The ‘cookie economy’ in 7 bites
Premium bakery is booming as indulgent formats, viral brands and shifting consumer habits push prices and expectations higher
Business
McCormick’s results take a back seat as Unilever deal nears
Sales are steady and margins remain under pressure, but attention has shifted firmly to a potential tie-up with Unilever.
Up the food chain
How Clio plans to turn Greek yoghurt bars into a $300m business
As protein, satiety and indulgence converge, Clio CEO John McGuckin explains how the refrigerated bar brand went from ‘bleeding cash’ to chasing $120m – and why the real prize is building a whole new snacking category
Unilever joins Big Food shake-up
As Unilever edges towards a Foods division sell‑off, Big Food braces for the impact
Unilever faces defamation suit from former Ben & Jerry’s chair
Anuradha Mittal has filed a defamation claim against Unilever and its demerged ice cream arm, Magnum, intensifying a long-running dispute over Ben & Jerry’s independence.
ABF-Hovis deal clears hurdle, exposes bread market strain
The CMA has provisionally cleared Associated British Foods’ merger with Hovis in Great Britain, while flagging competition concerns in Northern Ireland, underlining pressure on traditional bread models
PepsiCo is in the middle of its biggest snack reset in years
From SKU cuts and factory closures to functional launches and acquisitions, PepsiCo is moving fast to streamline and prove its snack empire still matters
Why Danone bought Huel: and what’s next for meal replacements
Danone is fast-expanding into meal replacements. What does its Huel deal mean for the category?
Who really controls the world’s food? The superpowers shaping supply
From wheat and soy to rice and sugar, global food power is increasingly concentrated and understanding who really holds the leverage has never mattered more for manufacturers
Japanese crisps hit by Iran conflict
The Middle East fuel shock has forced a Japanese snack maker to halt production, exposing how quickly energy disruption can ripple through the wider food system
Unilever confirms Foods merger talks with McCormick
Unilever in talks with McCormick over potential Foods separation, raising fresh questions about the future of some of its best‑known brands
Ferrero’s Bold Snacks deal signals strategy shift
Ferrero’s Bold Snacks acquisition hints at where industry is headed
Why Big Food is reformulating growth not just recipes
From halted breakups to billion-dollar buyouts, the world’s biggest food groups aren’t just tweaking products, they’re rethinking how growth works
Unilever eyes major food split
Unilever’s latest shake‑up could transform the future of food and drink. Here’s what the potential sell‑off means for the CPG giant, and the wider industry
Inside Burlap & Barrel’s lawsuit against President Donald Trump
A small US-based spice importer is taking the Trump administration to court over sweeping tariffs it says threaten small businesses and global farming partners
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
The Big One: Cyberattack that could cripple food and drink
Cyberattacks are closing in on the food and drink sector, and the next one could be catastrophic. Is the industry ready for The Big One?
4 market opportunities revealed by Mintel Most Innovative winners
When supply chain snarls and cautious consumers dominate, winners focus on health, convenience and mindful indulgence
Middle East tensions, rising energy and fertilizer costs push grocery prices higher
February CPI shows food-at-home prices climbing 0.4% as supply chain risks, tariff uncertainty and volatile farm inputs threaten to add new pressure on brands, retailers and inflation-weary shoppers
Opinion
The icing on the donut: Why Puratos wants Dawn
Dawn built its reputation supplying the mixes, glazes and fillings behind the $20 billion global donut market. That makes Puratos’ proposed acquisition far more strategic than it first appears
Campbell’s snack gamble meets a tougher consumer
Snack weakness forced Campbell’s to cut its outlook after a difficult quarter, with the company admitting performance in the category fell short of expectations even as its premium Rao’s brand continued to surge
Puratos strikes deal to acquire Dawn Foods
One of the biggest deals in the bakery ingredients sector this year is taking shape after Puratos confirmed plans to acquire US-based Dawn Foods
Why Lay’s, Oreo and M&M’s are engineering consumer experiences
PepsiCo’s Lay’s restaurant in Madrid highlights a growing strategy among snack giants to extend blockbuster brands beyond the supermarket shelf and into cafés, retail attractions and immersive consumer experiences
Confectionery sector braced for shortages as Iran conflict escalates
As conflict disrupts key trade routes and energy supplies, the confectionery sector is among the first to feel the strain. How vulnerable are manufacturers, and what can be done to protect the industry?
Up the food chain
Fox’s Burton’s Companies factory chief: “I was told being a woman would hold me back”
Ahead of International Women’s Day, the manufacturing leader behind millions of Jammie Dodgers reflects on sexism on the factory floor and why emotional intelligence matters more than bravado
Bakery, snacks and cereals: The next cost shock may start in the Gulf
Geopolitics rarely stays confined to energy markets. Sooner or later, it reaches the food system
The Ozempic effect reaches the bread aisle: Bimbo redesigns bakery for GLP-1 users
The world’s biggest baker says GLP-1 weight-loss drugs are already reshaping how people eat, so it’s redesigning bread and snacks to keep up
Iran closes Strait of Hormuz: Which foods will get pricier?
The sudden closure of the Strait of Hormuz is triggering immediate ripple effects across global food markets
National Snack Day: Inside the billion-dollar brands refusing to slow down
From Oreo’s $4bn global machine to Uncrustables’ rapid ascent, the snack aisle’s biggest names are banking billions and still investing like challengers
The snacks market right now: still huge, but structurally ‘slower’
Plant closures across PepsiCo, Smucker and Campbell’s reveal a structurally slower snack market adjusting to selective consumers and GLP-1 disruption
Cocoa whiplash: How a record price spike turned into a demand slump
The market has swung from historic shortage to surplus projections for 2025/26 in under two years
Iran Conflict: What does this mean for global food sector?
The ongoing tensions in Iran could disrupt supply routes and drive volatility across key food commodities such as rice and meat
How food retailers and suppliers are driving health and affordability
Grocery retailers and food suppliers are reformulating products, leveraging dietitian expertise and integrating health services to meet rising consumer demand for nutritious, affordable food
The 2026 reset: Why protein strategy is now a structural business challenge
Protein has become expected – and delivering it at scale without breaking flavour, cost or compliance is testing manufacturers like never before
The tale of two spin-offs: What the Kellogg breakup really achieved
Kellogg’s 2023 split was sold as a focus play. Less than two years later, both companies had been sold. So what was the split really for?
Smucker sues Trader Joe’s, as Uncrustables shifts from freezer to fridge
Smucker is retooling its $1B Uncrustables line for ready-to-eat convenience while battling knockoffs in the frozen PB&J arms race
Protein is the price of entry at Expo West 2026
Expo West lands in Anaheim this March, and protein isn’t just a trend – it’s the baseline. The real fight is over taste, texture and who can make functionality feel effortless
Inside the $330bn functional food frenzy fuelled by PepsiCo, Coke & Nestlé
From PepsiCo to Nestlé, global giants are racing to cash in on the booming functional food craze, but with trends shifting fast, the stakes have never been higher
Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s tariff policy
The decision is likely to spark a wave of lawsuits from businesses across the food and beverage industry and beyond
Why Nestlé is selling ice cream to Froneri
The move echoes a broad industry shift and would strengthen an already high-performing JV
Conagra bets on active aging adults to drive the next wave of CPG growth
As competitors chase Gen Z, Conagra Brands is targeting the fastest-growing cohort in the US: active adults seeking protein, portion control, value and health-forward convenience – all of which overlaps with other emerging demographic groups, including...
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
General Mills lowers sales expectations but expands its playbook to win back consumers
The packaged food giant is banking on bolder taste, functional nutrition and smarter packaging to offset weak cereal and snack demand
Unilever commits to food growth after strong 2025 performance
After shedding much of the food portfolio, Unilever is championing its remaining business in the segment
Nestlé, Mondelēz, Mars, Barry Callebaut: Which chocolate giants are diversifying?
The cocoa crisis is winding down, but the biggest producers of chocolate still want to protect themselves in a volatile sector
Kraft Heinz scraps breakup timeline to focus on turnaround
Following disappointing Q4 results and the potential exit of a major investor, new CEO Steve Cahillane redirects resources toward restoring growth and competitiveness
Africa’s wheat import dependence leaves bread prices exposed to global shocks
Heavy reliance on imported wheat is amplifying price volatility for African bakeries, as geopolitics, currency pressures and logistics costs collide
Hain Celestial’s reset starts with snacks sale, but doubts about what is next linger
Q2 sales fell 7% as analysts pressed management on whether baby and kids’ food could face similar scrutiny
Barry Callebaut ploughs €250m into world’s biggest chocolate factory
Barry Callebaut plans to modernise Wieze and Halle sites, bolstering reliability and efficiency across its European supply network
Unilever faces a pivotal year as strategy moves to execution
Unilever enters a transition year as the company seeks to accelerate growth after its ice cream spin-off