As January rolls on, we bring you another 2026 outlook episode. This time around, Rob Dongoski and Katherine Black, both partners and business sector leads for management consulting firm Kearney, discuss everything from the Dietary Guidelines and the MAHA movement to tariffs and the cost of food and beverage products in the new year.

How is artificial intelligence moving into the grocery and retail space, and what impact do they see from the ultraprocessed foods debate? According to Kearney’s outlook, 2026 is a turning point for food and beverage processors on several levels in a rewired food system, and it could lead to what we at Food Processing are calling “the great reformulation.”

Rocco Renaldi, secretary-general of the International Food & Beverage Alliance (IFBA), returns to the Food For Thought podcast to discuss the various ways in which snack foods have gotten more nutritious for consumers, often discreetly and without much fanfare over the years.

Certainly, snack processors have made headline-worthy changes as well, and those are expected to continue as pressures continue to influence product formulation and composition. As consumers demand more nutritious options, these companies continue to develop and seek solutions to meet those demands.

As any parent, aunt, uncle or grandparent knows, feeding kids nutritious, healthful foods that taste good and are beloved by those children can be a real challenge at times. Michael Allen, CEO of Kidfresh, joins the podcast this time around to discuss the mission and strategies of Kidfresh and how they approach meeting the demands of our society’s smallest picky eaters.

Allen also discusses where frozen foods stand in the typical family grocery spend, how those products have innovated in recent times, and also how the flavor palates and preferences of the younger generation make a huge difference toward product development.

So, grab a bowl of mac and cheese or some chicken nuggets and enjoy this episode!