While there are foods and beverages marketed as contributing to health in order to prevent certain diseases or dysfunctions, to support immunity, or to be generally “better for you,” products presented as medicinal foods are those foods and beverages crafted to address specific disease states. Consumer studies have found that some three-quarters of Americans are interested in bioactive ingredients, with approximately half of those persons willing to pay more for products containing such ingredients.

David Feder, Executive Editor–Technical for the Prepared Foods network sat down with Keith Ayoob, EdD, RDN Associate Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, and author/curator of the EdibleRx newsletter to provide an overview of the trend in so-called medicinal foods. 

As demand for clean-label and naturally colored foods continues to rise, bakery remains one of the most technically challenging categories for going natural when it comes to color. Baked goods subject pigments to prolonged high heat, complex ingredient interactions, and post-bake handling stresses. Dr. Abbey Thiel, YouTube’s “Abbey the Food Scientist” host, discusses these challenges and what bakers can expect when replacing artificial colorants with natural colors in baked goods.

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As new federal rules push food and beverage makers away from artificial dyes, dairy developers are facing one of the toughest reformulation challenges yet. In Part 1 of our three‑part series, food scientist Dr. Abbey Thiel reveals why milk’s shifting pH, heat treatments, and constant exposure to light make natural coloring uniquely complex—and how carotenoid-based pigments are emerging as the secret to vibrant, stable dairy shades. Dive in to discover what it really takes to make natural colors work in dairy.

Prepared Foods Chief Editor Bob Garrison talks with Imbibe Marketing Director Ana Rodriguez about new tastes and trends in ready-to-drink coffee and tea beverages.

Bob Garrison, chief editor of Prepared Foods, Kelley Rodriguez, editor-in-chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, and Alyse Thompson-Richards, editor-in-chief of FOOD ENGINEERING, combine their unique perspectives and discuss the biggest trends impacting the food industry in 2025 and beyond.

Can upcycled egg components contribute calcium, minerals and collagen to other products? Prepared Foods Chief Editor Bob Garrison explores sustainable solution angles with Nate Hedtke, vice president, Innovation & Customer Engagement for the American Egg Board, and Dan Kurzrock, founder & CEO of Upcycled Foods Inc.

Alisia Heath, VP of R&D for The Not Company, Inc. chats about NotCo’s Giuseppe-AI, which the company describes as the ultimate R&D engine.