UK herbal tea brand Pukka Herbs has entered the loose powder matcha market with three new products: Matcha Tulsi Lemon, Matcha Vanilla Chai and Pukka Ceremonial Matcha. The new line aims to offer a ‘premium, accessible matcha experience for wellness-motivated shoppers.’ Matcha is one of the fastest-growing tea trends in the UK, with hot and cold matcha consumption increasing significantly in recent years. According to the brand, the products offer a rich and smooth umami flavour, combining ceremonial-grade matcha with other natural, plant-based ingredients. All three products contain matcha made from green tea leaves shade-grown at high altitude before harvest, Pukka said. The Pukka Ceremonial offering provides what Pukka describes as a ‘traditional pure matcha drinking experience,’ while Matcha Vanilla Chai blends matcha with warming chai spices and vanilla notes to deliver a ‘naturally comforting’ sweetness without added sugar or syrups. This aims to address consumer barriers around matcha’s perceived earthy taste. Matcha Tulsi Lemon combines matcha with tulsi, lemon essential oil, spearmint leaf powder, rosemary leaf powder and lemon myrtle leaf powder. Pukka said it creates a ‘bright, refreshing and naturally flavourful’ cup. Each product is packaged in a recyclable tin with a freshness-preserving pouch that provides up to 30 servings. Pukka Matcha is also claimed to be the only matcha in UK grocery retail that is both Organic and Fair for Life certified. The launch builds on Pukka’s existing matcha offering, extending its Supreme Matcha Green and Mint Matcha Green teas into loose powders for the first time. Elle Barker, CMO, UK & Ireland for Pukka owner Lipton Teas and Infusions, said: “Matcha is one of the most exciting growth stories in tea, but until now the category has often felt exclusive or intimidating to new consumers”. She added: “With Pukka Matcha, we're combining organic, ceremonial-grade matcha with 25 years of herbal expertise to create a line-up that's both delicious and accessible. We believe there's a real opportunity to bring more people into the category by delivering the quality consumers expect organic and ethically sourced ingredients, alongside flavours they'll genuinely love drinking every day.” The new products are now available on Amazon, Ocado and Holland & Barret online, priced at £14.99 per 30g pack, with each pack offering up to 30 servings.

Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) has agreed to sell its full equity stake in Chobani back to the company for $800 million, as well as its manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania for approximately $125 million. The transactions, announced today (1 September 2026), form part of KDP and Chobani’s aim to strengthen their longstanding partnership, and ‘advance the growth and capital allocation priorities’ of both businesses. The deal includes the Pennsylvania site’s facility lease, equipment and operations, with Chobani set to offer employment opportunities to the facility’s manufacturing and warehouse employees to ensure operational continuity. Employees in delivery, customer service and other corporate functions will remain with KDP. Chobani will continue to manufacture certain products for KDP at the site, located in Allentown, for a ‘defined period’ after the sale under a co-manufacturing agreement. It has revealed plans to invest $1.2 billion in the 1.5-million-square-foot campus over the next five years, planning to create more than 900 jobs and establishing a 'major new hub' for the business' dairy product production. The investment includes plans for up to ten new production lines. At full capacity, the Allentown facility is expected to source more than 3 billion pounds of Pennsylvania milk annually. At the site, Chobani said it will build on its 20 years of dairy expertise to create milk with more protein and less sugar than traditional milk. It will be available as a multi-serve milk for families, serving as the foundation for a new generation of dairy products, including high-protein shakes made with 'real' ingredients. KDP said it will use the net proceeds from the transactions to reduce debt ahead of its split into two separate businesses, Beverage Co and Global Coffee Co, following its JDE Peet's acquisition announced last year. The deal also sees the two companies build on their distribution agreement, with KDP continuing to distribute Chobani’s La Colombe brand’s ready-to-drink (RTD) lattes and other beverage products, including future RTD innovations. They will also continue their long-term licensing, manufacturing and distribution agreement for La Colombe-branded K-Cup pods in the US and Canada. KDP and Chobani’s partnership began in 2023 when Chobani acquired La Colombia in a $900 million deal. Tim Cofer, CEO of KDP, said the transactions “enhance our financial flexibility, strengthen the efficiency of our manufacturing network and support the expansion of our important distribution partnership with Chobani”. He added: “This change also positions the Allentown facility for continued growth under an owner whose strategic priorities are well matched to the site, while ensuring continuity for our brands, customers and employees.” Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani, commented: “With this deal, the plant will be used to its full potential, create value and opportunity for both companies and bring some of our best innovation to more people through KDP’s reach and capabilities. And most importantly, it means more jobs and more opportunity for Pennsylvania farmers.” The transactions are expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions. Allentown is part of more than $4 billion Chobani is investing across its US manufacturing network. The company is also investing in a new dairy processing facility in Rome, New York; expanding its manufacturing operation in Twin Falls, Idaho; improving its original site in New Berlin, NY; and expanding its Norton Shores, Michigan facility, which produces La Colombe drinks.

Boursin is bringing the hot honey trend to the indulgent cheese fixture with the launch of a limited-edition Hot Honey & Roasted Garlic variant, arriving in UK stores from 16 September. The new 150g SKU combines sweet honey and warming chilli with roasted garlic and Boursin’s signature creamy cheese, creating a sweet-and-spicy profile aimed at consumers seeking bolder flavour combinations. The launch comes as Boursin continues to perform strongly within the indulgent cheese category. The brand claims the No.1 position in the UK and is currently the category’s leading contributor to both value and volume growth year to date, with value sales up 12.3% and volume up 14.6%. The timing of the launch is also significant, with the autumn and Christmas period representing a key sales opportunity for indulgent cheese. According to Boursin, almost 30% of annual indulgent cheese sales take place during the final eight weeks of the year. Hot Honey & Roasted Garlic has been positioned around sharing and entertaining occasions, with Boursin highlighting its suitability for cheeseboards, grazing occasions and serving with crackers or warm, crusty bread. The cheese can also be used in recipes, giving retailers an opportunity to position the limited-edition product beyond traditional sharing occasions and encourage additional purchases during the autumn and festive period. Ollie Richmond, marketing manager at Boursin, said: “Hot honey is a flavour combination that has gained significant momentum, so we saw a clear opportunity to bring that sweet-meets-heat profile into indulgent cheese in a way that feels unmistakably Boursin." The launch will form part of Boursin’s wider programme of seasonal innovation ahead of Christmas, with the brand also planning new seasonal formats and limited-edition festive packaging intended to increase visibility both in-store and during entertaining occasions. Boursin Hot Honey & Roasted Garlic will launch in UK stores from 16 September in a 150g format and will be available for a limited time.

Health claims can encourage consumers to try new food products, but they are doing little to persuade shoppers to pay more, according to new research from consumer intelligence business Vypr. The findings, published in Vypr’s latest Emerging Trends Report, reveal a significant gap between the ability of health claims to attract consumer interest and their ability to translate into additional value at the point of purchase. In three pricing exercises, consumers were presented with products with and without a clean-label health claim and asked how much they would be willing to pay. On average, respondents were willing to pay just 0.5% more for the product carrying the clean-label claim. The findings suggest that while health positioning can help brands secure initial attention, consumers remain reluctant to attach a significant financial premium to such claims. Among the health and quality claims tested, easily understood messages were the strongest prompts for consumers to try a new food product. Natural ingredients emerged as the biggest driver, cited by 47% of consumers. This was followed by no artificial additives at 39% and low sugar at 37%. High protein and high fibre were also identified as trial drivers, with around three in 10 consumers saying these claims would encourage them to try a new product. However, the claims consumers find most appealing are not necessarily those they trust most. No artificial additives was the most trusted individual claim, cited by 16% of respondents, followed by a short ingredient list at 15% and natural ingredients at 12%. High protein, despite being one of the stronger drivers of product trial, was trusted by only 10% of consumers. It was also the claim most likely to be considered overused, with 15% of respondents selecting it. The findings point to a growing distinction between claims that attract consumer attention and those that establish credibility. Almost a quarter of consumers (24%) said they do not trust any health claims on food products. Among consumers aged over 65, this rose to one in three. The most common reason for doubting a health claim was that it appeared “too good to be true”, cited by 40% of respondents. A further 32% said vague language reduced their confidence in health claims, while 30% pointed to long ingredient lists that appeared to contradict claims made on the front of pack. The latter concern was particularly pronounced among older consumers, with 41% of those aged over 65 citing a contradiction between the ingredient list and the front-of-pack claim. For brands, the findings suggest that simply increasing the number of health messages on pack may not be enough to build consumer confidence. Vypr’s research also found limited consumer benefit from loading packaging with multiple health claims. More than half of consumers (54%) said having three or more claims on a pack would make no difference to their likelihood of buying the product. While 33% said multiple claims would make them more likely to purchase, 14% said they would be less likely to buy. Ben Davies, founder of Vypr, said: “In this age of UPF and food quality concerns, consumers are more confused than ever before about what to choose. Brands and manufacturers need to reformulate for HFSS rules and continue to improve their product offering, but this will not correlate with a willingness for consumers to pay more.” Davies added: “This data shows that consumers are feeling overwhelmed by the claims and so brands need to build trust and belief in the health claims rather than adding more onto pack.” The research also highlights the growing role of third-party food-rating and ingredient-scanning apps in how some consumers assess food products. Approximately a quarter of consumers use apps such as Yuka, Open Food Facts and FoodSwitch to check on-pack claims. Among these users, 70% said they trusted the ratings to some degree, including 57% who reported some trust and 14% who expressed complete trust. The potential impact on purchasing behaviour is significant. When asked what they would do if a product they regularly purchased received a poor rating, 62% of respondents said they would be likely to stop buying it. This included 15% who said they would be very likely to stop purchasing the product. Davies said the users of these apps represented an important early-adopter segment for brands seeking to understand how consumer scrutiny could evolve. “For the scanning-app minority users, who are younger, engaged and willing to abandon a product over a poor rating, still offers a definable early-adopter segment,” he said. “Designing products that withstand third-party scrutiny rather than relying on front-of-pack framing is the route to that segment, and its behaviour serves as a leading indicator of where wider scrutiny may move.” The research suggests that for food and beverage manufacturers, the challenge is increasingly not simply to make a health claim, but to ensure that the product itself can substantiate the message. While clear health and ingredient claims can encourage consumers to explore new products, the limited price premium indicates that health positioning alone may not be enough to justify a higher price. At the same time, growing scepticism and the rise of independent product-rating tools could place greater emphasis on formulation, ingredient transparency and consistency between on-pack messaging and the product itself.

According to a Sky News report, European Pizza Group – which is jointly owned by Nestlé and private equity firm PAI Partners – is ‘closing in on’ a deal to buy premium pizza brand Crosta Mollica. Sky News' reporting says its city sources revealed Crosta Mollica is expected to receive over £300 million if a deal goes ahead, with European Pizza Group aiming to secure exclusive talks to acquire the brand as soon as this week. The sources reportedly told Sky that other ‘rival bidders’ remain in contention to buy Crosta Mollica, with no deal yet signed. The European Pizza Group was formed in 2023 after Nestlé separated its European frozen pizza business. It now operates as a joint venture between Nestlé and PAI, with Nestlé holding a non-controlling stake with equal voting rights. The business spans several European countries including Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Portugal, Austria, Belgium and The Netherlands. The company’s portfolio includes brands such as Wagner, Buitoni and Garden Gourmet. It is headquartered in Germany, operating two manufacturing facilities in Nonnweiler, Germany, and Benevento, Italy. Crosta Mollica – headquartered in the UK and backed by investment firm Perwyn since 2024 – was founded in 2009. It specialises in premium pizza and other Italian offerings, with a focus on authenticity and quality. PAI declined FoodBev Media’s request for comment. At the time of reporting, Crosta Mollica had not yet responded to FoodBev’s enquiry. Top image: © Crosta Mollica

Suntory Global Innovation Center (SIC) has identified a genetic region linked to drought tolerance in hops, in a development that could help accelerate the breeding of varieties better able to withstand the effects of climate change. The research, conducted with the Hop Research Institute in the Czech Republic, identified a region on chromosome 3 associated with drought tolerance and pinpointed HlMYB113 as a candidate gene within that region. The findings were presented at the 32nd International Horticultural Congress (IHC2026), held in Kyoto, Japan, from 23 to 28 August. Hops are a critical raw material for the brewing industry, providing beer with its characteristic aroma and flavour. However, increasingly dry growing conditions are putting pressure on production in some of the world's key hop-growing regions. The Czech Republic, in particular, has experienced increasing soil dryness in recent years as rainfall has declined, contributing to reduced hop yields. SIC has been working with the Hop Research Institute on hop research since 2010, with joint research and development focused on drought-tolerant varieties beginning in 2018. The programme has already resulted in the development of a new drought-tolerant hop variety. Researchers selected a drought-tolerant breeding line and repeatedly crossbred it with high-quality hop varieties, producing the new variety in November 2024. That variety is now undergoing a large-scale field trial covering approximately 4.2 hectares in the Žatec region of the Czech Republic, where its quality and yield are being assessed. The latest research could make the breeding process more efficient. The team analysed a segregating population produced through crossbreeding, combining plant and yield characteristics under drought conditions with next-generation genome sequencing. This enabled researchers to identify genomic regions associated with drought tolerance and subsequently assess candidate genes linked to the trait. The analysis found that drought-tolerant lines carried multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of HlMYB113, when compared with the publicly available hop reference genome. Plants carrying these genetic variants demonstrated significantly greater shoot growth under drought conditions, providing a potential genetic marker for more efficient selection of drought-tolerant plants. For the brewing sector, the work represents a step towards developing hop varieties capable of maintaining consistent quality and yields as growing conditions become more challenging. SIC said the research could accelerate the development of varieties able to produce high-quality hops under changing environmental conditions associated with climate change. The company also said the findings could have applications beyond hops, potentially supporting research into drought-stress tolerance and breeding technologies for other agricultural crops. The research builds on previous work by Suntory in hop genetics, including the world's first draft genome sequencing of hops in 2014 and research that elucidated the hop sex-determination system in 2025. Suntory said it will continue its research into hop science and breeding technologies as it seeks to support more resilient cultivation and the long-term sustainability of hop supplies.

Roger Hancock Food and beverage recalls can put even the most trusted brands under intense scrutiny. While the immediate priority must always be protecting consumers, the decisions companies make – and how clearly they communicate them – can have lasting consequences for their reputation. In this opinion piece, Roger Hancock, CEO of Recall InfoLink, explores how acting quickly and transparently, taking ownership and demonstrating an unwavering commitment to public safety, determines whether consumer trust is preserved or permanently damaged. The decision about whether to issue a food or beverage recall is never simple. Brands need to weigh potential reputational damage, financial ramifications, legal considerations and supply chain complexity, but they must also show with their words and actions that consumer safety is driving their recall decision-making. Consumers don’t have visibility into the decision-making process, but they should see food and beverage brands working proactively to protect public health, prioritising consumer safety above all else. As recalls continue to occur regularly, consumers don’t necessarily fault companies for these incidents – as long as the brands manage them well, communicate transparently and focus on risk mitigation. In fact, the way companies handle recalls determines whether they’ll preserve or erode consumer trust. When recalls are mismanaged, customer trust erodes Recalls inevitably come with some amount of fallout, including costs, operational disruption and potential litigation. When recalls are managed poorly, they can result in loss of consumer trust, a potentially irreparable situation. When companies lose consumer trust, it can be difficult to win it back. Two recent recalls were mismanaged, resulting in high costs, business disruption, negative press and reputational damage. In both cases, it’s possible that the most damaging, long-lasting repercussion was loss of consumer trust. When consumers, including young children, became ill after an E. coli outbreak linked to Raw Farm’s cheddar cheese, the FDA issued a consumer notice and recommended a recall. The company argued that internal testing found no pathogens in its products. After two weeks, during which potentially compromised products remained on store shelves, Raw Farm eventually issued a recall 'under protest.' Consumers saw a company whose instinct was to contest the findings rather than proactively recall the products to protect public health. In another recent incident, ByHeart issued a recall on its infant formula, but the communication was unclear. Retailers didn’t understand which products were affected or what actions to take, contaminated formula lingered on store shelves and consumer trust in the brand was impacted. When news emerged that babies may have been sickened by ByHeart’s formula for years, it further eroded consumer trust. How to convey trustworthiness during recalls Brands can preserve consumer trust by following best practice protocols, communicating transparently and taking ownership of the incident. To convey trustworthiness: • Act before being forced to. If a respected regulatory body like the FDA finds evidence of contamination, be cooperative and proactive. Demonstrate that you’re prioritising public health, even if it means some disruption and expense for your company. Resisting a recall against regulatory recommendation, and publicly stating that you’re acting 'under protest,' is likely to be more damaging than any proactive, voluntary recall would be. • Prioritise consumer health. While consumers may not be privy to companies’ behind-the-scenes decision-making process, they do watch brands’ public-facing actions and statements, looking for evidence that public health is guiding their decisions. If there’s any chance that food or beverage products may have been compromised, consumers want to see brands act quickly to mitigate these risks. When companies appear to make self-serving decisions at the risk of public safety, the fall-out can be severe and long-lasting. • Be transparent. Consumers understand that recalls can happen, even to companies with best-practice food safety protocols. A recall won’t necessarily break consumers’ trust or damage your brand reputation, but only if your company owns what went wrong and doesn’t delay, deny or deflect. Be forthcoming, explaining what happened, how it happened and what happens next. Issue clear, actionable messages, including product identifiers and instructions on what to do if consumers bought or consumed these products. Recall decisions are never simple, but the way a company handles the situation can be the difference between maintaining or eroding consumer trust. During a recall, emphasise your commitment to public safety and show how this drives your decisions. Consumer loyalty remains with companies that prioritise their safety.

SunnyD is entering the Halloween season with a limited-edition beverage that keeps consumers guessing, launching SpookyD with a mystery flavour and Halloween-themed packaging. The new product from Harvest Hill Beverage Company will be available in the US from August 2026, exclusively at Walmart stores nationwide while supplies last. SpookyD is designed to turn flavour discovery into part of the product experience. While the beverage’s flavour is deliberately undisclosed, SunnyD is encouraging consumers to identify the taste and share their guesses throughout the Halloween season. Randi Jachino, chief marketing officer at Harvest Hill Beverage Company, said: “Halloween is all about embracing the unexpected, and SpookyD brings that spirit to life in a way only SunnyD can. We've created a beverage that's more than just a seasonal offering, it’s an experience.” Consumers are being invited to speculate on the flavour, with SunnyD suggesting possibilities ranging from fruity and candy-inspired profiles to citrus-based flavours with a Halloween twist. SpookyD will be sold in 18-packs of 6.75oz bottles and gallon jugs, giving the launch both a single-serve and larger-format option for seasonal occasions. The company is targeting Halloween parties, family gatherings, movie nights, trick-or-treating and other seasonal events with the launch. SpookyD will be available at Walmart stores across the US from August 2026, with availability continuing for a limited time and while stocks last.

Thomas Conquet has been appointed managing director of Nestlé Waters & Premium Beverages in the UK, taking over leadership of the business as it looks to accelerate growth across its premium beverages portfolio. Conquet joins the UK operation from Nestlé Waters & Premium Beverages USA, where he was senior director of brand marketing. He has been with Nestlé since 2008 and has held roles spanning a number of the group’s major food and beverage brands, including Perrier, S Pellegrino, Acqua Panna, Nestlé Pure Life and Maggi. During his time in the US, Conquet played a key role in the development and expansion of Nestlé Waters & Premium Beverages, with a focus on growing its premium brands and strengthening consumer-led marketing initiatives. In his new position, he will lead the UK Nestlé Waters & Premium Beverages team, a standalone global business within the Nestlé Group. The UK portfolio includes S.Pellegrino, Acqua Panna, Buxton, Princes Gate and Nestlé Pure Life. The appointment comes as the business continues to expand its presence in the premium beverages category. Recent UK launches include Inspired by Buxton Peak and Maison Perrier, as Nestlé looks to build its portfolio beyond traditional bottled water and capture demand for more premium and differentiated drinking experiences. Conquet said: “I’m excited to be joining the team at such a pivotal time. The business has strong momentum and an exceptional portfolio of brands. I look forward to building on this success and deliver even more value for our customers and consumers.” Conquet succeeds Stefano Bolognese, who left Nestlé in April 2026 following 26 years with the company. The new managing director will work with Nestlé’s wider leadership team on the business’s strategic priorities, including portfolio development and delivering further value and quality for consumers.

Chicago-based entrepreneur Alex Young has launched G&Tea, a new sparkling hard tea brand combining gin with South African rooibos tea and honey. The ready-to-drink range is launching in two varieties, Original and Passion Fruit, both containing 7% ABV and packaged in 12oz cans. G&Tea’s Original flavour combines London Dry gin with South African rooibos and clover honey, while the Passion Fruit variety adds tropical passion fruit flavour to the same base. According to the company, the drinks are caffeine-free and contain no refined sugar or artificial sweeteners. Rooibos, which is naturally grown in South Africa’s Cederberg region, provides an earthy flavour without the tannin bitterness associated with some traditional teas. The London Dry gin adds botanical and citrus notes, while honey provides sweetness. Young said his connection with rooibos stems from his childhood near the Cederberg region, before later moving to London and Chicago. “People are paying closer attention to what they consume. They want quality not just in the taste, but in the ingredients,” said Young. “We wanted to create something transparent and thoughtfully made, using clean ingredients that each contribute something meaningful to the finished drink.” Following its launch in Chicago, G&Tea is seeking distribution, retail, restaurant and hospitality partnerships across Illinois.

Sameer Kulkarni As food and beverage brands accelerate the move away from conventional plastics, compostable packaging is increasingly being positioned as a straightforward solution to mounting environmental and regulatory pressures. Yet when a new pack softens, leaks or fails in use, the material is often blamed. In reality, the problem is frequently less about whether compostable packaging works, and more about whether the right format has been matched to the product. With new packaging requirements coming into force and scrutiny of PFAS and environmental claims intensifying, Sameer Kulkarni, compliance and sustainability lead at Ecofy, explains how getting that specification right is becoming a commercial and compliance imperative. A brand switches its hot-food container to a compostable version, and within weeks the complaints arrive: the base softens under a saucy dish, a lid warps, a chilled drink cup sweats and leaks. The usual conclusion is that 'compostable doesn't work.' Nearly always, the material was capable. It was simply matched to the wrong job. That matters more in 2026 than it did even two years ago, because the switch is no longer optional. The EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2025/40) came into force on 12 August 2026; in the United States, more than a dozen states have enacted restrictions on PFAS 'forever chemicals' in food packaging, with Maine's ban on nine categories of plant fibre food-contact packaging taking effect in May 2026. For food and beverage brands, compostable and PFAS-free packaging has moved from a marketing choice to a documented compliance requirement. Getting the specification right the first time is now a commercial issue as well as an environmental one. The first misconception to drop is that 'compostable' describes a single material. It is a category that includes moulded sugarcane fibre (bagasse), bamboo and wheat-straw pulp, PLA and CPLA and various coated and uncoated papers, each behaving very differently under heat, moisture, grease and time. Specifying 'the compostable option' without matching the format to the food is the root of most disappointing switches. From the production side, we see brands run into the same three mismatches again and again. Each maps to a question worth asking before a switch, not after. Does the material fit the food? The variables that decide performance are temperature, moisture, fat content and dwell time – for example, how long the food sits in the pack before it is eaten. A dry pastry and a hot biryani make entirely different demands. An uncoated fibre bowl that is perfect for a sandwich can fail under a curry left for twenty minutes; chilled and frozen lines add condensation; microwave reheating adds another stress. The useful question is never 'is this compostable?' but 'will this format hold this food, at this temperature, for this long?' Does the material fit the market? A compostable product only delivers its benefit where the infrastructure to process it exists, and that infrastructure is uneven. BioCycle's national survey found composting facilities accepting compostable packaging rising from 58% in 2018 to 71% more recently – real progress, but far from universal – while 45 of the 145 facilities surveyed run a zero-tolerance policy for contamination. Industrial-compostable is also not the same as home-compostable. Ship an industrially compostable pack into a region without industrial composting and it behaves like ordinary waste, and the environmental claim quietly collapses. Can you defend the claim? This is where brands carry the most reputational and regulatory risk, and where the data is sobering. When organisations Consumer Reports and The Counter, tested moulded fibre foodware, they found fluorine, an indicator of PFAS, in effectively every moulded fibre bowl tested, at levels several times higher than in many other packaging types. A product can be genuinely compostable and still carry a fluorochemical coating that makes it neither safe nor truly compostable. 'Compostable' and 'PFAS-free' are separate properties that must be separately verified: the actual certificate and its scope (not a supplier's logo), a total organic fluorine or PFAS test report, and evidence that the end-of-life claim holds in the destination market. Getting the balance right None of this makes compostable packaging hard. It makes it a packaging engineering decision rather than a marketing swap. The brands that switch successfully put compostable options through the same rigour they apply to any spec: grease and temperature resistance, service life, transport and storage and documentation for every environmental claim. The ones that struggle tend to have ordered 'the compostable version' and expected it to behave exactly like the plastic it replaced. The encouraging part is that the material science has largely caught up. For most foodservice applications, there is now a compostable format that genuinely performs, and PFAS-free fibre, driven partly by the very testing and bans above, is increasingly the norm rather than the exception. The failures still circulating are rarely material failures. They are specification failures: a pack chosen for its label instead of its fit. As compostable packaging shifts from gesture to default, successful brands will stop asking 'is it compostable?' and start asking 'is it the right compostable for this product, this market and this claim I can prove?' Get that right, and the switch works the first time. Get it wrong, and the material takes the blame for a decision made before it ever entered the picture.

Functional beverage brand Hiyo is expanding its social tonic portfolio with the launch of a limited-edition Apple Cinnamon flavour for the fall season. The new 0% ABV drink will be available for a limited time at Target stores nationwide, through Target.com and direct from Hiyo’s website. Apple Cinnamon combines the taste of fresh apples with subtle warming notes of cinnamon, positioning the product around the more relaxed and social occasions associated with the fall season. The launch reflects continued innovation in the functional and non-alcoholic beverage categories, where brands are increasingly using familiar seasonal flavours to create new drinking occasions and encourage repeat purchases. Like the rest of Hiyo’s range, Apple Cinnamon is formulated with a blend of organic adaptogens, nootropics and botanicals. Ingredients include ashwagandha, L-theanine, lion’s mane, lemon balm, passion flower and ginger. The brand positions the formulation as delivering its signature “float” experience, designed as an alternative to alcohol for consumers looking to socialise or unwind without consuming alcohol. With 0% ABV and 30 calories per can, the limited-edition flavour targets consumers seeking a lighter option for seasonal gatherings, meals and at-home occasions. George Youmans, co-founder and chief revenue officer at Hiyo, said: “We created Apple Cinnamon for the slower, cozier moments that make the season feel special, whether that’s hosting family, celebrating a fall tradition or turning an ordinary night in into something worth celebrating.” Youmans added that the product combines a flavour associated with the season with Hiyo’s established functional beverage proposition. The Apple Cinnamon launch comes amid a period of significant retail growth for Hiyo, which has expanded its distribution across the US through partnerships with major retailers including Target, Costco, Kroger, Whole Foods Market and Sprouts. The four-pack will retail at Target for an SRP of $13.99, while a 12-pack will be available through Hiyo’s direct-to-consumer channel for $44.99, while stocks last. The addition brings a distinctly seasonal flavour to Hiyo’s broader portfolio, which includes Blackberry Lemon, Passion Fruit Tangerine, Peach Mango, Pineapple Coconut, Strawberry Guava and Watermelon Lime. As the non-alcoholic and functional drinks markets continue to attract new consumers, Hiyo’s latest launch highlights how beverage brands are increasingly looking beyond traditional fruit flavours and into seasonal formats to create new occasions for alcohol-free drinking.