Adrianne DeLuca

The chocolate category is consolidating. Today, branded and private label chocolate manufacturer Chocolate Works announced its acquisition of 150-year-old Thompson Chocolate, which produces specialty and foil-wrapped chocolate novelties.

The quarterly reports continue to roll in and our team has had an ear to the conference calls all week, parsing out profits from puffery. Here’s a rundown of what we’ve learned about the state of CPG over the past week (or so):

Seena Chriti had big dreams when she launched a brand of traditional Mexican snacks called Paktli in 2021. Too big, it turns out.

For the second time in two years, Hain Celestial is once again changing its leadership team and initiating a strategic portfolio review after reporting Q3 net sales dropped 11%.

Cuts across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have hit the FDA especially hard. Hear why former Human Foods Deputy Commissioner Jim Jones is now questioning the agency’s ability to keep functioning.

Today, attorneys general from 19 states and Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit in Rhode Island federal court challenging staffing cuts across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Those cuts have reduced the department’s headcount by one-quarter, impacting nearly 20,000 employees over the course of the past three months.

The Trump Administration and its internal MAHA cohort this week celebrated a variety of “accomplishments” spawning from their first 100 days in office. However, just down the street from the White House, at the Institute of Food Technologist (IFT)’s Food Policy Impact conference, the tone was less than celebratory.

Today, Conagra announced the signing of a definitive agreement to divest Chef Boyardee to Hometown Food Company for $600 million in cash.

Just like nearly every other facet of the federal government, the current administration is working to upend business as usual. One of its latest forays includes an effort to review the controversial Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) self-affirmation pathway, overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Earlier this week FDA Commissioner Marty Makary proclaimed the administration’s desire to phase out the use of eight synthetic food dyes by the end of 2026. But is that feasible? We asked the experts.