Innovation 2025: Rants & Raves

THE US

Pre-why-otic play

Pepsi has decided to launch a prebiotic soda just a few months after buying Poppi for US$1.95 billion. The Pepsi branded prebiotic range has pretty much the same nutritional creds as Poppi, with “5 grams of cane sugar, 30 calories, and no artificial sweeteners,” as well as “3 grams of prebiotic fiber.” 

This launch makes no sense, since Poppi is wildly popular and has already been established as a better-for-you alternative to legacy soda brands. And Pepsi’s version is only going to be available in retail next year.

Why would you want to launch a new product that would just be cannibalized by the existing product? Unless Pepsi is considering killing Poppi and bringing it under the Pepsi branding, which would not win the company any favors. 

Or perhaps Pepsi’s R&D was already working on a prebiotic range when the decision was made to buy Poppi and they’re just living out the sunk cost fallacy. 

I understand that everyone wants in on the health stuff as consumers pull away from traditional sugary drinks, but there are so many other things to do in the H&W space. The only other option that might make some sense is if Pepsi is going for an affordability play, making H&W more accessible to a wider audience, but I couldn’t find a pricing for the range, so we’re just going to have to wait and watch.

Speaking of confusing moves… one Dutch retailer has decided to split the difference between dairy and plants.

THE NETHERLANDS

Udderly mixed up

Retailer Albert Heijn has introduced a range of milks that are a blend of dairy milk (60-70%) and plant-based milk (the rest is fava bean protein and sunflower oil).

The range, available as skimmed, semi-skimmed, and whole milk, is said to have levels of Vitamins B, B1+, and D (added) as standard milk and plant-based milk. These hybrid milks are also said to offer the sensory and nutritional experience of traditional dairy – and the price is also comparable.

So, my main question is, who the heck is this product for exactly?

Various consumer studies have shown that a fair share of dairy milk drinkers today also buy and consume plant-based milks, and use the different milks for different purposes – occasionally and regularly. Maybe they blend them, maybe they don’t. Plus, the plant ingredient here is fava beans; maybe folks prefer oat or almond or soy instead. 

People who avoid dairy products aren’t going to go for this hybrid range anyway. Granted these products have a slightly lower saturated fat content, but they also have a lower protein content, which will not do for today’s protein-obsessed consumer.

The hybrid milks also claim to have “a substantially reduced carbon footprint” (whatever that means), but is this really a major selling point for milk drinkers? The product very conveniently does not put a number to this claim, because measuring the emissions precisely and making the claim is a complex process and the retailer decided not to put the specific number on-pack. 

SWITZERLAND

New on the label: A pain scale

Just take a look at the label on this image. Would you buy this meat? 

Well, Switzerland is definitely going to make you think twice about animal welfare. The government is making it mandatory for meat, dairy, and egg products to carry labels if they come from animals subjected to painful procedures without anesthesia. 

That includes beef from dehorned cattle, pork from castrated or tail-docked pigs, milk from dehorned cows, and of course foie gras from force-fed geese and ducks. Restaurants, retailers, and food producers now have two years to fully comply.

This is a landmark move for transparency. Much like front-of-pack nutrition traffic lights empower healthier food choices, these labels let consumers decide how much they care about animal welfare. It also potentially gives Swiss farmers a competitive edge against imports produced under looser welfare rules.

The implications could be far-reaching. The policy may nudge more consumers towards ethical or plant-based alternatives while putting pressure on producers abroad to match higher standards. It also sets a precedent that other European countries may feel compelled to follow. 

The real test, however, will be whether consumers actually change their buying habits. Guilt can be a powerful motivator, but not always one that translates into changed habits at the checkout. 

THE UK

How about some ch-AI?

I don’t know if this particular product actually uses AI, but that seems to be the default positioning for the “everything is computer” era, so I’m going for the gusto. Plus, we love a good pun here at GourmetPro…

A UK startup has launched an automated chai vending machine for shared spaces called, wait for it… Chai GPTea (chef’s kiss, no notes). These machines use pre-mixed blends of tea, spices, and herbs for a cuppa in under a minute. The unit has a touchscreen interface and a menu with 7 tea options – masala, ginger, cardamom, saffron, lemongrass, matcha latte, and pink chai (I’m not sure what that is either).

Aside from the fact that I loved the name of the vending machine, it is unique in that there are no tea vending machines of this caliber. We do have several coffee machines with multiple options, but for tea from a machine thus far, you just had to make do with a boring old tea bag and hot water/milk. Chai GPTea elevates the experience with a number of flavorful options that use real ingredients and play up tea’s health halo. 

INDIA

Bye to the bag

Some more tea news.

Indian startup Woolah Tea has launched what it is calling the world’s first bagless dip tea. This product is essentially a compressed bundle of dried tea leaves (specifically, one bud and two leaves) tied together with organic cotton string. When the product is brewed in hot water, it opens up like one of those flowering teas.

This product addresses two problems that traditional tea bags face.

1. Plastic: Tea bags are usually made from plastic-based materials (food-grade, but still) and we have enough microplastics entering our bodies. 

2. Transparency: You can actually see the ingredients. Tea bags often contain tea dust from processing rather than the leaves, which may not be what you want from your tea. 

I get that you can just buy loose tea, but quantity consistency and (I cannot stress this enough) convenience are part of what make a good cuppa. 

Like what you’re reading?

DENMARK

Regen brew

Carlsberg introduced its new beer Grobund, said to be Denmark’s first beer brewed entirely from regeneratively grown barley. This beer marks the start of Carlsberg’s ambition to use only regenerative grain across its portfolio by 2040. The company has already secured contracts for 14,800 tons of regenerative malt,  enough to cover around 40% of its Danish production in 2025 and 2026. Carlsberg also said that raw materials account for around 40% of their emissions and the use of regeneratively grown barley would help reduce emissions and improve soil health. 

There is growing interest in sustainable methods of producing food and a number of brands have launched products using raw materials grown using regen ag. 

• SPINS data indicates that sales of regenerative products grew by over 20% in 2023.

• An NIQ study shows that 54% of consumers are curious about trying regeneratively grown products and 75% of consumers are looking for certification.

Expect to see regen – and sustainably produced – food and drink to be more front and center in the coming year.

THE NETHERLANDS

Acid trip

A new Dutch snack brand called Rewind may take the cake for weirdest ever flavor, with the launch of its 9-volt battery flavored corn chips. According to the company, they used “a blend of citric acid and sodium bicarbonate to create the tongue-tingling effect, and balanced it out with mineral salts which give the chips  a metallic tang.” 

The 9-volt battery flavor is a limited edition product and it appears to be a way for the brand to get some attention for its less offbeat flavors. 

Rewind is trying to establish itself as a nostalgia inducing brand, which really makes me wonder what kind of childhood Dutch kids are having that batteries are a throwback flavor. Though I guess we’ve all been there at some point. 

An interesting aspect of this product is that the ingredients used to create the flavor also offer that unique metallic mouthfeel, which might be the next step in the evolution of flavors. Texture and mouthfeel are increasingly becoming major selling points for F&B brands as consumers want a lot more than just flavor. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw more flavors that are not really linked to food at all popping up. It also tickles me pink that this means leaning into all those “scary” chemicals. To continue the meme – “Everything is chemicals!” 

THE UK

Grape expectations

The first time I heard of cotton candy grapes, I was entranced. I’ve never had the pleasure of tasting them, but I live in constant hope. The irony is also not lost on me: we spend an insane amount of effort trying to make packaged food taste like natural things and now, we’re trying to make natural things taste like fake things. Good times.

That brings us to the next edition of fun fruit flavors: mojito flavored grapes!

This product was grown by Spanish farming company Uvasdoce Fresh and developed by fruit breeder Bloom Fresh. This variety was developed by selecting and breeding one flavor of grape with another, and the flavor profile is said to be sweet with notes of lime and spearmint. The grapes were launched in the UK this year for a limited period (they were available in Spain last year).

This is exactly what science was intended for: to make boring old fruits and vegetables taste better so that people eat more of them. I have begun to wonder what else can be done with produce. Can we eventually grow cinnamon-flavored apples or sriracha-flavored cabbage or cheese-flavored broccoli? I can’t wait for the future!

And a closing whine…

Can we say bye to Dubai chocolate already?

You can’t throw a stone now without hitting something that is Dubai chocolate flavored. Let’s move on, eh? I don’t need everything from my ice cream and protein powder to espresso martini to have this flavor. This is going to make me very unpopular, but the damn chocolate thing was a bit overrated to begin with. Time to let it melt away.

Made with ❤️ by GourmetPro - your network of Food & Beverage experts, on demand.

💖 And if you think someone you know might be interested in this edition of Market Shake, feel free to simply forward this email or click the button below. 💖

👉 P.S.: GourmetPro is also on LinkedIn!