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

There was a time when an April Fools’ stunt could be delightfully dumb – a clear joke, a quick laugh, maybe a viral tweet. In 2026, that same playbook feels shaky.

Unilever’s divestment of its frozen division hasn’t cooled the cold war between it and Ben & Jerry’s as the ice cream brand’s former board chair is now suing the conglomerate, alongside current parent The Magnum Ice Cream Company, for allegedly undermining its social mission.

An attention-getting class action suit alleging that David Protein misled customers by “drastically understating” the calories and fat content in its protein bars has been voluntarily dismissed, according to a March 30 court filing.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) unveiled a new loan program aimed at supporting small businesses across the domestic food supply chain.

Amid a period of “explosive growth,” Toto Foods is evolving beyond its protein-centric messaging with a dessert-forward rebrand aimed at cementing its position as “an ooey, gooey cookie that wins on taste.”

Once Upon A Farm has added five new product lines to its portfolio of kids snacks and meals, claiming the launch marks its largest portfolio expansion to-date.

Thrive Market today unveiled a new way to weed out ultraprocessed foods. The online grocer has added a filter for products carrying the Non-UPF Verified seal, which indicates they don’t contain certain additives such as high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners or synthetic emulsifiers.

Spice giant McCormick & Company announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to merge with Unilever’s food business, excluding India, in a transaction that values the unit at nearly $45 billion.

Creatine gummy brand Create Wellness is moving into powdered beverages with a $20 million investment led by Alliance Consumer Growth and Impact Capital.

Consumer interests have cycled through low-carb, high-protein and fiber-filled products during the nearly six years pantry staple brand Kaizen has been on the market. It has aligned itself with each new demand while its recipes remained the same.

After building Keto Pint into a staple of the better-for-you freezer set for older, ketogenic and diabetic consumers, brothers Chris and Anthony Spencer have debuted a second act aimed at a different audience.

This week, we’re laying down the plant-based chicken law with Eat Just’s new SKU, breaking into the UK market, and getting married on the cheap thanks to a cookie delivery biz. Hey, what more could you ask for?

Influencer David Dobrik first got into the food business in 2022 via his on-premise pizza chain Doughbrik’s. Now, the YouTuber star and his company are in the snack aisle with Wavers, a brand of better-for-you snack crisps.

A new report is putting numbers behind a tradeoff the packaged food industry has long understood, but rarely spells out: Cheaper products are often packed with extra additives, sugar and sodium.