Food Industry News, Insights, and Education for the CPG Community

The aisles of the Sweets & Snacks Expo 2023 were packed with a wide array of new innovations from both new and existing brands. With 16,000 expected attendees, 2023 marked the last year the show will be held in Chicago, instead rotating between Indianapolis and Las Vegas moving forward.

While doubling down on its efforts to become a snacking powerhouse, The Hershey Company is embedding responsible and sustainable practices into its business transformation, as outlined in its 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report released on Tuesday.

Fresh from raising seven-figures for its line of frozen clean-ingredient mac and cheese, 8 Myles has rebranded to Myles Comfort Foods and relaunched its flagship product with a new look and new SKUs.

Wicked Kitchen has acquired plant-based “raw” seafood provider Current Foods, a transaction that deepens the company’s food service offerings and grows its portfolio of plant-based products following its 2022 acquisition of Good Catch. Exact terms of the non-cash deal were not disclosed.

Scharffen Berger is going deeper into snacking with the launch of BREAKS chocolate bark, offering the chocolatier and its president a chance to take on its former owner and employer, respectively.

In this week’s roundup: PepsiCo opens Impacto Accelerator applications; Acosta dubs sweets and snacks ‘accessible luxuries;’ All Yall’s Food brings on its first investor and a food safety lawyer launched campaign against Salmonella in poultry.

The USDA’s purview is regulating agricultural products and livestock that become food, but its reach in the industry stretches into other areas of health, nutrition, food access and safety. Here is a brief explainer about some of the current administration’s priorities pertaining to CPG food.

In this week’s notable new products roundup, Bob’s Red Mill takes inspiration from an ice cream parlor favorite, Rumiano unveils a new look for its cheese products and Dr. Praeger’s launches a new littles flavor.

On this week’s show, the team chats about viral candy trends, the U.S. Senate’s sweet tooth and how one company is thinking about category expansion. Later, Bain & Company VP of Consumer Products practice, Charlotte Apps, discusses details from the firm’s recent Insurgent Brands report.

Most regen food startups have pioneered their own sourcing networks, starting from the ground up to support seed-to-shelf regenerative agriculture systems – and these operations that take a bit of initial capital to get going. While venture money is already in short supply, it seems even harder to come by in this space.

Smoothie and snack brand Kencko is making the leap from e-comm to retail this week at over 1,000 Walmart locations across the country. Bringing the brand out of the digital world and onto retail shelves led to a “huge transformation” over the course of the past nine months.

After a tumultuous spring that saw the acrimonious breakup of vegan cheesemaker Miyoko’s Creamery and its jilted founder Miyoko Schinner unfold in an ugly public dispute, the two have settled their respective lawsuits.

Moving from cosmetics and pet care to coffee may seem like a stranger thing to do, but Millie Bobby Brown is making the jump. The actress and model’s new Florence by Mills coffee line stretches across 11 SKU including beans, concentrates and syrups.

General Mills’ success may have been built through stalwart brands like Yoplait, Annie’s and Cheerios, but its next phase of growth is going to rely heavily on its Gold Medal Ventures division.