Health & wellness

Flavors of the future: global inspiration meets local innovation

Functional chocolate puts formulation innovation into overdrive

Demand for protein-forward, reduced-sugar and plant-based indulgence is forcing formulators like Luker Chocolate to balance nutrition claims with the taste and texture consumers expect

FN+General Mills pairs cost cuts with cautious capital strategy

The food giant plans $3 billion in cost cuts over four years, favoring debt reduction over stock buybacks and acquisitions

Mondelēz accelerates premiumisation drive

From Cadbury and Oreo to Toblerone and Côte d’Or, Mondelēz encourages consumers to trade up as it doubles down on premiumisation

PepsiCo bets on healthier versions of legacy brands

PepsiCo cuts sodium and sugar, while betting on fiber and protein

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

The three forces rewriting the food industry playbook

Three emerging consumer tools are set to transform food demand and challenge the industry’s traditional growth model

Gen Alpha’s early eating habits offer a roadmap for the future of snacking

NIQ research finds that children are already thinking about ingredients, nutrition and the benefits they want from snacks, which could shape the category as they gain purchasing power

FN+Nestlé bets big on GLP-1s with AI-powered nutrition push

The world’s biggest CPG is using AI and nutritional science to develop products tailored to GLP-1 users

FN+How will a new definition of gut health impact food industry?

What is gut health? Scientists move toward a consensus definition

‘Worth it’ replaces ‘more is more’ as indulgence evolves

Confectionery indulgence is shifting from ‘more is more’ to ‘worth it’ as consumers prioritise quality, experience, wellness and sustainability

FN+Ferrero Group to buy better-for-you US breakfast company Purely Elizabeth

The food manufacturing giant is growing its breakfast portfolio, following last year’s purchase of WK Kellogg Co.

Consumers stock up on GLP-1-coded protein shakes on Amazon Prime Day

Shopper satisfaction dips nine percentage points, as consumers reduce spending year over year

Nestlé to axe artificial colours worldwide in industry first

Nestlé to remove artificial food colourings from all products globally by the end of the year

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast

Can regenerative agriculture become food’s next big growth story?

Kiss the Ground CEO Evan Harrison and FOND Regenerative founder Alysa Seeland explain why rising consumer awareness is attracting retailers and what must happen before regenerative products can scale

How are Nestlé, Danone and Muscle Milk rethinking reformulation?

Additives and artificial colors and flavors continue to be axed from formulas as the industry balances a meeting consumers’ health goals with nutrition policy

Danone to acquire Made Group

The French company aims to boost APAC expansion with major new acquisition

Do GLP-1 users like artificial sweeteners?

Users perceive sweeteners differently to sugar

Iran-US peace deal: What it means for food

The deal includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz

Nestlé USA eliminates artificial colors as part of broader reformulation overhaul

While Nestlé has reached this particular milestone ahead of schedule, it positions the achievement as one step in a longer-term strategy focused on cleaner labels, product innovation and greater consumer trust

Fed Up! campaign takes aim at UPFs, but the science debate persists

A new campaign on ultra processed food education highlights systemic nutrition barriers, while food science experts stress the need to define the polarizing term before linking it to health outcomes

Can Ebola disrupt coffee prices and stocks?

The border closure between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo has raised concerns over potential disruption to coffee trade - but is there a risk to global coffee prices?

Fibre surge driven by gut health and functional boom

Once neglected in favour of protein, fibre love has entered the mainstream

Confectionery trends: Balancing better-for-you trends and indulgence

Cargill joins alternative chocolate race with Barry Callebaut and Nestlé amid cocoa volatility

By upcycling grape seeds, Cargill’s new NextCoa offers CPG brands a vegan, allergen-free option as major manufacturers hedge against soaring cocoa costs

Inside the science of making healthier food consumers will actually buy with ADM

ADM argues food makers can no longer tackle sugar, sodium or clean label goals one at a time without risking taste, texture and cost

Processed foods aren’t going away, but they are evolving

In the gap between consumers’ intention and reality, is there room for processed food in a healthy diet?

Alfalfa-based egg white alternative inches closer to market

With a WeFunder campaign and institutional raise underway, Fudi Protein is positioning its alfalfa-derived Rubisco as a cost-competitive egg white replacement

FN+Are some ultra-processed foods good for you?

Not all UPFs are created equal, and a new expert panel says federal regulators should draw a clear line between those that are harmful and those that doctors recommend

Added fibre: Why fortification is harder than it looks

Adding fibre to foods and beverages could help close the ‘fibre gap’, but reformulation challenges threaten taste and texture

FN+Oral GLP-1 breakthrough: What it means for impulse-driven food categories

Food and beverage brands face consumers staying on appetite-suppressing drugs for longer

Functional boom reshapes health as supplements hold firm

As food, drink and supplements converge, brands that prove real benefits and earn trust will win in a fast-expanding, scrutiny-heavy health market

FN+Personalised taste: Is this the future of food?

The food sector aims to target consumer by geography and by demographic, giving them the flavours they want

FN+5 food and drink innovations shaping the industry’s next growth wave

Smart insight is driving innovation to the next level, whether it’s how to better tap into GLP-1 nutrition or the rise of frozen snacks, manufacturers are getting clever

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast

Hershey’s new sustainability strategy offers blueprint for balancing business & ESG needs

Hershey breaks lofty ESG ambitions into practical, data-driven strategic steps that help embed sustainability into sourcing, operations and product innovation

From ambient to plant-based: Where Danone is taking protein next

Danone leads the high-protein yogurt space in the US. Now, it’s branching into new categories and formats

Sustainable sourcing: From upcycling to carbon neutral to sustainable packaging

FN+Non-GMO Project: Ultra-processed foods are harming the planet, not just our health

GMOs and ultra-processed foods are “nested” in the same industrial food chain, warns the Non-GMO Project’s Hans Eisenbeis, who argues that monocrop agriculture and food waste make UPFs an environmental liability

Letter from the editor

Sustainability at a crossroads

From upcycling to carbon-neutral claims, the food industry weighs real progress against rising costs, scrutiny and skepticism

FN+Winners and losers of the UPF backlash

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

FIC 2026

FN+Flashy and sweet: Brands tap health trends in artificial sweetener push

Leveraging weight loss, gut and dental health trends, Chinese firms are increasingly creative in reframing artificial sweeteners as a health aligned choice

FIC 2026

FN+‘There are no bad additives, only bad humans’: Experts urge fairer view of processed foods

Top Chinese food science leaders have urged consumers and industry to make fairer judgements of processed foods and additives, calling the sector badly misunderstood

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

FN+Artificial sweeteners: Why the science war is raging on

New health studies are reigniting a global battle over artificial sweeteners, leaving brands, regulators and consumers divided

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?

Unilever buys greens supplement brand Grüns

Unilever has acquired VMS company Grüns, a leader in the greens supplement category, to expand its beauty and wellbeing portfolio in the U.S.

FN+California pushes ‘non-UPF’ seal as certifications multiply and confusion grows

A proposed state-backed label aims to simplify ultra-processed food choices, but could competing definitions and private certifications risk muddying the message for consumers and complicate reformulation efforts?

Cacao pods and ‘ugly’ potatoes powering the upcycled foods movement

Brands like Roots Farm Fresh, Blue Stripes and Salt and Straw are finding new value in food waste through upcycled snacks and frozen foods

Future Food-Tech San Francisco

Danone bets on nutrient quality, not quantity, as consumers look to food for health

Danone’s R&D chief lays out why the future of food hinges on bioavailability, behavior change and nutrient quality – not just bigger numbers on the label

FN+10 global trends shaping F&B

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

Gulfood 2026

FN+Açai leader SAMBAZON eyes Japan, Middle East to drive next growth phase

World’s largest açaí brand SAMBAZON is building on rapid growth in Japan and the Middle East to establish açaí as a lifestyle in the region

Future Food Tech San Francisco

AI assists, but active ingredients still lead in wellness innovation

Industry leaders at Future Food Tech said AI tools are helping product developers, yet rigorous ingredient science continues to set the pace for better-for-you foods and beverages

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