Hügli snack seasonings banner with spice powders and colorful pouches, text reading “Be the first to try our new concept” and “Curries from around the world.”
Coffee harvest.

Coffee prices caught between record harvests and Hormuz disruption

Global coffee prices have fallen sharply from the record highs above US$4.40/lb reached in early 2025, as Brazil’s national supply agency forecasts a record 66.2 million bag harvest and Rabobank projects the first significant global production surplus in five years. But the correction is now facing fresh complications with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war, which is pushing freight rates, insurance premiums, and fuel costs higher just as the supply picture improves.The world’s two largest coffee buyers have laid bare how severe the input cost pressure has been. JDE Peet’s, the biggest pure-play coffee company, absorbed €1.6 billion (US$1.73 billion) in cost inflation in 2025 and passed on 19.5% in pricing to consumers, while Nestlé reported that coffee and cocoa commodity costs drove its underlying trading operating profit margin down 130 basis points. 
Consumer shopping for snacks in supermarket.
Snack reformulation trends: How can brands boost nutrition without sacrificing sensory appeal?
Health is no longer a niche positioning in snacks — it’s a consumer expectation — but indulgence remains critical. Snack reformulation has moved beyond single-ingredient swaps, as manufacturers increasingly adopt integrated systems that balance protein fortification, sugar reduction, and clean label transparency, without sacrificing sensory appeal. Innova Market Insights data shows that global consumers seek protein (60%) and fiber (55%) when purchasing snacks. However, most (74%) say flavor, taste, and texture are the most important factors when choosing between snacks.
mother and daughter shopping for dairy drinks in supermarket
IFF: How fermentation, AI & culture innovations are driving kefir’s “resurgence”
Kefir is emerging as a strategic growth opportunity for dairy manufacturers — driven by improvements in culture design, fermentation control, and AI-driven process optimization. International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) highlights a “resurgence” of the fermented dairy beverage, driven by gut-health demand, as it positions kefir as a “platform for innovation.”
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Future of food processing
According to Innova Market Insights, attitudes toward ultra-processed foods are changing. Consumers increasingly associate ultra-processed foods with unhealthy indulgence, but their habits are shifting, particularly with a rise in cooking from scratch. This shift means many products require reformulation to deliver the fresh, authentic characteristics consumers seek.
DuynieTP
DuyGrain®: Cost-efficient proteins & fibres
Protein and fibremaxxing are top trends among consumers. Incorporating them while keeping clean-label, taste and price in mind can be challenging. DuyGrain®, a plant-based protein and fibre-rich ingredient, offers a solution. Download the paper to learn how DuyGrain® enhances both nutrition and margins in bakery, meat and meat alternatives.This Technical Paper is brought to you by Duynie.
Video Thumbnail: Cargill trade show booth with branded signage, attendees networking, and a featured staff member in a circular inset at a food industry expo
Expo West 2026 live: Cargill’s fermentation-driven sugar reduction for sustainability & cost benefits

Amber McKinzie, Cargill’s marketing manager for sugar reduction, highlights the sustainability and cost benefits of fermentation-derived sweeteners like EverSweet, the company’s stevia-based ingredient. With Cargill making significant investments in fermentation, McKinzie explains how the method reduces land and water use and mitigates supply chain risks, as it can be implemented anywhere globally.

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Plant-based milk demand fuels Oatly’s Swedish capacity expansion
A worker at Oatly’s Landskrona facility
A resurgence in demand for oat-based beverages is behind Oatly’s expansion plans to increase production at its key facility in Landskrona, Sweden. The company says this is a multi-year investment with the expanded infrastructure expected to boost the site’s production capacity by more than 33%.
PepsiCo targets functional snacking with Doritos Protein launch
Doritos Protein.
High-protein Doritos are hitting US shelves as part of a strategic expansion for the classic tortilla-style chips into the rapidly growing healthier snack category. This month’s Doritos Protein launch comes amid a broader trend of consumers reducing spending on traditional snacks, shifting instead to better-for-you options.
Wilmar’s crushing margins defy global oilseed slump as profit rises to US$1.28B
Wilmar full-year results.
Wilmar International, Asia’s largest agribusiness group, has posted a 10% rise in core net profit to US$1.28 billion for FY2025, driven by a sharp improvement in oilseed crushing margins that propelled its Feed & Industrial Products segment to a 62% profit jump in the second half. Full-year revenue climbed 4.5% to US$70.4 billion. The results come against a backdrop of escalating trade tariffs, geopolitical disruption across key commodity corridors, and shifting regulatory landscapes — conditions that chairman and CEO Kuok Khoon Hong describes as making 2025 “a challenging year for the group.” Palm oil production dipped during the year, though the group’s integrated model helped absorb margin pressure across its consumer-facing businesses.
Lallemand debuts fermentation-derived vanillin for clean label foods
Vanillin food ingredient.
Lallemand Bio-Ingredients has developed a vanillin aroma ingredient for various food products, including bakery, dairy, confectionery, chocolate, and cereals. The natural alternative to synthetic vanillin enhances mouthfeel, boosts specific flavor notes, and provides an intense vanilla taste. The “groundbreaking” Hevani ingredient is produced through a precision fermentation process, which Lallemand has access to as part of its 2024 acquisition of biotechnology firm Evolva. The process leverages yeast-based technology to produce high-purity natural ingredients year-round, while preserving natural resources.
Nestlé adopts ChoViva as confectionery giants embrace cocoa-free solutions
Young consumers eating ChoViva products.
Planet A Foods’ ChoViva cocoa-free chocolate alternative is gaining traction with F&B giants, as confectionery and snack brands work to future-proof themselves against cocoa supply volatility. Nestlé Germany will expand its Choco Crossies “Snack Vibes” line using ChoViva next month, while Planet A Foods tells us it is talking to several other major brands about similar product launches. ChoViva already features in over 120 products across 10 countries, including private labels and well-known brands, such as Griesson - de Beukelaer, Treets, and Jokolade. Planet A Foods has partnered with industry giant Barry Callebaut to ensure global availability of its ingredient, which is primarily made from fermented, roasted sunflower seeds and oats.
Expo West 2026: Gut health and weight management innovations in supplements and...
Expo West 2026 trade show floor

Nutrition Insight

Weight management, gut and women’s health, alongside nutrient-dense formulations dominated innovation at Natural Products Expo West 2026 (Mar 3–6) in Anaheim, California, US. Companies showcased new protein-forward concepts, combinations of probiotics and postbiotics, and clinically-backed ingredients. At the trade show, Nutrition Insight caught up with Saanroo, Kerry, Aker BioMarine, FrieslandCampina Ingredients, and ADM to discuss multifunctional ingredients, delivery technology to improve bioavailability, and new supplement formats. 
Highlighted features
Plant-based meat on supermarket shelf.
Food Ingredients News
Plant-based naming dispute: How the EU’s new rules could...
Yesterday saw an EU trilogue discussion about whether plant-based foods can use meat-related names on alternative F&B products — and the result is a mixed bag of bans and restrictions on certain terminology, which will have an impact on farmers, brands, and companies operating in the plant-based space.
Shipping.
Business News
Energy shock, fertilizer crunch, freight surge: Food...
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing US-Israeli strikes on Iran has triggered a supply chain crisis that extends far beyond crude oil, threatening food ingredient markets through a cascade of fertilizer shortages, vegetable oil price spikes, sugar refinery disruption, and a sharp escalation in logistics costs that industry analysts warn could persist for months.The strait — a 21-mile-wide chokepoint between Iran and Oman through which approximately 20% of the world’s seaborne oil and 20% of its liquefied natural gas transits daily — has been functionally closed for commercial shipping since Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps began issuing radio warnings prohibiting vessel passage. 
women performing quality control in fish factory
Food Ingredients News
EU Commission sounds €440B PFAS cost alarm as food sector...
A new study commissioned by the European Commission warns that Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or “forever chemicals,” could have far-reaching societal and economic consequences, including for the F&B industry. The report estimates that the compounds’ present levels of pollution could cost the EU approximately €440 billion (~US$520 billion) by 2050, without regulatory action.

Ingredient focus

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Snacking trends in focus: Flavor, protein & fiberMar2026

Innova data shows consumers prioritize protein and fiber when purchasing snacks. However, flavor remains the most important factor in snack choice, driving steady annual growth in product launches fro...

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Lallemand Bio-Ingredients

Product innovation

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Future of food processing Mar 2026

According to Innova Market Insights, attitudes toward ultra-processed foods are changing. Consumers increasingly associate ultra-processed foods with unhealthy indulgence, but their habits are shifting, particularly with a rise in cooking from scratch. This shift means many products require reformulation to deliver the fresh, authentic characteristics consumers seek.

Trend analysis

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Vanilla’s adaptive edge spurs NPDMar 2026

Vanilla is proving its adaptive edge in global F&B innovation. New product launches featuring vanilla ingredients witnessed a large annual growth rate globally between 2023 and 2025, signaling sustained cross-category demand. More than a third of global launches were from Europe.

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Santiago Vega, Givaudan
Video09:05
Expo West 2026: Givaudan drives flavor innovation to support better-for-you formulations

Santiago Vega, VP Marketing for North America at Givaudan, explains how flavor is becoming a key enabler in today’s health, wellness, and functional food boom. He discusses the critical role taste plays in driving consumer acceptance of high-protein and fiber-enriched products — and how...

Video Thumbnail: Cargill trade show booth with branded signage, attendees networking, and a featured staff member in a circular inset at a food industry expo
Video03:50
Expo West 2026 live: Cargill’s fermentation-driven sugar reduction for sustainability & cost benefits
Brad Schwan, ADM
Video05:24
Expo West 2026 live: ADM targets reformulation trends as health fuels F&B innovation
EIT Food Thumbnail
Video14:57
EIT Food: How fiber, protein & GLP-1 trends drive indulgent F&B formulations 
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