IFF Horizontal Banner March 2026
F&B February industry review 2026.

February in review: Major divestments, cultivated cacao bets, fertilizer trade tensions

In February 2026, major F&B companies released their full-year results amid challenging global headwinds, including inflationary pressures, rising energy costs, and supply chain disruptions. IFF put its Food Ingredients segment up for sale, while dsm-firmenich agreed to sell its Animal Nutrition & Health business. Barry Callebaut outlined a roadmap for the chocolate industry following the cocoa crisis, as Cargill and Puratos revealed investments in cultivated cacao for commercial food applications.
man wearing black gloves holding a glass jar of brown protein chunks
Plant-based innovation: Ingredient leaders drive shift from meat replacements to nutrient-rich solutions
The bar for plant-based innovation has risen over the past few years. Consumers now expect more than meat-free substitutes — they want high-protein, nutritionally optimized products that align with evolving health trends, such as GLP-1 use, while also addressing growing environmental concerns. For manufacturers, the challenge is delivering both consumer and planetary health without compromising product taste and enjoyment.
woman in white shirt and pants in bakery factory with bread on conveyor belt
RAPS: How encapsulation boosts flavor control in bakery, snacks & meat
The F&B industry has conventionally used encapsulation technology to trap flavor compounds within a protective coating, controlling their release and extending shelf life. The technique has now evolved into a “functional design tool,” with potential use supporting manufacturers’ reformulation goals in sugar or salt reduction by improving the efficiency and timing of taste delivery.
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Future of food processing
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.
MeelunieTP
“Whey + Fava: A Hybrid Protein Innovation for Sports Nutrition”
Amino Power represents a meaningful innovation in functional sports nutrition, combining three distinct value drivers: enhanced amino acid composition, cost competitiveness relative to whey-only protein concentrates, and superior organoleptic characteristics compared to plant-only alternatives. This hybrid dairy-plant formulation addresses key market gaps.This Technical Paper is brought to you by Meelunie.
Guillaume Blancher, Kerry
Kerry: Addressing bitterness, mouthfeel & GLP-1 taste shifts in sugar reduction

Sugar taxes and front-of-pack labeling rules are accelerating sweetener innovation. Guillaume Blancher, global portfolio director for Sweetness at Kerry, explains why removing sugar is not simple, and how “sweetness optimization” can help overcome bitterness exposure and thin mouthfeel challenges. He also discusses how GLP-1s are reshaping taste expectations and beverage formulation strategies.

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ofi reports flat earnings as commodity volatility reshapes Olam Group’s breakup...
Ofi
Olam Food Ingredients (ofi) posted essentially flat full-year operating profit of 1.1 billion Singapore dollars (US$815 million) for 2025, as the cocoa, coffee, dairy, nuts, and spices business absorbed what CEO A. Shekhar calls “one of the most volatile commodity markets and uncertain trade environments in recent memory.” Revenue surged 30.6% to S$28.5 billion (US$21.1 billion), driven almost entirely by pass-through pricing of elevated cocoa and coffee costs rather than volume growth. The results come as parent Olam Group nears the end of a prolonged corporate breakup, with its US$4 billion sale of Olam Agri to Saudi Arabia’s SALIC still awaiting final regulatory clearance. 
Flavor-forward: ADM unveils key culinary trends transforming F&B innovation
male chef decorating steak with rosemary leaf in kitchen
ADM has outlined how F&B manufacturers can advance flavor innovation in its 2026 Global Culinary Trends report — highlighting how “Third Culture Cuisine,” values-driven purchasing, GLP-1-influenced eating behaviors, and the growing demand for immersive dining experiences are reinventing innovation processes.
Benefit-stacking in bakery: How Ardent Mills targets GLP-1 consumer demands
Baker making bread.
With GLP-1 medications increasingly influencing consumer eating habits, we examine how the bakery space is responding to a different set of needs from people using these appetite-suppressing weight-loss drugs, a phenomenon that continues to reshape the F&B landscape.
Grupo Bimbo posts record sales amid daily nutrition reformulation focus
Grupo Bimbo.
Grupo Bimbo, the world’s largest bakery company, posted record full-year net sales of 427 billion Mexican pesos (US$23.8 billion) for 2025, a 4.6% increase driven by positive price/mix, favorable exchange rate conversion, and five acquisitions that expanded its footprint to 39 countries. Adjusted EBITDA reached an all-time high of Ps. 59.5 billion (US$3.3 billion), with the margin expanding 30 basis points to 13.9% — the second-highest in company history.

The record topline masks regional divergence. North America, which accounts for 44.6% of group revenue, saw sales decline by 4%, excluding foreign exchange effects, as soft consumer demand weighed on the US market. The region offset volume weakness through record productivity gains from transformation initiatives, expanding its EBITDA margin 60 basis points to 9%. 
Tate & Lyle and Manus unveil stevia-derived sweetener under new brand
Stevia-derived sweetener on spoon.
Tate & Lyle, a global F&B ingredients supplier, and Manus, a bioalternatives scale-up platform, have launched a premium stevia-derived sweetener for sugar-like taste. It is the first ingredient from Yume (the Japanese word for “dream”) — a new brand under The Sweetener Alliance. The Sweetener Alliance, announced a year ago, is a strategic partnership between the companies to expand access to innovative sugar-reduction solutions. Innova Market Insights found that 72% of consumers worldwide are actively cutting back on sugar, while sweetener NPD is growing at 8% annually, creating an increasingly lucrative market for the industry.
New microbiome tool: Gut bacteria cooperation vs. competition determines health
woman who makes a heart shape by hands on her stomach

Nutrition Insight

Scientists have discovered a new way to differentiate healthy microbiomes from diseased ones, based on gut bacteria interactions. They coin this method as the Ecological Network Balance Index (ENBI), which assesses whether microbial communities are dominated by competition or cooperation. Nutrition Insight speaks with study author Martin Blaser, M.D., the director of Rutgers Health’s Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine in the US, who says the metric shows potential links to nutrition, metabolic health, and disease resilience. 
Highlighted features
Young consumers drinking alcohol-free beer at party.
New Product Development
How the alcohol industry is rethinking R&D amid falling...
The global alcohol industry is in structural retreat as global consumers continue to drink less. Producers are scrambling to reformulate beverage R&D and regain their falling profits. Core beer fell below half of Carlsberg’s revenue for the first time in 2025. Pernod Ricard offloaded the bulk of its international wine portfolio to concentrate on premium spirits and non-alcoholic alternatives. Diageo’s operating profit dropped 27.8% in the fiscal year to June 2025, yet its alcohol-free portfolio grew roughly 40% over the same period.
NPEW 2026.
Food Ingredients News
Expo West 2026: Ingredient suppliers navigate...
Natural Products Expo West returns to Anaheim, California, US, next week (March 3–6) for its 45th edition, with ingredient suppliers arriving amid converging political and economic pressures that are reshaping product development across the natural and organic F&B segments. The show brings together more than 3,300 exhibitors and 60,000 professional buyers from major retailers like Whole Foods Market, Costco, Kroger, and Amazon, to major producers and suppliers like ADM and Tradin Organic, as well as start-ups and new enterprises.  
big building with natural products expo west banner and crowd of people outside
Food Ingredients News
Expo West 2026: How dairy ingredient leaders enhance...
F&B ingredient suppliers are moving beyond single-claim fortification toward fully integrated, lifestyle-ready solutions, as consumer demand for nutritional products that do not sacrifice flavor and texture grows. Ahead of Natural Products Expo West 2026 in Anaheim, California, US (Mar 3–6), we speak to dairy ingredient giants FrieslandCampina Ingredients and Kerry about their latest innovations combining nutrition and enjoyment.

Ingredient focus

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Snacking trends in focus: Flavor, protein & fiberMar2026

Innova data shows consumers prioritize protein and fiber when purchasing snacks. However, flavor remains the most important factor in snack choice, driving steady annual growth in product launches fro...

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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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EIT Food Thumbnail
Video14:57
EIT Food: How fiber, protein & GLP-1 trends drive indulgent F&B formulations 

Durk Bosma, head of insights at EIT Food Consumer Observatory, discusses the gap between consumer health intentions and indulgent food choices. He emphasizes the need for F&B manufacturers to tailor products for consumers who are “health optimizers” or “balance cravers.” Bosma also comments...

Guillaume Blancher, Kerry
Video17:33
Kerry: Addressing bitterness, mouthfeel & GLP-1 taste shifts in sugar reduction
ISM & ProSweets 2026: Döhler Thumbnail
Video04:59
ISM & ProSweets 2026: Döhler spotlights cost-effective indulgence and trending flavors
Oliver Coppenuer
Video02:22
ISM & ProSweets 2026: Vegetables marry chocolate in “Vegilate” creation
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