Apetit Horizontal Banner February 2026
Fruit Logistica 2026: How the fresh produce sector is tackling climate and consumer pressures
Fruit Logistica 2026: How the fresh produce sector is tackling climate and consumer pressures
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.
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.
CEAMFIBRE: A Natural, Multifunctional Ingredient for Food Applications
CEAMFIBRE: A Natural, Multifunctional Ingredient for Food Applications
What if clean label food innovation started with a citrus peel? CEAMFIBRE is a natural ingredient obtained from lemon, lime, and orange peels. This multifunctional citrus fiber provides tailored solutions, both soluble and insoluble, addressing specific technical and formulation needs to diverse end applications across the Food Industry, including bakery, dairy, meat or juices. This Technical Paper is brought to you by CEAMSA.
ISM & ProSweets 2026 live: Avebe showcases fast-setting potato starch for scalable vegan gummies
ISM & ProSweets 2026 live: Avebe showcases fast-setting potato starch for scalable vegan gummies

Avebe’s Stefan Wessel, field technical service specialist, explains how potato-based starch helps vegan gummies set faster, dry sooner, and run more efficiently. He shares how manufacturers can finetune texture and stability while cutting energy use — making plant-based gummy production more scalable and sustainable.

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Barry Callebaut maps post-crisis growth in chocolate confectionery trends report
Barry Callebaut maps post-crisis growth in chocolate confectionery trends report
Barry Callebaut has released its “Top Chocolate Confectionery Trends 2026 & Beyond” report, framing a path forward for the chocolate industry after last year’s cocoa crisis.The report introduces “Minorstone Confectionery” as a key consumer behavior — the habit of celebrating smaller life achievements with indulgent treats. Barry Callebaut’s research found 87% of consumers enjoy celebrating non-traditional milestones with friends and family, suggesting chocolate’s commercial future may depend less on major occasions and more on positioning products as accessible everyday rewards.  
PepsiCo cuts snacks and drink prices to recapture cost-conscious consumers
PepsiCo cuts snacks and drink prices to recapture cost-conscious consumers
Snacks and soft drinks giant PepsiCo has cut prices by 15% for certain brands, including Doritos, Lay’s and Cheetos, in response to growing consumer complaints about high prices.
Bridging the gap: Will high-quality hybrids open the door to eating more...
Bridging the gap: Will high-quality hybrids open the door to eating more protein?
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.
USDA trade mission tests landmark Indonesia deal as US exporters eye US$67B...
USDA trade mission tests landmark Indonesia deal as US exporters eye US$67B food market
US dairy, wheat, and grain exporters are set to benefit from the elimination of tariffs and licensing barriers that have long complicated access to Southeast Asia’s largest economy — Indonesia — as a US trade delegation composed of 41 agri-businesses, trade organizations, and representatives from four state departments of agriculture, arrives in Jakarta this week. The US-Indonesia Agreement on Reciprocal Trade, announced in July 2025 and recently signed, exempts US food and agricultural products from two major regulatory barriers: Indonesia’s commodity balance policy, which capped imports at government-estimated shortfalls in domestic supply, and its import licensing regimes, which required pre-shipment inspections, ministry approvals, and facility-by-facility certification before US products could enter the market. 
ISM 2026 live: Valio highlights AI-driven, high-protein “permissible...
ISM 2026 live: Valio highlights AI-driven, high-protein “permissible indulgence” in dairy innovations
Finnish dairy firm Valio is spotlighting the “permissible indulgence” megatrend at the ongoing ISM 2026 in Cologne, Germany (Feb 1-4), as consumers increasingly scan market shelves for F&B products that combine pleasure and positive nutrition.
World Cancer Day 2026: Danone calls nutrition essential to fight...
World Cancer Day 2026: Danone calls nutrition essential to fight disease-related malnutrition

Nutrition Insight

On today’s World Cancer Day, Danone becomes the first food business joining forces with the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to advocate for nutritional care’s recognition as an essential component of cancer treatment while strengthening workplace protections for its employees with a diagnosis. Cancer-related malnutrition is a “prevalent yet overlooked challenge” in oncology, underscores the global group. It finds that up to 70% of people living with cancer experience malnutrition, negatively impacting treatment effectiveness and recovery.
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Food Ingredients News
ISM 2026 live: Cocoa volatility reshapes chocolate...
ISM & ProSweets 2026 is underway in Cologne, Germany, amid one of the most turbulent periods the cocoa market has seen in decades. The world’s largest confectionery trade fair — featuring 1,656 exhibitors from 71 countries and an expected 37,500 trade visitors — arrives 12 months after cocoa prices hit record highs. Prices have since crashed more than 50%, but the industry is still accelerating investment in cocoa-free solutions and reformulation strategies for long-term resilience.On the show floor, Food Ingredients First speaks with key suppliers, including Cargill and Planet A Foods, a commercial partner of Barry Calleubaut, to understand what’s driving innovation in chocolate and cocoa alternatives, how manufacturers are responding to ongoing volatility, and what trends are shaping the confectionery landscape. 
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Food Ingredients News
January in review: Infant formula crisis, cultivated meat...
In January 2026, a major recall of infant formula products unfolded across multiple countries due to contamination. The crisis, initially involving Nestlé, spread to other major companies like Lactalis and Danone, affecting a range of formula brands. The EU-Mercosur agreement sparked debate over its impact on European food supply chains, while the EU-India trade deal promised to slash tariffs on Indian exports, such as spices, tea, and processed foods.
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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. 

Ingredient focus

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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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Video05:19
ISM & ProSweets 2026 live: Fuji Oil Europe advances low-sugar, sustainable chocolate and custom coatings

Fuji Oil Europe’s Hendriek Bazyn, European manager BU Chocolate, shares how the company is rethinking chocolate for modern demands — developing low- and no-sugar solutions that keep the same snap and creaminess, advancing sustainable cocoa and palm sourcing. He also explains how close...

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ISM & ProSweets 2026 live: Avebe showcases fast-setting potato starch for scalable vegan gummies
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Cargill: Shaping sustainability through strategic food partnerships
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Cargill: How AI and consumer insights are shaping future food innovation
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