December 15, 2025
The 2026 Food & Drink PR Playbook with Amy Bendall from Pier
Table of Contents
Abbie
Founder + Director
Trends, Traps and Strategies
“My best friend describes me as a PR geek… and I fully own that.”
When a guest opens with that line, you already know it’s going to be a good one.
In this episode of Marketing vs The World, Abbie chats with Amy Bendall, Managing Director of Pier, about what food and drink brands should be focusing on as they build their 2026 plans (yes, even though it’s December… we’re already there in marketing land).
This conversation covers the stuff that’s shaping the sector right now - from shifting spending habits to ultra-processed food debates - and the big comms shifts happening thanks to AI, GEO, and how people are discovering brands.
Listen to the full episode here (and then come back, because you’ll want notes).
Meet Amy: A Career PR “Geek” Who Now Runs the Show
“Running a business has been a really new and fresh challenge for me… but I really enjoy it.”
Amy’s been in PR her whole career, spanning everything from the NHS and corporate comms to charity work (including Friends of the Earth) and a whole lot of agency life.
She’s now based in Suffolk, working at Pier, where she joined nearly nine years ago as an Account Director before moving into the MD role a few years back. One of the best parts? Because it’s a smaller team, she still gets to do the strategy and client work - not just the “grown-up business bits”.
Want Amy’s full career story and how she landed at Pier? Listen to the episode.
What’s Happening in Food & Drink Right Now: It’s Not One Industry, It’s Many
“It’s quite difficult to look at the food and drink industry as a whole.”
This is a really useful point early on: trends look different depending on category. Pier spends a lot of time in areas like:
chilled ready meals
frozen
dairy
canned
So Amy’s insights are grounded in where she’s seeing movement first hand - and it’s very relevant if you’re in grocery.
Listen to the full episode for the category-specific nuance.
The Economy and the “Treat at Home” Boom
“Can I afford to eat out… or do I want an indulgent ready meal instead?”
Even after budget announcements and headline changes, the real story is still cost-of-living and how it impacts buying behaviour.
One of the most interesting shifts Amy highlights is how premium ready meals have levelled up. We’re talking £20+ price points - products designed to compete with takeaways and restaurant spending, for people who want convenience but still want something that feels like a treat.
It’s a great example of how brands can stay relevant even when budgets are tight… by aligning with how people are actually living.
Want the examples and the “why this is working” detail? Listen to the full episode.
Health Trends: GLP-1s, Smaller Appetites, and Portion Sizes Catching Up
“This feels like more of a bigger movement… the need for smaller food.”
GLP-1s come up as one of the biggest health shifts - the collective term for weight loss injections like Mounjaro (and friends). And whether brands want to talk about it publicly or not, it’s influencing consumer demand.
Amy’s take is smart: this isn’t just about GLP-1s - it’s about smaller portions more generally (children, older people, people with different appetites, people post-surgery, and yes, injection users too).
The opportunity for brands is likely to be:
smaller portions / pack formats
different meal occasions
better segmentation by audience needs
But Abbie also raises the important bit: messaging here is delicate. The safer framing is “smaller appetites” rather than “diet injections”.
Listen to the full episode for how Amy suggests brands handle the messaging without stepping in it.
PR + SEO + GEO: Why Earned Media Is Now Doing Even More Heavy Lifting
“AI is reading media coverage… and it puts more emphasis on PR.”
This section is basically a “yep, this is the world now” moment.
Amy explains how AI-driven discovery is changing the comms landscape:
AI pulls information from earned media (articles, reviews, features)
your About page is suddenly hugely important (AI loves it)
freshness matters - you need consistent, updated content across owned and earned
PR has a growing role in making sure the internet understands who you are and what you stand for
And Abbie nails the crossover too: the best results happen when PR and SEO teams work together - not when they’re operating in separate worlds and only speaking once a quarter.
Want the full PR/GEO chat? Listen to the episode (this is the part your content team needs to hear).
UPFs: The Trend That’s Going Mainstream (and Making Comms Messy)
“What is a UPF, really?”
Ultra-processed foods are getting more airtime - and Amy points out that media moments (like the Joe Wicks documentary) push it further into mainstream conversation.
The challenge is obvious:
consumers are confused
definitions feel fuzzy
people start panicking about everything from bread to milk alternatives
brands don’t know whether to defend, dodge, educate, or re-position
Amy’s advice is refreshingly practical:
it’s almost impossible for most people to cut UPFs out completely
brands should own what they are, rather than twisting into knots
be responsible (especially around marketing to children)
and most importantly… know your proposition and audience
Because if you don’t know who you’re for, PR becomes a nightmare.
Listen to the full episode for the “how do you actually communicate this?” part - it’s properly useful.
“Back in the Day” PR vs PR Now: Suitcases Are Out, Strategy Is In
“Do I sample at media houses? No - I’m going to journalists’ houses.”
If you’ve ever done food and drink PR, you’ll love this bit.
Amy confirms that sampling is still a big deal in food and drink - because journalists rightly want to try a product before they write about it. But the way it happens has changed dramatically.
The standout story?
A 14-hour day hand-delivering cheese to journalists around the UK because couriers weren’t suitable (the product couldn’t be turned upside down).
Other shifts she highlights:
the media landscape is smaller
trade PR is holding up well (fewer titles, strong relationships, clear impact)
social media is a key PR channel for food and drink because it performs well visually
influencer activations can be cost-effective compared to big campaigns
Want the full “how PR works now” breakdown? Listen to the episode.
The 2026 Prediction: Nothing Dramatic - Just Brands Doing the Basics Better
“You cannot afford to not be prepared to be reactive.”
Amy doesn’t predict a dramatic “new era” in 2026. Instead, she’s very clear on what will matter most:
reputation management (crisis comms plans are basic hygiene)
don’t chase every trend (fads come and go)
get your proposition right, or you won’t last
use accessible tools (AnswerThePublic, Google Trends, Semrush) to understand what your audience is asking
create content that answers those questions consistently
It’s basically: do the basics, properly - and your PR becomes a lot easier (and more effective).
Listen to the full episode for Amy’s full 2026 “playbook” thinking.
PR Tools: Newswires, Databases, Monitoring… What’s Actually Worth It?
“If the story isn’t newsworthy, it doesn’t matter how much money you throw at it.”
This is a really honest bit.
Amy explains:
PR databases and monitoring tools still exist, but many are similar
AI is threatening the value of some of these suppliers
newswires aren’t a magic fix - and they’re rarely the go-to
the work is still in: strong story + strong strategy + right targets
Want the full tools chat? Listen to the episode.
Journalist Relationships and the AI Spam Problem
“They are being deluged by spam from AIs.”
This is one of the most important comms realities mentioned.
Fewer journalists. Smaller newsrooms. More junior staff. Less time.
And now… inboxes flooded with AI-generated nonsense.
That means reputation is everything:
your agency name matters
your credibility matters
your relationship matters
and if you spam, you can get blacklisted fast
In a weird way, AI has made good PR even more valuable - because trust is becoming harder to earn.
Listen to the full episode for the behind-the-scenes reality of modern pitching.
The Good Stuff, Summed Up
Food and drink trends are category-specific - you can’t use one template for everything.
Consumers are trading down in some places, but premium “treat at home” products are growing.
GLP-1s are part of a broader long-term move towards smaller appetites and portion sizes.
UPFs are going mainstream, but comms needs clarity, responsibility, and a strong proposition.
PR and SEO are converging fast thanks to AI and GEO.
Your About page matters more than ever.
Sampling still works in food and drink - just not the old media house way.
In 2026, brands that win will be the ones doing the basics consistently well.
Want all the context behind these points? Listen to the full episode with Amy.
Before You Go…
If you enjoyed this one, go connect with Amy Bendall - she’s brilliant at making PR feel practical, strategic, and refreshingly grounded.
And if this episode has you thinking, “Right… how discoverable is our brand actually in AI search?” or “Are we showing up as the answer anywhere?” - come and chat to us at Monday Clicks.
We’re a content-first SEO agency, and we help brands get found in the places that matter now (not the places that mattered five years ago).
And don’t forget: podcast listeners can grab a free website SEO audit - just mention the episode when you reach out.
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