639 articles
Locust bean gum
Locust bean gum (carob bean gum, E 410), a galactomannan from Ceratonia siliqua seed endosperm, used as thickener and stabilizer; does not gel alone but synergizes with xanthan gum and kappa-carrageenan.
Lotus Bakeries
Lotus Bakeries, also branded Biscoff, is a Belgian family-controlled snacking company founded in 1932 in Lembeke, known for Lotus Biscoff caramelised cookies and spread, listed on Euronext Brussels (LOTB) with 2025 revenue of EUR 1,355 million.
Lucio Tan
Lucio Tan (陈永栽, Chen Yongzai), born in Fujian, is a Chinese-Filipino billionaire who founded Fortune Tobacco in 1966, acquired Philippine Airlines, and survived two decades of Marcos-era sequestration litigation.
Lucky Charms
Lucky Charms is an American sweetened breakfast cereal made by General Mills since 1964, pairing frosted whole-grain oat pieces with small colored marshmallows called marbits.
LuLu Group International
LuLu Group International (LuLu Group, Lulu International) is an Abu Dhabi-headquartered multinational retail conglomerate founded by M.A. Yusuff Ali, operating LuLu Hypermarkets, malls, hotels, and exchange services across the GCC, India, and beyond, with Lulu Retail listed on the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange since 2024.
M. A. Yusuff Ali
M. A. Yusuff Ali (Yusuff Ali Musaliam Veettil Abdul Kader), born 1955 in Nattika, Kerala, is the Indian-born chairman and managing director of LuLu Group International and chairman of Lulu Retail, the largest pan-GCC retailer, which listed on the Abu Dhabi exchange in 2024.
M&M's
M&M's, also styled M&Ms, are candy-shell-coated chocolate buttons made by Mars, introduced in 1941 in Newark, New Jersey by Forrest Mars Sr. and Bruce Murrie, first sold to the U.S. military, publicly launched in 1945, and famous for the slogan "melts in your mouth, not in your hands."
Maggi
Maggi, Swiss food brand founded by Julius Maggi in 1884 (seasoning, soups, bouillon cubes, 2-Minute Noodles), owned by Nestlé since the 1947 Alimentana merger; dominant instant-noodle brand in India.
Magnum (ice cream)
Magnum is a premium chocolate-coated ice cream bar launched by Unilever's Wall's brand in 1989, known for its cracking shell and the 'Nothing Cracks Like Magnum' campaign; it is now a flagship brand of The Magnum Ice Cream Company, listed in December 2025.
Maillard reaction
Maillard reaction: non-enzymatic browning of amino compounds with reducing sugars, discovered by Louis-Camille Maillard in 1912; three stages ending in melanoidins; gives cooked food its color, aroma, and flavor but also forms acrylamide and AGEs.
Makro
Makro is a cash-and-carry wholesale brand founded in Amsterdam in 1968 by SHV with METRO, serving HoReCa and traders; now run regionally by Metro (Europe), Tesco's Booker (UK), Massmart/Walmart (South Africa), and CP Axtra (Thailand, Philippines).
Maltesers
Maltesers are Mars's British chocolate-malt balls: honeycomb centres in milk chocolate, created by Forrest Mars Sr. in 1936, first sold 1937 as "energy balls," slogan "the lighter way to enjoy chocolate."
Manischewitz
Manischewitz, American kosher food brand founded 1888 in Cincinnati by Rabbi Dov Behr Manischewitz; food side owned by Kayco since 2019, wine brand licensed separately and owned by Gallo since 2021.
Manjit Minhas
Manjit Minhas is a Canadian entrepreneur who co-founded Minhas Breweries, Distillery and Winery in 1999 and has been an investor on CBC's Dragons' Den since 2015.
Margarita Louis-Dreyfus
Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, born Margarita Bogdanova (1962, Leningrad), is a Swiss businesswoman, widow of Robert Louis-Dreyfus, who chairs Louis Dreyfus Holding B.V., controls the Louis-Dreyfus agribusiness group, and founded the Louis Dreyfus Foundation; distinct from actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Marico
Marico Limited (BSE 531642, NSE MARICO) is an Indian FMCG company in beauty and wellness, formed from Bombay Oil Industries and led by Harsh Mariwala. Its FY26 turnover was ₹13,611 crore, up 26%, with Parachute and Saffola as flagship brands.
Marjorie Merriweather Post
Marjorie Merriweather Post (1887–1973), American businesswoman and philanthropist, heir to Postum Cereal who built General Foods, and collector whose Hillwood Estate houses the largest Imperial Russian art collection outside Russia.
Mark R. Hughes
Mark R. Hughes (Mark Reynolds Hughes, 1956–2000) founded Herbalife in February 1980 in Los Angeles and built a multilevel-selling nutrition company; he died at 44, and his name marks a UCLA lab, a distributor bonus, and a family trust.
Mars family
Mars family, owners of Mars, Incorporated (M&M's, Snickers, Pedigree), founded 1911 by Frank C. Mars in Tacoma, Washington. Five-generation, wholly family-owned fortune; Forbes 2024 ranked it America's second-richest family at $117 billion.
Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated: American family-owned maker of M&M'S, Snickers, Pedigree, and Royal Canin, founded 1911 in Tacoma, Washington; $65B+ revenue, ~170,000 Associates, McLean, Virginia headquarters, Kellanova acquired 2025.
Mason jar
Mason jar, the threaded glass canning jar patented by John Landis Mason in 1858; also called Ball or Kerr jars. Key facts: 1858 patent, two-piece self-sealing lid, Ball and Kerr both owned by Newell Brands, standard 2-3/8 inch regular-mouth opening.
McCain Foods
McCain Foods Limited, Canadian family-owned frozen food company founded 1957 in Florenceville, New Brunswick; makes frozen French fries and potato products, $16bn CAD revenue, 160 countries, main rivals Lamb Weston and Simplot.
McKee Foods
McKee Foods Corporation, formerly McKee Baking Company, is a family-owned snack bakery in Collegedale, Tennessee, founded in 1934 by O.D. and Ruth McKee and known for Little Debbie snack cakes, Sunbelt Bakery, Drake's, and Fieldstone brands.
McLane Company
McLane Company is an American wholesale distribution company headquartered in Temple, Texas, founded in 1894, that supplies groceries to convenience stores and restaurants and has been owned by Berkshire Hathaway since 2003.
McVitie's
McVitie's is a British biscuit brand founded in Edinburgh in the 1830s, famous for the 1892 Digestive, Hobnobs, Rich Tea and Jaffa Cakes, royal wedding cakes, and ownership by pladis (Yıldız Holding) since 2016.
MDH (spice company)
MDH (Mahashian Di Hatti Private Limited) is India's second-biggest packaged spice company after Everest, founded in 1919 in Sialkot and rebuilt in Delhi after Partition; known for 62 masala blends, the 'Dadaji' ads, and 2024 ethylene oxide export scrutiny.
Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels: international network of local programs delivering nutritious meals to homebound older adults and people with disabilities, with safety checks and social contact; originated in WWII Britain, first US program in Philadelphia, 1954.
Mechanically separated meat
Mechanically separated meat, also called mechanically recovered meat, is a paste-like meat product made by forcing bones with edible meat through a sieve under high pressure.
Metro AG
Metro AG, German food wholesaler (METRO/MAKRO cash-and-carry) founded 1964 in Mülheim an der Ruhr, serving HoReCa and Traders in over 30 countries; €32.4 billion sales in FY2024/25, delisted 2026 after Kretinsky takeover.
Metro Inc.
Metro Inc., also known as Métro-Richelieu, is a Canadian food and pharmacy retailer headquartered in Montreal and one of Canada's three largest grocery chains, alongside Loblaw and Sobeys.