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China’s dairy trends: Lactalis Ingredients highlights clean label, high-protein solutions in Shanghai

At Food Ingredients China in Shanghai (Mar 17–19), Lactalis Ingredients is highlighting a range of dairy solutions that tap into the nation’s growing market, where demand for high-protein and functional foods continues to rise. From milk powders to proteins, including whey and dairy fats, Lactalis solutions are developed to meet the technical, nutritional, and functional requirements of its customers. Lactalis is using the trade show as a key touchpoint in China, a major growth market for dairy, sports nutrition, and infant and functional nutrition.
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.
woman in supermarket choosing dairy products
Breaking the taste barrier: How alt-dairy can capture mainstream consumers
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.
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.
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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Expo West 2026 review: Functional nutrition for GLP-1 support, gut health & women’s wellness
At the Natural Products Expo West 2026 trade show (Mar 3–6), the nutrition, food, and beverage industries showcased innovations in functional, tasty wellness products in consumer-friendly formats. In Anaheim, California, US, solutions supporting women’s health, gut microbiome, GLP-1 use, and weight management took center stage. Exhibitors spotlighted nutrient-dense products focusing on protein, postbiotics, probiotics, fiber, natural colors, and clean label solutions. We look back at some of the key innovations and companies at Expo West this year.

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FI China 2026 live: Essentia Protein Solutions drives clean label reformulation...
Trade show Asia.
Essentia Protein Solutions is spotlighting clean label reformulation for traditional Chinese processed meat at Food Ingredients China 2026 (Mar 17–19). The company is working with long-term Chinese partner Nanjing CG to demonstrate how staple products like meatballs, luncheon meats, and sausages can be made without phosphates and synthetic additives.The animal protein specialist, which operates across more than 60 countries, held a joint lecture with Nanjing CG on the first day of the show. The session focused on how functional proteins can replace conventional additives while preserving the eating qualities that Chinese consumers expect from processed meat. 
Unilever weighs major separation of food assets in bold FMCG strategy shift
Unilever.
Unilever is reportedly in the early stages of considering a full separation of its food assets, a move that could be worth tens of billions of dollars and mark a dramatic acceleration of the consumer goods giant’s retreat from food and beverages.The company is already speaking with advisers about potential options, including spinning off most or all of its food business, according to Bloomberg, which cites people familiar with the matter. Unilever could also opt to retain some marquee brands while offloading the rest — though a deal is unlikely before 2027, and the company may ultimately decide to keep things as they are. 
Asahi cyberattack exposes food industry’s growing ransomware crisis
Cyber attack.
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.  
FI China 2026 live: Döhler’s advanced ingredient systems address growing clean...
busy trade show booth with people
China’s F&B landscape is evolving, fueled by shifting consumer demands and higher quality standards. Döhler is targeting these industry trends through its natural flavors, ingredient systems, and integrated solutions for beverages, bakery, and confectionery applications at the ongoing Food Ingredients China 2026 event in Shanghai (Mar 17–19).
EU agri-food exports reach historic high as bloc maintains global leadership
Cargo vessel transporting food.
The EU has released figures that show its agri-food exports reached a historic high of €238.4 billion (US$273.8 billion) in 2025, as it maintains its position as the world’s largest agri-food exporter. The European Commission claims these results demonstrate the bloc’s export resilience despite global trade volatility.
Harnessing postbiotics: Nutraceutical innovations for the gut microbiome
Researchers examining postbiotics

Nutrition Insight

At the recent Natural Products Expo West 2026 trade show, gut microbiome support took center stage, with benefits in digestion, mood, immunity, skin health, and beyond. At the show, Nutrition Insight explored postbiotic developments and probiotic innovations with experts from Cargill, Kerry, and Morinaga Nutritional Foods. Dr. Justin Green, senior scientist at Cargill, told us that although postbiotics are lesser known among consumers, they are “catching on,” which he highlighted as a key reason why formulators look for postbiotics, in addition to their application potential. 
Highlighted features
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.
Shipping.
Business News
Iran’s Hormuz blockade leaves fertilizer stranded as food...
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz — now entering its third week following US-Israeli strikes on Iran and the Islamic Republic’s retaliation across the Gulf — is inflicting significant damage on the global fertilizer supply chains that underpin food ingredient production. Prices for urea, a nitrogen-rich compound that is the world’s most widely used solid fertilizer and a critical input for staple crops, including corn, wheat, and rice, have surged more than 30% since the war began.  
Beyond Meat products in supermarket.
Business News
Beyond faces Nasdaq delisting: What will the plant-based...
Beyond (formerly Beyond Meat) has until August 31, 2026, to save its listing on Nasdaq, after it traded below the minimum US$1 per share price for 30 consecutive business days. We look at how this early plant-based meat pioneer plans to bounce back from long-term sales decline and regain compliance with the US’ second-largest stock exchange. The California-based company received a letter from the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Department on March 4, 2026, warning that it would be delisted if it failed to trade above US$1 per share for at least ten consecutive business days before the deadline.

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