Challenger brand Aapa has launched nationwide across Asda and WHSmith, entering the UK market with a proposition designed to bridge the gap between traditional soft drinks and functional beverages. The brand is launching in four flavours: Lemon & Lime, Orange, Wild Berry and Tropical, and is positioning itself around great taste alongside a substantive nutritional ingredient stack. Each 330ml can contains 7g of fibre, added zinc and calcium, antioxidants and real fruit juice, while being naturally sweetened and containing 49 calories. Aapa is available as a single 330ml can, alongside 4x330ml multipacks. The brand has landed in WHSmith stores nationwide and began rolling out across Asda’s main estate stores from 19 August. Mark Watkins, director at Aapa, said: “We created Aapa to help people feel better without asking them to compromise on taste. We wanted to make a soft drink that people genuinely want to drink, while also giving them something more from the ingredients in the can." Aapa is targeting consumers looking for drinks that better fit their lifestyles without sacrificing the enjoyment associated with mainstream soft drinks. Rather than positioning itself squarely within either the traditional soft drinks or functional beverage categories, the challenger brand is seeking to establish a distinct space centred on everyday enjoyment and its ingredient credentials. Top image: © Aapa

Flrt has expanded its zero-sugar energy drink range with the launch of Apple Bottoms Up, its first new flavour since the brand debuted earlier this year. The limited-edition seasonal variety features a green apple flavour with a slightly tart finish. It joins Flrt's existing Strawberry Fling, Berry Tempting, Guava Lava and Sunset Squeeze flavours. Like the rest of the range, Apple Bottoms Up contains a blend of functional ingredients and botanical extracts, including green tea, guayusa and ginseng, alongside 200mg of caffeine per can. The formulation also contains biotin, zinc and vitamins A, B and C, which the brand said are included to support collagen production and immunity. Allison Erfort, vice president of Flrt, said: "We love creating flavours with a little personality, and Apple Bottoms Up has plenty of it. It's crisp, juicy, a little cheeky and the perfect seasonal fling for the Flrt line-up. This is our first flavour drop since launch, but it won't be our last. We're having a lot of fun building this brand, and there's plenty more to flirt with." Apple Bottoms Up is initially available through a two-week preview at Kroger in the US. From 1 September, it will roll out nationwide at Walmart, Albertsons, Hy-Vee, H-E-B and Meijer, as well as through Amazon. The drink is available in 12oz cans, with 12-can multipacks also offered through Amazon.

Canada’s Competition Bureau is seeking to block Nortera Food’s proposed acquisition of B&G Foods Canada’s Green Giant and Le Sieur vegetable business, arguing that the transaction would substantially reduce competition in the country’s canned and frozen vegetable sector. The Bureau announced that it has applied to the Competition Tribunal to stop the deal and has also requested an order preventing the companies from closing the transaction until the Tribunal reaches a decision. According to the regulator, Nortera is already Canada’s dominant processor of certain canned and frozen vegetables. The acquisition would bring the company together with what the Bureau describes as its only major national brand competitor, further concentrating an already consolidated market. Nortera markets canned and frozen vegetables in Canada under brands including Del Monte and Arctic Gardens, while B&G Foods Canada sells vegetables under the Green Giant and Le Sieur brands. The Competition Bureau said its investigation found that the transaction was likely to result in higher prices, fewer choices and reduced competition in the wholesale grocery supply chain. Jeanne Pratt, interim Commissioner of Competition, said: “Our investigation found that this proposed transaction would weaken competition and likely lead to higher prices and fewer choices for staple items at the grocery store. We are taking action to preserve competition so that Canadians don’t pay more for basic necessities like canned and frozen vegetables.” B&G Foods said it was disappointed by the Bureau’s decision and disagreed with its assessment. In a statement, the company said it believes the available evidence supports the transaction as being in the best interests of stakeholders, including Canadian customers. B&G Foods said it remains in discussions with Nortera and is evaluating ‘multiple options’ including potential alternatives.

Diageo’s latest annual report for 2026 shows that the alcohol giant’s workforce has been reduced by more than 6%, or nearly 2,000 jobs, year-over-year. On a full-time equivalent basis, the report states that Diageo had an average of 27,972 employees worldwide on 30 June 2026. This figure marks a significant decrease from the 29,860 reported in 2025. The figures come amid a wider restructuring of Diageo’s operations, as the Guinness and Johnnie Walker maker aims to strengthen its performance, cut costs and enable reinvestment in future growth. Earlier this month, the company said it is targeting $1 billion in savings over the next three years from its work on its operating framework, as well as further work on the supply chain. The organisational changes come under the leadership of CEO Dave Lewis, appointed to the role in late 2025, effective from January 2026. Lewis replaced former CEO Debra Crew, who stepped down in July 2025 amid a turbulent period for the business, marked by economic uncertainty and sales declines. Having previously led significant restructuring programmes at major multinationals including Unilever and Tesco, Lewis has earned the nickname ‘Drastic Dave’ for his bold cost-cutting approaches during his nearly four-decade CPG career. He headed up Tesco as group CEO from 2014-2020, leading a major financial turnaround amid an accounting crisis for the supermarket chain. In June, FoodBev reported that approximately 150 job roles in Ireland could be impacted as part of Diageo’s ongoing operational changes. FoodBev has approached Diageo for comment on the latest workforce figures and for further information on any job cuts made as part of the ongoing restructuring.

Massachusetts-based baking manufacturer JSB Industries has acquired the crustless sandwich brand Fave’Wich from Gold Medal Bakery, expanding its portfolio and positioning the product for growth in the refrigerated grab-and-go category. The acquisition transfers ownership of the established Fave’Wich brand to JSB Industries while maintaining a longstanding relationship between the two family-owned Massachusetts companies. Under the new arrangement, Gold Medal Bakery will continue to manufacture the bread component used in Fave’Wich products. JSB said the transition will allow the company to build on the brand’s existing recognition while pursuing new opportunities for innovation and growth. A key part of the strategy will be repositioning Fave’Wich from an ambient product to a refrigerated offering. Scott Anderson, vice president of JSB Industries, said: “This acquisition represents an exciting step forward for JSB Industries as we continue to advance our strategic objectives, including the push for grab-and-go.” Anderson added that the company is focusing on making nut-free, healthier snacking for ‘fun, convenient and delicious’ for children and families. The addition of Fave’wich further expands JSB’s portfolio, which includes its flagship Muffin Town brand and a range of baked goods and peanut-free snacks distributed through retail and school lunch programmes across the US. Brian LeComte, president and COO of Gold Medal Bakery, said: “We found a new home for Fave’Wich. Another great family-owned and operated company will buy us. Our work will reach new heights, and we are excited to continue supporting Fave’Wich and our long-standing partnership with JSB in this new chapter.” The companies said the continued manufacturing partnership is intended to ensure consistency for existing customers as Fave’Wich enters its next phase of development. Founded in 1978 by Jack Anders, Chelsea, Massachusetts-based JSB Industries grew from a local sandwich shop into a national baking manufacturer. The family-operated business is managed day-to-day by Anderson’s sons, John, Scott and Brian. Gold Medal Bakery, based in Fall River, Massachusetts, a fourth-generation, family-owned commercial bakery with roots dating to 1912. The company produces breads, rolls, English muffins and speciality baked goods for retail, foodservice, convenience and other channels. With Fave’Wich joining the JSB portfolio, the company is betting on continued demand for convenient, family-focused snacking and grab-and-go products.

Ardagh Glass Packaging-Africa (AGP-A) CEO Paul Curnow has been appointed chairman of The Glass Recycling Company (TGRC), a South African organisation focused on increasing glass recovery and recycling rates. Paul Curnow Curnow succeeds Mike Arnold in the role, having also succeeded him as CEO of AGP-A. Ardagh was a founding member of TGRC and has worked with the organisation, industry partners and local communities to support glass recycling and circular economy initiatives in South Africa. The appointment forms part of Ardagh's wider sustainability strategy, including its Clearly Ardagh transformation programme, which focuses on reducing waste and improving resource efficiency. AGP-A said increasing its use of recycled glass, or cullet, remains central to these efforts. The company achieved a recycled content rate of 49% in 2023 and said Curnow's new role would support further collaboration across the industry. As part of the appointment, Curnow will also join the board of the Paper and Packaging Producer Responsibility Organisation Alliance, which brings together organisations working across South Africa's recycling sector. Curnow said: “Taking responsibility for our impact on the environment and ensuring our glass returns for re-use as a new bottle has always been important to me personally and, of course, for our business commercially". “Having partnered with the TGRC over the years in my role to grow recycling rates in South Africa, I am both proud and excited to now move on and play a broader industry role and serve as its chairman.” He added that glass's ability to be recycled repeatedly through local bottle-to-bottle systems would be important in supporting a more circular economy. He concluded: “I am passionate about working with our customers and industry partners to increase glass recovery rates, promote and inspire greater consumer awareness and unlock the full potential of a circular economy".

Thai dairy brand Dutchie has expanded its yogurt portfolio with the launch of Dutchie Cheesy Cheese Yogurt, a new product combining a savoury cheese-flavoured milk skin with a smooth, set yogurt base. The product targets consumers seeking cream cheese-inspired flavours and is designed to deliver a combination of contrasting textures in a single serving. Dutchie Cheesy Cheese Yogurt features two distinct layers. The upper milk skin layer delivers a rich, savoury cheese flavour with a smooth and creamy profile, while the set yoghurt layer provides a soft, smooth and springy texture. The product also contains probiotics, adding a functional element to the indulgent cheese-inspired proposition. Dutchie Cheesy Cheese Yogurt is currently available in Thailand through 7-Eleven stores.

Suomen Lantakaasu has inaugurated a new biogas plant in Nurmo, Finland, marking the country’s first industrial-scale facility for the production of liquefied biogas. The plant, located in South Ostrobothnia, is designed to process manure from local farms alongside agricultural and food industry by-products, converting these materials into renewable transport fuel and biofertilisers. The facility has an annual production capacity of approximately 100 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of liquefied biogas, equivalent to around 10 million litres of diesel. Liquefied biogas can be used as a fossil-free alternative to diesel, with its high energy density making it particularly suited to heavy-duty transport. More than 30,000 tonnes of manure have already been received from local farms. The plant is currently producing raw biogas, with liquefaction expected to begin later this autumn. The project brings together agriculture, food production and energy generation, with the aim of creating a circular ecosystem around locally available resources. Leena Helminen, CEO of Suomen Lantakaasu, said: “The completion of the Nurmo biogas plant marks a significant milestone for Suomen Lantakaasu. The project brings together food and energy production in a way that strengthens both security of supply and domestic renewable energy production.” According to Helminen, the development is also intended to create new business opportunities for Finnish agriculture while reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Valio, which is a partner in Suomen Lantakaasu, supplies manure from its dairy farms to the biogas operation. The resulting biofertilisers can then be returned to agriculture, supporting nutrient recycling while providing farmers with an additional route for managing manure. Tuomas Salusjärvi, executive vice president, Expansion Businesses and Renewal at Valio, said: “The project demonstrates how working together with farms can create solutions that strengthen the competitiveness of Finnish food production, improve nutrient recycling and generate renewable energy." The facility also processes by-products from the food industry, providing another route for converting organic materials into energy and nutrients rather than treating them as waste streams. The plant has been developed by Nurmon Bioenergia Oy, which is majority-owned by Suomen Lantakaasu, with Atria Finland as a minority shareholder. Suomen Lantakaasu is a joint venture between St1 Biokraft and Valio. The companies intend for the Nurmo facility to form part of a wider national biogas network. Suomen Lantakaasu has set a longer-term target of producing 1 terawatt-hour (TWh) of domestic renewable energy annually. The project has received €9.4 million in energy investment aid from Finland’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. A further €101,800 has been provided by the Ministry of the Environment for investment in the plant’s biofertiliser loading tank. With the plant now inaugurated, the next stage will be the start-up of liquefaction operations.

Chilean wine producer Morandé Wine Group has unveiled its latest innovation: a mid-strength cherry rosé-style wine for global markets, blending cherry wine with Sauvignon Blanc. The 7% cherry rosé is the first release under Morandé’s newly created Belle brand, sold as Belle Cherry via a retail listing at US independent wine retailer Total Wine & More. Described by the company as ‘smooth, fresh and juicy’ with ‘well-balanced sweetness,’ the rosé is crafted using fresh Chilean cherries and features a distinctive pale pink hue. The ‘intense’ cherry and red fruit aromas are complemented by ‘delicate’ citrus and floral notes, with a subtle bitterness and touch of spice, Morandé said. The fresh cherries are crushed and fermented to produce a cherry wine, which is then blended 50/50 with a Sauvignon Blanc base. José Ignacio Bascuñán, export director for Europe at Morandé Wine Group, noted that the company has observed growing interest in new flavours and moderate drinking occasions, presenting opportunities to bring something new to the category. “As the world’s largest exporter of fresh cherries, Chile has an abundance of high-quality fruit, making it a natural area for us to explore through new and innovative wine styles,” he added. “This new cherry rosé brings together Morandé’s innovative winemaking expertise with a fresh and approachable style at a mid-strength ABV.” Chile’s Subsecretariat for International Economic Relations reported in May 2026 that Chile accounted for 59.6% of global fresh cherry exports by value last year, worth approximately $3.49 billion. Morandé Wine Group is part of the Chilean Grape Group, which encompasses Morandé, concentrated grape juice specialist Jugos Chile, and bulk wine group Lourdes.

Reese’s Puffs has launched a new limited-edition cereal inspired by Reese’s PB+J Cups. Reese’s Puffs PB+J combines the cereal’s signature peanut butter and chocolate flavours with the taste of strawberry jelly. The product has been released in time for the back-to-school season and is positioned as a nostalgic take on the classic peanut butter and jelly combination. The launch follows the debut of Reese’s Puffs Dark Chocolate in 2025, which offered a richer variation on the brand’s original peanut butter and chocolate cereal.

According to a Reuters report, Diageo’s India unit, United Spirits, has agreed to reformulate several of its popular whisky and rum drinks in the country after regulators banned them in some states due to an alleged breach of flavouring rules. According to government sources cited by Reuters, who the media outlet said declined to be named, The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will agree to drop its ban on the understanding that Diageo will stop adding artificial whisky flavourings in whisky or rum flavourings in rum. The FSSAI alleges that the use of these alcohol flavours does not comply with regulations, allowing spirits producers to bypass proper ageing processes or the use of natural ingredients such as molasses, malt or grapes. The ban covered Diageo’s Antiquity Blue and Royal Challenge whisky made in Madhya Pradesh, and its McDowell's No. ​1 Celebration Matured XXX Rum made in Maharashtra. Reuters’ sources told reporters that the reformulation will be required to these brands made anywhere in India, not only the states where they were previously banned earlier this month. While Diageo moves toward reformulation, it has reportedly agreed to adjust front-of-pack labelling during the transition, clearly highlighting which flavourings have been added. FoodBev has approached Diageo for comment.

Storck is expanding its Riesen confectionery portfolio with the launch of Riesen Salted Peanut, a limited-edition variant combining the brand’s chewy toffee and dark chocolate with salted peanut. Launching across grocery, wholesale and impulse channels from 26 August 2026, the new 135g sharing bag targets growing consumer interest in sweet-and-salty flavour combinations. Riesen Salted Peanut brings together rich dark chocolate, chewy toffee and salted peanut in a new twist on the brand’s established recipe, while retaining its characteristic indulgent flavour profile. The launch comes as Storck looks to build on Riesen’s performance in the UK confectionery market. The brand is currently the UK’s No.2 toffee and fudge brand, with an annual value of £5.7 million and 5.8 million packs sold each year, according to Storck. Riesen has recorded 3.8% year-on-year value growth, while unit sales have increased by 2.4%. Buyer numbers have also risen by 18.7%, highlighting increased shopper penetration for the brand. Rebecca Robert, marketing director at Storck UK, said: “Sweet-and-salty flavour combinations continue to resonate strongly with consumers, and Riesen Salted Peanut brings that trend to life in a way that feels distinctive to the brand, combining rich dark chocolate and chewy toffee with a new salted peanut twist." Storck said the limited-edition SKU is intended to create additional interest in the confectionery aisle, encourage trial among existing and new shoppers, and provide retailers with a new product from an established brand. Riesen Salted Peanut will be available from 26 August in a 135g sharing bag, with a recommended retail price of £1.50. The product will be supplied in cases of 12.