Industry Insights & Data

The energy snack aisle is rotating from caffeine to cognition. Caffeinated gum is up 207% on social channels. L-theanine, lion’s mane, and rhodiola are crowding out BCAAs and ketones. Brightfield’s Q1 2026 report breaks down the stealth formats and ingredient stacks driving the next wave.

Whether it’s reaching for a store brand, trying a health-focused snack, cooking more meals at home or ordering takeout for convenience, everyday food choices by U.S. consumers are contributing to a major shift in the food and beverage industry

Inflationary pressures and rising grocery bills continue to reshape how Americans shop, and more consumers are turning to private-label offerings as a result – a trend that’s expected to continue well into 2026.

Frozen food is steadily evolving from a secondary category into a key driver of meal planning and retail growth as shoppers continue to battle inflationary pressures.

In 2026 Functional Food & Beverage Predictions, Spate maps the trends set to shape the year ahead using billions of search signals and social data, revealing where wellness demand is accelerating fastest and which formats are evolving from niche to mainstream.

The Northhall 2025 Annual Report captures a year defined by restraint at the surface and momentum beneath it. While full-year venture activity declined again in 2025, the story shifts meaningfully when viewed quarter by quarter.

Fiber and protein may be familiar nutrients, but their role in food and beverage is undergoing a quiet transformation. Spate reveals how these “always-on” macros are not only growing at massive scale, but evolving in meaning.

Brightfield Group uncovers how everyday categories – bars, chips, and grab-and-go snacks – have become ground zero for rising consumer anxiety around ultra-processing, “forever chemicals,” and hidden health tradeoffs.

Will the Poppi playbook work for Jams? Stephen Ellsworth, who co-founded modern soda brand Poppi with his wife, Allison, has joined consumer products house The DropOut Companies as an operating partner. The DropOut Companies was established by Connor Blakley and Josh Franko to launch and scale reimagined childhood classics. Earlier this year, the Nashville-based venture… Read more »

As early-stage deal flow moderates and mid-sized rounds gain share, the quarter signals a market that is stabilizing at a more sustainable pace – one defined by disciplined capital allocation, selective growth, and investor confidence in category leaders.