Proteinflation

 If you’ve restocked your protein powder lately, you’ve probably noticed a major hit to your wallet—what industry experts are now calling “proteinflation.” Over the past few years, the price of standard whey protein has skyrocketed, with wholesale costs more than quadrupling and a typical large bag doubling from around £60 to well over £100. Why the massive jump? It turns out it’s a classic case of supply and demand economics. Protein is no longer just for bodybuilders; food companies are slapping high-protein labels on everything from bagels and cereals to water. Combined with a surge in demand from people using weight-loss drugs like Ozempic who need to preserve muscle, everybody wants a piece of the pie. Meanwhile, because whey is a byproduct of cheese production that requires expensive, specialized facilities to refine into powder, farmers and manufacturers simply can't expand supply fast enough to keep up. The result? You’ll likely be paying top dollar for those gains—or seeing brands swap out whey for cheaper alternatives like soy and pea protein.

BBQ - Will the price increase reduce the demand for whey protein by much?

Proteinflation

Lidl Banned From Selling Copyright Sandals

 

Lidl must stop selling copycat versions of Birkenstock's famous sandals in the Netherlands, a Dutch court has ruled. The discount supermarket chain faces a fine of €5,000 (£4,200) per day if it fails to comply and must also hand over sales data to Birkenstock, according to the ruling. Lidl must also compensate Birkenstock and pay its legal fees, with the amount to be decided in separate court decisions. Birkenstock said the judgement sent a clear message that "copycats must not be allowed to free-ride on [our] creativity and innovation". The ruling, which can still be appealed against, means Lidl cannot sell its copycat versions of Birkenstock's Arizona, Madrid, Gizeh, Boston, and Florida models across the Netherlands, after the court found the discount grocer infringed on the brand's trademark "footbed design".Europe's highest court ruled everyday commercial products can hold copyright if they represent creative design choices, a decision which Birkenstock said was relevant to its "iconic" sandals.

BBQ - How important is copyright law for businesses like Birkenstock?

Lidl Copyright

KFCereal

 

KFC UK and Surreal have launched KFCereal, a limited-edition breakfast cereal flavored after the fast food chain’s Original Recipe chicken. The pairing swaps the usual splash of milk for KFC gravy, marking KFC’s first move into the cereal aisle. Flavor leads the spec sheet. The crunchy cereal is seasoned with KFC’s closely guarded blend of 11 herbs and spices, giving it a savory profile far removed from the sweet, fruity and chocolate varieties that usually fill the category. The nutrition leans on Surreal’s high-protein formula. Despite its fried chicken inspiration, KFCereal delivers 19g of protein and only 1g of sugar, keeping it in line with the functional positioning Surreal is known for.Then comes the gravy. Rather than milk, KFC recommends topping the cereal with its signature gravy, and it positions the release squarely at die-hard fans, curious cereal eaters and anyone bold enough to make the switch. KFC brand manager Elspeth Allen framed the idea simply: “Our 11 herbs and spices have been doing a pretty good job on chicken,” she said, explaining that the team wanted to test the seasoning at breakfast. The cereal is currently only available directly from Surreal and is priced at £6 a box.

BBQ - Is this a well thought out product or simply a PR stunt?

KFCereal

Greggs Bitesize

 

Greggs has opened its first supermarket Bitesize Greggs at the Tesco Southwark Superstore, marking an expansion of its smaller shop format.This move is part of the food-to-go retailer’s plan to offer its popular range to customers in compact units in high-footfall locations.The new location will be open seven days a week and has created 10 local jobs in the area. The Greggs Bitesize store offers a full selection of products, including sausage rolls, steak bakes, sweet treats and fairtrade hot drinks. This move follows successful openings of ‘Bitesize Greggs’ locations across London Bridge Station, Sevenoaks Railway Station, Dartford Station and Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet. This move is part of the retailer’s broader estate growth plans to open smaller format stores which support the Greggs’ traditional, larger locations.This year the retailer expects to open around 100 to 110 new shops and aims to open 3,500 UK shops over the long term.

BBQ - Is this a good long term strategy for Greggs?

Greggs Bitesize

Golden Twirl

Cadbury is adding an exciting twist to its Twirl range with the launch of Twirl Golden Dipped, a limited-edition offering designed to give shoppers “a rich and indulgent way to enjoy the brand’s iconic chocolate curls and swirls,” it said. The chocolate bars are dipped in a layer of caramelised white chocolate designed to “flood your mouth with delicious flavours as it melts.” The launch follows the success of other recent limited lines, such as Orange, Caramel, Mint and White Dipped - which became the top new singles new product launch in 2025. Sabina Sabova, brand executive for Cadbury Twirl at supplier Mondelēz International, said: “Limited-edition innovations continue to play an important role in driving shopper engagement for Cadbury Twirl. ”Building on the success of our previous launches, Cadbury Twirl Golden Dipped is designed to recruit new shoppers to the brand and give our existing fans something new to try, tapping into our recent campaign messaging and sending them from Zero To Chocolatey In Milliseconds. “By combining the much-loved Cadbury Twirl with a caramelised white chocolate coating, we’re bringing a fresh twist to a trusted favourite we know shoppers will be eager to get their hands on.” Cadbury Twirl Golden Dipped will be available from the end of this month across grocery and convenience channels.

BBQ - What limited edition twist on a chocolate bar would you like to see?

Golden Twirl

 

Pokémon Turns 30

The Japanese brand has become one of the most recognisable in the world, with its colourful creatures appearing in video games and on shop shelves across the globe. But perhaps most synonymous with the Pokémon phenomenon is its trading card game, which has been played, bought and sold between collectors for the last three decades. Wednesday marks the release of Pokémon's 30th anniversary range - a day one collector described as the brand's biggest day "in the last decade, if not more". Pokémon's popularity has exploded over the years, with some cards originally worth just a few pounds now selling for eye-watering amounts. Hall said a box that may have been worth £200 in the late 1990s would now sell for about £35,000. Pokémon, originally called Pocket Monsters, began as a game released for the Nintendo Gameboy in Japan in 1996. Millions of copies were sold worldwide and the name was eventually shortened to Pokémon. Following the success of the first games, a company called Media Factory released the Pokémon Trading Card Game in October that year. Like the game, the cards exploded in popularity. Since then, more than 85 billion cards have been produced, a world championship tournament established, and an ultra-rare card sold for $16.5m (£12m).

BBQ - What makes something collectable? How can a brand use this?

Pokemon

McVities Expand to China

 

McVitie’s is stepping up its ambitions in China with a strategy that looks beyond the biscuits that made the British brand famous, as owner pladis seeks to build McVitie’s into a £1 billion global brand. While limited McVitie's biscuits are already available in China, pladis is now expanding the brand through locally developed snacks designed specifically for Chinese consumers. The move marks a new phase for one of Britain's best-known food brands. While McVitie’s remains synonymous with Digestives in places like the UK and Ireland, pladis believes future international growth will increasingly come from expanding the brand beyond its traditional biscuit range. In other markets, that evolution is already underway through products such as McVitie’s Joy in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, underscoring the brand’s ability to flex across formats and occasions internationally. China is one of the brand's biggest long-term growth opportunities. As part of that strategy, pladis will launch a locally developed McVitie’s Flipz range this August, produced in China and developed for local tastes. Rather than exporting existing products from Europe, pladis has developed the range around Chinese tastes and shopping habits, from flavours and portion sizes to how the products are made and sold.

BBQ - How important is it to understand the market when developing new products?

McVities China