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Unilever headquarters.

Unilever and McCormick strike deal to form US$20B global food powerhouse

Unilever and McCormick have agreed to combine Unilever’s global Foods business with McCormick, creating a significantly larger, flavor‑focused global food company with around US$20 billion in annual revenue and a portfolio spanning herbs, spices, seasonings, sauces, and condiments. The deal brings together leading brands, such as Knorr, Hellmann’s, French’s, Cholula, and Frank’s. The British multinational is set to reinvent itself as a pure-play home and personal care business following the divestment, focused on higher‑growth, higher‑margin categories like beauty, well-being, and home care. For US-based McCormick, the deal represents an aggressive move to expand its footprint beyond spices into a broader set of food categories and accelerate global growth.
food factory with equipment
Future food processing: How transparency, sustainability & personalization drive industry innovation
Food processing technologies are evolving beyond the F&B industry’s efficiency and output focus to meet rising consumer demands for transparency and sustainability. As interest in ingredient sourcing grows, the future of food processing is shifting toward “multi-objective performance,” aligning with health goals and personalized diets, like those supporting GLP-1 medications.
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Fonterra on why New Zealand’s grass-fed dairy standard is key to building consumer trust
The dairy industry is witnessing a rising demand for milk and dairy products from cows primarily fed on grass rather than grain-heavy diets, as consumer interest in transparency, regenerative agriculture, and minimally processed F&B grows. Amid heightened scrutiny around “grass-fed” claims, New Zealand uses a national standard to provide a clearer benchmark in a category consumers associate with health benefits, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare.
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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.
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Operating Through Uncertainty: Building Scalable Advantage in the Age of Ultra-Processed Foods
In this session, Innova Market Insights will share exclusive insights into consumer behavior, perceptions, and preferences around UPFs, as well as market insights and innovation opportunities within processed foods.      Frame & Flight will explore how leading manufacturers are responding by modernizing how product data flows across formulation, specifications, labeling, and compliance. Using connected digital workflows, teams can evaluate reformulation scenarios earlier, manage supplier change with confidence, and stay launch-ready — even as definitions, guidance, and expectations continue to evolve.      The result: less rework, faster decisions, and the ability to turn regulatory and nutritional uncertainty into a competitive advantage.    
Stefanie Engel,Döhler
IFE Manufacturing 2026 live: Döhler highlights key trends shaping F&B innovation

Döhler spotlights innovation and trends across clean label, plant-based, and functional nutrition. Stefanie Engel, market segment manager for Food Global, shares how evolving ingredient solutions are helping brands meet demand for natural, health-driven products — and where the biggest opportunities in food and beverages are emerging next.

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March in review: Global fertilizer crisis, Unilever food division sale, Danone...
Food Ingredients First March Review.
In March 2026, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid US-Israel strikes on Iran evolved into a prolonged supply chain crisis. Fertilizer flows are under threat, driving knock-on effects for food ingredients, while Iran’s plans for a permanent transit control system could further increase global input costs. Unilever received a takeover approach from McCormick for its food division. Pernod Ricard revealed discussions to merge with Brown-Forman in a potential deal that would create a global spirits leader.
IFE Manufacturing 2026 live: Functional drinks, GLP-1 and protein-forward...
trade show floor
IFE Manufacturing 2026 is underway in London, UK (Mar 30–Apr 1), showcasing product innovations in functional beverages, healthier snacks, premium indulgence, and global flavors. The three-day event aims to offer a clear view of the F&B industry’s current direction as companies respond to consumer demand for clean label, reduced sugar, and convenient formats.
EU Breakfast Directive: Cargill’s reformulation strategy for jam manufacturers...
Chef making jam from real fruit.
The revised EU Breakfast Directive is entering its final implementation phase, with full enforcement set for June 2026. What may appear to be a routine update to rules on honey, fruit juice, and jams is, in reality, a significant shift toward greater transparency, stricter product definitions, and enhanced consumer protection.
Fairtrade 2026–2028 Strategy sharpens focus on farmer resilience amid global...
Farmer looking at his cocoa bean plants.
Fairtrade International has updated its strategy for 2026–2028, which aims to build farmer resilience and advance fair and sustainable trade for key commodities like coffee, cocoa, tea, bananas, and spices. It comes amid a climate of political instability, increasing climate change impacts, evolving consumer values, and an expanding regulatory market.
Pernod Ricard and Brown-Forman explore merger to strengthen global spirits...
Jack Daniel’s bottle in supermarket.
Pernod Ricard has confirmed that it is in discussions to merge with whiskey rival Brown-Forman. If agreed, and subject to customary approvals, the combined company would create a global spirits leader with enhanced global scale, amid a mix of structural and economic pressures affecting the global alcohol market. The downturn in spirits companies’ revenue is not driven by a single factor but by a convergence of behavioral, economic, and structural trends. These include falling consumption, shifting tastes, rising costs, oversupply, and market headwinds — creating one of the most challenging periods in recent alcohol industry history.
March in review: Gut microbiome advances, weight loss innovations & Expo West...
March in Review Nutrition Insight

Nutrition Insight

March saw developments in AI-driven microbiome testing, postbiotic developments, and nutraceutical solutions for GLP-1 nutrient gaps. Meanwhile, industry challenges in supply chain disruptions, growing labeling scrutiny, and a demand for transparency accelerated innovations in nutrient-dense formulations, from supplements to functional foods and ready meals. In our March review, Nutrition Insight dives into some of the month’s biggest stories, including our live coverage at the Natural Products Expo West 2026 trade show and how nutrition and supplements can solve nutritional gaps linked to GLP-1 use and rapid weight loss. 
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Shipping.
Regulatory News
Tehran’s “toll booth” in Hormuz cuts Western buyers out of...
The Strait of Hormuz crisis has entered a new phase. Four weeks after Iran effectively closed the waterway to commercial shipping, the disruption is no longer a temporary blockade — Tehran is threatening to build a permanent transit fee and vetting system that could reshape how fertilizer reaches global markets, with significant implications for food ingredient input costs. Fertilizer prices have already moved sharply. The benchmark urea contract price for May 2026 has surged 68% since the conflict began, closing at US$681 per metric ton on March 19, according to the National Corn Growers Association’s market analysis. Fitch Ratings has raised its 2026 ammonia and urea price forecasts by approximately 25%, signaling that markets expect the disruption to persist well beyond the current planting season. 
Lab research.
Tech & Innovation
AI-powered ingredient discovery gains ground as Ingredion...
Ingredion and AI-enabled protein discovery company Shiru have announced a global R&D collaboration aimed at accelerating the discovery and commercialization of novel functional proteins for food, beverage, supplements, and specialized nutrition. The partnership pairs Shiru’s Flourish platform — which maps more than 77 million natural protein sequences — with Ingredion’s formulation expertise, regulatory know-how, and customer network spanning 120 countries.  
Huel Iced Coffee in supermarket.
Business News
Danone’s €1B Huel acquisition: What does it signal for...
Danone’s move to acquire vegan British meal replacement brand Huel in a €1 billion (US$1.2 billion) deal signals that the French F&B multinational is cementing its place in the protein movement and betting on “complete nutrition” going mainstream. Food Ingredients First explores why Huel is an attractive prospect for Danone, and how the acquisition of an omnichannel business with a strong direct-to-consumer foundation, an expanding international footprint, and a fast scaling retail business, reinforces its mission to develop health-focused, everyday nutrition.

Ingredient focus

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Salt Reduction Strategies: Meeting consumer demand for healthier indulgenceApr2026

According to Innova Market Insights, global consumers increasingly view reduced-salt claims as a vital element in making indulgent foods healthier and supporting healthy aging. This consumer shift is ...

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Product innovation

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Pioneering protein innovation: Emerging trends and global launches Apr 2026

According to Innova Market Insights, 57% of consumers globally are actively seeking to increase their protein intake. In recent years, F&B product launches featuring protein ingredients has risen steadily. A variety of protein types are gaining traction, including milk protein crisp, yeast protein, cranberry protein, soy protein crisp, and tofu protein.

Trend analysis

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Healthy beverage trends: A growing market for functional drinksApr 2026

Innova Market Insights has identified “Beverages with Purpose” as one of the top F&B trends for 2026. Consumers worldwide are increasingly prioritizing health-conscious beverages, driven by growing industry support and innovation. This shift is accelerating the demand for functional drinks, with protein and biotic benefits leading the charge as key trends in healthy beverage development.

Multimedia

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Video04:50
IFE Manufacturing 2026 live: Lallemand Bio-Ingredients on savory innovation, clean label & flavor enhancement

Lallemand Bio-Ingredients spotlights its latest savory innovations in London, UK. Flavio Meola, global applied R&D manager, explains how yeast-derived ingredients are helping developers achieve clean label goals, enhance flavor depth, and unlock new opportunities across plant-based, snacks,...

Stefanie Engel,Döhler
Video04:56
IFE Manufacturing 2026 live: Döhler highlights key trends shaping F&B innovation
Lauren Bresnahan, Cargill
Video07:50
Cargill: New index exposes global food system vulnerabilities
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Webinars53:50
Operating Through Uncertainty: Building Scalable Advantage in the Age of Ultra-Processed Foods
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