Food Industry Press Releases

Here are the latest updates in the food & beverage industry: 🚀 Industry Moves & Acquisitions GoodSAM raises $9M for regenerative agriculture-focused food products 🌱. Bloom Nutrition enters the soda market with Bloom Pop, launching at Walmart 🥤. TRUFF partners with Starbucks, introducing hot sauce packets for breakfast items 🌶️☕. General Mills shuts down G-Works, ending its corporate venture arm to focus on acquisitions. 📈 Market Trends & Consumer Shifts Value-driven shopping: Consumers prioritize affordability, increasing private-label and bulk purchases. Functional beverages surge: Enhanced waters, probiotics, and adaptogenic drinks see continued growth. Sustainable sourcing: Transparency in ingredient sourcing is a key factor for food brands. 🔥 New Product Launches & Expansions Ithaca Hummus x Graza collaboration: Olive Oil & Sea Salt Hummus is hitting shelves 🥑. Crystal Light enters RTD cocktails with Vodka Refreshers, capitalizing on the at-home cocktail trend 🍹. YUMI launches soft-baked breakfast bars with 0g added sugar, catering to health-conscious families. 🏆 Retail & Distribution Expansions Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches land at Costco 🍦. Uncle Nearest Whiskey expands leadership, aiming for global spirits dominance 🥃. Recover 180 hydration drinks launch in 2,000+ Kroger stores 🚚.

Catch up on the latest updates on the intersection of biotech and agrifood in issue #88 of the Better Bioeconomy newsletter: BIO BUZZ: 📈 meati™ almost doubled revenues in 2024 from 2023 and is on track to achieve positive gross margins by year-end | Phil Graves 🧬 genXtraits and Solis Agrosciences collaborate to accelerate novel crop development using biotech | Oliver Ratcliffe, Charlie Bolten 🤝 Pivot Bio partnered with Logan Agri-Service to distribute its microbial nitrogen solution across Logan Ag's retail network | Jason Hoag, Chris Abbott 💨 Windfall Bio scaled up its methane-eating microbes fermentation to 17,000 litres, enabling commercial-scale production of organic fertilizers | Josh Silverman, Jon Getzinger 🧀 Plantopia Bio. plans to produce casein proteins in sprouted oats at pilot scale using molecular farming later this year | Amir Tiroler, Tal Lutzky 🇸🇬 Singapore's parliament passed a bill to adapt its agrifood systems to climate change and advance novel foods BIO BUCKS: 🇳🇱 The Netherlands funded €25M to launch two open-access facilities for cellular agriculture to support planet-friendly food production | Ira van Eelen, Marcel Oogink, Jaco van der Merwe 💰 Chipotle Mexican Grill has doubled its Cultivate Next / Chipotle venture fund to $100M, targeting early-stage investments in food tech | Christian Gammill, Curt Garner 🇩🇪 Formo received €35M venture debt from the European Investment Bank to expand dairy alternatives and advance animal-free casein approval | Raffael Wohlgensinger, Roman Plewka 🇵🇹 CarboCode raised €15M Series C to advance production of human-identical breast milk molecules using biocatalysis and fermentation | Ferenc Horvath, Jorge Santos 🏆 Robigo won the THRIVE Global X Scale-Up Program and received funding from SVG Ventures | THRIVE to advance precision microbial solutions for sustainable crop protection | Andee Wallace, PhD, Helen Hartnett GEEK ZONE:  🌱 Combination of biochar and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria mitigated heavy metal toxicity and improved stress tolerance in soybeans 🌽 Soil inoculation with nitrogen-fixing bacteria boosts maize yield by supplementing fertilizer needs | Connor Sible, Juliann Seebauer 🛡 Self-assembled nano antiviral pesticide effectively controlled the destructive soybean mosaic virus, improving crop health and yield 🦠 Bacteria-based biofertilizers improved the yield and nutritional properties of black seed EAR FOOD: 🎧 LanzaTech’s CEO Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, on using microbes to combat climate change | Paul Shapiro Check out this week’s issue to learn more:  https://lnkd.in/gfskq7H5

We are happy to release the 2026 State of the Restaurant Industry report from the National Restaurant Association. This year’s publication features comprehensive surveys of both restaurant operators and consumers to assess the health and direction of the sector. It offers a detailed outlook on the economy, sales performance, commodities, public policy, operations, employment, and menu trends. While 2025 presented significant challenges for restaurants and their guests, the data also reveal notable signs of resilience—and a sense of cautious optimism as the industry moves into 2026. For more information, see https://lnkd.in/eGzjCb_U.

WHAT’S HAPPENED IN FOOD & DRINK THIS WEEK 🛒✨ (w/c 19th Jan) A week dominated by trade risk, tightening household spend, reformulation and brands repositioning for health-led demand.... 🌍 Trump Greenland tariffs threaten £800m hit to UK food Proposed 10% tariffs (rising to 25%) on UK food exports could land as early as June, tied to opposition to Trump’s Greenland plans - a major risk for exporters already under pressure. 🦃 Turkey loses out as lamb wins Christmas AHDB data shows turkey was the “clear casualty” this festive season, as shoppers cut back on whole birds while lamb benefited from smaller, more flexible formats. 🚚 Amazon launches rapid grocery service ‘Amazon Now’ Amazon is trialling its new rapid grocery offer in Southwark, with wider rollout expected in coming months. 🗑 Waitrose & Partners responds to viral food waste exposé Waitrose becomes the third retailer to respond after being targeted by the Food_waste_inspector account exposing discarded food on social media. 🍣 JJ-Foodservice launches specialist Japanese range JJ Foodservice adds a premium Japanese lineup, including certified sushi-grade salmon across multiple grades. 🎂 Finsbury Food Group brings viral bento cake to Tesco Finsbury Food Group taps TikTok trends with a serves-eight red velvet bento cake plus cupcakes. 🌱 Meatless Farm & VFC® to separate from The Vegan Food Group VFC Foods is set to become a standalone entity, marking a strategic reset for the brands. 📈 Morrisons posts ‘resilient’ 2025 results Morrisons reports 3.2% revenue growth to £15.8bn, striking a cautiously optimistic tone in a tough market. 🎁 Holland & Barrett relaunches loyalty scheme Holland & Barrett is refreshing its membership programme with simpler, more flexible rewards, including instant in-store redemption. 🛡 Asda outsources store security amid retail crime surge Asda will transfer 2,000 security guards to an external provider across its 1,700 stores. 🍷 Shoppers cut back on booze New data shows 22% of consumers are reducing alcohol spend due to affordability concerns and health goals. 🥔 Burts Snacks Ltd reformulates to go non-HFSS Burts Snacks makes Lightly Sea Salted and Devon Roast Beef HFSS-compliant, continuing reformulation momentum. 🍺 Cawston Press | B Corp™ acquires Loah to enter low & no alcohol Cawston Press expands beyond soft drinks with the acquisition of Loah, strengthening its position in the rapidly growing no & low alcohol space. 🍞 Warburtons launches Fibre Fix loaf and rolls Warburtons adds high-fibre bread and rolls designed to “empower” consumers to eat more healthily - fibre remains a key nutrition battleground. Any thoughts on the above? Extra insight to add? Leave in the comments!

FDA forces structural shift in food coloring – natural dyes meet industrial reality The FDA has approved three new natural color additives - derived from galdieria algae, butterfly pea flower, and calcium phosphate - pushing the food industry toward a synthetic dye exit by the end of 2026. This aligns with the “Make America Healthy Again” campaign, aiming to eliminate petroleum-based additives from ultraprocessed foods. But behind the political signal lies a complex operational reality. Reformulating products at scale is far from trivial. It requires secure agricultural sourcing, adjusted supply chains, and overhauled manufacturing infrastructure. According to the International Association of Color Manufacturers, meeting the FDA’s timeline would be "highly disruptive" for the industry. Still, leaders like PepsiCo, Tyson Foods, and McCormick & Company are responding, with reformulation activity on the rise. The U.S. food coloring market exceeds $2B, and demand for natural alternatives is growing fast - but current global supply cannot yet meet industrial volume needs. The race is on: reformulation speed must now match regulatory pressure. #fda #naturalcolors #foodindustry #foodregulation #cleanlabel #healthyliving #fmcg #retailtech #foodtech #ingredientinnovation #productdevelopment #supplychain #manufacturing #ecommerce #omnichannel #marketing #sales #consumertrends #investors #startups #mccormick #pepsico #tyson #us #northamerica #agriculture #coloradditives #foodscience #foodpolicy #sustainablefood #ultraprocessedfoods

In case you haven't heard the news yet V-Label has recently launched 2 new labels C-Label and F-Label and it seems it was only the right time to do so. 🎉 The #alternativeprotein 🥩 🧀 space continues to flourish with groundbreaking innovations making food production and systems more sustainable and kind. Here are some recent industry highlights: 🔸 Re:meat secures investment for Scandinavia’s first cultivated meat facility. Swedish startup Re:meat raises €1 million for a modular cultivated meat system inspired by brewing technology - https://lnkd.in/e2jDGg9g 🔸 Onego Bio to open flagship animal-free egg protein facility in Wisconsin. The facility aims to produce proteins equivalent to the output from six million laying hens - https://lnkd.in/eCyqvBX8 🔸 The UK selects eight companies for the first cell-cultivated food safety programme. Two-year initiative to evaluate safety and regulatory frameworks - https://lnkd.in/eFuBbTSt 🔸 Australian government backs Magic Valley with $100K grant. Funding supports scaling cultivated meat using induced pluripotent stem cells - https://lnkd.in/eYsSwhfd 🔸 Mosa Meat files novel food approval application in Switzerland. Aims to market cultivated beef fat to enhance plant-based products - https://lnkd.in/eeMMpZ4M 🔸 South Korea to launch the first dedicated cultivated meat research center. Initiative aims to accelerate cultivated meat research and commercialization - https://lnkd.in/ezF5RejC 🔸 Mission Barns secures FDA approval for cultivated pork fat. The company gains regulatory green light for U.S. consumer market - https://lnkd.in/eiwtwzGN 🔸 New Culture raises $5M for animal-free mozzarella launch. Precision fermentation startup addresses the texture and quality of plant-based cheese - https://lnkd.in/eER2uVfh 🔸 Vivici introduces precision-fermented dairy protein to the US market. Vivitein BLG offers new nutritional options for active nutrition products - https://lnkd.in/ebh923xH And before these innovations are on the market (hello regulations 🇪🇺 👋) I'll happily stick to #plantbased foods! 🙂 #veggies #beans #tofuscrumble #soysausage #cashewcheese #CLabel #FLabel #CultivatedMeat #PrecisionFermentation #Sustainability #Innovation

📘 Healthy Eating Research has released a new report examining how the food industry is responding to the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative. The analysis reviews MAHA’s priorities, state‑level policy activity, and hundreds of company announcements to understand what’s actually changing in the food supply. Early findings show that “relatively few companies have made public announcements,” and most changes focus on removing synthetic dyes rather than addressing added sugars, refined grains, or other core nutrition issues. Full link here:https://buff.ly/6O6Qtfj