THE PIE FOOD CULTURE BLOG

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Expert insights, recipes, news and culture for the people building cleaner products  powered by 22,400 ingredient sources.

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Hand-picked by the editors of The Pie

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Food Technology / R&D

Food Manufacturing ERP vs Ingredient Intelligence Platform: Which Gap Is Costing Your R&D Team More?

Food Formulation

Stevia vs Monk Fruit: Which Natural Sweetener Works Best in CPG Formulation?

Food Reformulation

Food Reformulation Guide: How CPG Teams Approach Ingredient Swaps Without Disrupting Production

Food Formulation Software

Food Formulation Software: What the Market Looks Like in 2026 and How to Choose

SPINS vs Journey Foods: Market Data vs Ingredient Intelligence -- Which Does Your Team Need?

Food Traceability

Food Traceability Software in 2026: What CPG Teams Need Beyond QR Codes and Certifications

Ingredient Management Software: What CPG R&D Teams Actually Need vs. What Vendors Promise

Food Formulation

Red Dye 40 Alternatives: What Formulators Are Actually Using After the 2026 Restrictions

How to Build a Food Contract Manufacturer Shortlist Using Ingredient and Cost Data

The Pie: Recession Remix

September 22, 2025

The Pie: May Prayers and Pivots

Jaynelle St. Jean

The Pie: Small Town Lunches and AI Big Wigs

Jaynelle St. Jean

The Pie: Food from the '90s

Jaynelle St. Jean

The Pie: Buyer Creativity Check — SNAP vs. Luxury

Jaynelle St. Jean

Product Development

Generative AI in the Supply Chain: How Industry Giants Are Shaving Days Off Delivery Times

Industry Insights

FAO Food Price Index: What the May 2025 Dip Tells Us About Global Food Markets and the Future of AI-Driven Supply Chains

Product Development

Smart Pallets but Smarter Supply Chains: How AI Is Driving Circular Innovation in the $80B Pallet Industry

Food Formulation, Trends

From Pineapple Cakes to Dubai Chocolate: A Century of Viral Foods and the Economics Behind the Trends

Ingredient Management Software: What CPG R&D Teams Actually Need vs. What Vendors Promise

Frozen Food Recall June 2026: What's Happening, What to Check, and What It Says About the Food System

The Strait of Hormuz Just Moved Your Q3 Gross Margin: Oil across the supply chain

CNBC Feature: AI startups want to crack open the recipe book in Big Food’s test kitchens

February 14, 2026

Navigating the Complex World of Ingredients With AI - By Oreate AI

February 11, 2026

New Product Feature: Biodiversity Scoring

February 2, 2026

7 min read time

Story: Stuck at Sea - Predictive Logistics Auto-Swap

January 24, 2026

Ingredient Insights

4 min read time

The Return of Real Meat: Why Authentic Red Meat and Less-Processed Options Are Gaining in 2026

January 9, 2026

Why Groceries Feel Expensive Even When Inflation Is "Down"

January 6, 2026

Food Formulation

Stevia vs Monk Fruit: Which Natural Sweetener Works Best in CPG Formulation?

Food Formulation

Red Dye 40 Alternatives: What Formulators Are Actually Using After the 2026 Restrictions

How BHT and BHA Work in Food: A Formulator's Plain-Language Breakdown

CPG Formulation

Are Doritos Bad for You? What the Ingredient List Tells CPG Formulators About Snack Design

Food Formulation

Sugar Alternatives for Baking: A Formulator's Guide to Clean-Label Sweeteners

Food Formulation

Food Coloring Alternatives: Matching Natural Dyes to Color, Stability, and Label Claims

Food Product Development

The Hidden Cost of Fragmented Ingredient Data: A CPG R&D Audit Framework

R&D / Food Innovation

How to Build a Business Case for Ingredient Intelligence Software: A Guide for R&D Directors

CPG / Food Product Development

ESHA Alternatives for CPG Teams That Need More Than Nutrition Analysis in 2026

The Evolution of Smart Supply Chains

November 20, 2024

Shifting Global Supply Chains: Rise of Regional Markets and the Implications for Packaged Foods and Beverage Businesses

New Sustainable Alternatives to Plastic Packaging

Ingredient Insights: Neem

New AI-powered nutrition scoring system aims to improve health equity across the US

December 9, 2024

Ingredient Insights: The Spectrum of New Food Dyes

August 16, 2024

Ingredient Insights: Food Dye History and Opportunities - Inside Bans and AI Alternatives

October 13, 2024

Innovative Approaches to Improve Food Product Affordability

How Soy Demand is Changing in Packaged Foods

Food Formulation

Sugar Alternatives for Baking: A Formulator's Guide to Clean-Label Sweeteners

Homemade Upgrade: Cacio e Pepe from Trader Joe's

Jaynelle St. Jean

Food Formulation

Homemade Upgrade: Haribo Goldbears

Jaynelle St. Jean

Food Formulation

Homemade Upgrade: Jell-O Instant Pudding Mix #DUP

Jaynelle St. Jean

Food Formulation

Homemade Upgrade: Swanson Chicken Broth #DUP

Jaynelle St. Jean

Food Formulation

Homemade Upgrade: Boxed Mashed vs Scratch-made Potatoes with Recipe

Jaynelle St. Jean

Food Formulation

Homemade Upgrade: Instant Ramen with Recipe

Jaynelle St. Jean

Food Formulation

Homemade Upgrade: Sabra Hummus with Recipe

Jaynelle St. Jean

Food Formulation

Homemade Upgrade: Stovetop Stuffing #DUP

Jaynelle St. Jean

journey foods

Atlanta's First Food A.I. Hackathon: What Happened When We Opened the API

Digital Tools Can Strengthen Transparency, Traceability, and Trust In The Future of Food

October 1, 2025

Digital Futures: A Night of Dance and Discovery

September 23, 2025

The FDA Making Big Changes

Riana Lynn: Partner Across the World, Across Genders for Food Change

January 2, 2019

Naturally Austin Women in CPG Summit - A Thanks from Riana at Journey Foods

Journey Foods Launches JourneyLabs & New Features As It Scales Its Quest to Simplify Food Innovation

November 6, 2021

Investing in Food Companies with Generative AI: A Winning Strategy for Tech Entrepreneurs

October 18, 2024

Ingredient Insights: How Recipes Have Evolved Since the 1970s

October 6, 2024

SPINS vs Journey Foods: Market Data vs Ingredient Intelligence -- Which Does Your Team Need?

Food Reformulation

Food Reformulation Guide: How CPG Teams Approach Ingredient Swaps Without Disrupting Production

Jaynelle St. Jean

Food Formulation Software

Food Formulation Software: What the Market Looks Like in 2026 and How to Choose

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Latest Articles

Food Formulation

Food Formulation

Sugar Alternatives for Baking: A Formulator's Guide to Clean-Label Sweeteners

Food Formulation

Food Formulation

Food Coloring Alternatives: Matching Natural Dyes to Color, Stability, and Label Claims

Ingredient Intelligence

Ingredient Intelligence

The R&D Director's Guide to Evaluating Ingredient Intelligence Platforms in 2026

CPG / Food Tech

CPG / Food Tech

Trace One Alternatives for Mid-Market CPG Teams That Can't Wait 18 Months to Implement

Food Product Development

Food Product Development

Food Product Development Platform: How to Evaluate One Before You Buy

R&D / Product Development

R&D / Product Development

How to Write a Formulation Brief That Actually Speeds Up R&D — Not Slows It Down