Weekly Digest #29

16.02.2026

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.

Food, Futures & Fastlane

📨 Weekly #29: Food, Futures & Fast Lane

🍴 What’s Up?

Convenience just went big-budget, where nine-figure deals meet generative AI, robot couriers roam the streets, and plant-based brands battle it out in court. This week proves that food tech and Q-commerce aren’t just evolving… they’re putting on a full-scale blockbuster. 🍿

🌎 Global Spotlight

• Uber to acquire Getir delivery business in Türkiye for $335m
  Uber agreed to acquire the Turkish delivery operations of Getir for $335 million in cash, while also committing $100 million for a 15% stake in Getir’s grocery & real-world delivery business. The deal follows Uber’s earlier $700m investment in Trendyol Go to strengthen its position in Türkiye’s fast-growing delivery market. (Reuters)

• Uber Eats launches AI cart assistant for grocery delivery
  Uber Eats launched an AI-powered “Cart Assistant” across dozens of US grocery partners, allowing users to upload shopping lists or photos to auto-populate carts, suggest substitutions, and highlight promotions – aimed at boosting grocery order conversion rates. (PYMNTS / Retail TouchPoints)

• Just Eat launches Robodog delivery trial in Milton Keynes
  Just Eat began testing a four-legged autonomous delivery robot—nicknamed Robodog—in Milton Keynes as part of its last-mile automation trials to cut delivery costs and reduce emissions. (Company statement / UK tech media)

• Oatly lost legal battle to be able to call its products “milk”
  Plant-based giant Oatly lost a European court ruling reaffirming that dairy terms such as “milk” and “butter” are legally protected, meaning plant-based brands must use alternative labeling across the EU. (European court ruling)

• McDonalds created a McNugget Caviar kit for Valentine’s Day
  McDonald's launched a limited-edition “McNugget Caviar Kit” featuring nugget-dipping sauces and a custom serving tray to drive Valentine’s social buzz and brand engagement. (McDonald’s corporate release)

• One in seven UK food delivery business is a dark kitchen
  New UK industry data shows around 14% (1 in 7) food delivery operators now run from delivery-only dark kitchens, reflecting the rapid shift toward low-rent, digital-first food production. (UK hospitality sector report)

• Good Cultures receives further $55m equity investment
  Cottage cheese brand Good Culture raised an additional $55 million to expand manufacturing and retail distribution – just one month after selling a majority stake—with the new funding coming from Semcap Food & Nutrition. (FoodDive)

💭 The Fork and The Flame

Technology doesn’t just move food faster; it decides who scales and who fades.

🚨 Enjoyed This Newsletter?

👉 Sign up at forksandfounders.com to get the digest delivered to your inbox
📲 Follow us on LinkedIn → Forks & Founders

About Forks & Founders
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.