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Djazagro 2026: What’s driving innovation in North Africa’s F&B industry?

North Africa’s F&B industry is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by rising consumer demand for affordable products that blend taste with a healthier, more natural profile. This shift is propelling innovation in sugar reduction, natural colors and flavors, shelf life extension, and local adaptation.
Runners in New York drinking sports beverages.
Function over restriction: How protein and fiber are reshaping healthy beverage innovation
Consumers are redefining “healthy” beverages from a focus on restriction to one of nutritional optimization. While sugar reduction remains a baseline expectation, the category is shifting toward delivering functional, targeted benefits — from gut health and energy to mental well-being, alongside clean label, natural formulations, and enhanced protein.
woman in pink sweater looking at frozen food section in supermarket
Biospringer by Lesaffre: Cracking plant protein sensory challenges with yeast-based fermentation
The plant-based food category continues to gain traction, but faces sensory roadblocks, namely a lack of depth in taste, undesirable off-notes, and mouthfeel challenges, which can undermine repeat purchases. Biospringer by Lesaffre is responding to these challenges with its yeast-derived fermentation ingredients. These ingredients go beyond flavor masking to build the overall taste and texture of plant-based products, while helping manufacturers align with consumer expectations for clean labels and natural ingredients.
Technical paper graphic showing green gummy candies with sugar coating, overlaid text “Givaudan Sense Colour Veriphyl® Greens – credible source, incredible colour”
Veriphyl® Greens: Credible source, incredible colour
Chlorophyll’s abundance in nature and vibrant green colour make it an ideal natural food colour. Extracted from edible sources and with a traceable supply chain, our Veriphyl® natural greens work well in a variety of applications. Download our Veriphyl® Greens white paper to learn more about these versatile and vibrant natural options.This Technical Paper is brought to you by Givaudan Sense Colour.
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Operating Through Uncertainty: Building Scalable Advantage in the Age of Ultra-Processed Foods
In this session, Innova Market Insights will share exclusive insights into consumer behavior, perceptions, and preferences around UPFs, as well as market insights and innovation opportunities within processed foods.      Frame & Flight will explore how leading manufacturers are responding by modernizing how product data flows across formulation, specifications, labeling, and compliance. Using connected digital workflows, teams can evaluate reformulation scenarios earlier, manage supplier change with confidence, and stay launch-ready — even as definitions, guidance, and expectations continue to evolve.      The result: less rework, faster decisions, and the ability to turn regulatory and nutritional uncertainty into a competitive advantage.    
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Melt&Marble: Enhancing flavor in alternative meats and dairy with precision-fermented fat
Swedish biotech Melt&Marble has secured self-affirmed GRAS status for its precision-fermented fat, which it says improves flavor delivery in alternative meats and dairy. Head of product, Paulo Teixeira, explains how “MeltyMarble” outperforms conventional plant fats with gradual melting and natural flavor release. While the company targets an FDA “no questions” letter by next year, Teixeira highlights that EU regulatory approval is a tougher challenge for precision-fermented ingredients.

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Parima secures regulatory clearance to sell cultivated duck in Singapore
Parima's cultivated duck gets Singapore approval.
France-based start-up Parima has become what it says is the first cultivated meat company to secure regulatory approval for two animal species, following authorization of its cultivated duck by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA). The milestone comes six months after the company received approval for cultivated chicken in Singapore in October 2025, originally submitted by Vital Meat before its merger with Gourmey to form Parima.
Givaudan posts Q1 2026 sales growth but Taste & Wellbeing underperforms
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Givaudan’s Q1 2026 sales results show a slowdown in its Taste & Wellbeing division, with a -0.4% decline in like-for-like sales, compared to +5% growth in Q1 2025. However, the overall group recorded sales of CHF 1.875 billion (~US$2.04 billion), an increase of +2.8% on a like-for-like basis.
Vitafoods Europe 2026: Synergy Flavours taps into functional protein trends
High-protein products on supermarket shelf in Spain.
Healthy aging is an increasingly important consideration for many consumers, including younger cohorts. However, according to Synergy Flavours, the F&B industry is failing to fully capitalize on the growing demand for functional products that support healthy aging and other wellness outcomes. Synergy is set to present concepts that help manufacturers realize the potential in protein-enriched F&B at Vitafoods Europe 2026 (May 5–7) in Barcelona, Spain.
Mars and ofi forge partnership to drive regenerative cocoa farming in Ecuador
Ecuadorian cocoa farmer in field.
Mars and ofi (Olam Food Ingredients) have today announced a five-year strategic partnership (2025–2029) to help advance climate-smart and regenerative agriculture practices in cocoa production in Ecuador across their shared cocoa supply chain. Both companies have ambitions to be net-zero by 2050. The American confectionery giant defines “climate-smart agriculture” as “context-appropriate practices that are applied to best optimize efforts to reduce and remove GHG emissions, regenerate soils, support biodiversity, and adapt to increasing climate hazards.” The partnership aims to reduce the carbon footprint associated with cocoa production and help farmers increase their productivity.
Nestlé and Starbucks pursue cold coffee growth amid industry headwinds
Consumer pouring Starbucks Coffee Craft concentrate.
Nestlé and Starbucks have jointly launched Starbucks Coffee Craft concentrate, a premium concentrated coffee made with high-quality Arabica beans that is said to deliver Starbucks’ signature taste. The coffee industry giants aim to reach more consumers and drive sales growth in the growing cold coffee market with this new product. The launch comes at a time of flux for the coffee industry. Although the global coffee bean supply is currently strong, the Middle East conflict is making the commodity more expensive to transport and produce. Longer term, climate-related weather patterns are expected to push coffee prices higher across the supply chain.
Industry urges nutrition focus to curb ultra-processed foods’ mortality risk,...
Young woman making choice, donut or apple

Nutrition Insight

Scientists are calling out health-harming corporate tactics amid the global rise in chronic disease. They mainly target the manufacturing and marketing of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) linked to cancer, diabetes, neurocognitive disorders, and infertility. The literature review in the New England Journal of Medicine specifies five commercial products linked to 31% of annual deaths. UPFs contribute to 2.3 million deaths annually, trailing fossil fuels, tobacco, toxic chemicals, and alcohol. The review’s lead author calls for countering health harms by taking lessons from research on the tobacco industry.
Highlighted features
Woman shops for frozen food.
Food Ingredients News
GLP-1 medications accelerate frozen food’s shift toward...
As GLP-1 weight loss medications grow in use and visibility, they are accelerating a broader shift in how consumers think about food — not just in terms of calories, but nutritional output per bite. This concern is beginning to reshape expectations across the F&B industry, particularly in categories built around convenience and portion control.
Close-up of gloved scientist hands holding a wheat ear in a laboratory with AI holograms and digital data overlays.
Tech & Innovation
AI as infrastructure: How Cargill is rewiring food...
Cargill has picked up a 2026 BIG Artificial Intelligence Excellence Award, presented by the Business Intelligence Group. The award recognizes the food corporation’s integration of AI across its value chain, from on-farm decision tools to supply chain optimization and customer co-creation. The award points to a structural shift in food and agriculture. Industry leaders like Cargill are no longer testing AI at the margins, but integrating it into their core workflows, from product development through to commercialization, in a sector defined by complexity, regulation, and tight margins.
Valio high-protein dairy products.
New Product Development
Valio webinar preview: Turning wellness trends into...
Consumers globally are demanding more from their food, as wellness becomes a central lifestyle priority. GLP-1 medications, gut health, and high-protein consumer demands are transforming the food industry, but how can F&B brands capitalize on these fast-growing market opportunities? Finnish dairy and food leader Valio is set to explain how manufacturers can achieve nutrient-dense, multifunctional products that offer tangible benefits in compact formats in an upcoming webinar: “More per Bite: Turn wellness into market success.” You can register for free for the webinar here, which will broadcast on April 21, 2026, at 09:00 CEST/07:00 UTC and 15:00 CEST/13:00 UTC.

Ingredient focus

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Natural colors surge in F&B industryApr2026

Innova Market Insights data shows that consumers are actively reducing artificial ingredients in favor of natural alternatives. The use of natural colors in F&B launches is rising, with +9% growth...

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Product innovation

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Plant-based F&B launches see steady growth Apr 2026

Innova Market Insights data indicates a 3% CAGR in plant-based F&B launches between 2021 and 2025. Dairy and Meat Substitutes remain the key categories, while Fruit & Vegetables showed the fastest growth (36% CAGR) during the same period. Emerging ingredients in plant-based launches include sucralose, oat flake, and vegetable fats.

Trend analysis

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Healthy beverage trends: A growing market for functional drinksApr 2026

Innova Market Insights has identified “Beverages with Purpose” as one of the top F&B trends for 2026. Consumers worldwide are increasingly prioritizing health-conscious beverages, driven by growing industry support and innovation. This shift is accelerating the demand for functional drinks, with protein and biotic benefits leading the charge as key trends in healthy beverage development.

Multimedia

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Video11:07
Melt&Marble: Enhancing flavor in alternative meats and dairy with precision-fermented fat

Swedish biotech Melt&Marble has secured self-affirmed GRAS status for its precision-fermented fat, which it says improves flavor delivery in alternative meats and dairy. Head of product, Paulo Teixeira, explains how “MeltyMarble” outperforms conventional plant fats with gradual melting and...

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