01
What changed in food & beverage regulation and policy this week?
Government decisions, new rules and policy shifts reported this week.
02
An E. coli O157:H7 outbreak has sickened 50 people across multiple states, with investigations linked to Trader Joe’s Tarragon Chicken Salad Wraps produced by F&S Fresh Foods in Vineland, New Jersey.
Read at foodsafetynews.com ↗03
The U.S. government program initiated by the Trump administration to import lean beef trimmings has only processed about 60,000 metric tons of the 300,000 metric ton target.
Read at nytimes.com ↗04
Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and Danone have committed to updating recycling claims on their plastic bottles following a greenwashing complaint initiated by the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) in November 2023.
Read at esgtoday.com ↗05
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) are negotiating a temporary arrangement with the EU to protect the novel foods sector, including lab-grown meat, from potential regulatory disruption caused by a new Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) deal.
Read at thegrocer.co.uk ↗06
Major food and drink companies, including Asda, Coca-Cola, and Mars, have sent a letter to UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham urging him to scrap proposed changes to HFSS advertising restrictions.
Read at thegrocer.co.uk ↗07
Brazil has suspended all poultry exports to China following the confirmation of a case of Newcastle disease.
Read at bloomberg.com ↗08
A study by the University of Chicago estimates that a mandatory federal labeling policy for ultra-processed foods (UPF) in the US could cost at least $14.2 billion annually.
Read at foodnavigator.com ↗8 of 27 regulation and policy events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What funding rounds and acquisitions happened in food & beverage this week?
The week’s notable investments, financing rounds, acquisitions and strategic deals.
09
The Italian pasta manufacturer Barilla has acquired the mac and cheese brand Goodles for $750 million.
Read at forbes.com ↗10
McCormick & Co. has cleared a major U.S. antitrust hurdle for its proposed $44.8 billion acquisition of Unilever’s food business after the Federal Trade Commission granted early termination of the waiting period on October 23, 2026.
Read at pymnts.com ↗11
Wilde Brands, a manufacturer of chicken-based protein chips, has secured a $40 million investment from S2G Investments to scale operations and brand visibility.
Read at foodnavigator.com ↗12
Italian pasta manufacturer Barilla acquired the healthier macaroni-and-cheese brand Goodles for $750 million.
Read at bloomberg.com ↗13
Boparan Private Office, led by founder Ranjit Singh, announced a £100 million investment in its British turkey production operations.
Read at esmmagazine.com ↗14
French agri-food company Fleury Michon has acquired the UK-based vegan brand Allplants for an undisclosed price.
Read at thegrocer.co.uk ↗15
Nestlé has committed an additional $1 billion investment to expand its production capabilities and supply chain in Mexico, as announced on October 19, 2026.
Read at foodnavigator.com ↗16
Spanish seafood company Nueva Pescanova Group has finalized the sale of its French chilled-seafood division to the Ecuadorian aquaculture firm Grupo Omarsa.
Read at esmmagazine.com ↗8 of 10 funding and m&a events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What products launched in food & beverage this week?
Notable product launches, releases and platform updates from the week.
17
The Hershey Company has launched a new range of seven Reese’s Christmas confectionery products, including Advent calendars, selection boxes, and tins.
Read at confectionerynews.com ↗18
Starbucks has launched its holiday menu, including the Black Cat Frappuccino, as part of a strategy to boost sales.
Read at forbes.com ↗19
Ferrero has entered into a partnership with Marvel to launch a series of superhero-themed confectionery products in North America.
Read at confectionerynews.com ↗20
Ukrainian poultry producer Avesterra Group has begun regular chicken exports to the UK following successful trial shipments in summer 2026.
Read at thegrocer.co.uk ↗21
Mars has launched a shoppable Instagram experience to facilitate direct consumer purchases, joining competitors Hershey and Ferrero in the social commerce space.
Read at foodnavigator.com ↗22
General Mills launched its Epic brand meat sticks on October 21, 2026, with a nationwide retail rollout planned for 2027.
Read at foodnavigator.com ↗23
South Korean food company Samyang has launched a new 'Swicy' (sweet and spicy) variant of its Buldak ramen, featuring a new mascot named Peppo to replace the previous mascot Hochi.
Read at foodnavigator.com ↗24
PepsiCo is discontinuing the Mountain Dew Sweet Lightning soda, which has been an exclusive flavor for KFC restaurants since 2019.
Read at thestreet.com ↗8 of 43 product launches events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What financial results were reported in food & beverage this week?
Earnings, guidance and other financial results reported this week.
25
Nestlé reported a 2.8% real internal growth (RIG) for the third quarter of 2026, exceeding market expectations of 1.8%.
Read at thegrocer.co.uk ↗26
The retailer Westlands Sohals, formerly associated with Spar, reported a 22% increase in weekly sales at its Droitwich store in the UK after switching to the Select & Save symbol group.
Read at thegrocer.co.uk ↗27
Hain Celestial, the parent company of Sleepytime Tea, reported a loss of $305 million.
Read at inc.com ↗28
Nestlé India reported strong volume growth across all product categories for the second quarter of the 2026/27 financial year.
Read at esmmagazine.com ↗29
Arabica coffee futures on ICE reached a one-month high of $3.1380 per lb on Monday, October 19, 2026, driven by low exchange stocks and a strengthening Brazilian real.
Read at esmmagazine.com ↗30
Nestlé reported a 4% organic sales growth for the third quarter of 2026, exceeding analyst expectations of 3.4%.
Read at esmmagazine.com ↗31
Nestlé reported 4% organic sales growth for Q3 2026, exceeding analyst expectations of 3.4%.
Read at esmmagazine.com ↗What court rulings and legal actions hit food & beverage this week?
Court rulings, filings and legal actions reported this week.
32
Nicolás Maduro's government in Caracas has imprisoned the owner of Venezuela's largest seafood company.
Read at wsj.com ↗33
The state of Texas has filed a lawsuit against Nestlé subsidiary Gerber, alleging that the company's baby food products contain unsafe levels of heavy metals.
Read at supplychaindive.com ↗34
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Gerber Products Company on October 9, 2026, alleging the company marketed baby food as safe despite internal tests showing the presence of heavy metals.
Read at foodnavigator.com ↗What research was published in food & beverage this week?
New research findings and studies published this week.
35
The South African Food Security Index 2026, commissioned by Shoprite Group and Stellenbosch University, reports that household hunger in South Africa reached its highest level since 2010 during 2025.
Read at esmmagazine.com ↗36
The Changing Markets Foundation (CMF) released a report on October 23, 2026, indicating that 20 major retailers have failed to take action on livestock methane emissions.
Read at energylivenews.com ↗37
The seventh annual State of the Climate report, published in BioScience, indicates that 7 out of 16 key climate indicators have reached record extremes.
Read at grist.org ↗38
A report commissioned by the British Standards Institution (BSI) and the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) reveals that 97% of food and beverage companies identified modern slavery or labor rights violations in their supply chains over the last 12 months.
Read at foodmanufacture.co.uk ↗39
A study by researchers at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University found that daily coffee calories for American adults increased by nearly 40% between 2003 and 2018.
Read at sciencedaily.com ↗40
According to the EY-Parthenon GLP-1 Consumer Impact Report published on October 22, 2026, 54% of GLP-1 users in the United States now use the medication primarily for weight management.
Read at supermarketnews.com ↗41
A report by the Marine Stewardship Council, conducted by GlobeScan, reveals that 67% of US seafood consumers now demand products from sustainable sources, an increase from 56% in 2016.
Read at foodnavigator.com ↗42
Cleo released a report estimating that late and incomplete deliveries cost food and consumer packaged goods manufacturers in the U.S. and Canada approximately $100 billion annually.
Read at freightwaves.com ↗8 of 16 research events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What incidents and outages hit food & beverage this week?
Incidents, outages and safety events reported this week.
43
An explosion and subsequent fire occurred at the Quaker Oats plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday, October 24, 2026.
Read at foxbusiness.com ↗44
A major cyberattack targeted internet-connected refrigeration systems across 700 French supermarkets, including Intermarché, Coopérative U, and Carrefour SA.
Read at insurancejournal.com ↗45
Hundreds of supermarkets across France and several other European countries, including Spain, Portugal, Poland, Germany, and Belgium, suffered cyberattacks on their refrigeration systems on the night of Monday, October 19, 2026.
Read at darkreading.com ↗3 of 12 incidents and safety events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.