• 📊 PepsiCo Lowers Full-Year Forecast
• 🚚 Distribution: ButcherBox Hits the Bullseye
• ❌ Atlantic Natural Foods Files For Bankruptcy
• 🆕 This Week’s Hot New Products
• 📰 High-Protein In The News
• 🍸 Scaling Your Tribe. The Komos Way.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) self-affirmation process has been a controversial aspect of food supply regulation for years. And now the current administration is seeking to upend it. 

In early March, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. met with top food industry leaders and soon after announced plans to review and potentially eliminate the GRAS self-affirmation pathway with a goal of "radical transparency" in food ingredient oversight to better inform consumers and strengthen FDA scrutiny.

While GRAS has allowed for rapid introduction of novel ingredients like plant-based proteins and precision fermented dairy products, some argue its self-regulatory nature prioritizes corporate interests over public health. 

The pathway originated in 1997 as a response to the FDA’s chronic underfunding and understaffing, pushing more responsibility onto companies while the agency focused resources on drug regulation.

Fast forward to today, and while the Trump Administration is working to dismantle bureaucracy within the federal workforce with a push back to a laissez faire mindset, the FDA stands out as with all sentiments pointing toward increased food regulatory scrutiny on the long neglected other half of the FDA’s function: food. 

But in the past two months, over 20,000 HHS staffers have been fired due to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts, overseen during Kennedy’s tenure. That leaves plenty of questions about who would be able to implement any process changes made.

Read the full story for more background on GRAS and expert insight on a potential overhaul of the process.

PepsiCo lowered its full-year earnings forecast this week, citing declining consumer confidence and tariff-induced increases in supply chain costs as major hurdles to growth.

📉 The company is ”actively planning mitigation actions” to address those spiraling costs, but it is now projecting an annual decline of 3% in core earnings per share.

🥣 PepsiCo Foods North America (PFNA) saw organic revenue fall 2% during Q1, with dips in savory snacks (Frito Lay) partially offset by other food brands like Quaker.

Read the full story for a closer look at PepsiCo’s quarterly performance.

🌱 Plant-based chicken producer TiNDLE locked in a distribution deal with Kroger this month that will bring its stuffed chicken product to over 500 of the grocer’s banners, including Fred Meyer, Fry’s Food Stores, Harris Teeter, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith’s.

🎯 DTC meat and seafood seller ButcherBox expanded its digital reach by launching on Target Plus, Target’s third-party curated marketplace. As part of the distribution agreement, the mass retail chain’s website will carry occasion-centered ButcherBox offerings ranging from $99 to $189. 

🍄 Fungi-based food company Nature’s Fynd is rolling out its new Spicy Indian Fy bites to all 50 Plantega locations across New York City this month, where the falafel-style items will be served with a side of Fabalish Vegan Mayo.

🧈 Wyke Farms has introduced Ivy’s Reserve Salted Farmhouse Butter into the U.S. The new product, crafted with fresh cream in Great Britain, is exclusively available in select Whole Foods Market stores through August.

Insiders can catch up on more distribution news across the industry by reading the full story on Nosh. 

Plant-based meat and seafood company Atlantic Natural Foods (ANF) filed for bankruptcy on April 7 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of Eastern District of Louisiana. 

🎣 Founded in 2008, ANF is the parent company behind the Loma Linda, TUNO, Chick’n and Neat brands.

😡 In December, ANF withdrew from a three-year deal to enter the public market alongside regenerative ingredient platform Above Foods.

Hot off the (virtual) presses, it's the latest edition of Nosh’s weekly New Products Gallery. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s inside:

🍒 Trü Frü has partnered with Tarte Cosmetics to launch a limited-edition treat inspired by the cosmetic brand’s new Maracuja Juicy Lip Cherry Crush shade. The LTO features frozen tart cherries coated in white and dark chocolate. 

🍍 Haribo seeks to transport consumers to paradise with its “juiciest launch yet”: Goldbears Tropical and Twin Snakes Tropical. The new release expands Twin Snakes’ flavor offerings for the first time, with Sweet Mango & Sour Lime, Sweet Paradise Punch & Sour Pineapple and Sweet Passion Fruit and Sour Tangerine varieties. 

🍨 Tillamook is scooping into summer with two new limited-edition releases: Salty Caramel Pretzel and Apple Crisp. Both LTOs are available at retailers nationwide, including Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway, Publix and Ahold Delhaize, among others. 

Check out the full gallery on Nosh. 

It’s no mystery that U.S. consumers are prioritizing protein in their diets and choosing products that do the same. Here’s a couple recent news stories we have been reading as this trend continues to gain steam:

🍨 The Wall Street Journal looked at why “Americans are obsessed with protein.” The story explores why the nutrient is popping up in everything from water to candy and ice cream.

🥩 In a slightly different take, The New York Times reported on the return of meat to U.S. consumer diets amid stumbles in the plant-based category. Americans ate 7% more meat last year than before the pandemic, according to data provided in the story.

In this episode, Ria Soler, the director of education and global advocacy for luxury spirit brand Tequila Komos, talks about how the company has focused on organic growth, thoughtful distribution and authenticity to stand out in an increasingly crowded market.

Listen to the episode now. Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.