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Functional mushrooms move beyond supplements into mainstream F&B ingredients

Functional mushrooms move beyond supplements into mainstream F&B ingredients

Functional mushrooms are moving beyond capsules and powders into mainstream F&B — from mushroom coffee and energy drinks to chocolates and gummies. However, as consumer awareness of species like lion’s mane and reishi rises, industry advocates reveal deeper challenges around ingredient standardization, species differentiation, and treating functional mushrooms as a single, interchangeable category.
Beyond sugar: How sweetener innovation is redefining taste and texture
Beyond sugar: How sweetener innovation is redefining taste and texture
Sweetener suppliers are moving beyond single-ingredient sugar swaps toward blended systems that combine rare sugars, stevia, citrus flavonoids, and sweet proteins to rebuild taste, texture, and mouthfeel simultaneously. Innova Market Insights data shows 72% of consumers worldwide are actively cutting sugar, while sweetener NPD is growing at 8% annually, presenting an increasingly lucrative market for the industry. 
Cargill study finds 98% correlation between ingredient perception and purchase decisions in APAC
Cargill study finds 98% correlation between ingredient perception and purchase decisions in APAC
Asian consumers aren’t rejecting food science — but they are turning away from scientific-sounding ingredient names. Cargill’s APAC IngredienTracker 2025 finds that naming, familiarity, and brand credibility matter more than ingredient complexity when it comes to purchase decisions, with over 70% of consumers now checking labels before buying. Yuchu Zhang, vice president of R&D at Cargill Food APAC, tells Food Ingredients First how the study’s findings across 91 ingredients are reshaping the company’s innovation strategy in the region. 
ADM Texperien® Tapioca Starch Solutions
ADM Texperien® Tapioca Starch Solutions
For foods with the ideal bite, ADM Texperien® tapioca starches offer the functionality to deliver superior texture and clean taste in a range of applications.This Technical Paper is brought to you by ADM.
ISM & ProSweets 2026: Valio on “permissible indulgence” and high-protein innovation
ISM & ProSweets 2026: Valio on “permissible indulgence” and high-protein innovation

Niina Gerritsen, customer development manager at Valio, explores the rise of “permissible indulgence” in confectionery and snacks. She shares how Valio blends high-protein innovation, lactose-free chocolate solutions, and nutritious frozen desserts to deliver treats that balance indulgence with health benefits.

ISM & ProSweets 2026: Solving supply and reformulation challenges
ISM & ProSweets 2026: Solving supply and reformulation challenges
At ISM & ProSweets 2026 in Cologne, Germany, innovation converged around supply chain resilience, product reformulations, and sensory excellence in confectionery and snacks. Exhibitors showcased cocoa-free alternatives, sugar-reduced solutions, and clean label colors and flavors. The show highlighted how collaboration, social media-driven trends, and smart ingredient designs are reshaping the future of scalable, high-quality confections and snacks.

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Big Dairy’s big win: UK’s highest court bans Oatly from using “milk” in...
Big Dairy’s big win: UK’s highest court bans Oatly from using “milk” in advertising
The UK Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that Oatly cannot use its “Post Milk Generation” trademark on oat-based food and drink, handing a landmark victory to the dairy industry, as it contends with record-low farm numbers, falling retail volumes, and collapsing wholesale prices.The ruling, delivered yesterday, ends a four-year legal battle between the Swedish oat drink maker and Dairy UK, the trade association whose members include Arla Foods UK, Lactalis McLelland, Müller, and Saputo. The case was brought under an EU Regulation (1308/2013) retained in UK law post-Brexit, which reserves terms such as “milk,” “butter,” and “cheese” exclusively for animal-derived products. 
Soda shifts: Protein-enriched functional beverages target GLP-1 users
Soda shifts: Protein-enriched functional beverages target GLP-1 users
GLP-1s have introduced a new group of consumers to the protein and functional beverages conversation. Consumers taking these weight loss medications increasingly seek convenient ways to incorporate more protein throughout the day via functional sodas that don’t compromise weight loss goals.
Kraft Heinz pauses planned breakup as sales slide deepens
Kraft Heinz pauses planned breakup as sales slide deepens
Kraft Heinz has paused the planned separation of its business into two independent companies and announced a US$600 million investment in marketing, sales, and R&D after reporting a full-year net loss of US$5.85 billion for 2025, driven by US$9.3 billion in non-cash impairment charges. The move comes as the packaged food giant continues to battle declining volumes in North America, its largest market, with organic net sales falling 3.4% for the year and 4.2% in the fourth quarter.
Chipotle posts full-year revenue increase as beef and chicken inflation...
Chipotle posts full-year revenue increase as beef and chicken inflation pressures margins
Chipotle Mexican Grill has reported full-year 2025 revenue of US$11.9 billion, up 5.4% year-on-year, driven by a record 334 new restaurant openings despite a 1.7% decline in comparable restaurant sales. The fast-casual chain flagged ongoing inflation in beef and chicken costs and the impact of 2025 tariffs as key headwinds, while food, beverage, and packaging costs dipped slightly to 29.6% of total revenue.Fourth quarter revenue rose 4.9% to US$3 billion, though comparable sales fell 2.5% as customer transactions dropped 3.2%, only partially offset by a 0.7% increase in average check size. Digital sales accounted for 37.2% of food and beverage revenue in the quarter. 
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar volumes jump as BodyArmor write-down cuts Q4 income
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar volumes jump as BodyArmor write-down cuts Q4 income
Coca-Cola has reported full-year 2025 organic revenue growth of 5% to US$47.9 billion, led by a 14% surge in Coca-Cola Zero Sugar volumes, but a US$960 million impairment on its BodyArmor trademark dragged Q4 operating income down 32%. The release of the results sent shares falling approximately 3% in pre-market trading. The beverage giant’s Q4 net revenues of US$11.8 billion missed analyst expectations, as its water, sports, coffee, and tea divisions outperformed the wider portfolio. Coca-Cola is projecting organic revenue growth of 4–5% for 2026 amid a leadership transition, with CEO-elect Henrique Braun set to succeed chairman and CEO James Quincey. 
Nootropics Depot: Bringing pharma-grade quality testing to botanical and...
Nootropics Depot: Bringing pharma-grade quality testing to botanical and mushroom supplements

Nutrition Insight

Advancements in analytical instruments are closing the quality analysis gap between botanical supplements production and pharmaceutical rigor. With a suite of advanced testing methods, Nootropics Depot warns of the risks that come with “identity-only” botanical testing and reliance on “by input” paperwork that bypass actual bioactive assays. The US-based manufacturer and retailer operates multiple laboratories and production buildings equipped with analytical instrumentation and live-cell research capabilities, which are typically reserved for “Big Pharma” development, not conventional supplement manufacturing. This is done to ensure identity and bioactive potency of botanicals, which it says are uncommon in the wider US market.
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Food Ingredients News
GLP-1 reshapes UK consumption: Why is dairy positioned to...
Analysis from the UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) finds that the increased use of weight loss and appetite-suppressant drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro presents key opportunities for the country’s dairy industry. The research comes amid rising GLP-1 adoption, which is heavily influencing how protein-rich products like milk, cream, yogurt, and cottage cheese feature in diets, as consumers seek F&B that delivers more nutrition per bite.
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Food Ingredients News
Europe’s untapped protein opportunity could rival wine...
New analysis into the wider economic benefits of alternative proteins across the EU finds they have the potential to bolster the bloc’s economy by €111 billion (US$131 billion) within 15 years. But the potential will only be reached by 2040 if alternative proteins are treated as a strategic priority, which requires much more investment, if technical bottlenecks are to be overcome.
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Business News
dsm-firmenich completes consumer pivot with €2.2B Animal...
dsm-firmenich has agreed to sell its Animal Nutrition & Health (ANH) business to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners for approximately €2.2 billion (~US$2.6 billion), which includes an earnout of up to €500 million (US$590 million). The company will retain a 20% equity stake in the divested business. The deal marks the final step in dsm-firmenich’s transformation into a consumer-focused company centered on nutrition, health, and beauty. 

Ingredient focus

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Natural shelf life extension: The rise of clean label preservativesFeb2026

Innova Market Insights data indicates that consumers worldwide increasingly link product quality with extended shelf life and “natural” ingredients. Over the past five years, there has been a notable ...

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Product innovation

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Sweetener trends & insights: Opportunities for calorie-conscious innovation Feb 2026

Innova Market Insights reveals that nearly half of consumers globally are turning to sweeteners to satisfy their sweet cravings while aiming to reduce their calorie intake. This growing demand for lower-calorie options is fueling innovation in the sweetener market, presenting new opportunities for the development of novel sweetener solutions in F&B products.

Trend analysis

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Plant-based innovation: Beyond dairy and meat alternativesFeb 2026

Plant-based products now extend beyond dairy and meat alternatives, including both category replicas and standalone or hybrid products. Innova Market Insights data shows plant-based F&B launches have seen steady growth globally over the past five years, with Europe leading the way. Dairy remains the top category in these launches.

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ISM & ProSweets 2026: Valio on “permissible indulgence” and high-protein innovation

Niina Gerritsen, customer development manager at Valio, explores the rise of “permissible indulgence” in confectionery and snacks. She shares how Valio blends high-protein innovation, lactose-free chocolate solutions, and nutritious frozen desserts to deliver treats that balance indulgence with...

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ISM & ProSweets 2026: Bursting espresso martini chocolates win Silver ISM Innovation Award 
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ISM & ProSweets 2026: Dreidoppel highlights cherry blossom as 2026 flavor trend
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ISM & ProSweets 2026: GNT’s plant-based colors enhance functionality in confectionery
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