisticated branding and growing consumer trust fuel private label’s rise across food and beverage

PepsiCo, Danone & Nestlé: how AI is powering F&B growth

AI is transforming how F&B giants cut costs, boost efficiency and innovate faster — turning data into a powerful competitive edge

Iran-US peace deal: What it means for food

The deal includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz

Heatwave winners and losers: what’s selling when temperatures rise?

Clear food and beverage trends emerge during a heatwave

Up the food chain

FN+The secret duo shaping global FMCG innovation

They don’t front the brands, but this Nottingham duo is quietly shaping what the world eats next

Tate & Lyle agrees £2.7bn takeover by Ingredion

The deal between the two ingredients companies creates a global powerhouse

Nestlé doubles down on growth in bold strategy shift

Nestlé resets growth strategy with shift away from price hikes and back towards volumes, brands and execution

Nestlé Waters crisis deepens as new footage exposes scale of alleged plastic dumping

Nestlé Waters under mounting pressure over alleged plastic dumping and water contamination

Nestlé and Danone: Baby food pouches under fire as microplastics found

Microplastics detected in Nestlé and Danone baby food pouches spark safety concerns

FN+Will cocoa alts ever be sexy? Hershey backlash opens the debate

As cocoa markets fluctuate, Hershey’s controversy shows that while alt-chocolate is advancing fast, taste and transparency remain make-or-break for consumers

The world’s oldest food and drink brands and how they’ve survived

Is there a recipe for long-term food and drink brand success? Let’s explore…

Why Haribo’s one-trick gummy focus is beating the world

Haribo is showing how a focus on core is driving global scale

FN+Ferrero faces antitrust investigation with ‘dawn raids’

The Nutella maker has been subjected to antitrust inspections in two EU member states

Cracking TikTok: What FMCGs need to do to win

There’s real opportunity for FMCGs to sell big on TikTok - with the right tips and tricks on-hand

FN+Winners and losers of the UPF backlash

Who is benefitting from consumer scepticism around UPFs - and who isn’t?

Iran war pushes global food markets toward crisis mode

The escalating Middle East conflict is pushing food inflation, energy prices and consumer confidence to a breaking point

FN+Could the GLP-1 boom open the door to shrinkflation?

Users of the drugs want smaller portions - this could help food companies save money

Gut-friendly, prebiotic or high fibre? Navigating the terminology

Gut health soda Poppi is ‘prebiotic’ in the US, but ‘high fibre’ in the UK. What is going on?

FN+The 10 most innovative food and drink products of the year

The hotly anticipated list of food and drink products in EMEA has been revealed

FN+10 global trends shaping F&B

What trends are driving changes in the F&B industry?

FN+Can brands cut sugar without killing taste, texture or trust?

As sugar shifts from ingredient to liability, food and drink manufacturers are rebuilding sweetness from the ground up using rare sugars, fibres and fermentation-driven innovation

Ozempic’s chocolate contradiction: Indulgence isn’t disappearing, it’s trading up

As appetite-suppressing drugs take hold, the real shift in snacking may not be how much people eat but how deliberately they choose to indulge

FN+Iran at war: What food and beverage needs to know

Israel and US attacks on Iran have long-lasting implications for global food and drink industries. Here’s the latest

FN+Is Asia the next GLP‑1 boom market and what it means for F&B?

After a slow start, Asia’s GLP‑1 weight‑loss market is poised for explosive growth as China and India tackle obesity and food and drink brands race to become essential GLP‑1 companions

FN+The packaging crisis about to hit food and beverage

Attacks on the world’s busiest oil shipping channel are set to drive unavoidable spikes in plastic packaging prices

FN+Chocolate without trees? The science racing to reinvent cocoa

From cacao cells grown in bioreactors to fermentation-built chocolate flavours, scientists and startups are experimenting with ways to produce cocoa ingredients without growing cacao trees

FN+Food cravings on GLP-1s? What formulators need to know

It’s a common misconception that GLP-1 drugs erase food cravings. Actually, they alter them

FN+Do consumers want hybrid meat?

The hybrid meat market aims to provide consumers a happy medium between meat and plant-based

Why Mars is powering up M&M’s as it reshapes its global growth strategy

As Mars expands through mega‑deals, sustainability pushes and portfolio diversification, the company is placing a bigger strategic bet on M&M’s to anchor growth and relevance in a changing global snacking landscape

Why vertical farming failed - notes from a survivor

Four reasons why after more than $6bn investment in indoor farming, there’s just one man left standing

Mondelēz charts next growth wave across North America, Europe and emerging markets

The company is tailoring its strategy by region, courting value‑seeking US shoppers, fixing European chocolate margins and using Oreo‑led biscuits and cakes to unlock runway across China, India, Brazil and Mexico

Why GLP-1s have turned fiber-maxxing into a snacking strategy

As GLP-1 drugs suppress hunger and compress eating occasions, fiber is emerging as a way to make smaller snacks feel functional, tolerable and worth the calories

What does Hain Celestial’s sale of its North American snack business signal for the category?

After years of acquisitions and declining sales, the health-focused food company is narrowing its portfolio and using the proceeds to shore up its balance sheet

Clean label vs. functional foods: Can the two trends coexist?

Functional foods are often ultra-processed – but can they be clean label?

Finally, a big-name FMCG engages openly on ultra-processed foods

Although admitting it’s a risk, Oatly is addressing the UPF issue head-on

World’s biggest snack companies: who’s really got the crunch in 2026

In a near-$700bn global market, a handful of companies now decide what scales, what sticks and what survives, and in 2026, the power gap is only widening

Cocoa crunch: How shortages are rewriting chocolate’s future

As climate, disease and regulation strain global cocoa supply, manufacturers are turning to low‑cocoa and cocoa‑free innovations to protect margins and future-proof their portfolios

Crack it, snack it, recycle it: Packaging that’ll rule 2026

Snack packs are finally starting to look like they belong in 2026 instead of 2006, and the pressure to keep evolving isn’t letting up

FN+Rapid hydration: 6 factors driving the trend

The expanding trend has appeal beyond sports nutrition

Should ultra-processed foods be defined by what they’re not?

Foods that do not meet the definition of ‘non-ultra-processed’ are UPFs by default

How Mars is developing new ingredients with AI

AI can do a lot more than offer guidance and write emails. It can help food companies find brand-new ingredients for product formulation

Clean-label: How ingredients lists can be made shorter

Companies are aiming to streamline their ingredients lists

FN+Food trend predictions 2026 - and it’s not all about protein

Protein may dominate formulations in 2026, but new trends are set to shape the year ahead

UPFs surge unevenly across global markets - where’s next?

Ultra-processed diets aren’t equally dominant worldwide - but in some countries, they’re rising fast

Up the food chain

EFSA’s new boss: Why faster risk assessments are my guiding light

The newly appointed Dr Nikolaus Kriz has ambitions to optimise European food safety

Patents plummet in alt proteins: Has innovation ground to a halt?

Alternative proteins have lost a lot of popularity in recent years, and this is reflected in IP activity

General Mills, WK Kellogg & Ferrero spark a fresh fight for the breakfast bowl

Once the poster child for easy mornings, breakfast cereal has been losing shelf swagger. Now a new wave of innovation, investment and protein-packed reinvention is pushing the category back into the spotlight

SVZ sees health craze as opportunity, not threat

The ingredients company suggests that its focus on fruit and veg puts it in a prime position to benefit from consumer obsessions with health