Banner featuring chocolate cereals bars and company logo with learn more cta button
Mondelez product portfolio.

Mondelēz Q2 snack sales climb as emerging markets and North America deliver growth

Mondelēz International reports stronger second-quarter sales, as consumers continued to spend on snacks despite a challenging economic backdrop. Growth was driven by emerging markets and a solid performance in North America.
California Natural Color colors on cupcakes.
Color innovation breakthroughs push natural shades beyond the performance gap
Natural food colors are evolving from imperfect substitutes for synthetic dyes into high-performing tools that can help food and beverage products stand out. As regulators intensify scrutiny of synthetic dyes and consumers seek cleaner, more recognizable ingredient lists, suppliers are applying fermentation, encapsulation, plant breeding, advanced extraction, and application-specific formulation to solve the industry’s toughest performance problems.
women in food factory with pea crates
Crespel & Deiters R&D head: How industrial dry extrusion advances pulse protein production
German ingredient specialist Crespel & Deiters is expanding its plant protein capabilities through a new partnership with Finnish food-tech company Happy Plant Protein, bringing a novel dry extrusion process into industrial production for the first time. Operating from its extrusion facility in Helmond, the Netherlands, the company is now producing textured vegetable proteins from European-grown legumes, such as peas and fava beans, using a patented one-step process designed to improve efficiency while preserving ingredient functionality.
Image with colorful graphics representing AI driven innovation and colors in food industry
How AI Can Accelerate Reformulation with Natural Colours
Replacing synthetic dyes with natural colours is rarely a simple one-to-one switch. Discover how Döhler’s AI-supported colour-matching tool predicts achievable shades, identifies suitable blends and recommends precise dosages within minutes. The paper shows how digital colour modelling can reduce laboratory iterations, accelerate reformulation and support more confident and faster product-development decisions.This Technical Paper is brought to you by Döhler.
IFT First 2026 Ingredion video thumbnail: Ingredion trade show booth crowded with attendees, with three smiling representatives featured in a circular inset
IFT FIRST 2026: Ingredion walks us through its new AI-powered formulation platform

Larry Fernandes, chief commercial and sustainability officer at Ingredion, and Charlie Beall, VP of customer operations at Knowde, discuss Ask Ingredion — how it supports formulation, ensures answer accuracy, and combines AI with expert guidance. The conversation is followed by a demo from Leaslie Carr, senior director of texture and healthful solutions and customer innovation at Ingredion.

Image
IFT FIRST 2026 review: Cleaner labels and stronger functionality
IFT FIRST 2026 in Chicago, US, highlighted a shift toward cleaner-label, higher-protein, and more functionally targeted F&B. Exhibitors showcased high-value ingredients made from precision fermentation, new transparent yeast- and plant-based proteins, and high-performing natural colors. AI also played an increasing role in optimizing formulas. Key priorities included GLP-1-focused nutrition, sodium and sugar reduction, improved shelf life, better mouthfeel, and cost reductions. Across categories, innovation centered on delivering stronger nutrition and performance without compromising taste or familiarity.

Latest headlines

View more
Ingredion’s £2.7B Tate & Lyle deal wins shareholder approval
glasses on paper on table next to pen in office meeting
Tate & Lyle shareholders have approved Ingredion’s recommended 595 pence-per-share all-cash acquisition. The approval clears a significant hurdle in a transaction designed to create a scaled global specialty ingredients group with broader formulation and innovation capabilities. At a court-convened shareholder meeting on July 28, 82.03% of the shareholders voting supported the scheme of arrangement, representing 98.64% of the votes cast.
Spirulina blue gains ground in F&B despite stability, supply and regulatory...
girl in green dress holding glass mug with blue drink
Blue spirulina-derived colors are increasingly positioned as promising alternatives to synthetic blue dyes, as F&B companies race to develop colors that meet consumer and regulatory demands for natural ingredients.
Coca-Cola lifts 2026 outlook on FIFA World Cup momentum
Coca-Cola bottles with FIFA logo.
For the three months ended July 3, Coca-Cola reported 5% global unit case volume growth, a 7% increase in net revenue to US$13.4 billion, and double-digit earnings-per-share growth compared with the corresponding period a year earlier. The performance, supported by its FIFA World Cup campaign, consumer-led innovation, and broad geographic momentum, prompted the beverage group to raise its full-year 2026 guidance. Reported operating income increased 9%. Comparable currency-neutral operating income rose 6%, reflecting organic revenue growth and lower operating expenses. Those benefits were partially offset by higher input costs and increased marketing investment. 
Unilever Foods growth slows in Q2 as McCormick combination advances
Unilever office building.
Unilever delivered its strongest quarterly volume growth in more than a decade in Q2 2026. However, Foods remained the company’s slowest-growing business group, underscoring both the rationale for, and the execution challenge behind, its planned combination with McCormick. At group level, first-half underlying sales growth reached 4.8%, driven by 4.2% volume growth and 0.6% pricing. Growth accelerated in Q2 to 5.8%, with volumes up 5.5%. First-half turnover rose 0.5% to €25.6 billion (US$29.1 billion), as operational gains and acquisitions offset adverse currency movements.
Sweet protein blends drive next-gen sugar reduction at IFT FIRST 2026
IFT First 2026 show floor
In the race to replicate sugar’s performance, innovation is happening at a minuscule level, both through precision fermentation and molecular agriculture. At IFT FIRST 2026, which took place in Chicago, US (Jul 12–15), sweetener suppliers presented small solutions that exert a powerful sensory effect. Sweet proteins were a key component in new sweetener blends, such as honey truffle sweet protein, thaumatin, and brazzein.Suppliers also explored new formats for monk fruit, with Layn Natural Ingredients presenting a gently extracted monk fruit decoction and Manus using precision fermentation to produce a monk fruit sweetener on US soil.
GLP-1 use among US adolescents surges, but long-term health effects remain...
overweight woman using glp-1 drug

Nutrition Insight

A study reveals that GLP-1 weight loss medication use among teenagers and young adults in the US has rapidly increased in recent years. Long-term effects from using these drugs are still unknown, especially on this young population going through a significant physical development period. Between 2022 and 2026, GLP-1 use among people aged 13–25 seeking obesity treatment increased from 88.2% to 96.1% and outpaced metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) use, which saw a decline from 11.6% to 3.7%.
Highlighted features
Couple shopping for fruit and vegetables, alternative proteins.
Food Ingredients News
Businesses step up investment in protein diversification...
F&B companies are increasingly confident about the commercial opportunities presented by protein diversification. However, they say greater policy support and investment will be needed to accelerate progress, according to the latest Business Breakthrough Barometer from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
US supermarket products.
Food Ingredients News
How F&B ingredient suppliers are navigating the MAHA...
The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement has turned ingredient scrutiny into an increasingly concrete product development challenge for the US F&B industry. At IFT FIRST 2026 in Chicago, US (Jul 12–15), suppliers described growing customer demand for natural colors, recognizable ingredients, lower sugar, protein and fiber fortification, and the removal of additives that consumers perceive as overly chemical. The momentum is not being driven by policy alone. Innova Market Insights reports that 37% of US consumers say they avoid artificial food colorings, additives, and preservatives. Innova also reports that color ingredients under scrutiny, including petroleum-based dyes and titanium dioxide, appear in almost half of US F&B launches that use color ingredients. 
Danone office building.
Food Ingredients News
How Danone is pushing Silk Protein beyond the plant-based...
Danone’s Silk is extending its high-protein platform across dairy-adjacent and functional beverage categories, betting that complete plant protein, fiber, and familiar formats can attract mainstream consumers. Kallie Goodwin, plant-based food and beverage lead at Danone USA, tells Food Ingredients First how nutrition-led innovation and retailer insights are helping the brand compete with traditional dairy. Protein has moved beyond sports nutrition, while plant-based purchasing is no longer limited to vegetarian or vegan consumers. Danone USA sees the convergence of these trends as an opening to reposition Silk from a dairy alternative into a broader functional nutrition platform. “Danone sees a significant opportunity for plant-based products at the intersection of two converging trends: increasing interest in food and beverages that deliver functional, nutrient-dense benefits and growing consumer demand for protein,” says Goodwin. 

Ingredient focus

View more
Image

Vanilla bridges comfort and performanceJul2026

Innova Market Insights data shows that vanilla ingredient use in food and beverage launches is gaining momentum, as consumers continue to associate vanilla with indulgence and comfort. Bakery remains ...

Brought to you by:

Takasago

Product innovation

View more
Image

Color innovation breakthroughs Jul 2026

Innova Market Insights data shows that visual appeal plays a significant role in food and beverage choices. Around 23% of consumers look for visually engaging sensory experiences, such as vibrant colors, prompting brands to innovate with natural, eye-catching color solutions.

Trend analysis

View more
Image

F&B flavor trends in focusJul 2026

Innova Market Insights data indicate a 22% YoY growth in F&B launches featuring flavor ingredients between April 2024 and March 2026. Bakery led category launches, while Alcoholic Beverages continued to gain momentum. Milk chocolate emerged as the top flavor, with Dubai chocolate showing exponential growth.  

Multimedia

View more
IFT First 2026 Ingredion video thumbnail: Ingredion trade show booth crowded with attendees, with three smiling representatives featured in a circular inset
Video06:47
IFT FIRST 2026: Ingredion walks us through its new AI-powered formulation platform

Larry Fernandes, chief commercial and sustainability officer at Ingredion, and Charlie Beall, VP of customer operations at Knowde, discuss Ask Ingredion — how it supports formulation, ensures answer accuracy, and combines AI with expert guidance. The conversation is followed by a demo from...

Keith Albright, Cargill
Video06:19
IFT FIRST 2026: Cargill maps the next wave of food and beverage trends
IFT First 2026 Almond Board of California video thumbnail: Representative pictured beside attendees gathering at the organization’s booth during a busy trade show.
Video04:38
IFT FIRST 2026: Almond Board of California CEO spotlights product development opportunities
Tyler Lorenzen, Puris
Video04:43
IFT FIRST 2026: How Puris makes pea protein work in everyday food and beverages
Subscribe to our newsletters
PlatformsFood Ingredients FirstNutrition InsightPackaging InsightsPersonal Care InsightsThe World of Food Ingredients
About usContact usAdvertisingPrivacy statementSitemapArchive
Follow us
Image