Insights — Firas Bader — The Food Engineer https://firasbader.com/insights Short, practical articles by Firas Bader, The Food Engineer: new rules, reformulation and product fixes for food brands and manufacturers. en Tue, 03 Nov 2026 16:00:00 GMT Drinks under 5 g of sugar: the Gulf tax tiers and Ramadan 2027 https://firasbader.com/insights/drinks-under-5g-sugar https://firasbader.com/insights/drinks-under-5g-sugar Tue, 03 Nov 2026 16:00:00 GMT A tenth of a gram decides a drink’s sugar-tax tier in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Why landing under 5 g is hard, the levers that get you there, and why the work for Ramadan 2027 starts now. English Firas Bader Kitchen to factory: what changes when a recipe meets the line https://firasbader.com/insights/kitchen-to-factory https://firasbader.com/insights/kitchen-to-factory Sun, 01 Nov 2026 16:00:00 GMT Five things that change between the test kitchen and the factory line, and the three things I’d lock before the first factory trial. English Firas Bader What’s missing in Lebanese food? Notes from the 2026 industry expo https://firasbader.com/insights/whats-missing-lebanese-food-2026 https://firasbader.com/insights/whats-missing-lebanese-food-2026 Sun, 01 Nov 2026 11:00:00 GMT I walked the Lebanese Industry Expo 2026. Strong products everywhere, and one clear gap: almost nothing high in fiber and low in sugar. Here is why that gap is the next opportunity. English Firas Bader Protein and fibre in one food: why texture breaks first https://firasbader.com/insights/protein-and-fibre-2027 https://firasbader.com/insights/protein-and-fibre-2027 Tue, 27 Oct 2026 16:00:00 GMT Innova’s #1 food trend for 2027 is more nutrition per bite. Why protein and fibre fight over the same water, and how to add both without losing the product. English Firas Bader Shelf life by design: start with what fails first https://firasbader.com/insights/shelf-life-by-design https://firasbader.com/insights/shelf-life-by-design Sun, 25 Oct 2026 16:00:00 GMT Every food fails. The question is what fails first: texture, taste, colour or safety. The answer decides the formula, the process and the pack. English Firas Bader حليب ولبن بالبروتين: لماذا يصعب وضع 20 غراماً في العبوة؟ https://firasbader.com/insights/protein-milk-and-laban https://firasbader.com/insights/protein-milk-and-laban Tue, 20 Oct 2026 16:00:00 GMT الطلب على «حليب بروتين» يرتفع، لكنّ 20 غراماً من البروتين في العبوة تحدٍّ هندسي. إليك السبب والحل. EN: Why 20 g of protein in a bottle of milk or laban is hard. Arabic Firas Bader High protein, still soft: keeping a 20 g protein bar chewy https://firasbader.com/insights/protein-bar-that-stays-soft https://firasbader.com/insights/protein-bar-that-stays-soft Sun, 18 Oct 2026 16:00:00 GMT Why protein bars harden on the shelf, how a client’s 20 g bar was built to stay chewy to its last day, and the three checks I’d make before any launch. English Firas Bader Innovate today, nourish tomorrow: what it looks like in my work https://firasbader.com/insights/world-food-day-2026 https://firasbader.com/insights/world-food-day-2026 Thu, 15 Oct 2026 16:00:00 GMT FAO’s World Food Day theme for 2026 pairs new ideas with traditional knowledge. In my work, that means protein in foods people already eat, and Lebanese heritage rebuilt. English Firas Bader A cake that rose to 8 cm, then sank: find the cause first https://firasbader.com/insights/cake-mix-collapse-find-the-cause https://firasbader.com/insights/cake-mix-collapse-find-the-cause Mon, 12 Oct 2026 16:00:00 GMT A client’s retail cake mix lost a quarter of its height as it cooled. The fix touched three systems, and it started with one measurement. English Firas Bader UAE salt, sugar and fat limits: what changes for your recipe https://firasbader.com/insights/uae-salt-sugar-fat-limits https://firasbader.com/insights/uae-salt-sugar-fat-limits Sat, 10 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT On 6 Oct 2026 the UAE announced caps on sodium, total sugars and fat in five types of packaged food. What the numbers mean inside a formula, and where I’d start. English Firas Bader