Nick Hughes
Category ReportHow spicy flavours are dominating snacking NPD
Spicy flavours are taking off in bagged snacks. So, how big can this fiery trend get? And is there still room for traditional tastes?
Analysis and FeaturesAre healthier sales targets too easy?
Food manufacturers are setting healthier sales targets, but critics accuse them of unambitious goals and sleight of hand
Category ReportA pricier parmesan: Dairymen Continental cheese category report 2023
Dramatic price spikes across Continental cheese are shaving off sales of classic Italian lines. And droughts could force up prices further
Category ReportGoing au naturel: Dairymen yoghurts & potted desserts category report 2023
As overall category volumes drop 7.4%, natural yoghurt has managed to stay in the black. What’s attracting shoppers?
Category ReportWhy chocolate has reached a melting point
Erratic weather is putting ever more pressure on chocolate prices. But certain brands are keeping cool in the face of melting demand
Analysis and FeaturesHorsegate 10 years on… is our food any safer?
In 2013, the horsemeat scandal rocked the nation, forcing widespread change inside the food industry. But has it been enough to stop another incident?
Category ReportA new breed: The Dairymen Continental cheese category report 2022
With Continental cheese’s biggest sellers on a post-lockdown slide, lesser known varieties are eyeing a larger market share
Category ReportFeeling the squeeze: The Dairymen yoghurt & potted desserts category report 2022
As sales fall, HFSS rules loom and the cost of living surges, the yoghurts & pot desserts market faces mounting pressure
Category ReportThe new era of innovation in chocolate: confectionery category report 2021
With confectioners facing an ad ban, launching new lines is set to get tougher. Will brands keep innovating in this environment?
Analysis and FeaturesWhy vegan chocolate is more than a fleeting fad
Amid a flurry of chocolate innovation over the past year, the vegan trend was front of suppliers’ minds.
Category ReportBring on the substitutes: Dairymen continental cheese category report 2021
Brits’ taste for continental cheeses hasn’t been dented by Brexit. So, UK dairies are offering their own take on gouda and the like
Category ReportMelting point: Dairymen butters & spreads category report 2021
Home cooking and squeezed household budgets are good news for BSM. As life returns to normal, will spreads sales melt away?
Analysis and FeaturesIs carbon offsetting really helping fmcg brands save the planet?
It’s an established practice allowing businesses to achieve net zero CO2 emissions. But is it effectively greenwashing?
Category ReportThe big lockdown lock-in: alcohol category report 2020
With pubs shut for most of 2020, Brits have brought home an extra half a billion litres of booze. Is this the ‘new normal’ for alcohol?
Category ReportPlant-based splashes down: The Dairymen yoghurt category report 2020
Giants of yoghurt are racing for space in chillers with dairy-free offers. What prize is at stake – and who will come first?
Category ReportBack by the basketful: The Dairymen butter & spreads category report 2020
Pre-pandemic, butter & spreads was one of the most lacklustre sectors in dairy. Covid changed that. How long can growth last?
Analysis and FeaturesAs Wowsomes is pulled does low-sugar chocolate have a future in the UK?
Did Wowsomes get it all wrong? Or is there just no appetite for it in the UK?
Analysis and FeaturesBrexit could trigger an explosive sugar labelling shake-up, here’s how
The UK can now make its own rules on nutritional labels, prompting calls for changes with explosive repercussions
NewsNestlé axes Wowsomes as lower-sugar treats struggle to find space
The bar was made with ‘hollow’ sugar crystals that reduced sugar content by 30% without affecting sweetness
Analysis and FeaturesWhat post-Brexit UK free ports could mean for food & drink
Boris Johnson has proposed to open up to 10 ‘free ports’ in the UK after Brexit. Is this a good thing for the food and drink industry?