Food Industry 17 February 2026 - 20 May 2026

Beyond Meat Drops Below $1 Before Holiday Weekend
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Beyond Meat Drops Below $1 Before Holiday Weekend

Beyond Meat shares slid below $1 ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, closing Friday on the back foot and giving investors a weak tape to return to when U.S. markets reopen Tuesday. Beyond Meat shares closed at $0.7659 on Friday, off 2.87%, according to MarketWatch. That snapped a two-day run even as the Nasdaq Composite added 0.19% and the Dow finished up 0.58%. Turnover came in at 29.7 million shares, far below the 50-day average of 61.7 million.
May 23, 2026
M&S chief hits out at UK food price-cap plan as ministers retreat
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M&S chief hits out at UK food price-cap plan as ministers retreat

UK backs away from mandatory supermarket price caps after retail pushback Downing Street stepped back from the idea of forcing supermarkets to cap food prices on Wednesday, after retailers pushed back and Marks & Spencer boss Stuart Machin called the idea “completely preposterous.” Exchequer Secretary Dan Tomlinson told BBC Radio the government will keep talking with supermarkets but is not planning a mandatory cap. Cost of living is back in focus for politicians as prices keep rising. Reuters, citing a Financial Times story it later confirmed, reported that big grocery chains could be asked to hold down prices on basics like eggs, bread and milk if they get lighter regulation in return. Any price ceiling under the plan would not
May 20, 2026
Unilever’s McCormick Deal Gets Awkward After Terry Smith Walks Away
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Unilever’s McCormick Deal Gets Awkward After Terry Smith Walks Away

Unilever PLC finds itself under sharper scrutiny after Fundsmith’s Terry Smith exited his position, criticizing the shift from fixing operations to splitting up the business and tying its foods unit to McCormick. Smith’s departure—flagged by The Times—lands one of the group’s most prominent shareholders in open opposition to CEO Fernando Fernández’s most significant move to date. Timing is key here. Unilever’s board won shareholder support at Wednesday’s annual meeting, but the McCormick deal skips a Unilever shareholder vote under UK listing rules, the company said in its announcement. Closing is targeted by mid-2027. The deal still needs McCormick shareholder approval, regulatory sign-off, and other standard conditions.
May 15, 2026
Jack Purcell Meats Collapse: Iconic Brisbane Butcher Shuts After 83 Years as Liquidation Hits Family Food Sector
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Jack Purcell Meats Collapse: Iconic Brisbane Butcher Shuts After 83 Years as Liquidation Hits Family Food Sector

Brisbane’s Jack Purcell Meats, a family butcher business that’s been around for 83 years, has shut its doors and gone into liquidation. The group once ran 23 locations across the city. Alan Walker from Asset Restructuring Group is handling the liquidation for Snag Pty Ltd ATF the Snag Investment Trust, the entity behind Jack Purcell Meats, according to the Courier Mail. Timing plays a role here. On May 5, Australia’s Reserve Bank hiked its cash rate by 25 basis points—a quarter-point lift—to 4.35%, nudging up borrowing costs for both households and businesses grappling with pricier fuel and rising input costs.
May 6, 2026
Unilever PLC’s McCormick Food Deal Hits Fresh Labor Snag as Q1 Update Nears
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Unilever PLC’s McCormick Food Deal Hits Fresh Labor Snag as Q1 Update Nears

Unilever PLC’s European employee representatives are demanding binding job guarantees as the company moves to merge its foods unit with McCormick. That throws another complication into Chief Executive Fernando Fernandez’s most ambitious shake-up yet. Hermann Soggeberg, who chairs the Unilever European Works Council—the group representing roughly 20,000 employees across Europe and Britain—said following discussions with management that job security and equitable working terms must remain “central to the process.” The McCormick deal sits at the heart of Unilever’s strategy to pivot from sluggish food divisions to faster-growing categories like beauty, wellbeing, and home care. Unilever reports first-quarter results April 30. Analysts surveyed by the company expect comparable sales growth of 3.6% for the period.
April 23, 2026
Unilever PLC’s $65 Billion McCormick Deal Faces a New Job-Protection Fight
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Unilever PLC’s $65 Billion McCormick Deal Faces a New Job-Protection Fight

Unilever PLC’s European employees are demanding guarantees on job security as the company pushes ahead with its plan to merge its foods division with McCormick. The labor concerns now throw an extra challenge at Chief Executive Fernando Fernandez, who is orchestrating what’s shaping up to be his most ambitious overhaul so far. The Unilever European Works Council, which represents roughly 20,000 staff across Europe and the UK, met with Fernandez last week and is pushing for protections on par with those offered in the Magnum ice cream carve-out, according to a memo seen by Reuters. That push could end up driving costs higher, stretch out consultations, and make it tougher to complete the deal that would narrow Unilever’s focus to
April 22, 2026
Unilever PLC Food Business Talks With McCormick Enter Critical Week Ahead of Earnings
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Unilever PLC Food Business Talks With McCormick Enter Critical Week Ahead of Earnings

Unilever PLC kicked off trading in London at 4,500 pence on Monday. McCormick is set to release its first-quarter numbers on March 31, following a Reuters report from March 27 that said any potential merger talks would likely result in Unilever shareholders holding the majority of the new entity. Timing is key here. If this deal goes through, it would be Unilever’s biggest portfolio shakeup since splitting off its Magnum ice cream unit last December. Chief Executive Fernando Fernandez is doubling down on pushing Unilever deeper into faster-expanding beauty, personal care, and wellbeing categories. Still, foods accounted for 26% of turnover in 2025, even as Beauty & Wellbeing and Personal Care outpaced it in growth.
March 30, 2026
Unilever-McCormick Food Business Talks Could Split Off Hellmann’s, Knorr and Marmite
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Unilever-McCormick Food Business Talks Could Split Off Hellmann’s, Knorr and Marmite

Unilever on Friday confirmed it's fielding an inbound offer for its Foods division and is now in talks with McCormick & Co., possibly paving the way for brands like Hellmann’s, Knorr and Marmite to change hands. McCormick has also acknowledged ongoing discussions about a potential strategic transaction involving the business unit. The timing here is clear enough. These negotiations would fast-track CEO Fernando Fernandez’s campaign to slim Unilever down, sharpening its angle on beauty, wellbeing, and personal care—a strategy set in motion after last year’s ice cream spin-off. Looking at the 2025 numbers: Foods delivered 2.5% growth, while Beauty & Wellbeing jumped 4.3%, and Personal Care posted 4.7%. Foods still accounted for 26% of overall turnover.
March 20, 2026