The Reinvention Playbook for Legacy Brands
May 12, 2026
Food reformulation, consumer transparency, and CPG innovation are the pillars of long-term brand relevance in today's market. In this episode of Food Tech Talk: Supply Chain Insights from Farm to Fork, host Katy Jones, CEO of Trustwell, sits down with Charlie Chappell, former VP of Innovation and Global R&D at The Hershey Company. Charlie shares how a proactive R&D strategy and a first-mover advantage in artificial color removal can transform a legacy brand into a modern leader by aligning consumer sentiment analysis with technical excellence.
Trustwell reConnect On-Demand is here! 🖥️
If you work in the food industry, you know that staying ahead of regulations is a constant battle. That’s where Trustwell reCONNECT On-Demand comes in.
We recently hosted our annual virtual summit, bringing together hundreds of industry experts to discuss the future of food safety, traceability, and compliance. Now, you can access the entire library of sessions, featuring actionable insights from brands like Taco John's and Wawa, focusing on everything from FSMA 204 compliance to quality management and supply chain resilience.
Don't miss out on the strategies you need to lead your team. Access the complete reCONNECT On-Demand library for free by visiting: https://www.trustwell.com/reconnect/
How does a global leader like The Hershey Company navigate the delicate balance between speed to market and the rigorous demands of regulatory compliance in food? Join host Katy Jones, CEO of Trustwell, as she welcomes Charlie Chappell to discuss why marketing and R&D alignment is the ultimate "secret sauce" for scalable innovation. Charlie reflects on his 25-year career, exploring how clean label trends and the demand for consumer transparency are forcing brands to move away from "hiding" behind technical jargon and instead embrace a strategy of radical honesty that builds lasting trust.
The conversation dives deep into the future of food tech AI, specifically the challenge of subjective taste modeling and why an "LLM for the tongue" is the next frontier for the product development lifecycle. Charlie explains how digital twins in food are already optimizing chemical formulations, but why human expertise remains essential when navigating supply chain disruption and consumer insights data. By treating reformulation as a proactive engine for strategic growth in food rather than a reactive burden, leaders can protect their shelf space and ensure their products remain "Sesame Street simple" yet fundamentally superior.
Trustwell reConnect On-Demand is here! 🖥️
If you work in the food industry, you know that staying ahead of regulations is a constant battle. That’s where Trustwell reCONNECT On-Demand comes in.
We recently hosted our annual virtual summit, bringing together hundreds of industry experts to discuss the future of food safety, traceability, and compliance. Now, you can access the entire library of sessions, featuring actionable insights from brands like Taco John's and Wawa, focusing on everything from FSMA 204 compliance to quality management and supply chain resilience.
Don't miss out on the strategies you need to lead your team. Access the complete reCONNECT On-Demand library for free by visiting: https://www.trustwell.com/reconnect/
Connect with the team:
👉 Katy Jones on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katyjonespr/
👉 Trustwell: https://www.trustwell.com/
👉 Charlie Chappell on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/charliechappell
You can also listen to our podcast here:
👉 Apple - https://apple.co/47afWXM
👉 Spotify - https://bit.ly/4lIA1KP
👉 YouTube - https://bit.ly/3YpdUQW
👉 Fame Host - https://foodtechtalk.co
The conversation dives deep into the future of food tech AI, specifically the challenge of subjective taste modeling and why an "LLM for the tongue" is the next frontier for the product development lifecycle. Charlie explains how digital twins in food are already optimizing chemical formulations, but why human expertise remains essential when navigating supply chain disruption and consumer insights data. By treating reformulation as a proactive engine for strategic growth in food rather than a reactive burden, leaders can protect their shelf space and ensure their products remain "Sesame Street simple" yet fundamentally superior.
Trustwell reConnect On-Demand is here! 🖥️
If you work in the food industry, you know that staying ahead of regulations is a constant battle. That’s where Trustwell reCONNECT On-Demand comes in.
We recently hosted our annual virtual summit, bringing together hundreds of industry experts to discuss the future of food safety, traceability, and compliance. Now, you can access the entire library of sessions, featuring actionable insights from brands like Taco John's and Wawa, focusing on everything from FSMA 204 compliance to quality management and supply chain resilience.
Don't miss out on the strategies you need to lead your team. Access the complete reCONNECT On-Demand library for free by visiting: https://www.trustwell.com/reconnect/
Connect with the team:
👉 Katy Jones on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katyjonespr/
👉 Trustwell: https://www.trustwell.com/
👉 Charlie Chappell on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/charliechappell
You can also listen to our podcast here:
👉 Apple - https://apple.co/47afWXM
👉 Spotify - https://bit.ly/4lIA1KP
👉 YouTube - https://bit.ly/3YpdUQW
👉 Fame Host - https://foodtechtalk.co
Food Tech Talk: Supply Chain Insights From Farm to Fork is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
Previous guests include:
Previous guests include:
- Michael Robins, Certified Master Chef and the Founder of Integrated Culinary Systems
- Jill Stuber, Co-Founder of Catalyst, LLC
- Justin Dillon, CEO and Founder of FRDM AI
Check out our three most downloaded episodes: