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

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.

Next Friday, Oct. 23, early registration pricing expires for Nosh Live, taking place December 3+4 in L.A. Register by Oct. 23 and save $100. The event centers on the strategic and tactical decisions brands inevitably encounter as they grow. Speakers, buyers, investors and distributors attend ready to answer questions directly, based on what has and hasn’t worked in their own businesses.

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.

This week, reviewing everything that went down at NACS in Las Vegas, uncovering why RIND closed its online store, and running from our lives from a Zombie Santa Claus. Hey, what more could you ask for?

Roughly a year and a half after being acquired by Flowers Foods, better-for-you snack company Simple Mills is gearing up to make a significant c-store push — a move that was announced at the 2026 NACS Show in Las Vegas this week.

Daily Harvest is expanding its retail footprint, with Marianne’s growing in Target and Archer bringing new SKUs to the club channel.

In this week’s new products roundup, Ghirardelli makes its debut in the cookie aisle, Thomas’ and Bob Evans put a protein-packed spin on familiar favorites, and Jeni’s explores unconventional ingredients with a new acorn-inspired ice cream flavor.