Higgidy is tapping into the demand for festive flavours with the launch of two limited-edition Christmas rolls, supported by a full seasonal packaging refresh across its popular snacking and sharing lines. The new additions. Pigs in Blankets-Inspired Sausage Rolls and Brie & Cranberry Veggie Rolls, headline Higgidy’s 2025 festive range, which also includes returning favourites such as Beechwood Smoked Bacon & Extra Mature Cheddar Little Quiche, Extra Mature Cheddar & Spinach Mini Muffins and a six-pack of Beechwood Smoked Ham Hock & Mature Cheddar Sausage Rolls. Both new products come in bespoke “Merry & Moreish” Christmas packs, featuring baubles, gold accents and festive florals designed to enhance seasonal standout on shelf and appeal to shoppers planning gatherings and buffet spreads. The Pigs in Blankets-Inspired Sausage Rolls (2 x 54g, RRP £1.50) combine British outdoor-bred pork, bacon jam and extra mature Cheddar, wrapped in all-butter puff pastry and finished with a parsley and dried beetroot crumb. Meanwhile, the French Brie & Cranberry Veggie Rolls (2 x 54g, RRP £1.50) feature French Brie, extra mature Cheddar and dried cranberries, wrapped in buttery pastry and topped with a blend of Cheddar, Emmental, millet seeds and dried beetroot. Designed for snacking, sharing and festive hosting, the seasonal portfolio aims to strengthen Higgidy’s position as a go-to brand for Christmas grazing and food-to-go occasions. In a statement, the company said: “Christmas is a really important time and our new festive rolls perfectly capture the seasonal flavours that our customers love. We know many of our products play a key role at meal and snacking occasions across the country, and we hope our limited-edition packaging brings a touch of Higgidy to plates at this special time of year.” The new festive twinpack rolls are available now in front-of-store food-to-go fixtures at Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Boots, while the wider seasonal range is listed across all major retailers.

Barry Callebaut has signed an agreement with food-tech company NotCo AI to explore the use of artificial intelligence in chocolate recipe development. The partnership sets out to examine how AI could accelerate chocolate innovation, from improving taste and texture to enabling more sustainable formulations, as companies across the industry face rising cocoa costs, climate-related pressures and evolving customer expectations. Under the agreement, the two companies will look to combine Barry Callebaut’s global ingredients data, manufacturing footprint and supply-chain capabilities with NotCo’s proprietary AI models, creating what they describe as an end-to-end innovation framework for chocolate. According to both parties, the pilot aims to test whether AI-driven formulation can cut development timelines, increase successful recipe “hit rates,” and support more customised product creation for food and beverage manufacturers. Barry Callebaut CEO Peter Feld said the initiative reflects the company’s wider digitalisation strategy and its ambition to speed up innovation in response to market shifts. "This agreement marks an exciting step forward for Barry Callebaut and for our customers. It reflects our commitment to creating best customer experience by boosting innovation and speed to market." "By combining our deep chocolate expertise and global reach with NotCo’s advanced AI capabilities, we’re aiming to unlock speed for breakthrough recipe solutions – from health-forward formulations to functional ingredients and Nutri-Score-friendly options." NotCo AI’s CEO and co-founder, Matias Muchnick, said the company’s dataset – built over a decade – has become a valuable engine for next-generation consumer packaged goods development. "By integrating Barry Callebaut's unparalleled chocolate knowledge with our general purpose approach platform, we're creating a personalised and unique innovation engine that will set a new standard for the entire industry." The collaboration sits within Barry Callebaut’s multi-year digitalisation agenda, which includes exploring how AI could bolster resilience in an increasingly volatile cocoa market. By deploying models that can adapt to fluctuating ingredient availability, the companies aim to maintain taste and quality regardless of agricultural or supply-chain disruption. NotCo’s AI has already been used to support hundreds of product launches for global F&B brands, with its system trained on a proprietary dataset of ingredient properties and functional behaviours. Both companies say the partnership could help define what the 'next generation of chocolate' looks like – potentially reshaping how large manufacturers approach formulation and R&D in the years ahead. Earlier this month, Barry Callebaut also teamed up with cocoa-free chocolate start-up Planet A Foods to meet the growing consumer demand for sustainable chocolate solutions without cocoa

Mars has introduced several new limited-edition confectionery products for the 2025 holiday season across its M&M’s, Twix and Life Savers brands. New products include: M&M’s Winter Blend – a milk-chocolate edition featuring white and blue colours designed for winter-themed baking and gifting. Twix Snowmen – a snowman-shaped bar combining cookie, caramel and milk chocolate. Life Savers Gummies Holiday Shapes – gummies in seasonal designs such as stockings, snowmen and Santa hats. Allison Miazga-Bedrick, VP seasonal marketing at Mars Wrigley North America, said: "Nothing says holiday cheer like sweet treats and classic movies, enjoyed with friends and family. Passing around M&M's Winter Blend during a holiday film or treating yourself to a Twix Snowmen while holiday shopping, makes the season cosier and more delicious." Alongside the new launches, Mars is also returning several seasonal classics, including M&M’s Holiday Blend (red and green varieties), Snickers Trees, M&M’s Toasty Holiday Peanut and the Skittles Holiday Cane. The 2025 Mars Wrigley seasonal range is available at retailers nationwide throughout the holiday period.

Flavour specialists ITS has unveiled a new portfolio of natural smoke-free smoked flavours designed to help cheese manufacturers maintain authentic smoky profiles ahead of incoming EU legislation that will restrict traditional smoke flavourings from July 2026. The new rules will ban the use of eight traditional smoke condensates across most food categories – including cheese – posing a challenge for processors creating varieties such as smoked cheddar, gouda and applewood-style cheeses. ITS latest innovation offers regulatory-compliant solutions, allowing producers to maintain the taste and aroma without formulation changes or product withdrawals. The flavours are clean label-friendly, easy to integrate and engineered to mimic the woody, nutty, spicy and caramelised characteristics typically associated with smoked cheese. The range includes several flavour profiles to suit different cheese styles: • Hickory Style Smoke Flavouring (13471) – savoury, bitter, phenolic, meaty • Smoke Type Flavouring – charred, woody, sweet, caramel • Smoke-Style Flavouring (13660) – woody, nutty, savoury • Applewood Style Smoke Flavouring (13668) – charred, sweet, mild • Smoke-Style Flavouring (14055) – spicy, charred, strong, meaty • Applewood Smoke Type Flavouring (14175) – appley, fruity, sharp, nutty • Beechwood Type Smoke-Free (14603) – mild, earthy, woody, charred Meg Eade, dairy innovations specialist at ITS, said: “Smoked cheeses are more than just a product, as in many countries they’re a tradition and part of a cultural identity. Whether it’s a tangy smoked gouda or a robust smoked cheddar, these flavours are crucial to many cheeses. With the upcoming ban, it’s important to find compliant alternatives, such as natural flavours, that don’t compromise on taste.” The launch positions ITS as one of the first flavour suppliers to proactively address the regulatory shift, providing manufacturers with ready-to-use solutions well ahead of the 2026 deadline.

GEA has announced it is constructing a large-scale mixing plant for flavour production for Symrise, at the flavour producer’s main production site in Holzminden, Lower Saxony, Germany. GEA’s turnkey process technology will enable Symrise to enhance flexibility and increase its production capacity. Installation of the plant began in summer 2025, with commissioning planned for spring 2026. Flavours produced by Symrise at the site – including vanilla extracts, citrus oils, meat flavours and menthol-based essences – are used both for internal processing and as ingredients supplied to the food and beverage industry. They are used across a wide range of product applications, including yogurts, confectionery, ready meals and beverages. Symrise processes a variety of raw materials at Holzminden, from alcohol-based solutions to viscous syrups. Advanced technologies are required to meet stringent safety and product quality standards. Ethanol-containing products require explosion-proof design, while powders pose additional dust explosion risks. Meanwhile, substances like citrus oils are aggressive to certain materials and require special seals. The viscosity range, from water-like liquids to syrupy consistencies, and temperatures between –20°C and +80°C, demand precise process control. Additionally, strong-smelling menthol blends, kosher recipes and sweet flavours must remain entirely separated. The new plant delivers a fully integrated concept to meet these diverse needs. At the heart of the building is a spacious mixing area, where raw materials from the adjacent tank farm or from containers, are transferred to the mixing tanks via vacuum conveying. Powders are added through a dedicated filling nozzle and the homogenous mixtures are then transferred to cooling tanks for maturation, or directly to the filling line. The plant is connected to a cleaning and steaming system, and features a heat recovery system for CIP return flows, which reuses part of the process energy and reduces energy consumption per batch. Additional measures, like water-saving CIP cleaning and optimised insulation, reduce water and energy use further. Heat recovery improves efficiency and helps meet environmental regulations, as wastewater is cooled to below 30°C. GEA noted that the diversity of the flavours processed places high demands on process control, material selection and complete product emptying to minimise losses. The company has developed customised solutions for Symrise with this in mind, leveraging the flexibility of its components, such as hygienic seat valves with bellows and sampling valves designed to remove product residues. These solutions were designed in close cooperation with the ingredients company, refined through 3D planning to integrate seamlessly into the plant. Karsten Zota, factory manager of liquid compounding at Symrise, said: “The production of liquid flavours is one of Symrise's core competencies. The new plant increases our capacity by up to 50% and significantly shortens our delivery times. This makes us more flexible and enables us to better serve growing customer demand.” Both existing and new formulations can be implemented efficiently at the plant, enabling Symrise to quickly respond to market trends such as natural flavours and clean label products. Lukas Schnöing, liquid food expert and project manager at GEA, said: “This project demonstrates how vital customised solutions are for demanding applications. Our experience in processing complex liquid products, combined with precise project management and the ability to engineer tailored solutions, made this plant possible.”

The European bakery ingredients sector is entering a pivotal period of transformation, driven by evolving consumer expectations, tightening regulations and the urgent need for sustainable innovation. The newly released Baking Europe Ingredients Market Report 2025 provides essential intelligence for industrial bakers, ingredient suppliers and procurement leaders navigating this complex landscape. Market fundamentals remain strong   The global bakery ingredients market is valued at $21.3 billion in 2025 and forecast to reach $28.5 billion by 2030, with Europe retaining a commanding 33–34% share. Industrial bakeries now produce over 70% of bread in Europe, underscoring the strategic importance of ingredient innovation and supply chain resilience.   The new competitive reality   Cost leadership alone no longer guarantees market position. When 66% of consumers worry about hidden ingredients, reformulation becomes risk management. When HFSS-compliant products outperform non-compliant ones by five percentage points in the UK, regulatory foresight becomes margin protection. When functional nutrition claims drive double-digit growth in adjacent food categories, ingredient strategy stops being defensive and starts being a source of differentiation.   Consumer priorities are reshaping the sector   The report reveals critical shifts in European consumer behaviour that demand strategic response. Research from NIQ shows that 47% of Western European consumers hold negative views of ultra-processed foods, whilst health and wellness trends are increasing category growth rates. Natural ingredients rank as the top health priority for 38% of consumers, yet only 48% globally understand what 'ultra-processed' actually means, highlighting a significant education gap that forward-thinking brands can address.   At the same time, economic pressures persist. Food prices remain the top consumer concern across Europe, with 39% of respondents agreeing that economic security must come first before environmental considerations. This creates a dual challenge for bakery manufacturers: delivering health-positioned products that also represent clear value, whilst managing promotional mechanics that support both retailer collaboration and consumer trial.   What's inside the report?   This comprehensive 64-page report delivers actionable insights across three critical areas that will define competitive success through 2030.   The market and industry analysis section provides detailed growth forecasts, examines the regulatory landscape including EUDR, PPWR and HFSS frameworks, and features an exclusive interview with Thomas Lesaffre, marketing director of baking with Lesaffre, on how agility, sustainability and collaboration will shape industrial baking's future.   The consumer intelligence section draws on research from NIQ, FMCG Gurus, CARMA and AHDB to reveal how health consciousness, ingredient transparency and convenience are reshaping purchasing decisions.   You'll discover why protein-enriched products are achieving 19.5% growth in some categories, how fermented ingredients are trending across social media and what the shift from home baking to ready-to-eat means for ingredient demand.   The ingredient analysis section provides in-depth coverage of wheat, sugar beet, yeast, dairy and eggs, examining how climate volatility, EU policy decisions and supply chain pressures are affecting yield, quality and availability. From the impact of spring drought on European wheat harvests to the role of yeast in circular economy models, these chapters connect agronomic realities to commercial strategy.   Strategic themes for 2025–2030   The companies that will lead this market through 2030 won't be those with the largest production lines. They'll be those that connect consumer insight to ingredient strategy, translate regulatory requirements into product advantages and build supply chains resilient enough to withstand both climate volatility and policy shifts. Growth will depend less on volume and more on value generation through digitalisation and AI, health-plus functionality, local sourcing and regional resilience, circular economy approaches and trust-building through sustainability credentials.   Essential reading for decision-makers   This report exists because fragmented information creates fragmented strategy. The bakery sector is too complex and too competitive for guesswork. Whether you're managing ingredient procurement, leading R&D teams, planning portfolio investments or navigating supply chain risks, this report provides the data to make strategic decisions with confidence.   Download your copy of Baking Europe Ingredients Market Report 2025 at BEIM Report 2025 and gain the strategic intelligence needed to transform market challenges into competitive advantage.

Maxwell Harding With food waste now a central focus at this year's COP30 in Brazil, smart technologies and automation are set to play a crucial role in tackling the problem, explains Maxwell Harding, CEO and founder of digital ordering platform Dynamify. Globally, around 30% of all food produced is either lost or wasted, which is especially concerning in the context of the food and agriculture system, accounting for approximately 1/3 of global greenhouse gas emissions. As leaders from around the world focus on transforming food systems to reduce emissions, the role of technology in addressing waste is now more prominent than ever. Technology has rapidly advanced in the hospitality industry since Covid, as businesses were forced to adapt and adopt new digital tools. This shift transformed an industry that once dragged its feet on innovation, positioning it today at the forefront of technological advancement. This tech-forward approach has dovetailed with the widespread creation and adoption of AI technology so that now, the industry can and does do things that couldn’t be dreamt of even a decade ago. Increasing efficiencies through automation and AI Automation and AI are being widely adopted as transformative technologies in the F&B space to drive efficiencies in a difficult business climate. Used together, they enable businesses to streamline operations, enhance service delivery and create more meaningful interactions without necessarily sacrificing the human touch. By automating repetitive, rule-based tasks with automation and introducing data-driven intelligence with AI, hospitality providers are elevating themselves to new levels of efficiency and personalisation. However, as with any introduction of new technology in the workplace, there is a concern in the industry that automation and AI may ‘steal’ human jobs. In reality, the technology is designed to take on the menial grunt work, freeing up people to focus on personalising F&B experiences. Automation involves using software bots to perform routine, structured tasks like managing orders and updating pricing. These bots work across existing systems, making implementation fast and non-disruptive. Additionally, AI brings intelligence to automation through learning from historical data, recognising patterns, predicting trends and supporting decision-making. This can further enhance the customer experience through personalised recommendations, demand forecasting, and dynamic pricing.However, as with any introduction of new technology in the workplace, there is a concern in the industry that automation and AI may ‘steal’ human jobs. In reality, the technology is designed to take on the menial grunt work, freeing up people to focus on personalising F&B experiences. Automation involves using software bots to perform routine, structured tasks like managing orders and updating pricing. These bots work across existing systems, making implementation fast and non-disruptive. Additionally, AI brings intelligence to automation through learning from historical data, recognising patterns, predicting trends and supporting decision-making. This can further enhance the customer experience through personalised recommendations, demand forecasting, and dynamic pricing. Real-time stock visibility and accurate demand forecasting While a lot of media attention focuses on automated systems that streamline labour, the more interesting innovation is in the data, which is used to forecast demand and manage inventories more effectively. Predictive analytics powered by AI allows kitchens to bring production into line with actual customer demand through real-time data analysis. Whereas kitchens previously relied on historic sales data or guesswork, algorithms can now process real-time data from POS systems, reservations and even include local events to predict what will sell, and when. This gives operators the information they need to prepare the right quantities, leading to a reduction in overproduction and resulting in less waste as well as a more dynamic and informed approach to menu planning. Advancements in IoT and automation also mean that businesses can achieve real-time visibility into their stock levels, which has traditionally been widely inaccurate and time-consuming to manage manually. Smart shelves and sensors can now monitor inventory across multiple stock rooms, and automatically flag when supplies run low, or even trigger automatic reorders that don’t require a human’s manual input. These systems can also track environmental conditions like temperature and humidity, and inform venues about how to avoid spoiling perishable goods, which also complies with food safety standards. The technology can help implement proactive approaches like First-Expired, First-Out (FEFO) management, meaning that caterers can use ingredients before they spoil, which leads to less food waste. As well as the advantages of lowering food waste and improving operational efficiency, increased digitisation can lead to improved customer insight. F&B operators are more informed on what is selling, what isn’t, and where stock could be redistributed. This improves their ability to control their cost of goods sold, as each ingredient is tracked precisely. Some operators who have implemented real-time visibility solutions have reduced their food cost by up to 5%. EPoS and sustainability reporting Another wider sustainability benefit of automation in the F&B space is that operators can now use EPoS systems that integrate carbon labelling to give customers visibility of the environmental impacts of their meal choices. EPoS systems can integrate with carbon calculation platforms to show consumers the carbon footprint of items on the digital menus, providing transparency at the point of sale. Through empowering customers to make more environmentally conscious decisions, F&B operators gain the added benefit of enhancing their image and encouraging loyalty from environmentally aware customers. In the end, integrating automation, AI and IoT is not just about efficiency or reducing food waste; it is also about giving F&B operators the tools that they need in a tough economic environment. Through gathering and using insightful data, F&B professionals can make better decisions that align with their financial and sustainability goals. Margins are tight and expectations continue to rise, so real-time visibility, increased efficiency, and accurate forecasting can give businesses the foundation that they need to succeed in a sustainable way.

US President Donald Trump has announced that a range of food and beverage products will no longer be subject to the sweeping tariffs he announced earlier this year. First announced earlier this year, the tariffs saw a baseline 10% levy imposed on goods imported into the US from all other countries, with some subject to an additional tax. According to Trump, this intended to address the US’ trade deficits and the ‘absence of reciprocity’ within its relationships with trading partners. However, in a move the President claims will ‘strengthen the US economy and national security,’ the White House announced on 14 November that the scope of the tariffs would be modified. An Executive Order was signed to exempt certain agricultural products from the tariffs, including a range of food items not grown in the US. The statement from the White House said that limited current domestic capacity to produce these products in the US has determined it ‘necessary and appropriate’ to modify the tariffs. The modifications took effect retroactively from 13 November 2025. Now exempt products include coffee and tea, tropical fruits and fruit juices, cocoa, spices including vanilla beans, various nuts and grains, and beef products. Commenting on the exemption of cocoa from the broad tariff measures, chocolate giant Hershey released a statement welcoming the decision from the Trump administration. “For more than 130 years, we’ve been committed to keeping chocolate affordable and accessible for every family. Cocoa is not grown in the United States and is essential to our US-based manufacturing operations, supporting more than 10,000 American jobs and fuelling economic growth across the country,” the statement reads. “This exemption strengthens our domestic supply chain and enables us to continue investing in American manufacturing.” The National Coffee Association (NCA) also commented applauding the news, with the company’s president and CEO, Bill Murray, stating that the action to remove reciprocal tariffs on most coffee imports will “ease cost-of-living pressures for the two-thirds of American adults who rely on coffee each day, as well as secure coffee supplies for the US companies who turn every $1 in coffee imports into $43 of US economic value”. Murray also praised new trade deals secured with Switzerland, Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador and Guatemala, which will deliver further benefits for the coffee supply chain. “NCA urges all trading partners to advance similarly successful negotiations with the United States,” he added. The roll back on tariffs comes as the Trump administration has faced scrutiny over rising food and beverage prices in the US – though the President has denied claims that his tariff policies have contributed to the higher costs. Last week, Trump directed the Department of Justice to launch an investigation into major meatpacking companies over alleged price manipulation in the beef market , aiming to defend US cattle producers. Bill Bullard, CEO of R-Calf USA – a US cattle association representing cattle farmers and ranchers nationwide – commented: “The president’s executive order explains his action was prompted in part by a concern that the domestic cattle industry lacks the capacity to produce enough beef to meet domestic demand. Unfortunately, the president’s concern is valid.” Bullard said that “decades of failed trade policy” and lack of antitrust law enforcement has fuelled the “monopolisation of the industry by a handful of meatpackers”. “Unprotected from monopolistic excesses, consumers have been paying inflated prices for beef since at least 2017, and they were doing so while cattle prices were falling,” he added. “A recent drought exacerbated our industry’s weakened condition, creating a severe supply scarcity while consumer beef demand remained strong. The chasm between supply and demand became so unbalanced that cattle prices broke free from their monopoly-induced restraints and started chasing beef prices upward.” With consumers now paying “the highest nominal prices in history for beef,” Bullard said the industry must rebuild and expand so the US can begin achieving self-reliance in beef production, adding that R-Calf USA “strongly supports” the meatpacker investigation. “We pledge to work with President Trump and his administration to restore competition to our diminished US cattle industry so cattle producers and consumers alike can once again be confident that prices for cattle and beef are determined by competitive market forces, not monopoly power and excessive import penetration by foreign beef that is not even labeled as to its country of origin,” he concluded.

British plant-based food brand This has announced the launch of a new seasonal Chestnut, Mushroom and Caramelised Onion Nut Roast in Tesco stores, available from 8 December for three weeks. Adding to This’ recently expanded range of whole food-based products, available under the This brand alongside its line of hyper-realistic meat substitutes, the nut roast is made of chestnuts, mushrooms, parsnips, seeds and caramelised red onion chutney. The brand described the NPD as the ‘perfect festive centrepiece,’ featuring a ‘satisfying bite’ and depth of flavour due to the combination of sweet chestnut and caramelised onion with earthy, savoury mushroom. The product is freezable and can be cooked in the tray, offering a convenient plant-based centrepiece that also offers a source of fibre. It serves four and is priced at £7.50. This' launch of a nut roast product aligns with its ongoing introduction of more whole food-based products into its portfolio amid increasing scrutiny over 'ultra-processed' options in the plant-based industry, fuelling demand for more 'natural' products. The brand made its first moves into this space with the launch of This Is Super Superfood  this spring, and has since expanded to include a chickpea tofu product  among others. Within its broader portfolio, This also offers a range of roast dinner-friendly alt-meat offerings already available in UK supermarkets, including plant-based alternatives to roast chicken and stuffing, pork sausages, bacon streaks and lardons, pork cocktail sausages, chicken deli pieces and beef pastrami. Later this month, the brand will also launch a pop-up ‘butcher shop’ initiative in London from 29-30 November, showcasing its plant-based meat portfolio.

Scottish sourdough pizza brand, East Pizzas, is entering retail for the first time with a new range of dough balls, pizza bases and ready-to-cook topped pizzas, set to roll out from next month. Founded in 2017 as an Edinburgh pizzeria, East Pizzas has expanded into e-commerce and foodservice, now producing around 250,000 sourdough dough balls each month for trade and at-home customers. The line includes 250g sourdough dough balls for consumers who want to shape their own bases, pre-stretched 12-inch pizza bases and oven-ready topped pizzas in Margherita, Pepperoni and Spicy varieties. Made from just flour, water and salt, the dough uses a natural fermentation and 72-hour proving process. The company says this delivers a light texture and strong flavour while keeping the doughballs and bases free from ultra-processed ingredients, additives and preservatives. Co-founder Roly Simpson said: “The pizza bases are blank canvases which are ready-to-top with consumers’ own recipes, while the dough balls are ready to stretch and shape for those who want more interaction with the process". “The topped pizzas celebrate three of our most popular flavours and have been created for oven-ready convenience for consumers. They deliver the delicious texture and flavour of truly authentic sourdough and crisp up beautifully when cooked. We’re confident the range is going to be a big hit with consumers seeking 100% natural ingredients and restaurant quality pizzas to enjoy at home.” Products will be available through independent food retailers, farm shops and wholesalers. The retail range will be sold fresh in chiller-friendly packaging and can be refrigerated or frozen for up to three months.

CSM Ingredients has introduced Nuaré, a new carob-based range of cocoa alternatives for bakery and ice cream applications. The ingredient range from CSM – an ingredients company under the Nexture group – is designed to unlock ‘untapped creative potential’ while addressing market volatility concerns and sustainability demands faced by the cocoa industry. Cocoa prices have hit unprecedented highs worldwide, due to supply constraints and climate-related challenges. With food producers seeking reliable alternatives, the Nuaré range aims to respond to this need with a plant-based ingredient system designed to ensure cost predictability and continuous supply. According to CSM, the range has been developed to offer excellent performance and versatility across multiple categories in both industrial and artisanal settings. Each formulation is designed for easy integration into existing processes for flexibility, scalability and cost efficiency. The solutions can also be customised to provide bespoke solutions based on specific client needs. In cake coatings, Nuaré is claimed to deliver ‘consistent shine and colour’ without greying or bloom, as well as maintaining a stable surface through freeze-thaw cycles. The solutions can also be used in ice cream coatings for enhanced viscosity and adhesion to ensure a smooth, glossy finish. Other potential applications include dark bakery mixes, providing warm brown shades and baking performance in muffins and cakes, as well as pastry fillings for a creamy and indulgent mouthfeel. The carob tree is a drought-resistant species native to the Mediterranean and is a popular choice in the development of cocoa alternative ingredients due to its low carbon footprint and requirement of minimal agricultural input. Carob fruit, once dried and ground, produces a sweet and chocolate-like powder with mild caramel notes and a warm brown hue. It can enable a range of golden, nutty and caramel-brown tones – which CSM Ingredients noted are not always achievable with traditional cocoa – making it ideal for bakery, confectionery and ice cream formulations in which taste and visual appeal are critical. The Nuaré range will be presented at the Food Ingredients Europe 2025 trade show in Paris from 2-4 December 2025, where CSM will participate alongside other Nexture brands HiFood and Vitalfood by Italcanditi.

Syren Spreads has debuted what it calls the world’s first spoonable adaptogenic and botanical beauty chocolate, set to launch 1 December 2025. The new edible beauty brand, which has recently launched into the functional food and wellness space, aims to transform traditional supplement routines into indulgent, sensory-driven self-care experiences. At a time when many consumers are showing signs of ‘pill fatigue’, Syren Spreads offers an alternative: a spoonable, chef-crafted chocolate hazelnut spread infused with 2,400mg of research-backed adaptogens per serving, including Tremella Mushroom, Astragalus Root, Gotu Kola and Bamboo Silica. The result is a beauty from within supplement designed to nourish skin health, hydration and radiance, while tasting like a dessert. The spread’s chocolate hazelnut base delivers a smooth texture without a herbal aftertaste, ideal for consumers who want both functional efficacy and sensory pleasure. Each serving is vegan, non-GMO and low in sugar and can be enjoyed straight from the tub or incorporated into smoothies or on toast or snacks. The spread will be available nationwide from 1 December via the Syren Spread’s website.