Category: Features
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Cleanability is becoming central to food equipment buying decisions today. As labour shortages and tighter sanitation demands reshape food production, hygienic design is moving from compliance detail to operational priority.
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February forced food manufacturers to price packaging compliance properly again. UK EPR fees were confirmed, DRS logo requirements pushed artwork decisions, and EU packaging and chemical rules kept tightening. Recycled-content accounting shifted, while a high-profile infant formula contamination episode refocused attention on ingredient risk.
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Food inflation is easing, but manufacturers are not breathing yet. January’s 3.6% annual rate is a far cry from early-2023’s near-19% surge, but it lands on supply chains with thinner margins, pricier labour, and a renewed exposure to commodity volatility and weather-linked disruption.
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January tightened the screws on food manufacturing compliance in Europe. UK HFSS advertising limits took effect, PFAS timelines for EU food-contact packaging hardened, and producer responsibility costs moved closer. Meanwhile, big bets on barrier materials, cocoa volatility, and coffee consolidation reset 2026 priorities.
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Cocoa prices eased in January, but long-term volatility persists globally. ICCO’s composite daily price fell from $5,984/tonne on 5 January to $5,103/tonne on 14 January, yet manufacturers are still treating cocoa as a high-risk input as EU deforestation compliance clocks keep ticking.
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Freeze-dried sweets are moving from novelty to wholesale necessity fast. Texture-led confectionery is becoming a “must-stock” trend, with social media demand and impulse-friendly formats pulling freeze-dried lines into more mainstream retail ranging.