dsm firmenich Horizontal Web Banner February 2026
dsm-firmenich completes consumer pivot with €2.2B Animal Nutrition divestment

dsm-firmenich completes consumer pivot with €2.2B Animal Nutrition divestment

dsm-firmenich has agreed to sell its Animal Nutrition & Health (ANH) business to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners for approximately €2.2 billion (~US$2.6 billion), which includes an earnout of up to €500 million (US$590 million). The company will retain a 20% equity stake in the divested business. The deal marks the final step in dsm-firmenich’s transformation into a consumer-focused company centered on nutrition, health, and beauty. 
Natural preservation: How the shift from shelf life to freshness unlocks value in F&B
Natural preservation: How the shift from shelf life to freshness unlocks value in F&B
The conversation around natural preservation is shifting — from simply extending shelf life to actively protecting freshness. It’s a distinction with significant commercial implications in a global food system where waste costs more than US$1 trillion annually, according to the United Nations’ Food Waste Index Report 2024. “The future of preservation is not about replacement alone, but choice and balance, with a focus on freshness as a holistic outcome — taste, texture, and food safety,” Bert De Vegt, VP Food Protection & Preservation at Kerry, tells Food Ingredients First. “This is particularly relevant for chilled meats and bakery, where freshness perception is tightly linked to brand trust.”
ISM & ProSweets 2026 live: Roquette explores texture science behind plant-based and sugar-free jellies
ISM & ProSweets 2026 live: Roquette explores texture science behind plant-based and sugar-free jellies
Jelly confectionery formulations require a careful balance of taste, texture, and mouthfeel. At the ongoing ISM & ProSweets 2026 trade show in Cologne, Germany (Feb 1-4), Roquette discusses the science behind soft confectionery texture, with a spotlight on plant-based, sugar-free jellies, using its sensory analysis tool.
Sweetener trends & insights: Opportunities for calorie-conscious innovation
Sweetener trends & insights: Opportunities for calorie-conscious innovation
Innova Market Insights reveals that nearly half of consumers globally are turning to sweeteners to satisfy their sweet cravings while aiming to reduce their calorie intake. This growing demand for lower-calorie options is fueling innovation in the sweetener market, presenting new opportunities for the development of novel sweetener solutions in F&B products.
ADM Texperien® Tapioca Starch Solutions
ADM Texperien® Tapioca Starch Solutions
For foods with the ideal bite, ADM Texperien® tapioca starches offer the functionality to deliver superior texture and clean taste in a range of applications.This Technical Paper is brought to you by ADM.
ISM & ProSweets 2026: Barry Callebaut and Planet A Foods join forces on ChoViva cocoa-free chocolate alternative
ISM & ProSweets 2026: Barry Callebaut and Planet A Foods join forces on ChoViva cocoa-free chocolate alternative

Barry Callebaut and Planet A Foods discuss their strategic partnership to develop and scale cocoa-free chocolate alternatives worldwide. Alvaro Alonso, president Western Europe at Barry Callebaut (left), and Max Marquart, CEO of Planet A Foods (right), explore the R&D behind cocoa-free formulations, their role in strengthening supply chain resilience, and the consumer and sustainability trends reshaping chocolate innovation.

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Hershey’s net income drops 60% as cocoa costs devour price increases
Hershey’s net income drops 60% as cocoa costs devour price increases
Hershey’s net income plunged 59.9% to US$320 million in the fourth quarter, extending a damaging year for the chocolate maker as soaring cocoa and tariff costs overwhelmed successive price increases. Full-year net income fell 60.3%, with adjusted earnings per share down 32.7% to US$6.31. Sales rose 7% to US$3.09 billion in Q4, comfortably beating analyst forecasts, but the widening gap between revenue growth and collapsing profitability defines these results. 
Biofach 2026: Clean label, climate pressure and organic F&B’s next phase
Biofach 2026: Clean label, climate pressure and organic F&B’s next phase
The organic F&B sector is facing a period of adjustment shaped by cost pressures, changing consumer priorities, and sustainability and transparency expectations. As organic products move further into the mainstream, companies are focusing on innovation and differentiation to stay competitive. In the EU, organic food and farming has grown year-over-year in the last three decades. In the region, organic farmland covered about 17.7 million hectares in 2023, with the organic retail market reaching about €46.5 billion (US$54.9 billion), according to IFOAM Organics Europe.
US FDA clears spirulina-based blue colors for wider use in food
US FDA clears spirulina-based blue colors for wider use in food
US regulators have expanded how spirulina-based blue colors can be used across F&B applications, following a petition by GNT Group. The US FDA approval backs a broader use of natural blues, removing one of the last major barriers to natural blue colors in food. Historically, blue has been the most technically challenging color to replace with natural alternatives.
Mondelēz earnings nearly halve as record cocoa costs overshadow revenue growth
Mondelēz earnings nearly halve as record cocoa costs overshadow revenue growth
Mondelēz International grew full-year net revenues by 5.8% to US$38.5 billion, but record cocoa costs wiped out much of that progress. Earnings nearly halved — down 44.7% — while the cost of producing its snacks surged nearly 25% to US$27.6 billion, driven by cocoa prices that hit a record high of US$10.75 per kg in January 2025. 
Ingredion banks on texture innovation as beverage sweetener demand cools
Ingredion banks on texture innovation as beverage sweetener demand cools
Ingredion posted record full-year reported earnings per share of US$11.18 — up from US$9.71 in 2024 — despite a 3% decline in net sales to US$7.2 billion, as the company’s texture and clean label portfolio outperformed a struggling North American sweetener business hit by production setbacks and weakening beverage demand. For 2026, the company expects sales to grow by a few percentage points and per-share profits to land between US$11.00 and US$11.80. 
Activ’Inside opens joint lab to tackle botanical bioavailability gap
Activ’Inside opens joint lab to tackle botanical bioavailability gap

Nutrition Insight

Activ’Inside has inaugurated a joint laboratory in France to drive scientific research on the bioavailability of phytonutrients and their health benefits. The facility was launched with Molécules d’Intérêt Biologique (MIB) at the University of Bordeaux and is also supported by the country’s National Research Agency (ANR).Nutrition Insight speaks with David Gaudout, the health and nutrition company’s co-founder and chief innovation officer, to learn how Biophysia bridges a botanical industry gap by leveraging academic researchers’ expertise in polyphenol research.
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Food Ingredients News
Fruit Logistica 2026: How the fresh produce sector is...
The global fresh produce market is transforming, shaped by mounting climate pressures, shifting consumer expectations, and the need for greater supply chain resilience. As fruits and vegetables remain central to health-driven diets worldwide, producers face challenges balancing quality and sustainability with innovation, as value-added applications become the sector’s defining features.
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Food Ingredients News
Bridging the gap: Will high-quality hybrids open the door...
Food innovators are considering whether hybrid products — solutions made from both animal- and plant-based ingredients — could be an entry point into increased plant-based eating. Hybrids familiarize consumers with the benefits of functional solutions that blend meat and dairy with alternative proteins such as soy, pea, fava bean, and lupin, as well as fermentation-derived proteins, while allowing formulators to combine complementary strengths in a more pragmatic way.
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Regulatory News
Nestlé, Lactalis & Danone face court action over infant...
Dutch consumer watchdog Foodwatch has filed a criminal complaint in Paris, France, naming seven infant formula manufacturers — Nestlé, Lactalis, Danone, Vitagermine (Babybio), Hochdorf, La marque en moins, and Granarolo — over their handling of a global contamination crisis. The complaint, filed “against X” under French procedure, opens an investigation that could expand to include food safety authorities. Eight affected families have reportedly joined the complaint to date. 

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Natural shelf life extension: The rise of clean label preservativesFeb2026

Innova Market Insights data indicates that consumers worldwide increasingly link product quality with extended shelf life and “natural” ingredients. Over the past five years, there has been a notable ...

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Sweetener trends & insights: Opportunities for calorie-conscious innovation Feb 2026

Innova Market Insights reveals that nearly half of consumers globally are turning to sweeteners to satisfy their sweet cravings while aiming to reduce their calorie intake. This growing demand for lower-calorie options is fueling innovation in the sweetener market, presenting new opportunities for the development of novel sweetener solutions in F&B products.

Trend analysis

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Plant-based innovation: Beyond dairy and meat alternativesFeb 2026

Plant-based products now extend beyond dairy and meat alternatives, including both category replicas and standalone or hybrid products. Innova Market Insights data shows plant-based F&B launches have seen steady growth globally over the past five years, with Europe leading the way. Dairy remains the top category in these launches.

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ISM & ProSweets 2026: Barry Callebaut and Planet A Foods join forces on ChoViva cocoa-free chocolate alternative

Barry Callebaut and Planet A Foods discuss their strategic partnership to develop and scale cocoa-free chocolate alternatives worldwide. Alvaro Alonso, president Western Europe at Barry Callebaut (left), and Max Marquart, CEO of Planet A Foods (right), explore the R&D behind cocoa-free...

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ISM & ProSweets 2026: Palsgaard’s emulsifier and stabilizer solutions for smarter bakery and chocolate formulation
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ISM & ProSweets 2026: Capol advances vibrant, customized color and coating solutions
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ISM & ProSweets 2026: Brenntag on balancing indulgence, health & sustainability in snacks
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