January 9, 2026

Please see below for a listing of what the North Point Food & Beverage Team has been tracking this week. We hope that you find the content insightful and a nice way to summarize the most noteworthy Food & Beverage events of the week.

Have a nice weekend!

Glen Clarke

Head of Food & Beverage

—

Laird Superfood to acquire Navitas for USD 38.5m.

• Laird Superfood, Inc., announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire all of the outstanding equity of Navitas LLC for a purchase price of $38.5 million in cash, subject to customary purchase price adjustments.

Source: Mergermarket

—

Cobram Estate Olives agrees to acquire California Olive Ranch for USD 173.5m.

• Cobram Estate Olives Limited has entered into a binding agreement to acquire California Olive Ranch, Inc., the leading producer and marketer of Californian extra virgin olive oil.

Source: Mergermarket

—

North Point served as the lead financial advisor in this transaction:

Premium Brands finalizes purchase of Stampede Culinary Partners.

• Premium Brands Holdings Corp., a producer, marketer and distributor of specialty foods, recently confirmed it completed the acquisition of Stampede Culinary Partners Inc. for $688 million.

Source: Meat + Poultry

—

FairWave acquires Fiddleheads Coffee.

• Fiddleheads Coffee, Thiensville WI’s oldest family-owned and operated small-batch roastery, announced that they are joining FairWave Collective, a collective of specialty coffee brands operating together to drive quality coffee within communities.

Source: Mergermarket

—

Good Culture Announces Majority Investment from L Catterton.

• Good Culture, the clean-label cultured dairy brand credited with revolutionizing cottage cheese for the modern age, announced that L Catterton, a leading global consumer-focused investment firm, has entered into a definitive agreement to make a majority investment in the company. The investment marks a pivotal milestone for Good Culture following years of rapid growth and positions the brand for accelerated expansion nationwide.

Source: PR Newswire

—

PPC invests in NaturPak.

• PPC, a leading family investment firm focused on partnering with family, founder and management-owned businesses, announced the acquisition of NaturPak. NaturPak manufactures and packages a broad portfolio of bone broths, soups, sauces, and wet pet food, as well as high-growth ingredients. 

Source: Mergermarket

—

Cuisine Solutions explores potential sale with Rothschild, Morgan Stanley – report.

• Cuisine Solutions, a Virginia‑based sous vide food company, has hired Rothschild and Morgan Stanley to explore a potential sale process next year that could value the company at more than USD 2bn, a newswire reported.

Source: Mergermarket

—

Ocean Spray exploring a sale of consumer-packaged goods.

• Ocean Spray Cranberries, a farmer-owned agricultural cooperative known for its cranberry and grapefruit products, is exploring a sale of its consumer-packaged goods business, according to three sources familiar with the situation.

Source: Mergermarket

—

NextFoods secures USD 10m in Series 3 Led by ECP Growth.

• NextFoods Inc., parent company to science-backed functional nutrition companies Cheribundi and GoodBelly, announced the close of its $10 million Series 3 funding round led by ECP Growth, a leading growth stage investment firm that partners with entrepreneurial businesses creating products, solutions, and technologies across the consumer value-chain.

Source: Mergermarket

—

Top 10 stories of 2025.

• The article highlights the most impactful meat and poultry industry stories of 2025, dominated by plant closures, layoffs, major lawsuits, executive moves, labor disputes, and regulatory actions involving companies like Tyson Foods, Hormel Foods, JBS, and Johnsonville.
• Several stories focus on government and enforcement activity, including a large ICE raid at a Nebraska meat plant, the dismissal of the USDA inspector general, and a federal order requiring USDA to reinstate nearly 6,000 workers.
• Industry-wide implications include major financial settlements, new facility investments such as an $800 million beef plant nearing completion, and strong reactions to a newly released federal meat strategy from MAHA and Secretary Kennedy.

Source: Meat + Poultry

—

The food and beverage trends to watch in 2026.

• Food and beverage companies in 2026 are balancing contradictory consumer demands by pairing health-focused reformulations and functional ingredients like protein and fiber with indulgence, convenience and nostalgic flavors, while also responding to regulatory pressure on ultra processed foods and the rise of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.
• Innovation is increasingly driven by “weird” flavors, bold collaborations and brand mashups to capture attention, especially among younger consumers, while M&A activity is expected to accelerate as companies pursue niche health brands or larger deals to boost growth and efficiency.
• Alcohol and beverage makers are prioritizing diversification and better-for-you options such as nonalcoholic, low-calorie and functional drinks, even as they continue to invest in core brands and classic recipes that still resonate with value- and nostalgia-driven consumers.

Source: Food Dive

—

Food makers cut prices to reignite growth.

• Major food companies such as General Mills and PepsiCo are cutting prices on a significant portion of their product portfolios to improve affordability and boost volumes as consumers pull back spending after years of inflation-driven price hikes.
• Despite some easing, food inflation remains elevated, driven by higher commodity costs like coffee, ground beef and cocoa, which has forced certain companies, including Hershey, to continue raising prices in select categories.
• Executives say pricing strategies are becoming more targeted and strategic, balancing selective price cuts to regain consumers with increases where input costs remain high, as shoppers increasingly rely on discounts and value-focused purchases.

Source: Food Dive

—

Market outlook: Poultry taking center stage.

• Global poultry production and consumption are expected to continue rising in 2026, driven by affordability, fewer cultural barriers and steady feed costs, while beef and pork production face contractions due to herd rebuilding, disease pressures and structural market shifts.
• Rabobank forecasts poultry and seafood as the main growth drivers in animal protein, with beef production projected to decline further globally, pressuring margins amid volatility, trade disruptions and sustainability challenges that require efficiency gains across farms and processors.
• Tyson Foods and JBS highlight the industry split, with strong chicken and pork performance offset by historically large losses in beef, prompting plant closures, capacity reductions and continued strain as cattle supplies remain tight and beef prices stay elevated.

Source: Meat + Poultry

—

Meat costs, demand on the upswing. 

• Meat and poultry costs rose sharply in 2025, pressuring companies like Conagra Brands and Hormel Foods as double-digit increases in beef, pork, chicken, turkey and eggs, along with tariffs and commodity inflation, weighed heavily on margins despite solid sales momentum.
• Strong consumer demand for protein continues to fuel higher prices, with protein ranking as the most sought-after nutrient for the fifth straight year, driven by interest in weight management, GLP-1 medications, fitness and healthy aging, and with meat and poultry remaining the top protein sources.
• Supply constraints across beef and pork, combined with record-high global meat prices, are expected to persist, though USDA forecasts point to improved feed costs and higher broiler production in 2026, partially offset by risks such as avian influenza and ongoing cattle herd rebuilding.

Source: Meat + Poultry

—

GLP-1 named top health trend for 2026.

• Expansion of GLP-1 medications was named the top health and nutrition trend for 2026, with experts predicting broader use beyond obesity and diabetes into areas such as heart health, kidney disease and addiction as costs fall and adoption grows.
• Wearable technology paired with artificial intelligence and the concept of food as medicine tied as the second most important trends, reflecting growing interest in personalized, real-time health data and diets centered on whole, nutrient-dense foods like the Mediterranean diet.
• Interest in fully plant-based diets, lab-grown meat and hyper-personalized meal delivery has cooled, as many consumers and influencers shift toward balanced diets that may include sustainably and ethically sourced animal products.

Source: Meat + Poultry

—

Midan publishes top 10 meat, dairy trends for 2026.

• Midan Marketing’s 2026 outlook shows sustainability, transparency and “food as medicine” becoming baseline expectations, with protein positioned as essential to health and wellness while AI increasingly shapes how consumers discover, evaluate and purchase meat and dairy products.
• Tight beef supplies and record-high prices are expected to persist, creating opportunities for pork, poultry and lamb, while beef-on-dairy, by-product premiumization and affordable indulgences offer new revenue streams across the protein value chain.
• Consumer behavior is shifting toward convenience, private label and social commerce, prompting brands to strengthen differentiation, invest in marketing and meet shoppers through AI-driven search, e-commerce and shoppable social platforms.

Source: Meat + Poultry

—

US dietary guidelines tell Americans to avoid highly processed foods.

• The Trump administration released new U.S. dietary guidelines urging Americans to avoid highly processed packaged foods, sharply limit added sugars, and cook more meals at home, framing the update as a major reset of federal nutrition policy aligned with “Make America Healthy Again” priorities.
• The guidelines reverse prior advice by emphasizing protein, saturated fats, and full-fat dairy, easing restrictions on foods like meat, eggs, butter, and dairy while still capping saturated fat at 10% of daily calories and setting a new strict limit of 10 grams of added sugar per meal.
• While many health groups praised the focus on reducing ultra processed foods and sugar, others criticized the increased emphasis on animal fats and proteins, arguing it contradicts existing scientific evidence and prior expert recommendations favoring more plant-based diets.

Source: Food Dive

—

Coca-Cola begins corporate restructuring with 75 layoffs.

• Coca-Cola has begun a corporate restructuring in 2026, starting with 75 layoffs at its headquarters effective around Feb. 28, with additional job cuts expected to roll out in phases over the coming months.
• The restructuring is tied to efforts to drive future revenue growth, adapt to shifting consumer preferences toward less sugary beverages, and reallocate investment to priority areas such as artificial intelligence as the company prepares for a CEO transition.
• Despite the planned workforce reductions, Coca-Cola reported solid performance, posting 5% revenue growth in the third quarter and projecting similar growth for the full year, while joining other major CPG companies that have recently reduced headcount.

Source: Food Dive

—

Ground beef recalled due to concerns of E. coli contamination.

• Mountain West Food Group LLC recalled 2,855 pounds of raw grass-fed ground beef after routine USDA testing detected E. coli O26 contamination in products produced on Dec. 16, 2025.
• The recalled 1-lb vacuum-sealed packages labeled “Forward Farms Grass-Fed Ground Beef” were shipped to retailers in six states and bear the establishment number EST 2083.
• No illnesses have been reported in connection with the recall, but consumers are advised not to consume the affected products.

Source: Meat + Poultry

JUST FOR FUN

—

Hershey gives Shaq-A-Licious some game with multi-textured gummy—Food Dive

www.nptma.com

Member FINRA/SIPC