Food Processing & Ingredients

Old Town, Maine – September 16, 2026 -- The Wild Blueberry Association of North America (WBANA) has released a free consumer-education toolkit designed to simplify scientific terminology around plant compounds for reporters, educators, parents and caregivers ahead of the back-to-school season.

WBANA responds to rising consumer confusion over bioactive compound terminology

Colleen Craig, who leads WBANA's Health Research Committee, said the trade group observed a surge in consumer publications using bioactive compound terms when discussing wild blueberries, generating increased customer questions about phytonutrients such as anthocyanins and antioxidants. The toolkit, titled 'The ABCs of Phytonutrients: A Back-to-School Guide to Wild Blueberry Plant Power,' is positioned as a first-step communications resource for the industry.

Reedsburg, Wis. – September 16, 2026 -- More than 40 Teamsters at Foremost Farms' butter production facility in Reedsburg, Wisconsin have ratified a new four-year contract delivering a 27 percent wage increase.

Workers secure retroactive pay and preserved health coverage

The agreement, reached by members of Teamsters Local 120, includes retroactive pay, additional vacation time, and preservation of TeamCare health coverage. It also delivers improved overtime protections, enhanced paid leave provisions, and measures addressing chronic staffing shortages at the plant.

Successor clause shields workers from ownership changes

The contract contains strong successor language designed to protect workers in the event of a plant sale, transfer, or change in ownership at the dairy cooperative facility.

Las Vegas – September 16, 2026 -- Superfruit Juice Company LLC has launched its SOPREMETM Soursop brand on Amazon, marking a new phase in the company's push to expand wholesale distribution of soursop-based beverages across the United States.

Company positions SOPREME as world's first premium soursop juice brand

SOPREMETM Soursop makes a 100% pure juice with pulp derived from a single ingredient: non-GMO soursop fruit, scientifically known as Annona muricata and also called guanabana or graviola. The fruit is widely consumed across the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia but remains largely unfamiliar to U.S. consumers, a gap the company is targeting for growth.

Shanghai – September 16, 2026 -- The FHC Shanghai Global Food Trade Show will run November 10-12, 2026 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center, drawing more than 3,000 international exhibitors and over 180,000 trade visitors across 200,000 square meters of floor space, organizers said.

Show spans 15 core food and beverage segments for one-stop sourcing

The event will host over 50 international pavilions and 500 overseas exhibitors, covering 15 product categories including meat, seafood, dairy, confectionery, foodservice supply, spices, coffee and tea, bakery, food processing and packaging, ready meals, canned goods, machinery, hotpot ingredients, infant nutrition, and food-and-medicine crossover products. Organizers say buyers can complete cross-category supplier comparisons within three days.

Shanghai – – September 15, 2026 -- FHC Shanghai 2026 will open its doors from November 10-12 at the new Shanghai International Expo Centre, spanning 200,000 square meters and bringing together more than 3,000 global exhibitors and over 180,000 trade buyers.

Event scale expands with 500 foreign exhibitors across 50 international pavilions

The three-day trade show will host more than 500 foreign exhibitors organized into over 50 international pavilions, covering 15 core sectors including meat, seafood, snack food and beverages, dairy, confectionery and chocolate, foodservice supply chains, condiments and oils, coffee and tea, bakery, food processing and packaging, ready meals, canned goods, machinery, hot-pot ingredients, infant and children's nutrition, and food-medicine crossover products. The format allows procurement executives to benchmark suppliers across categories within a single three-day visit.

Vienna – September 13, 2026 -- Elizaveta Rîmscaia of Moldova was crowned Overall Champion at the Julius Meinl International Barista Cup 2026 Grand Finale, held September 4 in Vienna's MuseumsQuartier, beating 14 other national champions across three brewing disciplines.

Austrian barista Mario Benetseder claims cappuccino title on home turf

Benetseder secured the win in the Cappuccino discipline, judged on the interplay of espresso and milk plus latte art execution. Stefan Kot of Poland took the Espresso category, evaluated on taste, balance and crema, while Luka Darispanashvili of Georgia won Signature Drink for creativity and flavor cohesion.

Competition drew over 350 applicants across 15 countries

National qualifying rounds ran in 15 markets including Austria, Italy, Germany, China, Georgia and Croatia, narrowing more than 350 barista applicants down to 15 national champions who advanced to the Vienna final.

Shanghai – September 13, 2026 -- The FHC Shanghai Global Food Trade Show will convene more than 3,000 exhibitors and 180,000 professional buyers across 200,000 square meters at the Shanghai New International Expo Center from November 10-12, 2026. The event will feature 50-plus international pavilions and 500 overseas exhibitors spanning 15 core food and beverage sectors.

Fifteen sectors cover the full food value chain from meat to prefabricated dishes

Exhibition segments include meat, aquatic products, dairy, sweets and chocolate, coffee and tea, bakery, food processing and packaging, prefabricated dishes and central kitchen, canned food, machinery and equipment, hot pot ingredients, baby and child food products, and food-medicine homology categories. Organizers state procurement decision-makers can complete cross-category supplier comparisons within the three-day window.

Chicago – September 12, 2026 -- Protein2o has appointed Mark Rappaport as Chief Executive Officer and Board member, pairing the leadership change with a new growth investment aimed at expanding the clear protein beverage maker's retail footprint and innovation pipeline.

Rappaport joins from Congo Brands, where he served as Global Chief Commercial Officer

Rappaport most recently led the global commercial organization at Congo Brands, overseeing a portfolio that includes Alani Nu. He spent over two decades scaling beverage and consumer brands, including senior leadership roles at Red Bull, where he ran the company's U.S. business and distribution organization during a period of significant growth.

Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois – September 12, 2026 -- Sara Lee Frozen Bakery is adding six single-serve cakes and cheesecakes to its Sweet Moments platform, expanding a line that already drives more than one-third of the company's fruit pie business.

Sweet Moments Cobblers now capture one-third of fruit pie sales

Launched last fall with three flavors -- Berry Bliss Crumble, Salted Caramel Peach and Orchard Apple Cinnamon -- the Sweet Moments Cobbler Cups now rank among the top dollar-velocity items in the frozen dessert category. The line is stocked in more than 5,000 U.S. stores, including Walmart, Albertsons, Publix, Wakefern and H-E-B, and each cup cooks in 60 seconds.

Shanghai – September 12, 2026 -- Natural Field has expanded its NF TriSolve® branded nutraceutical solution platform into the sleep wellness category with the launch of NF TriSolve® SleepRestore Complex, targeting global nutrition brands seeking differentiated formulations.

Natural Field enters sleep wellness market with coordinated multi-ingredient formulation

The new SleepRestore Complex combines multiple functional components into a single coordinated concept designed specifically for sleep-focused nutraceutical applications. The launch marks Natural Field's push beyond its existing categories into the growing sleep wellness segment, following a solution-oriented innovation model rather than single-ingredient development.