Today's digest covers a major restructuring at Diageo, a leadership shake-up at B&G Foods, a brand reset at Zevia, a labeling ruling with broad CPG implications, and a class-action filing targeting a functional beverage brand.
Diageo CEO Dave Lewis announced a $1 billion cost-cutting plan alongside a strategic pivot toward ready-to-drink cocktails and more accessible formats. The move signals a significant shift in how the world's largest spirits company intends to compete in a period of softening premium spirits demand. RTD cocktails have been gaining shelf space and consumer attention across major retailers, and Diageo's formal commitment to the format puts real organizational weight behind a trend that many smaller producers have been building for years. The scale of the cost program also suggests meaningful structural changes ahead for the company's workforce and operations.
B&G Foods CEO Casey Keller will step down after five years leading the company, which owns brands including Ortega and Crisco. The company has not named a successor but confirmed the incoming executive currently holds a senior leadership role at another public company. Leadership transitions at B&G are closely watched given the company's portfolio-heavy model and history of acquisition-driven growth. Keller's tenure included navigating significant commodity inflation and a period of balance sheet pressure, so the incoming CEO will inherit a business still working through those challenges. The identity of the replacement has not been disclosed.
Zevia is pairing a leadership transition with its largest-ever marketing investment, betting that stronger brand awareness and improved retail execution will accelerate growth for the stevia-sweetened soda brand. The company is expanding into single-can formats, a move aimed at lowering the trial barrier for new consumers who have been reluctant to commit to multipacks. Zevia has long occupied a niche position in the better-for-you beverage segment, but the natural soda category has grown more competitive as mainstream brands extend into low-sugar and clean-ingredient lines. How well the new CEO translates the brand reset into sustained volume gains will be the key question over the next several quarters.
A federal judge ruled that the USDA must rewrite its bioengineered food labeling standards by 2028, specifically eliminating exemptions that had allowed highly refined ingredients to avoid disclosure. The decision expands the practical reach of the law, potentially requiring bioengineered labels on a much wider range of ultraprocessed products that currently carry none. For CPG manufacturers, the ruling creates a compliance planning window but also a packaging and communication challenge, particularly for brands that have built equity around clean or minimal ingredient positioning. Companies relying on refined ingredients sourced from bioengineered crops will need to assess label changes well ahead of the 2028 deadline.
RYSE is facing a proposed class action lawsuit alleging that its Clear Protein drinks contain between 6% and 11% less whey protein than the 22 grams per 500mL advertised on the label. The functional beverage segment has seen rapid growth, and with that growth has come heightened scrutiny of nutrient claims from both regulators and plaintiff attorneys. For CPG brands competing on specific nutritional promises, the case is a reminder that label accuracy is a legal exposure, not just a quality-control matter. RYSE has not yet responded publicly to the allegations, and the lawsuit remains at the proposed class-action stage.
Sources: BevNet · Food Dive · BevNet · Food Dive · BevNet
More on CPG Careers
- All roles at Diageo
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- All roles at Zevia
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