Food and Beverage Top Stories

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Replacing sugar isn’t just about cutting calories—it’s about replicating sweetness, texture, color, and mouthfeel. Experts highlight how allulose, erythritol, stevia, and tagatose are redefining sugar reduction, offering clean-label solutions that bridge indulgence and health.

From almond-based holiday creamers and non-dairy protein shakes to heat-forward cheeses and precision-fermented whey, brands are expanding beyond traditional plant bases. New formats and flavor trends—from horchata to corn milk—highlight how flexitarian demand is reshaping the category.

Kids’ kefir, GLP-1-friendly dairy drinks, cookie-inspired milkshakes and string cheese mashups are redefining how consumers engage with the dairy aisle. Limited flavors, gut-health claims and on-the-go formats are driving fresh opportunity across categories.

As concerns about mental wellness rise, consumers increasingly look to functional foods and beverages for focus, mood, and stress relief. Trends like precision wellness and “mood food” point to new opportunities for brands targeting cognitive health.

Sugar reduction is vital for weight-conscious consumers, and the plant-based food market, especially dairy alternatives, is expected to hit USD 43.6 billion by 2028. However, combining sugar reduction with plant-based dairy is challenging. Rachel Zemse, a food scientist, offers insights on sweeteners for plant-based milk, yogurt, and ice cream.

Dozens of brands—from independents to multinationals—have agreed to eliminate FD&C colors like Red 40, Yellow 5 and Blue 1 from real-milk ice cream lines within three years. The shift reflects mounting regulatory pressure and consumer demand for cleaner labels across frozen desserts.

Eight synthetic dyes are on the chopping block—are your formulations ready to survive without them? Natural pigments aren’t plug-and-play, and the brands that wait will pay in cost, speed and shelf appeal. From stability and sourcing to flavor impacts and cost, natural pigments require new strategies across formulation, labeling and supply chains.

Prepared Foods has selected six new food and beverage products introduced in September 2025. Vote below to let us know which new product is your favorite!

PF Chief Editor Bob Garrison talks beverage flavoring trends and technologies with Emily Cruz, R&D Manager, at Talking Rain Beverage Co. This Preston, Wash., business offers a wide variety of better-for-you beverages under the brands Talking Rain, Sparkling Ice and now, new Popwell.

Seasonal launches and brand collaborations bring new flavors and formats to the candy aisle, from PB&J M&M’S to Oreo Reese’s Cookies.