Ingredients

Letter From The Editor

FN+Beyond the ballot: How US politics will reshape food and beverage

From grocery affordability and corporate pricing scrutiny to consumer trust, food policy and international trade, the US midterm elections could have far-reaching consequences for food and beverage businesses at home and abroad

News Bites

What comes next for reformulation, UPFs and retail?

This month’s stories highlighted food policy that may provide more flexibility for manufacturers, the UPF debate and how digital commerce is shaping one of the biggest CPG brands

APAC Agri-food Innovation Summit 2026

FN+From cultivated beef to fermented soy: Bezos-backed protein innovators target cost and scale

Cultivated beef pioneer Aleph Farms and Singapore’s Mottainai Food Tech have each secured funding through the 2026 Sustainable Protein Growth Stage Grant, as the alternative protein sector shifts its attention from technological possibility to scale

New cocoa powder alternative targets GLP-1 trends and supply risks

Planet A Foods’ Cocoa Booster can replace up to 100% of cocoa powder in select applications, as manufacturers face cocoa price volatility and changing consumer demand amid rising GLP-1 use

FN+Why açaí has gone global

The Brazilian berry has achieved worldwide popularity, despite its locally concentrated production

FN+Beyond cocoa: The race to futureproof chocolate

The future of chocolate depends on manufacturers having more options

FN+UPF labeling could cost $14.2bn annually, study estimates

A University of Chicago-affiliated analysis estimates mandatory ultra-processed food labeling could affect 72% of packaged food products, while the Consumer Brands Association warns of additional costs, potential litigation and uncertain public-health...

Flavors of the future: global inspiration meets local innovation

Functional chocolate puts formulation innovation into overdrive

Demand for protein-forward, reduced-sugar and plant-based indulgence is forcing formulators like Luker Chocolate to balance nutrition claims with the taste and texture consumers expect

FN+Could climate change force a rewrite of the world’s recipes?

Manufacturers are racing to diversify ingredient sourcing as climate shocks threaten some of the world’s most important food commodities

PepsiCo bets on healthier versions of legacy brands

PepsiCo cuts sodium and sugar, while betting on fiber and protein

FN+Xanthan gum linked to gut inflammation, putting manufacturers on alert

Study suggests long-term xanthan gum consumption could impact gut health, raising formulation questions for food and beverage

Cadbury breaks category boundaries with beauty launch

Cadbury joins cross-category collaboration trend with MCoBeauty beauty launch

New Trump tariffs ‘like deja vu’ according to food industry panel

As the administration replaces IEEPA duties with section 301 forced labor tariffs, food and beverage importers face renewed legal battles and supply chain uncertainty

Up the food chain

FN+Kerry LATAM CEO on GLP–1, growth and the future of food

GLP–1 drugs, growing demand for protein, and future acquisitions, Kerry Latin America CEO Marcio Luz explains why understanding consumers is becoming the industry’s biggest competitive advantage

PepsiCo, Danone & Nestlé: how AI is powering F&B growth

AI is transforming how F&B giants cut costs, boost efficiency and innovate faster — turning data into a powerful competitive edge

Heatwave winners and losers: what’s selling when temperatures rise?

Clear food and beverage trends emerge during a heatwave

Tate & Lyle agrees £2.7bn takeover by Ingredion

The deal between the two ingredients companies creates a global powerhouse

How sustainability is becoming ice cream’s next growth ingredient

Premium indulgence and snacking are driving momentum at ice cream major Froneri – and sustainability is underpinning both trends

Coca-Cola navigates K-shaped economy with AI

President and CFO John Murphy says the company is moving beyond a pre-COVID volume mindset to stay relevant with both premium and value shoppers

Opinion

How the Arla–DMK merger will strengthen Europe’s whey power

With Arla and DMK merged, Europe’s whey processing power will be even more formidable

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast

Inside the race to create the next viral flavor in snacking

Executives from Just Born, Hawaii Host, SNAX-Sational Brands and Xaca Cantina share how they use heat, global flavors, strategic collaborations and accessible formats to turn consumer curiosity into repeat purchases

IFF sells bulk of food ingredients business to refocus on health and wellness

The global ingredient supplier’s deal reflects a broader trend of how companies are streamlining their businesses to meet shifting health and wellness preferences

Confectionery trends: Balancing better-for-you trends and indulgence

Cargill joins alternative chocolate race with Barry Callebaut and Nestlé amid cocoa volatility

By upcycling grape seeds, Cargill’s new NextCoa offers CPG brands a vegan, allergen-free option as major manufacturers hedge against soaring cocoa costs

The F&B jobs AI is targeting, but is it really that dire?

AI is accelerating reformulation, automation and data-led decision making at a pace that is already reshaping roles across the food and drink workforce

Inside the science of making healthier food consumers will actually buy with ADM

ADM argues food makers can no longer tackle sugar, sodium or clean label goals one at a time without risking taste, texture and cost

Processed foods aren’t going away, but they are evolving

In the gap between consumers’ intention and reality, is there room for processed food in a healthy diet?

Added fibre: Why fortification is harder than it looks

Adding fibre to foods and beverages could help close the ‘fibre gap’, but reformulation challenges threaten taste and texture

FN+What if chocolate’s flavour was never really about cocoa?

As cocoa markets spiral through another year of chaos, cocoa-free alternatives are shifting from novelty to necessity

FN+Will cocoa alts ever be sexy? Hershey backlash opens the debate

As cocoa markets fluctuate, Hershey’s controversy shows that while alt-chocolate is advancing fast, taste and transparency remain make-or-break for consumers

AgNavigator: same agtech backbone, bigger industry picture

William Reed, publisher of FoodNavigator, has unveiled a new title for its market-leading agtech and agrifood title

FBIF 2026

FN+Not Just a Flavour Strategy: How KitKat Embedded Itself in Japanese Culture

From ‘Japanisation’ to deep cultural alignment, Nestlé KitKat is one of the few foreign brands to have thoroughly cracked Japan’s competitive chocolate market

FN+Oral GLP-1 breakthrough: What it means for impulse-driven food categories

Food and beverage brands face consumers staying on appetite-suppressing drugs for longer

Functional boom reshapes health as supplements hold firm

As food, drink and supplements converge, brands that prove real benefits and earn trust will win in a fast-expanding, scrutiny-heavy health market

Mars powers production growth with $253.6m smart factory investment

Mars bets on smart manufacturing, using £190m UK factory upgrade to boost output and strengthen grip on global confectionery and snacking market

Sustainable sourcing: From upcycling to carbon neutral to sustainable packaging

FN+Non-GMO Project: Ultra-processed foods are harming the planet, not just our health

GMOs and ultra-processed foods are “nested” in the same industrial food chain, warns the Non-GMO Project’s Hans Eisenbeis, who argues that monocrop agriculture and food waste make UPFs an environmental liability

Letter from the editor

Sustainability at a crossroads

From upcycling to carbon-neutral claims, the food industry weighs real progress against rising costs, scrutiny and skepticism

Sales stall, shares fall: What’s next for Barry Callebaut?

Barry Callebaut’s size has long been its strength. But with volumes down and shares under pressure, cracks are starting to show

FN+Winners and losers of the UPF backlash

Who is benefitting from consumer scepticism around UPFs - and who isn’t?

FIC 2026

FN+Flashy and sweet: Brands tap health trends in artificial sweetener push

Leveraging weight loss, gut and dental health trends, Chinese firms are increasingly creative in reframing artificial sweeteners as a health aligned choice

FIC 2026

FN+‘There are no bad additives, only bad humans’: Experts urge fairer view of processed foods

Top Chinese food science leaders have urged consumers and industry to make fairer judgements of processed foods and additives, calling the sector badly misunderstood

FN+Artificial sweeteners: Why the science war is raging on

New health studies are reigniting a global battle over artificial sweeteners, leaving brands, regulators and consumers divided

FN+Can brands cut sugar without killing taste, texture or trust?

As sugar shifts from ingredient to liability, food and drink manufacturers are rebuilding sweetness from the ground up using rare sugars, fibres and fermentation-driven innovation

FN+Food and mental health in China: 2026 trends that brands should watch

China’s growing focus on mental wellness is shaping food trends, driving demand for fresh foods, dairy and lower-sugar options that balance health and indulgence

FN+Gut health trend enters new era

The gut health trend is entering its next phase – one shaped by sharper science, smarter consumers and big opportunities

Olipop ramps up focus on flavour innovation as functional beverages boom

Flavour innovation is top-of-mind for the gut health superstar as US consumers value taste above all

FN+The packaging crisis about to hit food and beverage

Attacks on the world’s busiest oil shipping channel are set to drive unavoidable spikes in plastic packaging prices

FN+Why the sleep crisis is food and drink’s next big global battleground

Sleep deprivation is becoming big business as consumers obsess over how much shuteye they’re getting, but how is the market responding?

FN+Chocolate without trees? The science racing to reinvent cocoa

From cacao cells grown in bioreactors to fermentation-built chocolate flavours, scientists and startups are experimenting with ways to produce cocoa ingredients without growing cacao trees

Diageo’s cocktail focus: A shift to moderation and wellness

Diageo’s World Class Cocktail Festival presents traditional spirits through lighter serves and localisation amid growing health and moderation trends

FN+Sweeteners under fire as scientists probe neurological risks

New research linking popular sweeteners to cognitive decline has again raised concerns over their safety. What does this mean manufacturers?