Weekly Digest #12
20.10.2025
Welcome to The Fork’s Lens
Every week, we serve up a quick, flavourful dose of what’s cooking at the intersection of food, drink, and entrepreneurship.
Expect:
🍴 Sharp founder insights
📊 Bite-sized industry trends
🛠 Tools & tips to level up
🔥 Events & openings worth your time
For those of you building food brands, launching products, or just hungry for what’s next – this one’s for you.
Cuts, Cakes & Convenience
📨 Weekly #12: Cuts, Cakes & Convenience
🍴 What’s Up?
Efficiency is the flavour of the week. From Tesco’s AI-powered ad engine to Lidl’s payment-integrated loyalty app, food and retail players are doubling down on automation, convenience, and data-led engagement. Meanwhile, funding in foodtech continues to slow, forcing founders to prioritise capital discipline and operational focus over blitz-scaling.
🔥 UK Moves
Tesco launches AI-powered creative studio
Tesco’s retail media arm has unveiled Tesco Media Creative Studio, a new in-house service that uses Generative AI to help brands produce compliant ads in multiple formats. The tool aims to streamline campaign creation across Tesco’s ecosystem – from Clubcard data activations to in-store screens and digital channels – giving FMCG brands a faster, more automated way to go to market.
Tesco Corporate / The DrumOnline grocery hits post-pandemic high
More than one in five British households shopped for groceries online in September – the highest share since the pandemic boom. The rebound reflects a broader shift back toward digital convenience, driven by better delivery reliability and value-focused online promotions.
Kantar / The GrocerAll Things Butter lands £2M to fuel expansion
Premium butter brand All Things Butter, founded by chef Thomas Straker and entrepreneur Toby Hoppy, has raised £2M in new funding to accelerate retail growth in the UK and abroad. The company now offers 10 SKUs and is stocked in over 2,000 stores nationwide. The investment will support marketing, new product development, and international rollout.
LinkedIn / Company announcementWaitrose rolls out emission tracking across seafood supply chain
Waitrose has introduced end-to-end emission tracking across its seafood supply chain, using digital traceability tools to monitor carbon output from catch to counter. The initiative is part of the retailer’s goal to halve supply-chain emissions by 2030 and provide greater transparency to shoppers.
The Grocer / Company statementAldi trolls M&S with party cake sandwich launch
Aldi has stirred the pot again, releasing a limited-edition Party Cake Sandwich – a playful nod to M&S’s Colin the Caterpillar. The retailer teased the move on social media, continuing its tongue-in-cheek brand rivalry while boosting its seasonal product buzz.
Marketing Week / Aldi PressUK-EU food trade deal may ease border friction
An EU-UK agricultural trade agreement finalized earlier this year could be implemented within months, cutting red tape and reducing checks on plant and animal goods. For food exporters, that means faster cross-border flow and fewer cold-chain headaches.
ReutersVC funding in foodtech is sputtering
Agrifoodtech investment in 2025 has fallen to a decade low, with just ~$5.5B raised in the first half. While investors have cooled on delivery and alt-protein plays, they’re still backing new ingredients like microbial proteins and functional sweeteners — anything that can justify a strong IP moat.
Ingredients Network
Source: Digital Food
🌍 Global Moves & Trends
Beyond Meat stock crashes after debt restructuring
Beyond Meat’s shares plunged over 56% following its announcement of an early settlement on a convertible debt exchange. The company will issue new 7 % convertible notes due 2030 and 316 million new shares to replace 0 % 2027 notes — a move to reduce over $800 million in debt but at the cost of major shareholder dilution.
ReutersGourmey acquires Vital Meat
Paris-based lab-grown meat pioneer Gourmey has acquired fellow French cultivated meat startup Vital Meat, consolidating the country’s cellular agriculture ecosystem. The deal strengthens Gourmey’s portfolio beyond cultivated foie gras, adding Vital’s expertise in cell-based poultry and accelerating its route to EU regulatory approval.
AgFunderNewsLidl integrates payments into loyalty app
Lidl has added an integrated payment feature to its Lidl Plus loyalty app, allowing customers to pay and earn rewards in one tap. The update positions Lidl as one of the first UK grocers to fully merge payments and loyalty, aiming to deepen customer data insights and simplify checkout experiences.
Retail Gazette / Company releaseNestlé cuts 16,000 jobs in global restructuring
Nestlé has announced plans to cut around 16,000 roles worldwide as part of a sweeping structural turnaround aimed at simplifying operations, boosting margins, and investing more aggressively in growth categories like health, petcare, and functional nutrition. The overhaul is expected to save billions over the next three years.
Reuters / BloombergAdvanced sweetener systems reshape R&D
Ingredient innovators like Kerry and NotCo are developing new “sweetener systems” – blends that deliver the full sensory and structural role of sugar while slashing calories. It’s the next evolution in reformulation tech.
FoodNavigator
💭 The Fork & The Flame
“Tactical pivots and capital discipline matter more than hype – especially in food.”
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We believe bold food brands deserve bold support. That’s why we’ve built a collective of seasoned foodies, retail rebels, creative storytellers, and numbers nerds – people who’ve been in the kitchen, the boardroom, and the shop floor. We jump in where you need us most, helping you turn big ideas into bites people can’t stop talking about. Because building a food brand isn’t just business – it’s passion, flavour, and a little bit of chaos. We’re here to make sure it’s the good kind.