Headlines

Mexican seasoning and sauce brand EZ Bombs has raised a $25 million Series A round led by CAVU Consumer Partners as it scales further in retail.

Little Spoon is rolling out a regional retail growth plan just one year after entering brick-and-mortar with Target stores across the country.

Kroger is embracing the promise of AI, at the cost of around 3,000 corporate jobs over the next three years. An all-company memo describes the retailer as having “more layers, more handoffs and more overhead than we need.”

Under parent company Vitamin Well Group, protein bar maker Barebells is extending its focus on indulgent flavors and lower-sugar products into the confectionery aisle.

Sprouted snack brand Daily Crunch is taking direct aim at potato chips via its latest line launch, which urges consumers to “Ditch the Chip” with a variety of new flavors modeled after classic potato chip seasonings.

The Nombase Podcast is now the CPG Operator Podcast, your go-to resource for what it takes to build and grow a food or beverage brand. The new name reflects what the show has always been about: candid conversations on the day-to-day realities of starting, building and growing a brand, from formulation and pricing to landing shelf space and scaling up.

Food sales are suffering, although energy drinks and nutrition shakes are resilient, as high fuel prices “weigh on consumers” and depress convenience channel foot traffic, according to a new equity research report from investment banker Jefferies.

Sour candy has long captivated the taste buds of consumers, but with the influx of “swicy” (read: sweet and spicy) products across the packaged food industry, spicy candy is also gaining traction.

Shelf-stable meals used to be synonymous with commodity brands. But the category is modernizing with a handful of newcomers bringing bold flavors and clean label takes.

Alec’s and Purely Elizabeth’s “ice cream for breakfast” collab feels playful and indulgent while maintaining a relatively clean ingredient profile.