What 22,000 brands reveal about how small food brands actually grow
New data from Kantar suggests small brands grow faster through depth of connection than breadth of reach. Here’s what that means for founders deciding where to spend.
The sugar terminology debate: your regulator has already answered it
There’s an opinion piece moving through nutrition science right now, and it’s worth talking about.
Caffeine rules in Australia: what FSANZ has just changed
Caffeine has never been freely addable to food in this country. The Code’s general prohibitions already stop you from using it as a food additive or a nutritive substance, and permitted flavouring substances are permitted at GMP, with caffeine expressly carved out. The only meaningful permissions sit with cola-type drinks and formulated caffeinated beverages.
Brisbane 2032 is committing 30% of its spend to small businesses. Compliance decides who gets it.
Queensland’s procurement policy sets a whole-of-government target of sourcing 30% of procurement spend by value from Queensland small and medium enterprises. It took effect at the start of 2026, it applies across the state’s annual spend, and it is a figure agencies are measured against rather than a vague nod to backing local business.
Brand trust when money’s tight: consistency only works if your claims stack up
Right now, shoppers are switching supermarkets based on whoever’s cheapest that week. Consumer confidence is down, the cost of living is biting, and people are dropping brands they’ve bought for years the moment a competitor looks like better value.
Flavour trends for 2026: what the Food Standards Code will actually let you use
A new report has mapped out where flavour innovation is heading, and it reads like a list of commercial opportunities. Comfort. Discovery. Authenticity. Sensory experience. All of it live, all of it fundable, all of it landing in product briefs right now.
Hojicha is coming for matcha’s crown. Here’s the labelling risk nobody’s talking about.
For years, matcha has been the flavour everyone wanted a piece of. There’s a new contender quietly coming for its crown, and it’s called hojicha.
Drink label compliance: why the bar just moved for drink brands
The non-alcoholic drinks industry has published a consumer guide to exactly what to check on a drink label. If you sell a drink product, you should know what it says.
Fibre is having its moment: the claims rules brands keep getting wrong
For years, protein got all the attention. Every second product on the shelf was reformulated, repackaged and relaunched around a protein hit.
But there’s a quieter ingredient about to have its moment. Fibre.
Food innovation trends 2026: Purpose over novelty
We’re over halfway through 2026, so it’s worth asking where food innovation is actually heading. The answer isn’t novelty. The products gaining ground this year aren’t the loudest or the newest – they’re the ones built around purpose.