The latest food and beverage industry news and trend analysis

Brand Licensing Europe (BLE), in partnership with License Global, has announced its "call for speakers" for the event’s 2026 edition, seeking expert insights across five key pillars: Sports, Fashion, Food and Beverage, Retail, and Trend and Future, to drive the 2026 program.

KFC has launched a full-length streaming single and music video titled "Finger Lickin' Machine" to promote its new multi-tiered Box Feasts value menu (7, 9, and 11 dollar tiers), utilising high-profile choreography and IRL activations in Los Angeles to drive digital and physical engagement.

McDonald's Türkiye has launched the 'Drink & Drive' campaign, a creative reinterpretation of the "Don't Drink and Drive" warning that positions McCafe around driver alertness and transforms the Golden Arches into road safety symbols.

Solo Stove and Rice Krispies Treats have announced a nationwide partnership to capitalise on the viral "s'more hack" trend, launching co-branded retail packaging and a gamified "hidden wrapper" campaign to drive fire pit season engagement.

Harvest Hill Beverage Company has launched SunnyD Vodka Seltzer PURPLE, a 4.5% ABV limited-time offering that formalises the "Purple Stuff" 1990s cultural meme into a functional RTD product to drive engagement among consumers 21+.

SIDES Coffee has officially launched its dedicated e-commerce platform, expanding upon its physical retail footprint of over 3,100 stores. SIDES Coffee, the RTD brand incubated by COLLAB for The Sidemen, has launched a dedicated D2C platform (sidescoffee.com)

Heineken has unveiled "The Clinker," a wearable smart band designed to facilitate social connections at Coachella 2026 by syncing fan streaming data with physical interactions through a web-based application.

Subway has initiated a month-long "Buy One Get One" (BOGO) promotion for its Sub Club members, leveraging the "FLBOGO" code to drive mobile app adoption and increase transaction frequency amid rising consumer costs.