Vitafoods Europe 2026: Ingredion on the future of plant-based proteins and sugar reduction
20 May 2026 | Ingredion
Sue Bancroft, director of healthful solutions EMEA at Ingredion, discusses the evolution of plant-based proteins in bars and RTD formats, balancing texture, nutrition, and sustainability. She shares how stevia-based sugar reduction solutions maintain taste, highlights the importance of texture in product success, and explains how strategic partnerships are shaping the future of plant-based ingredient innovation.
Finney wins first reported from Viceta Foods Europe 2026 in Barcelona.
We're at the ingredients stand with Sue Bancroft, who is director of healthful Solutions Amaya.
Welcome to you.
Thanks.
So with ingredients like Protestant P100 HD offering a balance of protein fortification and texture.
How do you see plant-based proteins evolving in product development, particularly in bars and ready to eat formats?
Yeah, I think what we're seeing and what's really important is that now these sort of protein fortified solutions are moving much more into mainstream.
So it's really important that as consumers want and ask for more of these products and they want to have a higher intake of protein, that we're not compromising on.
Elements and so it's really important that we think about what consumers are looking for when they have an eating experience.
So they want the protein, they want the fortification and the health, but it's got to be a manageable, nice texture experience.
So we developed 100 HD because we understood that one of the things that happens with proteins in bars and baked goods is that over time they become chalky and dry.
So there isn't a very nice eating experience, so it's really important just to keep that soft texture.
So this product is exactly made for that, so it works really in terms of bringing healthy snacking as as a nice eating experience, and that's what er it's a pea protein isolate, and it works extremely to really sort of help with those, concerns that our customers have when they're formulating.
OK.
So sugar reduction is also a major trend in the industry.
How does ingredients stevia-based sugar reduction solutions address the challenge of maintaining taste in reduced sugar products, especially in beverages and dairy?
Yeah, so it's interesting because we actually feel that now when we're talking to customers and they give us their briefs, sugar reduction is a fundamental.
And actually the trends are more in terms of adding fibers and adding protein and fortification or healthy ingredients.
So the challenge is the trend is natural for natural ingredients and obviously stevia being a plant-based sweetener.
Fits that trend perfectly.
So then it's about balance in the overall formulation.
So how do we make these products and these new developments, protein fortified or with added benefits and health benefits, but keep that sweet taste and actually taste is king, so that's still really important that we balance these things together.
So we have a portfolio of clean tasting.
Solutions, stevia-based products which work in different matrices according to the amount of sweetness that you want, according to the product that you have.
We have taste modulation as , so we work on those to really balance everything and bring the the final product that that the customer is looking for.
Yeah, so as you mentioned, texture has emerged as a major driver of consumer satisfaction.
So how does Ingredient tailor its ingredient solutions to deliver specific textures in end products?
Can you share some examples where texture is a critical factor in the success of a particular product?
Yeah, so, and, and texture is so important.
We know that 70% of consumers state that the texture and the experience of consumption of a food or beverage is actually what would drive them to decide to repurchase.
So it really, really is important.
And you can't look at texture in isolation, so we, when we work with our customers, we work on a brief and we sit down with them and we go through the brief and we say what is it you actually want to achieve with this product?
Because it might, it might not necessarily be just I want to take out sugar or I want to add something healthy, it has to be what's the overall consumer proposition.
And so what we do is we then say, for example, in dairy, it could be a sugar-free, indulgent, protein fortified dessert.
So we have to look at all of those elements and see how they work together and that's how we develop with our customers.
Or it could be a low sugar.
Ketchup with a better viscosity, so we need to look at how we balance that and maybe there's some flavor modulation to really bring the tomato notes back up into the ketchup, or how, fries er remain crispy, you know, when they're when they're ready to eat, so there are things like that that we we look at, so the solution is to bring the whole concept together.
Yeah, OK, interesting.
So sustainability remains a big concern for consumers and also for your customers.
So can you share how Ingredient is ensuring sustainable sourcing, particularly for plant-based ingredients like pea protein, and how it's being communicated to brands and consumers?
Yes, Ingredient have some goals that are really important.
Sustainability is core to what we do.
So we're working to, sustainably source 90% or 99% of our crops.
We also own the vertical supply chain of our, plant-based stevia sweeteners.
So we have a life cycle analysis, so we're actually looking and, and measuring how, we compare with carbon, with water usage.
These are very important elements of ours.
Sustainability story and proposition.
We also work, and I think this is really exciting, we partner with Howgood.
So when we're working with consumers or customers on consumer propositions, if it's important to a customer in terms of the sustainability aspect, we can choose ingredients that have less of an environmental impact, so we can develop a recipe.
That fits the sustainability goals that our customers have, which I think is, you know, is really important.
So that's that's really core to the briefing part of the discussion with a customer.
Is sustainability important to you?
What are your goals in terms of environmental impact so we can then tailor our solutions accordingly?
OK, so Ingredients also partner with companies like Land Mannen.
To expand its portfolio of plant-based proteins.
So how do strategic partnerships help shape the future of ingredient innovation, particularly in plant-based proteins?
And where can we expect, what can we expect next from Ingreda in terms of collaborations?
Yeah, so I think we're very excited about our partnership with Lampmanen, and this is really an extension of our strategy in terms of plant-based proteins because it gives us the opportunity to offer European sourced pea isolates and plant-based proteins.
So the idea here is that we can.
Really innovate together to bring new solutions to our customers who are looking for what's next and I think that's really important.
It was like we were saying before, plant-based proteins are here, but there are still challenges.
There's a taste challenge.
There's a challenge in terms of texture in bars.
So how do we work now from a European perspective to really bring in , some, some future and futureproofing solutions.
So Lampman and are building a facility from scratch, so they're constructing a manufacturing plant which is really exciting.
And we will be their partner in terms of commercialization across Europe.
And yeah, we're, we're really looking forward to it kicking off in 2027.
So there will be more to come on that.
