The latest food and beverage industry news and trend analysis

Mars Snacking is expanding the EXTRA Gum portfolio with the launch of SOURS by EXTRA, a bold innovation targeting the high-growth sweet-and-sour flavour segment. Supported by a social-first "Cheworkout" campaign with dancer Hailey Bills, the launch aims to drive category relevance among Gen Z and Millennial consumers through experiential and interactive marketing.

Brooklyn Brewery is consolidating its award-winning "Special Effects" non-alcoholic line under the master "Brooklyn Brewery Non-Alcoholic" banner. The rebrand unifies the portfolio with style-led naming conventions and blue-coded packaging cues to simplify the consumer path to purchase in the rapidly growing, less than 0.5% ABV segment.

Swaggerty’s Farm has inaugurated a 50,000-square-foot expansion at its Kodak, Tennessee headquarters, strategically increasing production capacity for its market-leading boxed sausage patties while integrating energy-efficient systems to enhance operational sustainability.

CAVA expands its Mediterranean menu with the launch of Glazed Salmon, its first seafood protein, featuring pomegranate molasses sourced from Just Date and new seasonal chef-curated bowls.

KitchenAid is diversifying its at-home coffee portfolio with a new line of Fully Automatic Espresso Machines featuring dedicated "over-ice" settings. The range, comprising the KF2, KF3, and KF4 models, integrates Quiet Mark-certified operation and a 25% smaller footprint to capture the high-growth "at-home barista" and cold coffee demographics.

Celleste Bio has produced the first milk chocolate bars using cell-cultured cocoa butter in partnership with Mondelēz International, marking a significant step toward a scalable and sustainable cocoa supply by 2027.

The Coca-Cola Company has appointed Tapaswee Chandele as its next Global Chief People Officer, effective May 1. A 25-year veteran of the company, Chandele succeeds Lisa Chang, signalling a focus on internal continuity and global talent development as the beverage giant optimises its international workforce strategy.

The Mark Anthony Group of Companies, the parent organisation behind White Claw® Hard Seltzer, has acquired The Finnish Long Drink. The deal aims to leverage Mark Anthony’s proven scaling infrastructure to accelerate the North American expansion of the heritage-based ready-to-drink (RTD) brand.