Yume logo on deep purple background with tagline “The future of sweetness is here. Made by Manus. Brought to you by Tate & Lyle.”
Supermarket.

Global Ingredient Trends 2026: Navigating consumer demand for health-driven formulas

Consumers are increasingly treating ingredients as tools for managing their own health, with 60% globally saying they always check ingredient lists before buying F&B products, according to new data from Innova Market Insights. The findings, presented ahead of the company’s Global Ingredient Trends 2026 webinar on March 26, identify three overarching consumer strategies — adding functional nutrients, demanding naturalness, and cutting perceived risk ingredients — that are reshaping formulation priorities across the F&B industry. 
Chef cooking with oil.
What’s next for fats and oils? Exploring the future of functional food ingredients
Fat consumption remains a core pillar of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), which were released earlier this year. But the new guidelines explicitly move away from the old “low-fat” mindset and instead rethink recommendations for fats and oils. The updated guidelines now emphasize getting fats from whole, minimally processed foods, and position fats as part of an overall nutrient-dense dietary pattern.
Tate & Lyle food scientists combining ingredients.
Future Food-Tech San Francisco 2026: How Tate & Lyle leverages AI for healthy ingredient innovation
Following its acquisition of CP Kelco, Tate & Lyle has expanded its ability to tackle complex reformulation challenges across beverages and a wide range of food categories, including dairy, soups, sauces, dressings, bakery, and snacks. In 2024, Tate & Lyle acquired CP Kelco, a leading provider of pectin, specialty gums, and other nature-based ingredients, to create a leader in mouthfeel, and significantly enhance its solutions capabilities.
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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.
Promotional image featuring a group of four people, dmk industry company logo in the right upper corner and a wheyco trademark product name in the lower left corner
wheyco™ W80 I LAF: Unlock the Power of Lactose Free Whey Protein Concentrate
Lactose intolerance affects consumers worldwide, driving demand for high quality, lactose free protein solutions. wheyco™ W80 I LAF delivers a premium lactose free WPC80 with excellent solubility, clean taste and reliable performance. It enables manufacturers to create high protein, easily digestible products and offers versatile functionality for a wide range of applications.This Technical Paper is brought to you by DMK.
Expo West 2026: Kerry reveals flavor strategies for functional food innovation
Expo West 2026: Kerry reveals flavor strategies for functional food innovation

Shannon Coco, senior director of new sales development at Kerry, discusses how the company’s 2026 Taste Charts help brands pair functional nutrition with consumer-preferred flavors. She explains how the Taste Chart Companion combines flavor trends with consumer research to guide innovation around protein, fiber, collagen, and adaptogens. Coco also highlights KerryNow, the company’s digital platform that helps manufacturers accelerate prototype and NPD.

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Cargill chief economist warns “food security is global security” as index...
Food plantation.
Global food systems are far more vulnerable than policymakers assume, a new 60-country resilience benchmark warns, with no nation scoring above 80 out of 100 and climate risk emerging as a universal weak spot. The findings have emerged as the Strait of Hormuz crisis disrupts a third of globally traded fertilizer, threatening major knock on effects for the F&B industry worldwide. The inaugural Resilient Food Systems Index (RFSI), published by Economist Impact and supported by Cargill, evaluates resilience across four pillars — affordability, availability, quality and safety, and climate risk responsiveness — using 71 indicators, and identifies a 42-point gap between the most resilient system (Portugal, 76.83) and the least (Democratic Republic of Congo, 34.86). 
Kraft Heinz shakes up Mac & Cheese category with high-protein PowerMac
mac and cheese in box and bowl
Kraft Mac & Cheese has unveiled PowerMac — a high-protein version of its classic macaroni and cheese, with 17 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber per serving. The launch targets the rising demand for healthier, more nutritious snacks and on-the-go meals, as industry leaders increasingly reformulate staple foods into high-protein products.
Enifer seeks FDA approval to scale mycoprotein ingredient in US food sector
Enifer Pekilo mycoprotein concept.
Enifer has sought US FDA “no questions” status for its fermentation-derived, shelf-stable mycoprotein ingredient (branded Pekilo), which would enable the Finnish biotech firm to position it for large-scale food partnerships in the country. The request for a formal FDA review follows Pekilo’s 2025 self-affirmed GRAS determination. The filing for FDA “no questions” status is important because it signals regulatory clearance, which is a critical hurdle for food manufacturers looking to integrate new ingredients. While mycoprotein is not yet as widely known or used as other plant-based protein sources like soy or pea protein, it has been steadily gaining attention, particularly within the growing market for functional, high-protein, and hybrid food formulations.
Protein pasta goes mainstream as heritage brands embrace functional...
People eating pasta.
As the functional foods trend gathers pace, pasta makers are moving to modernize one of the world’s most established staples. Italian pasta maker Rummo is among a growing number of brands entering the protein pasta space, reflecting rising demand for products that combine convenience, familiarity, and enhanced nutrition. The shift highlights how even heritage categories are evolving to meet changing consumer expectations.
McCormick makes offer for Unilever food division in potential...
Hellmann's mayonnaise on supermarket shelf.
Unilever has confirmed it received an offer from McCormick for its food division, which includes Hellmann’s, Knorr, Marmite, and Colman’s, in what could be one of the largest food industry deals in years. The companies issued separate statements on Friday confirming they are in discussions, though both cautioned there is no certainty a transaction will be agreed.
Webinar preview: dsm-firmenich on ARA and DHA balance in infant formula
Mother playing with child

Nutrition Insight

While breastfeeding is the gold standard for babies’ development, companies continue to bring infant formula closer to the composition of human milk’s nutrients and bioactives. Among breast milk’s many components, dsm-firmenich highlights the importance of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids for infant health and development, focusing on the right balance of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA). The scientific literature shows the importance of adding both lipids to infant formula, as babies cannot produce sufficient levels of ARA and DHA to meet physiological needs. Infants fed formula without preformed DHA and ARA exhibit lower tissue and circulating levels of these compounds than breastfed babies. 
Highlighted features
woman in supermarket choosing dairy products
Key interview
Breaking the taste barrier: How alt-dairy can capture...
Alt-dairy manufacturers can already achieve taste parity in some dairy categories — especially barista milk and creamers — but an R&D push is needed to close the taste gap in dairy-free ice cream and mozzarella, a sensory analysis of established and emerging alternative dairy companies by Nectar has revealed.
Cyber attack.
Business News
Asahi cyberattack exposes food industry’s growing...
Ransomware attacks on F&B companies surged in 2025, shutting down factories, halting distribution networks, and costing major players hundreds of millions of dollars in lost sales. The trend poses direct risks to ingredient supply chains, food safety systems, and regulatory compliance — and most of the sector remains unprepared.Japanese beverage giant Asahi Group Holdings published its delayed third-quarter 2025 financial results on March 10 after a ransomware attack in September knocked out the company’s financial reporting systems for months. The attack, attributed to the Qilin ransomware group (a Russia-linked operation that uses double-extortion tactics, encrypting systems while threatening to publish stolen data), encrypted servers across Asahi’s data centers and disrupted ordering, shipment, and production systems at its 30 Japanese factories.  
Solar Foods Solein lab.
Key interview
“Air-grown” protein: Solar Foods reveals next steps at...
Finnish firm Solar Foods is gearing up for Future Food-Tech San Francisco 2026 in the US (Mar 19–20), where it will demonstrate how its nutritious and ultra-sustainable “air-grown” protein can be applied and scaled across various F&B applications, including meat alternatives, dairy substitutes, pasta, and snacks. Solar Foods produces Solein using microbes fed with carbon dioxide, water, nutrients, and renewable electricity. By relying on fermentation instead of agriculture, the company can create a high-protein ingredient without farmland, large water use, or dependence on weather. This approach allows food production to happen almost anywhere, marking a shift toward more controlled, resilient, and scalable systems.

Ingredient focus

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Fats & oils: New frontiersMar2026

Innova Market Insights data reveals that consumers increasingly link lighter textures with healthier indulgence, favoring smooth and crunchy formats that balance pleasure with perceived wellness. Thes...

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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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Expo West 2026: Kerry reveals flavor strategies for functional food innovation
Video09:30
Expo West 2026: Kerry reveals flavor strategies for functional food innovation

Shannon Coco, senior director of new sales development at Kerry, discusses how the company’s 2026 Taste Charts help brands pair functional nutrition with consumer-preferred flavors. She explains how the Taste Chart Companion combines flavor trends with consumer research to guide innovation...

Expo West 2026 GNT Video Thumbnail: Woman wearing glasses at a trade show booth for plant-based color solutions, with colorful ingredient samples, certification icons, and textured wall displays.
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Expo West 2026: GNT explores technical challenges behind plant-based color performance
Pedro Goncalves, Tetra Pak
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Expo West 2026: Tetra Pak’s aseptic processing tackles shelf life and food waste challenges
Santiago Vega, Givaudan
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Expo West 2026: Givaudan drives flavor innovation to support better-for-you formulations
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