US Treasury Cuts Costs by Axing the Penny: What it Means for Retailers

The penny’s swan song – likely to occur next year – may save millions, but it won’t shake 99-cent psychology in retail pricing.

CPG Giants Pledge to Remove Food Dyes

Over the past few weeks, CPG giants have pledged their support in removing select artificial food dyes in an apparent bid to align their practices with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and …

Crunch Time: How Do Your Road Trip Snacks Stack Up?

Sour is trending, chocolate is complicated, and regional quirks abound: Kellanova’s new data reveals how generational tastes shape road-trip snacking – and what that means for category innovation. Nostalgia, “swalty,” and convenience drive the ride.

EY: CPG Brand Relevance Faces ‘Negative Drift’

Legacy CPGs are losing consumer relevance to agile upstarts – but AI, innovation, and a shift to “disruptive optimism” offer hope. EY’s latest report calls on brands to earn loyalty daily or drift into obscurity.

Purple Craze: Ube Moves from Filipino Tradition to Viral Trend

Once rooted in Filipino comfort food, ube is now infusing menus and retail shelves with color and cultural depth. F&B leaders are embracing it as both a flavor trend and storytelling vehicle.

Smucker Becomes the Poster Child for Packaged Food

Smucker stock has plunged to decade-lows after a bruising earnings miss and nearly $2B in impairment charges tied to its Hostess buy. With profits set to drop again, investors are questioning the company’s strategy.

Foodservice Focus: Consumers Can’t Get Enough of Texas Roadhouse, Chick-fil-A

Legacy chains like Chick-fil-A are seeing customer satisfaction scores hold even as growth slows, opening doors for challenger QSRs. Meanwhile, full-service dining has largely stumbled amid rising prices.

Tariff Tactics: How Food Brands Are Battling Rising Costs

Food and beverage businesses have begun to feel the impact of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. Some have absorbed the blow. Others were left staggering. When the U.S. raised steel and aluminum tariffs to …

Want to Boost Your Cognitive and Oral Health? Eat Blueberries.

Antioxidants can help reduce inflammation and ward off chronic disease, but they barely scratch the surface of what blueberries have to offer. Here’s why dentists, doctors, and dietitians want consumers to eat more of them.

Amazon Prime Day Expansion May Dilute Sales

Amazon is doubling down on Prime Day, stretching it to four days in a bid to woo deal-hungry Gen Z and millennial shoppers. But with cart abandonment rising, will lessened urgency hurt results? Industry opinions vary.

Cannes Lions Event Reveals Real Secret to Food Marketing ROI

The Cannes Lions 2025 event crowned campaigns that blurred the lines between storytelling and shopping, proving that creativity at the point of sale is now imperative. From sonic branding to shoppable receipts, food marketing has gone full-experiential.

It’s Getting Difficult to Keep Pace with Walmart

Walmart is dominating the grocery sector with unmatched pricing, delivery speed, and scale – and its lead is widening. As rivals chase value-conscious consumers, Walmart is already monetizing convenience.

The Bear in the Room: Addressing the Foodservice Mental Health Crisis

The restaurant industry’s mental health crisis is finally in the spotlight, and Chef Chris Aquilino is leading the charge for change. Through advocacy, he’s helping kitchens shift from burnout to balance, one step at a time.

Baby Boomers: A Restaurant’s Reliable Friend

Baby Boomers offer restaurants a loyal customer who tends to be more resilient compared to younger cohorts. Contrary to popular belief, data suggests that this cohort is excited by innovative dishes, particularly those that invoke nostalgia, comfort, or function.

Digital Food and Beverage Show Takeaways: Agility, Community, Gen Z

At the 2025 Digital Food and Beverage show, industry leaders tackled topics like agility, as well as Gen Z’s love for raw, creator-led content. The takeaway? Adapt fast – or risk becoming a relic in the digital age.

The New Rules of Customer Retention: Winning Over Increasingly Disloyal Consumers

Consumers are ditching brand loyalty in favor of value, leaving food businesses scrambling to win repeat visits. Upside’s latest report reveals that personalized incentives – not traditional marketing – are the key to turning uncommitted customers into habitual buyers.

The Future Is Swalty: 3 TikTok Trends Reshaping Food Retail

Viral social media trends can often translate to real-time impacts for brands – and TikTok’s algorithmic pull is particularly strong.

Cream of the Crop: The Latest Heavy Cream Alternatives

Plant-based heavy cream alternatives are on the rise as food scientists develop more realistic, whip-ready options using oats, legumes, and oils. Chef Jason Wrobel of Switch4Good shared his take regarding the latest innovations and the science behind replicating the taste and texture of traditional heavy whipping cream.

Energy Drink Makers Navigate a Choppy Environment

Energy drinks hit turbulence in 2024, with Celsius and Monster both facing unexpected sales slowdowns. While stock prices have rebounded, lingering consumer uncertainty raises questions about the sector’s long-term prospects.

Why 2025 is the ‘Year of the Sauce’

Sauces are no longer just a sidekick – they’re driving one of 2025’s biggest food trends, blending bold flavors with convenience and versatility. Food businesses that embrace this shift can captivate consumers and boost sales, according to both chefs and CEOs.

As Importers Race the Clock, Cargo Surges

Retailers are bracing for a summer cargo surge, but tariffs and cautious consumer spending may temper volume. With air freight disrupting traditional shipping channels, supply chains are scrambling to adapt before the holiday rush hits full speed.

Top 5 Healthiest Ice Creams

Once dismissed as an oxymoron, healthier ice cream is now a booming category. From high-protein formulas to cutting-edge fat replacers, brands are rethinking indulgence without sacrificing texture.

Wrap It Up: Fast-Food Chains Bet Big on Boneless Chicken

McDonald’s is bringing back its Snack Wrap after a nine-year hiatus, tapping into the booming demand for portable, boneless chicken options. With major chains embracing the wrap resurgence, savvy restaurant operators will leverage the trend for easy, profitable menu innovation.

Feeling Peachy: Summer Darling Leads Beverage Innovation

Peach-enhanced menu items are growing in popularity, now on 19.8% of foodservice menus, according to one report. The fruit has found its stride in beverage innovation, with legacy brands experimenting with the flavor.

5 Thriving Fast-Food Chains in 2025

Despite rising costs, 2025 is shaping up to be a fairly strong year for many restaurant chains, with top players like Cava and Chick-fil-A thriving by mastering efficiency, marketing, and customer experience. The smartest brands are pricing strategically and leveraging technology to drive success.

KIND Seeks to Continue Climb With Brand Revamp

As retail shelves continue to overflow with healthier-for-you snacks, KIND has launched new branding, with a new packaging initiative looming. One KIND executive told FI the brand aims to evolve to meet consumers’ growing demands for sustainability and health-claims such as “high-protein.”

Economic Strain: Food Bill Gets Unruly

Despite wage gains, food inflation continues to outpace earnings, leaving consumers increasingly anxious about grocery costs. Meanwhile, new tariffs threaten to disrupt the food industry, with stakeholders bracing for volatile pricing and potential shifts in shopper loyalty.

Mushrooms, Mycelium, and Bites: Plant-Based Trends From NRA 2025

At the 2025 National Restaurant Association Show, plant-based innovation moved beyond burgers and nuggets. Mushrooms, mycelium, and globally inspired bites took center stage, offering foodservice operators bold, flexitarian-friendly options.

Roark Capital’s Aggressive Buyout Strategy May Not Be Working

Roark Capital has built a restaurant empire rivaling McDonald’s in system-wide sales, yet questions linger over its investment strategy. With limited financial transparency and stalled IPOs, has Roark’s aggressive approach truly paid off for investors?

Experts Say Amazon Humanoid Workers Just Hype – For Now

Amazon is reportedly developing humanoid robots to streamline delivery operations, testing them in a “humanoid park” obstacle course. Experts remain skeptical, citing previous automation failures and questioning whether the hype will ever translate into real-world efficiency.

Meat Mania: Meat Makes Comeback With Focus on Protein

Meat is reclaiming its spot on consumers’ plates as the benefits of protein-heavy diets are noted on social media. With fresh meat sales projected to surpass $137 billion this year, the industry is sizzling.

Raising Smart Capital in the Food Space: Navigating Today’s Challenges

Investor enthusiasm for food brands is strong, but securing capital has never been more challenging. Amid market volatility and heightened scrutiny, only the most strategic and well-prepared companies will land the funding needed to thrive.

Brands Brace for Shrinkflation as Steel, Aluminum Levies Double

Steel and aluminum tariffs have risen significantly, and grocery prices may soon follow suit. From canned goods to premium imports, food brands face tough choices – shrinkflation, price hikes, or packaging pivots – to absorb escalating costs.

Steaks Are High: GLP-1 Drugs Reshape Beef Demand

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are reshaping consumer appetites, with nearly half of users eating less beef. As this trend accelerates, meat producers face a challenge, while plant-based brands are presented with an opportunity.

Tiny Tastemakers: Gen Alpha Dubbed ‘The Foodie Generation’

Gen Alpha’s distinct food and beverage preferences, coupled with its astonishing $5.5 trillion global market share by 2029, shape it up to drive a sustained impact on the food and beverage industry. Learn about why some are calling them “the foodie generation.”

Hot, Crispy, Conquering: The Chicken Chains Outpacing Competitors

Chicken QSRs are dominating, with chains like Dave’s Hot Chicken expanding rapidly to meet surging demand. The secret? Bold flavors, strong branding, and a winning suburban strategy that keeps customers flocking in droves.