IFF Culinary banner showing chefs cooking and a pan over flame with the text, “The aroma of innovation is always in the air.”
PepsiCo collaborates with local chefs.

How PepsiCo is creating new consumption occasions beyond the snack aisle

PepsiCo is increasingly exploring how its snack brands can move beyond the packaged foods aisle and into full culinary applications, using chef collaborations, restaurant concepts, and localized menu development to create new meal occasions for consumers. The global snacks and beverages giant highlights a series of restaurant and experiential dining initiatives across China, Spain, Mexico, and the US that position brands, such as Lay’s and Tostitos, as ingredients within chef-led dishes and foodservice formats, rather than standalone snacks.
Young woman reads product label while buying diary product in supermarket.
Health-forward F&B: Ingredients move from better-for-you to “more per bite”
Food and beverage innovation is entering a new phase. Over the next decade, health-forward products will be judged less by isolated claims and more by how effectively they support multiple aspects of well-being at once — energy, satiety, digestion, mood, cognition, healthy aging, and metabolic health — without compromising taste, convenience, or affordability. For ingredient suppliers, this is changing the formulation brief. Products must be nutrient-dense but enjoyable, functional but familiar, science-backed but scalable, and increasingly sustainable. Food Ingredients First speaks with major ingredient suppliers Valio, Hydrosol, IFF, FrieslandCampina Ingredients, and dsm-firmenich to understand how health-forward innovation is evolving across F&B.
happy woman shopping in supermarket
Nedmag on sodium reduction: How magnesium blends support healthier F&B formulations
The F&B industry is moving beyond the “less salt” strategy to mineral-optimized formulations for sodium reduction, with magnesium often at the center of this movement. Incorporating magnesium alongside sodium and potassium can help manufacturers maintain flavor and functionality while cutting sodium across dairy, bakery, plant-based, and hybrid foods.
DuyGrain functional nutrition bread with sliced whole grain loaf and Duyvis branding on a teal and yellow product banner
DuyGrain® functional & nutritional benefits in bread
DuyGrain® enhances nutrition, shelf-life freshness, sustainability, and margins in breads. Solving challenges faced by many bakeries globally; tight margins, growing consumer expectations for tasty, nutritious and clean label breads, while retailers demand lower wastage and sustainability commitments. Download the paper to learn how your bakery benefits from DuyGrain®.This Technical Paper is brought to you by Duynie.
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Nutrition solutions for healthy aging: Physical health & cognitive function
This science-driven webinar explores how targeted nutrition can support the evolving health needs of an aging population. Join industry experts as they discuss the role of advanced whey protein ingredients, including whey protein isolate, alpha-lactalbumin, glycomacropeptide, and other functional whey components, in supporting key aspects of healthy aging. Learn how these ingredients contribute to physical and cognitive health, including cardiovascular and metabolic health, cognitive function, sleep health, and gut health. The session will highlight emerging research behind these functional ingredients and their relevance across the aging lifecycle. Together, we will explore how this research can be translated into practical, evidence-based nutrition strategies aimed at maintaining strength, resilience, and overall wellbeing in the aging population.
Oterra video thumbnail: Blue pancakes topped with blueberries beside a circular portrait of a man on a blue graphic background
Oterra: Navigating natural color innovation amid blue and white challenges

Phil Cook, head of strategic marketing at Oterra, discusses the F&B industry’s move from synthetic to natural colors in response to regulatory pressures and growing consumer health concerns. He highlights why certain shades, such as blue and white, are particularly difficult to replicate and how innovations in biotechnology are helping manufacturers enhance the performance and reliability of natural colors.

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Strait of Hormuz crisis: UN FAO warns of “increasingly visible” fertilizer and...
FAO director-general Qu Dongyu at the 181st Session of the FAO Council.
The greatest risk of the Strait of Hormuz closure for the agri-food industry is not an immediate food shortage, but a fertilizer and production shock. This was the opinion of the UN FAO’s director-general, Qu Dongyu, speaking at the 181st Session of the FAO Council (June 8–12). As the crisis hit its 100-day mark, he said the effects of the crisis on farmers globally are “increasingly visible.”
Bakery innovation trends: How are social media, sustainability and...
bakery cones with fruits
Bakery innovations are increasingly impacted by consumer expectations, cultural influences, and technological advancements, a new Dawn Foods report on bakery trends highlights. The findings explain how bakery manufacturers can innovate new formats, leverage social media for consumer interaction, and prioritize sustainability and wellness.
Cultivated meat on dairy farms? Dutch start-up launches world-first pilot
group at people posing for a team photo at farm
RespectFarms has inaugurated what it describes as the world’s first cultivated meat farm in Schipluiden, South Holland, Netherlands. The proof-of-concept cultivation lab is located on the farm of the fifth-generation dairy farmer Corné van Leeuwen. The project marks a significant milestone in the cultivated meat industry by moving production closer to traditional agriculture rather than concentrating it in large industrial facilities.
Cargill strengthens Belgium as strategic European food innovation hub
Cargill’s edible oils operations in Izegem, Belgium.
Global food and ingredient leader Cargill is reinforcing Belgium’s role as a core European hub for food production, innovation, and customer collaboration through a €56 million (~US$65 million) investment across three key sites. The multi-site program covers upgrades at the Izegem edible oils bottling facility (€21 million (~US$24 million)), expansion of gourmet chocolate production in Mouscron (€30 million (~US$35 million)), and a new extrusion pilot plant at the Vilvoorde Innovation Center (€5.4 million (~US$6.2 million).
HowGood–Sweep partnership brings product-level emissions data into...
Happy father and daughter buying food in supermarket.
Food and agriculture companies can now gain unprecedented access to product-level carbon data through a strengthened partnership between HowGood and Sweep. The collaboration allows companies to bring ingredient- and product-level emissions data directly into enterprise sustainability platforms, transforming the way organizations measure, manage, and report on environmental impact. HowGood, a global leader in product carbon footprint automation, has integrated its extensive database of over 12 million product carbon footprints into Sweep, an AI-powered sustainability intelligence platform. This integration enables companies to use precise emissions data for scope 3 carbon accounting, supplier engagement, and regulatory reporting, all without manual data collection.
Sirio Europe champions menopause gummies and women-specific clinical trials
Asian woman smiling , holding and looking at orange gummy bear

Nutrition Insight

Amid a growing industry focus on nutrition solutions that help women manage menopause symptoms, Nutrition Insight speaks with Sirio Europe to learn about the company’s key ingredients designed to support women through menopause stages. Innova Market Insights data indicates that female consumers take vitamins or minerals to help their hormonal health. This has also been a push for the supplement market, with over 17% of launches globally for supplements with menopause claims from April 2021 to March 2026. The data reveals an increase in the demand for menopause supplements with beauty claims. 
Highlighted features
Tate & Lyle logo on smartphone.
Business News
Tate & Lyle board backs Ingredion’s £2.7B cash offer to...
Tate & Lyle’s board has unanimously recommended Ingredion’s cash offer for the UK-headquartered specialty ingredients business, valuing its share capital at approximately £2.7 billion (US$3.6 billion). The proposed transaction implies an enterprise value of approximately £3.7 billion (US$5 billion) and would create a scaled global ingredient solutions provider spanning texture, sugar reduction, mouthfeel, sweetening, and fortification.
pouring ube flavored syrup into glass of milk
Food Ingredients News
“Purple gold” into profit: Navigating ube’s soaring demand...
Ube — the vibrant purple yam described as the Philippines’ “purple gold” — has quickly captured social media attention to become one of the F&B industry’s most viral ingredients. Its eye-catching color is appearing in everything from iced lattes and cloud coffees to ice creams, cheesecakes, and bakery launches. However, the industry is confronting a key question with ube’s soaring popularity: can supply keep up with demand?
Hellmann's and Knorr products from Unilever.
Food Ingredients News
How Unilever is using AI to stay visible in a new era of...
The battle for consumer attention is no longer confined to supermarket aisles or search engine results. Increasingly, it is taking place inside AI-powered search tools, voice assistants, and large language models that are shaping what consumers cook, buy, and eat. For global food manufacturers, that shift is creating a new challenge — ensuring brands are not only visible on store shelves, but also recommended by the algorithms consumers increasingly rely on for inspiration and decision-making.

Ingredient focus

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Sensory innovation spurs emulsifier demandJun2026

Innova Market Insights data show that consumers link rich sensory experiences, such as creamy textures, with indulgence in food and beverages. This perception is fueling growth in emulsifier launches,...

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Consumers prioritize health in F&B choices Jun 2026

Data from Innova Market Insights shows a growing global focus on health when selecting food and beverages. Consumers are increasingly seeking products fortified with health-supporting ingredients — such as added vitamins, omega-3s, minerals, fiber, and protein — underscoring the rising importance of nutrient-rich, wellness-focused offerings.

Trend analysis

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Dairy-free alternatives on the riseJun 2026

According to Innova Market Insights, consumers increasingly choose dairy alternatives for their perceived health benefits. From April 2021 to March 2026, high-protein dairy alternatives grew by 5%, reflecting strong interest in nutrient-rich options. Dairy alternative milks dominate new product launches and represent the fastest-growing subcategory, highlighting significant opportunities for innovation in this space.

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Oterra video thumbnail: Blue pancakes topped with blueberries beside a circular portrait of a man on a blue graphic background
Video09:00
Oterra: Navigating natural color innovation amid blue and white challenges

Phil Cook, head of strategic marketing at Oterra, discusses the F&B industry’s move from synthetic to natural colors in response to regulatory pressures and growing consumer health concerns. He highlights why certain shades, such as blue and white, are particularly difficult to replicate and...

Vanessa Adamson, Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board
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AHDB: GLP-1 weight loss drugs set to reshape UK meat demand
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Video10:00
Cargill: Cocoa-free innovation to complement traditional chocolate portfolios
Anne Auger, Givaudan, Vitafoods Europe 2026, Cognitive Health, Functional Ingredients, Cereboost, Zensera, Health And Functional BU, South-West Europe, Functional F&B, Taste, Regulatory Compliance, Su
Video04:54
Vitafoods Europe 2026: How Givaudan balances taste, compliance and sustainability in cognitive health ingredients
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