AGP Executive Report

Meal Kits Meet Shelf-Stable Convenience: Chef Daniel Humm and CPG veteran Mark Ramadan launched Riff, chef-crafted meal kits that cook in one pot in about 20 minutes—no delivery, no perishables, and “riffable” add-ins—now at Target at $6.99 per box. Functional Drinks Go Flavor-Forward: New data shows coffee and tea are shifting from pure function to flavor-led growth, with coffee searches up sharply across social platforms and brands leaning into discovery and comfort. Budget Pressure Spurs Flavor Spending: As consumers tighten food budgets, McCormick is leaning into spices and condiments that help stretch meals, while the wider category faces volume headwinds. Seasonal Snacking Watch: Apple pie is emerging as a fall breakout, even as pumpkin spice shows signs of search fatigue—especially in coffee and snack categories. Food Safety Scrutiny: A Delhi creator posted a Starbucks drink incident involving a dead fly on strawberry pieces; Starbucks India apologized amid renewed hygiene questions. Packaging & Supply Chain: Amcor highlighted food-and-beverage packaging solutions at FoodTech 2026, focusing on lightweight dairy and chilled/dry formats. Sugar Tensions in South Africa: SA Canegrowers says retailers aren’t meeting a local sugar sourcing masterplan, driving a 20% sales slump and raising pressure over imports. Russia Business Uncertainty: Nestlé Russia says it will keep operating after Kremlin moves place assets under temporary management, underscoring ongoing risk for foreign food firms.

Food Safety & Consumer Impact: Taco Bell says traffic is still down 12.2% since the July cyclospora outbreak, even after pulling ingredients tied to the iceberg lettuce source. Supply Chain & Costs: Rising gas prices are pushing up restaurant costs in Philadelphia, with operators citing higher beef and produce prices tied to fuel and longer sourcing routes. Packaging Responsibility: A new “Working Lunch” segment spotlights extended producer responsibility (EPR), including an Oregon case shifting recycling and waste costs to packaged-goods producers. Manufacturing & Color Standards: With FD&C Red No. 3 gone and synthetic dye removals underway, food makers are reformulating with natural colorants that can vary batch to batch—forcing new quality systems. Beverage Marketing: Hard Mountain Dew launches a $1M “Bigfoot Bounty” campaign seeking “verified evidence” of the legend. Hospitality & Events: Eataly extends Negroni Week in NYC with bartender takeovers and ticketed socials, while SHFM names its 2026-27 Rising Stars in foodservice leadership. Sustainability on the Ground: Philippines partners collected 6,027.92 kg of non-biodegradable waste across Caraga’s coastal cleanup.

National Coffee Day Collab: Tim Hortons and adidas are teaming up for a Tims Run Club footwear and apparel drop, with early access for Tims Rewards members on Sept. 24 and the public launch Sept. 26, plus retro coffee cups returning in restaurants. Trade & Policy: Pampanga’s One Pampanga Food and Beverage Expo (OPFBEX) gathered 80+ exhibitors and a Food Forward forum on food security, investment, sustainability and culinary tourism. Food Safety & Public Health: A York County restaurant inspection roundup flagged issues including dirty equipment and temperature-control gaps at multiple sites. Dairy Retail Demand: Dairy milk remains a major U.S. staple, with retailers treating it as a destination category as shoppers’ basket behavior shifts. Sustainability in Action: Singapore’s Beverage Container Return Scheme hit 33M returned containers and opened a Tuas counting-and-sorting facility ahead of full rollout on Oct. 1. Regulatory Pressure on Food Pricing: South Korean courts temporarily suspended major antitrust fines tied to alleged sugar and wheat flour price-fixing. Industry Moves: Sazerac launched a voluntary takeover offer for Germany’s Berentzen, valuing it at €5.55 per share.

Food Prices & Retail Politics: New Zealand supermarket owner-operators have signed open letters opposing a proposed break-up of Foodstuffs co-operatives, warning it could raise costs and disrupt supply and regional services. Coastal Cleanup Push: Volunteers in the Philippines’ Mimaropa region collected 107,607 pieces of marine litter across 19 sites, with beverage bottles and food wrappers among the most common finds. Beverage & Hospitality Events: Fairhope restaurants Hope Farm and Little Bird are running Negroni Week cocktail specials to benefit Slow Food, while Russell’s Bricks, Broncs & BBQ returns Oct. 2-3 with a beer garden and craft beverage “Brew Me.” Industry & Innovation: Virginia Tech research aims to narrow the quality gap between plastics and bioplastics for food packaging. Food Safety & Water: Bloomington issued a boil advisory for Monroe County due to elevated turbidity after storm-related power outages at a water treatment plant. Global Trade Spotlight: Guyana’s rum and food products drew interest at Miami’s Food and Beverage Show as World Trade Centre Guyana sought U.S. export partners. New Openings: Kamloops’ first meadery, Lion’s Head Meadery, officially opened in Monte Creek, adding to the Kamloops Wine Trail.

Bottle Recycling Push: New York Gov. signs Sen. Blakespear’s bottle-recycling legislation, aiming to boost recovery rates and cut waste. Private Label Surge: Greece’s “Made in Greece” trend is lifting private label—nearly 4 in 10 products are now store brands, with households leaning on lower prices. Coffee Under Scrutiny: An FDA-allowed coffee contaminant story is going viral, reigniting debate over what’s technically permitted in everyday drinks. Men’s Wellness Supplements: SodaPeak launches 2026 “SodaPeak Gummies,” pitching a multi-ingredient formula (including caffeine, green tea, maca, ashwagandha) for men’s daily wellness. Food Safety Checks: Pennsylvania restaurant inspections highlight issues like improper date marking and temperature control in ready-to-eat foods. Sustainability in Action: Mimaropa’s International Coastal Cleanup pulled 107,607 litter items—beverage bottles and food wrappers topped the list. Coffee Culture & Growth: Thailand’s THB65B coffee market is shifting toward specialty, quality, and sustainability, with waste reduction becoming a bigger focus. Industry Tech Award: ANGEL’s water purification work for KFC Indonesia wins a Sustainable Tech—Food & Beverage award at the Asian Technology Excellence Awards. On-the-Ground Hospitality Training: Bird Academy and partners complete a hospitality skills program for youth in Jewar, including Food & Beverage training tied to local airport and hotel jobs.

Bottle Recycling Push: California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Sen. Catherine Blakespear’s SB 955 to expand beverage-container return access and eliminate “recycling dead zones,” aiming for 100% of sold bottles to be returnable for CRV refunds. Retail Energy Drink Shake-Up: Kroger stopped selling Red Bull at Fry’s stores nationwide, pulling displays and coolers as the brand runs out of stock while the retailer works with suppliers. Food Safety/Regulation: India’s FSSAI took action against Nestlé baby formula, saying a sample was “substandard” on biotin levels and filing cases over alleged misleading infant-nutrition claims. Beverage Brand Spotlight: Hurtigruten unveiled “Arctic Barolo,” matured for a year beneath the Arctic Ocean and now served exclusively on its ships. Local Food Culture: Pease Pickle Fest returns Sept. 26 with 120+ vendors, pickle-themed drinks and foods, and family activities. Restaurant Moves: Petros closed its Manhattan Beach flagship and filed for a new “Petros Speakeasy” concept next to its Playa del Rey café. Quick Kitchen Tip: A guide recommends reheating leftover pizza in an air fryer for crispier results without overcooking.

Dairy Tech Spotlight: World Dairy Expo kicks off its 25th Virtual Farm Tour series (Sept. 30–Oct. 2), streaming Q&As from U.S. farms in Washington, Michigan and Texas to highlight genetics, sustainability and herd management. Kids’ Nutrition Watch: A new UK study finds children’s yoghurts can carry “substantial” sugar levels, averaging 8.2g per 100g and flagging several brands above child free-sugar guidance. Festival Food & Drink: Oktoberfest Zinzinnati (Sept. 17–20) returns for its 50th year with German food and beer plus major crowd draws; Vermillion’s Oktoberfest (Sept. 26) adds German cuisine, polka, and stein competitions. Global Food Week Push: Registration opens for Global Food Week 2026 and the Global Food Security Summit in Abu Dhabi (Oct. 6–8), including a new Shop at the Show platform for exhibitors. Sugar Market Update: India’s sugar prices eased 10% after government moves, with retailers’ stock limits raised to 30 days—though some price drops haven’t fully reached consumers. Industry & Policy: U.S. Sen. Peter Welch votes no on a partisan Farm Bill, arguing it falls short on Vermont farmers, SNAP nutrition help and rural investment. Food Access Gap: Tyson Foods’ summer meal pilot underscores how the school-lunch system leaves millions without reliable meals during summer.

Workforce Crunch: Canada’s food and beverage manufacturing is projected to need 173,000 new hires by 2034, with operators in highest demand, as expansion and retirements collide. Food Waste Rules Tighten: New York City is expanding mandatory organic waste diversion for restaurants of all sizes, adding donation, composting, or reuse requirements for food scraps. Cold-Chain Logistics: Circle Logistics is expanding refrigerated reefer LTL for food and beverage shippers, aiming to help smaller frozen producers move partial loads with cold reliability. Farm-to-Energy Waste Pivot: A Virginia dairy farm will divert 105,000+ tons of discarded food and beverage waste into anaerobic digestion to produce renewable natural gas. Brand + Production Push: Kikkoman opened a new $560M production facility in Jefferson, Wisconsin, adding 80+ jobs and boosting sauce/seasoning capacity. On-Premise Updates: Belmont Park reopened with a major policy shift—no outside booze or coolers, though guests can bring food and one non-alcoholic drink. Cheese Culture: Portland’s Oregon Cheese Guild is bringing back The Wedge cheese festival Sept. 26 with samples, pairings, and award-winning Oregon creameries.

Packaging & Materials: ALPLA and CCL Label unveiled a stackable 0.33L PET beverage can designed to mimic metal cans, run on existing PET filling lines, and use rPET—aiming to cut CO2 and avoid BPA-containing coatings via a detachable EcoFloat shrink sleeve. Functional Drinks: Biona expanded its health-shot lineup with an Immune Shot, Fibre Shot, and sugar-free Organic Coconut Water as the UK health-shot category grows fast. Food Industry Trade: Mongolia’s Ulaanbaatar Partnership 2026 trade fair (Sept. 17-20) returns for its 50th edition, spotlighting food, processing tech, packaging, and cross-border partnerships. Food Safety & Claims: A UK-focused explainer revisits how food additives are regulated, using Battenberg’s E541 as an example of narrow, label-legal exceptions. Market Pressure on Eating Out: Cyprus dining costs jumped 26% since 2023, driven by energy and alcohol price pressure. Corporate/Policy Shock: Russia placed Nestlé Russia under temporary external administration, limiting the company’s control while ownership stays unchanged. Tourism & Spending: Hawai‘i saw fewer visitors but higher per-person spending, with officials warning “high-value” travel won’t erase local impact concerns. Sustainability at Scale: Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking committed €287.8M to 47 food/feed projects moving toward demonstration and industrial production. GLP-1 Demand Shift: A Brand Finance analysis flags a $73B risk to major food brands as GLP-1 weight-loss changes snacking and purchasing patterns. Urban Cleanliness Rules: Tokyo is considering a metro-wide anti-littering ordinance, including possible fines and new duties for food and beverage sellers and container makers.

Tariff Shock to Alcohol: Massachusetts Treasurer Deb Goldberg warned tariffs are a “game” that could destabilize the alcohol supply chain and threaten jobs and tax revenues. Private-Label Push: Store brands are taking more shelf share, with private-label sales climbing past $251B as Gen Z and Millennials lean in—especially in refrigerated and beverage categories. Ingredient & Beverage Business Moves: Ingredion raised its quarterly dividend to $0.83/share, while Diageo made Buchanan’s Coconut a permanent U.S. flavored Scotch addition tied to broader autumn marketing. Retail & Menu Innovation: JAS expanded alcohol-free Latin functional mocktails into Central Market, Whole Foods and H-E-B; college dining programs rolled out food-focused Welcome Weeks; and senior living operators are shifting toward more choice-driven dining formats. Food Donation Milestone: New York hit 110M pounds of food redirected through its donation and scraps recycling law during Hunger Action Month. Local Food & Drink Events: Rapid City’s Pumpkin Festival expects 10,000+ visitors, and Niagara 5000 goes more international with a luxury hangar experience plus culinary and beverage programming.

UK Competition Watch: The UK CMA has opened a Phase 1 probe into McCormick’s planned $44.8bn takeover of Unilever’s foods business, with Unilever selling Colman’s mustard to ease competition concerns. Food Safety & Labels: Taiwan fined beverage chains NT$1.05M after inspections flagged hygiene issues and sugar/caffeine labeling errors, including a PeakTea branch with Enterobacteriaceae far above limits. Lower-Fat Innovation: UK food tech MicroLub raised £7.5M ($10M) to expand its protein-and-water microgel fat substitute, aiming to cut fat and calories up to 75% while keeping creamy mouthfeel. Retail Automation: European malls are accelerating food-court automation, with robot kiosks replacing staffed counters to tackle labor costs and deliver 24/7 service. Circular Economy: UNIDO and Nigeria’s FBRA backed plastic collection pilots in Lagos to turn waste into a production input via circular value chains. Industry Events: DairyTech launched FoodTech, a new Moscow sector for the full food manufacturing and processing industry in Jan. 2027.

Retail & Turnaround: Target says its “Easy, Inspiring, Friendly” frontline retraining and tech push is lifting customer satisfaction to a three-year high, and it’s rolling out new “Team Colors” dress rules for store staff. Grocery & Beverages: Kroger is launching a Private Selection Pumpkin Harvest Collection with 10+ exclusive pumpkin-spice items, while also cutting Red Bull from all stores nationwide. Foodservice Demand: A podcast episode digs into how GLP-1 weight-loss drugs may be changing restaurant habits. Supply & Production: Swiss Water will invest $6.2M to expand decaf coffee capacity in Delta, BC, boosting output by 15%. Local Food & Community: A Clearwater church fundraiser will run a breakfast, bake sale and raffle; a vendor fair drew 40+ merchants. Public Health & Alcohol: San Diego County Sheriff’s Office received a $100,000 ABC grant to reduce alcohol-related harm, including keeping alcohol away from minors. Menu Innovation: Slim Chickens and Dr Pepper team up for “Dr Pepper Blasted” fried chicken items nationwide. School Meals: The School Nutrition Association urges federal help as rising costs strain school meal programs.

AI in Beer: Heineken rolled out an AI-powered Personalised Draught tap that can generate 135 tailored beer expressions from one system, aiming to broaden how people discover and order beer. Coffee & Seasonal Menus: Starbucks’ pumpkin-spice dominance is fading as cafes push alternatives like maple, cardamom and apple lattes for fall. Bakery Meets Specialty Coffee: RAW Coffee Company launched PROOF Bakery inside RAW Café, baking breads and pastries from scratch to deepen the coffee-and-food pairing. Wellness & Fermented Drinks: A new report explains why kefir isn’t for everyone, while another study links daily sugary drinks to a higher risk of stomach cancer. Foodservice Operations: Pennsylvania restaurant inspections flagged issues ranging from temperature control to sanitation lapses. Packaging & Sustainability: Avantium and kp reserve future capacity for releaf PEF packaging for fresh and prepared-food trays, while Sidel helped Arpanon commercialize a lighter 600ml PET water bottle. Retail & Convenience: E-Mart reopens its Gunsan store as Starfield Market, adding liquor, dining and lifestyle zones. Non-alcoholic Trend: Korea’s Chuseok tables show continued growth in non-alcoholic options as drinking frequency and volume decline.

Coca-Cola Expansion: Coca-Cola UNITED has started up at its new $350M Birmingham, Alabama campus, consolidating production and distribution on a 100-acre site and supporting up to 50 new jobs while keeping 750+ roles. Beverage Leadership Moves: Keurig Dr Pepper Canada names new leaders for its coffee and refreshment businesses as it prepares a separation into two companies. Convenience Retail Trends: Goldman Sachs says energy drinks and nicotine pouches are still gaining shelf momentum, with retailers planning more space for nonalcoholic beverages. Food Safety Backlash: Peggy Chang’s issued a statement after social media claims about reheating and unsafe meals, stressing its hygiene controls and pushing back on blame tied to third-party delivery apps. Seafood Prices: Retail data shows August seafood inflation tracking broader food trends, with frozen and shelf-stable categories rising and cyclospora weighing on key items. Labor Watch: A union says The Beverage Market’s strike costs are climbing, citing heavy spending on outside legal counsel and security. Gen Z Marketing: Sweetgreen reports it’s winning Gen Z at twice the rate of other generations, crediting a social-first influencer campaign.

Food Innovation & Trends: The 2026 Kansas State Fair is rolling out fresh fair-food hits, from cheese curd tacos and roast beef sliders to a “Cookie Tornado” shake and deep-fried Oreo brownies, plus more gluten-free options. Industry & Community: Tucson chef Joseph Sotomayor was named 2026 Favorite Chef®, with the competition raising $1.6M for the James Beard Foundation to support independent restaurants. Hotel & Hospitality: Crestline Hotels & Resorts earned a top JD Power guest-satisfaction ranking again, while Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort marked its fourth anniversary with a wellness-focused program. Food Safety & Policy: A report argues U.S. Rep. Andy Harris helped delay an FDA food traceability rule, complicating response to a cyclospora outbreak. Beverage Regulation: Singapore’s Beverage Container Return Scheme is nearing full enforcement, with retailers reportedly discounting containers missing the required Return Right logo ahead of Oct. 1. Packaging & Sustainability: An EU-funded project will fund Sri Lanka university research to cut single-use plastics in Colombo and Galle food value chains. Functional Food/Health Claims: A SupplySide webinar spotlights “beauty-from-within” food and beverage formulation, focusing on ingredients, stability, and label claim considerations. Fermentation & Ingredients: Ferm Labs secured €3M to expand fermentation capacity in South Tyrol for natural flavor ingredients.

Hospital Food Reform: UW Health is leaning into a more sustainable, plant-forward menu, using local partnerships and a visible “where your food comes from” map to shift perceptions of hospital dining. Halloween Beverage Buzz: Starbucks rolls out a limited-time Black Cat Frappuccino and matching black cookie starting Oct. 22, plus other fall treats. On-Premise Brand Push: Suntory Global Spirits launches Haku’s first global campaign, “Made to Shine,” with Rina Sawayama and Tokyo nightlife as the growth engine. Packaging & Processing Watch: PMMI’s 2026 Packaging State of the Industry Report pegs U.S. packaging machinery shipments at about $11.7B in 2025, with food the biggest end market (~44%). Foodservice Labor: Philadelphia airport restaurant workers at PHL’s dining spots seek union recognition and healthcare improvements through Unite Here Local 274. Retail Convenience Play: Rutter’s “Craves” invites customers to build the next limited-time menu item, with finalists chosen for social voting. Food Safety/Compliance: Redding, California ran a decoy sting at 27 stores; all clerks refused alcohol to minors. Industry Tech & Claims: SupplySide’s webinar spotlights “beauty-from-within” food and beverage formulation, focusing on ingredient science and label claim considerations.