Industry News – January 23, 2026

US - Pepperidge Farm Launches Three Cozy Chessmen Flavors 

Pepperidge Farm debuts Salted Caramel and Cinnamon Sugar Chessmen nationwide, with Brown Butter Pecan exclusive to Walmart, marking a premium flavor expansion of the brand's top-selling butter cookie at $5.89 per bag.

Why we care: When America's favorite butter shortbread goes gourmet with caramel and pecan, it signals consumers are willing to pay premium for elevated nostalgia in the cookie aisle.

Read more (Parade)

US - Spindrift Translates Moscow Mule Into Sparkling Water

Spindrift introduces Ginger Lime Mule Sparkling Water, bringing cocktail-inspired flavoring to the zero-alcohol functional beverage category with real fruit juice.

Why we care: Converting bar cart classics into sparkling water is either genius or sacrilege, but the sober-curious crowd will likely decide in Spindrift's favor.

US - Cup Noodles Chicken Wings Flavor Translates Wing House Experience

Nissin Foods launches Cup Noodles Chicken Wings flavor, bringing popular wing restaurant taste profiles into instant ramen format, tapping into America's $4.5 billion wing market through accessible convenience packaging.

Why we care: When instant noodles start mimicking restaurant experiences rather than generic flavors, it signals CPG brands are getting serious about competing with food delivery on taste.

Canada - Bubble Tea Oreos Launch Exclusively, Capturing Boba Trend

Mondelez debuts Bubble Tea Oreos exclusively in Canada, translating the viral Asian beverage trend into cookie format with boba-inspired flavoring and positioning for Gen Z snackers.

Why we care: Oreo's relentless trend-chasing into bubble tea territory proves no beverage phenomenon is safe from cookie-fication, and Canada gets to test it first.

UK - Nestlé Launches Milkybar Crunchy Pops

Nestlé introduces Milkybar Crunchy Pops, adding textural crunch to the iconic white chocolate brand through crispy rice pieces, expanding the portfolio beyond traditional smooth bars for new snacking occasions.

Why we care: When a 90-year-old white chocolate brand finally discovers texture, it's admitting smooth and creamy isn't enough anymore—consumers want sensory complexity in every bite.

Read more (Better Retailing)

US - Monster Energy Releases Three New Drinks Early

Monster accelerates planned flavor launches ahead of official schedule, adding to its extensive energy drink portfolio with early retail availability.

Why we care: Early releases typically mean the brand's reacting to competitive pressure or testing velocity before full distribution, either way, interesting market dynamics at play.

US - PepsiCo Rolls Out Flavor Swap Cross-Brand Mashup Line (Mid-February)

Frito-Lay launches Flavor Swap series featuring iconic flavors on unexpected chip styles: Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue on Cheetos Crunchy, Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream on Doritos, and Doritos Cool Ranch on Ruffles, with celebrity endorsements from Madison Beer, IShowSpeed, and Dude Perfect.

Why we care: When PepsiCo starts remixing its own portfolio by putting Doritos flavors on Ruffles chips, they're creating internal brand collaborations that double innovation velocity without external licensing costs.

Read more (Parade)

Global - M&M's and Marvel Launch Year-Long "It's More Fun Together" Campaign (Late January)

Mars partners with Disney for 65-market global campaign featuring seven limited-edition packs with Spokescandies as Marvel characters (Yellow as Wolverine, Red as Deadpool, Blue as Daredevil, Purple as Elektra, Green as She-Hulk, Brown as Yelena, Orange as Red Guardian). Campaign includes digital content showing Spokescandies auditioning for MCU roles, QR-code sweepstakes, and tie-in with Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday theatrical releases. US retail launch March 2026.

Why we care: Mars is orchestrating a masterclass in fandom economics, transforming cinema hype into confectionery sales across five candy variants and twelve months of cultural relevance.

US - Hershey's and Nabisco Collaborate on Cookies 'n' Creme Chips Ahoy!

Hershey's partners with Nabisco to create Cookies 'n' Creme Chips Ahoy!, featuring white creme with chocolate cookie pieces, merging two iconic American snack brands into a co-branded cookie innovation.

Why we care: When two CPG giants collaborate on cookies, it's not just about flavor, it's about doubling shelf presence, splitting innovation costs, and reminding retailers that established brands can still play nicely together.

US - Pop-Tarts and Peeps Unite for Frosted Strawberry Mashup

Kellogg's merges two iconic American brands with Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tarts Peeps, featuring marshmallow-shaped breakfast pastries in limited-edition release that bridges morning and Easter candy occasions.

Why we care: When breakfast pastries cosplay as Easter candy, you're witnessing the kind of nostalgic brand mashup that makes perfect sense to precisely no one, except Gen Z consumers who live for this chaos.

US - Mr. Bubble Bubble Gum Soda Brings Bath Time to Beverage Aisle

Nostalgic bath product brand Mr. Bubble launches Bubble Gum Soda, translating 65+ years of childhood bath-time memories into drinkable format with bubble gum flavoring and leveraging cross-category brand extension.

Why we care: Licensing a bath soap into a beverage is the sort of category-blurring audacity that either revolutionizes brand extensions or becomes a cautionary tale in marketing textbooks, possibly both simultaneously.

US - Pringles and Cheez-It Launch Snack Stadiums for Game Day

Kellogg's unites two powerhouse snack brands with co-branded Snack Stadiums, creating themed packaging designed specifically for sports watching occasions and maximizing shelf presence through strategic brand pairing.

Why we care: Co-packaging competitors under the same corporate umbrella is brilliant portfolio management, doubling facings, sharing innovation costs, and owning the entire game day snacking moment in one purchase.

UK - KitKat Unveils First-Ever Formula 1 Chocolate Car

Nestlé's KitKat creates sculptural chocolate Formula 1 car, merging long-standing F1 partnership with edible art to celebrate racing sponsorship and premium chocolate craftsmanship in market-generating spectacle.

Why we care: Building race cars out of chocolate is the kind of marketing spectacle that justifies sponsorship budgets and generates social media engagement without selling a single additional bar, pure brand theater.

US - Heinz Debuts Dipper Fry Box Packaging Innovation

Heinz introduces an integrated packaging solution combining crispy fries with built-in ketchup compartment, targeting on-the-go convenience at select retailers nationwide and solving the eternal condiment placement problem through structural design.

Why we care: Packaging innovation that eliminates friction points in consumption experiences deserves attention, especially when it transforms a 150-year-old condiment brand into a convenience category disruptor.

US - Beyond Meat Enters Functional Beverage Category with Beyond Immerse 

Beyond (formerly Beyond Meat) launches plant-based protein drinks with pea protein, tapioca fiber, antioxidants, and electrolytes in Peach Mango, Lemon Lime, and Orange Tangerine flavors. Available in 10g or 20g protein variants (60-100 calories) exclusively on Beyond Test Kitchen e-commerce platform. First non-meat product in company's 17-year history as brand pivots from declining plant-based meat sales toward $78 billion functional beverage market and GLP-1-driven protein demand.

Why we care: When a struggling alt-meat company abandons its core category for sparkling protein drinks, it's either innovation or desperation...the market will decide which in short order.