With ‘functional’ beverages, brands rush to quench a thirst for drinks that do more than taste good

Supermarket beverage aisles are starting to look a lot more like a pharmacy. There are sodas made with mushrooms that supposedly improve mental clarity and juices packed with bacteria that claim to enhance digestive health. Water infused with collagen carries the promise of better skin, and energy drinks offer to help burn body fat. Welcome … Read more

Denver and its craft breweries embrace nonalcoholic beer, spirits

Denver Beer Co. Courtesy: Denver Beer Co. This story is part of CNBC’s new quarterly Cities of Success series, which explores cities that have been transformed into business hubs with an entrepreneurial spirit that has attracted capital, companies and workers. Alcohol-free beverage options have skyrocketed over the past few years, and that trend has especially … Read more

Boulder, Colorado, fosters a new generation of wellness entrepreneurs

Boulder is the No. 2 U.S. city for quality of life, according to U.S. News and World Report. Denistangneyjr | E+ | Getty Images This story is part of CNBC’s quarterly Cities of Success series, which explores cities that have transformed into business hubs with an entrepreneurial spirit that has attracted capital, companies and employees. … Read more

Gatorade expands into new products including plain water

As Gatorade approaches its 60th birthday, the brand is staying spry, branching out into new categories from unflavored water to energy drink mixes. Since its founding in 1965, Gatorade has been the dominant sports drink. It accounted for 63.5% of the U.S. sports drink market in 2023, according to Euromonitor International data. Owner PepsiCo’s archrival … Read more

Demand for french fries reflects resilient consumer as so-called fry attachment rate holds steady

A McDonald’s crew member prepares french fries in Miami, Florida. Getty Images It’s a timeless question at fast-food counters: Do you want fries with that? Responders continue answering affirmatively at a higher-than-average rate, a top potato supplier indicated. It underscores the resilience of consumer spending, even as inflation pinches pocketbooks and pandemic savings dry up. … Read more

McDonald’s to buy all 225 Israel franchise restaurants after boycott fallout

Jeff Greenberg | Universal Images Group | Getty Images McDonald’s signed a deal to purchase all 225 of the restaurants that comprise its Israel franchise, the American fast-food chain announced, following months of dramatically lower sales due to pro-Palestinian boycott action amid the Israel-Hamas war. The restaurant outlets have been owned by Israeli company Alonyal … Read more

Danone CEO downplays threat of weight loss drugs on food producers

Pots of Activia yoghurt, manufactured by Danone SA, sit on display. Bloomberg | Getty Images The CEO of French consumer goods giant Danone downplayed the threat of obesity drugs on its food business, arguing that consumers were likely to turn to healthy products as part of their new weight loss regime. Antoine de Saint-Affrique said … Read more

Dan Pashman created a new shape of pasta. His cookbook expands pasta’s possibilities

NEW YORK — Food writer and podcaster Dan Pashman made the unusual step a few years ago of creating an entirely new shape of pasta. The obvious next step? Writing a cookbook to highlight it. Pashman’s “Anything’s Pastable” features dishes using 34 different pasta shapes, but especially features his cascatelli, a graceful, ruffled-edged curved shape … Read more

Unilever to split off its ice cream unit including Ben & Jerry’s; shares pop 5%

Ben & Jerry’s ice cream on May 24, 2022. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Shares of consumer goods giant Unilever rose more than 5% Tuesday after the company announced plans to separate its ice cream unit, which includes Ben & Jerry’s and Magnum, as part of a restructuring that will impact 7,500 jobs. “The … Read more

Delectable. Adorable. Inhalable. These sliders go well with March Madness entertaining

Game day is one of my favorite times to entertain. I don’t know why foods associated with watching sports on TV are happy-making. But they are. The food is pretty much what I would categorize as bar food – things you would order with a group of friends with a round of cold beers. Foods … Read more