Learn how to choose the right CPG consultant by evaluating innovation consulting models, decision criteria, feasibility, and execution alignment.

Explore successful CPG innovation examples from Chobani, OLIPOP, Celsius, Liquid Death, and Oatly, and learn how top brands define success.

LaCroix transformed from a regional sparkling water brand into a category leader by iterating on flavor variety, health positioning, and unconventional marketing as consumers moved away from soda. The result: ~30% U.S. sparkling water market share and a category-defining brand.

CPG consulting firms use trend data as one input within a broader decision-making system, not as a directive for product development. They analyze trends to understand underlying shifts in consumer behavior, then translate those insights into specific jobs-to-be-done for the brand. Instead of copying trends like protein or global flavors, they apply those signals to improve how a product delivers value to its target consumer.

The May 2026 edition of Inside Innovation: What to Watch in CPG features a round up of some of this month’s best news stories in the CPG industry around food and beverage.

The strongest food and beverage innovation teams treat market entry as the beginning of a learning process, not the end of development.

Learn the strategic NPD steps leading food and beverage brands use to reduce risk, lower development costs, and accelerate time-to-market in CPG innovation.

Discover how a food product innovation agency elevates product development through job-to-be-done clarity, constraints, and decision frameworks.

The April 2026 edition of Inside Innovation: What to Watch in CPG features a round up of some of this month’s best news stories in the CPG industry around food and beverage.

Learn how to approach product line expansion in CPG. Discover key differences between product line extensions and why food and beverage innovation consulting helps brands scale smarter.

When food product innovation is handed off from ideation to operations too late, teams end up paying for strategy twice; once in concepting, and again in optimizations or pivots for actual launch corrections.

Discover how CPG brands should use new product development services. Learn what to outsource, what to own, and how to build stronger innovation partnerships.

Oatly transformed from a niche lactose-free product into a global plant-based leader by reframing its value from functional health to sustainability and lifestyle relevance. Oatly’s story is a reminder that breakthrough growth often comes from reinterpreting what already exists, not starting from scratch.

In 2025, CPG industry signals suggested that while the term itself remained niche, the underlying principle was becoming increasingly influential in CPG product innovation across snacks, beverages, and packaged foods.

The March 2026 edition of Inside Innovation: What to Watch in CPG features a round up of some of this month’s best news stories in the CPG industry around food and beverage.

The most effective food innovation approaches align product development with brand strategy, consumer needs, and multiple insight sources. Brands that combine trend analysis, consumer research, and collaborative development processes consistently launch more successful products.

A CPG consulting firm is most valuable when internal teams face inflection points in growth, innovation, or strategy. The right time to engage external expertise is not during crisis, but when brands need objective insight, faster decision-making, and cross-functional alignment to unlock the next stage of growth.

Learn why the traditional food innovation process fails and how leading CPG teams use decision-driven systems to improve product development outcomes.

Innovation maturity isn’t about chasing what’s entirely new; it’s about re-examining assumptions through today’s market realities. Strong food innovation companies treat prior attempts as signals, not verdicts, extracting insight instead of emotion.

For CPG innovation teams, the difference between a launch that fizzles and one that accelerates growth often does not lie solely in the idea itself. It lies in the quality of the new product development plan and how intentionally teams build that plan.