Hügli snack seasonings banner with spice powders and colorful pouches, text reading “Be the first to try our new concept” and “Curries from around the world.”
Fermentation.

Fermentation dominates UK food tech pipeline as cultivated meat lags

The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland have published a detailed assessment of which emerging food technologies are likely to reach British consumers within the next decade, placing precision fermentation, biomass fermentation, controlled environment agriculture, and cell-cultivated products as closest to market release. The report also flagged persistent consumer skepticism and regulatory bottlenecks that could slow market entry.

The thematic report, released March 13 and funded by the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, groups eight technology areas across three tiers ranked by expected impact, practical feasibility, and the likelihood of generating regulatory engagement. 
woman's hand holding basket inside supermarket
Vanilla’s adaptive edge: From formulation tool to fermentation frontier
Global food and beverage launches featuring vanilla ingredients recorded a 79% compound annual growth rate between 2023 and 2025, according to Innova Market Insights data, with Europe accounting for more than a third of new products. The growth comes as the vanilla commodity market is in oversupply and bean prices are falling, which is leading to fundamental shifts in how manufacturers are using and sourcing the ingredient.
young woman in supermarket snacks aisle
Synergy Flavours: Shaping future snacking with health, sustainability & flavor
Today’s health-conscious consumers are demanding more than convenience from snacks — they want functionality, sustainability, and nutrition. Traditionally associated with saltiness and greasiness, snack consumption is now viewed as a “value-added, mindful eating occasion,” according to Synergy Flavours.
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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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.
Seprify secures IKEA backing to scale cellulose-based TiO₂ alternative
donuts with white icing
Swiss biomaterials company Seprify has raised €13.4 million (US$15.4 million) to scale its cellulose-based alternative to titanium dioxide (TiO₂) for use as a whitening ingredient across foods, cosmetics, and coatings. Inter IKEA Group has supported the funding, citing the “technical maturity” of Seprify’s solutions and its role in advancing more sustainable, circular material solutions.
EU approval in sight for Givaudan’s novel microalgae-derived blue color
glass of bright blue drink on wooden table
Givaudan’s new natural, acid-stable blue color is a step closer to EU approval after the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) released positive feedback on its risk assessment. Everzure Galdieria, a vibrant natural alternative to the synthetic Brilliant Blue FCF (E133) color, responds to the growing consumer demand for recognizable, clean label ingredients.
European rice production in “crisis” amid calls to review trade policies
Woman shopping for grains in the grocery store.
EU trade organizations warn “rice has no future” in Europe unless existing trade agreements are revised. The developing crisis is driven by rising production costs, strict regulatory requirements, and a significant increase in imports entering the EU market. Europe’s rice sector is warning of structural collapse amid escalating pressures that are pushing the industry to its limits. Furthermore, industry bodies flag how EU rice production is becoming economically unviable and could disappear without policy intervention.
China’s evolving food standards: Yurun commits to cage-free poultry and eggs
Chickens in cages.
Yurun Holdings Group, one of China’s largest meat suppliers, specializing in slaughtering, processing, and distributing pork under brands like Yurun, Furun, and Wangrun, has committed to 100% cage-free egg and chicken sourcing across all global factories by 2035.
Webinar preview: Sirio’s LifeChews unlock next-gen plant-based supplements
Multicolored jelly candies, vitamins scattered from a jar

Nutrition Insight

Sirio is presenting a new solution as consumer trends are indicating a growing preference for on-the-go, sustainable, and efficient supplements. With its new palatable jelly tablets, LifeChews meets these demands with convenience and impact.Ahead of Sirio’s webinar, “Introducing LifeChews: the Next Generation of Plant-Based Supplements,” Nutrition Insight meets with Sirio Europe’s head of Brand to give a sneak peek. Registration for the free webinar on March 26 at 11 AM CET is now open. In this session, the company will reveal the four product concepts created with LifeChews. 
Highlighted features
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.
Coffee harvest.
Business News
Coffee prices caught between record harvests and Hormuz...
Global coffee prices have fallen sharply from the record highs above US$4.40/lb reached in early 2025, as Brazil’s national supply agency forecasts a record 66.2 million bag harvest and Rabobank projects the first significant global production surplus in five years. But the correction is now facing fresh complications with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war, which is pushing freight rates, insurance premiums, and fuel costs higher just as the supply picture improves.The world’s two largest coffee buyers have laid bare how severe the input cost pressure has been. JDE Peet’s, the biggest pure-play coffee company, absorbed €1.6 billion (US$1.73 billion) in cost inflation in 2025 and passed on 19.5% in pricing to consumers, while Nestlé reported that coffee and cocoa commodity costs drove its underlying trading operating profit margin down 130 basis points. 

Ingredient focus

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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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Product innovation

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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.
Video04:48
Expo West 2026: GNT explores technical challenges behind plant-based color performance
Pedro Goncalves, Tetra Pak
Video11:38
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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