News & Analysis on Food & Beverage Development & Technology
Groceryshop 2025
Launching in January, the new ‘one stop shop’ platform brings together fragmented marketing tools under one agentic layer in a self-serve system built for grocery that promises smarter targeting, easier campaign management and better ROI
Reduced-allergen wheat could transform baking, letting brands deliver better-for-you products without sacrificing quality or consumer experience
News Bites
FDA accelerates precision fermentation, General Mills refocuses on overlooked consumers and innovators redefine the role of sugar
An AI-powered insurance tool is giving bakeries a way to cap chaos in wheat, butter and packaging prices – finally turning forecasts into action
News Bites
Lay’s gets a new look, nutrition science is getting a reality check and precision fermented ingredients are getting FDA’s nod
Sweeteners in focus
Kerry Group and NotCo show how advanced sweetening systems can overcome many of the technical, sustainability and cost barriers with sugar reduction
The company’s proprietary ingredient Caseed mimics dairy casein without the allergenic effects of dairy, nuts and soy for B2B partners
The 31% year-over-year increase was driven by a spike in users older than 60 years
The new ingredient is positioned as an ‘insurance policy’ against cocoa supply chain volatility and says the bio-identical ingredient could stabilize supply as climate change strains traditional crops
Kerry’s sustainable nutrition spectrum guides CPG brands in reformulating foods that meet evolving consumer expectations for health, sustainability and taste.
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast
Kellanova’s pilot offers a blueprint for using data clean rooms to bridge gaps between brands and retailers, unlock deeper shopper insights and rebuild brand value amid inflationary pressure
The French startup’s FermWhey Native and FermWhey MicroStab expands formulation options for RTD beverages, shots and plant-based hybrids to better meet demands for consumers using GLP-1s and seeking support for active lifestyles and healthy aging
By layering an “AI watchtower” over existing enterprise resource planning systems, startup Burnt claims to automate tedious order management in seconds without forcing distributors to change how they work
FDA acknowledges brazzein-54, advancing Oobli’s nature-identical sweet protein toolkit to reduce sugar
Sustainability September
Edacious and the Regenerative Organic Alliance are teaming up to prove that how food is grown can directly boost nutrition, safety and consumer trust
Unilever’s ice cream spin-out is supercharging its ice cream formulations in the US with the help of AI. NotCo founder Matias Muchnick tells us what it’s all about
Shinkei Systems, launched in 2021, is growing rapidly with a new headquarters in metro Los Angeles
A major food and drink player has ambitions to close its waste loop, but can it be done?
A breakthrough in cocoa fermentation could finally deliver consistent, high-quality flavour every time
Rising costs and stiff shelf competition mean every blind spot can turn into wasted product, lost sales or empty shelves when customers show up.
As companies brace for stricter guidelines under the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) campaign, AI is emerging as an essential ally in reformulation, risk management and consumer trust
Sustainable September
Innovations in compostable packaging are moving towards a commercial reality, and CPG brands that engage early with PHA solutions will be better positioned to meet sustainability and compliance demands
Practical strategies from industry voices show how generative AI can enhance ideation, protect intellectual property and create “first-time right” product launches
AI-driven retail insights firm Crisp Data helps seafood brand Safe Catch recover lost sales and fuel double-digit growth
Start-up Opalia is on a mission to prove its cell-cultured milk can be used to make an entire range of dairy products: from cheese to ice cream
IFT FIRST 2025
IFT FIRST revealed how industry and academia are racing to deliver safe, sustainable and consumer-friendly solutions in a rapidly shifting food landscape
The KitKat and Aero maker hopes to yield more chocolate from fewer cocoa fruits
While AI technology may grab the headlines, automation still propels most of the efficiency gains in manufacturing. But both technologies can certainly alleviate workforce worries
Hightouch’s new AI-powered identity resolution service lets marketers ‘toggle’ confidence levels for more precise or broader reach – all within their own data warehouse
Acquisition pairs Daring’s retail reach and clean-label appeal with v2food’s tech stack to tackle taste, texture and nutrition challenges holding back sales of plant-based protein in the US
Dynamic QR codes are emerging as a key tool for brands to own the post-purchase experience and capture first-party data
A deep dive into the consumer shifts, ingredient innovations and market opportunities redefining the global protein landscape
Flashfood’s partnership with Kroger tests how the model performs in a real-world mix of store formats and shopper needs
The new competitive edge in CPG? Digital supply chain modeling
Turing Labs’ upgraded Luna AI promises to modernize product development and market execution by replacing legacy tools with proactive, domain-trained agents that take tasks from start to finish seamlessly
Future Food Tech Chicago
Following the greenlight from USDA last week, Mission Barns is not wasting time bringing its animal-free cultured pork to market – it is targeting a Sprouts Farmers Market launch this summer, while simultaneously pursing B2B partnerships
Artificial intelligence (AI) is helping dairy processors in Sub Saharan Africa to optimize supply chain logistics, enhance traceability of products and to monitor the health of animals in real time
IFT FIRST
While no one is eschewing protein’s role in a balanced diet, innovations in dietary fiber are helping boost nutrient density - as both macronutrients continue to trend
Brands with qualifying products can tap into a high-potential, under-served consumer base through Amazon’s streamlined portal for EBT and budget-conscious customers
Future Food Tech-Chicago
Smey’s AI-powered digital library of more than 1,000 yeast strains can speed innovation of sustainable cultivated alternatives to popular fats and oils, including cocoa, shea and palm butter
Wase’s microbe-driven tech is an evolution on traditional ADs that benefits anyone from dairies to distilleries
Oatly defends processed food, doubles down on coffee and pushes for the next wave of plant-based milk growth
The blended meat - or balanced protein - category continues to grow as players invest in ingredient technology to align with consumer preferences for healthy, clean-label protein
Future Food Tech Chicago
Food-tech pioneers and established brands weigh the risks and rewards of disclosing the science and processing behind new ingredients and products versus leading with consumer benefits
Future Food-Tech Chicago
Demand for coffee is rising, but current production is threatened by climate change and geopolitical tensions in regions where the crops are concentrated – creating an opportunity for new methods for creating coffee and alternatives
The partnership leverages Meala’s patented technology to simplify formulation while meeting the technical demands of plant-based and hybrid food applications
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
Climate change is threatening the world’s food supply, but could AI be the unexpected hero?
Future Food Tech Chicago
Products that combine animal- and plant-protein are a time-tested culinary technique that offer untapped market potential to win over consumers based on taste, nutrition and sustainability goals