Global Ingredient Trends 2026: Navigating consumer demand for health-driven formulas

Consumers are increasingly treating ingredients as tools for managing their own health, with 60% globally saying they always check ingredient lists before buying F&B products, according to new data from Innova Market Insights. 

The findings, presented ahead of the company’s Global Ingredient Trends 2026 webinar on March 26, identify three overarching consumer strategies — adding functional nutrients, demanding naturalness, and cutting perceived risk ingredients — that are reshaping formulation priorities across the F&B industry. 

Beyond basic nutrition 

Innova’s data reveals a consumer landscape where protein, vitamins, and fiber have become the most actively sought-after nutrients. Protein leads at 58%, followed by vitamins at 53%, and fiber at 48%, with consumers connecting these ingredients to outcomes well beyond basic nutrition.

“What we’re seeing is a fundamental shift in how consumers relate to protein. It’s no longer just about sport or muscle — it’s becoming a wellness platform in its own right,” Lu Ann Williams, global insights director at Innova Market Insights, tells Food Ingredients First. “Consumers are connecting protein to energy, mental clarity, even healthy aging, and that’s opening up formulation opportunities well beyond the traditional sports nutrition aisle.”

The data support that shift. Innova tracked a rise in new food and beverage launches globally combining protein with at least one health claim in 2025 versus 2024. Weight management-linked protein launches grew even faster, up 66% over the same period. Some 80% of consumers globally say they pay attention to protein in their diet, with more than half actively increasing their intake.

Gut health is also driving ingredient-level decision-making. More than one in two consumers globally say gut health is important for the whole body, and a significant rise in products launched with a gut or digestive health claim in 2025 featured a high fiber claim. Specific fibers are gaining traction — oat fiber, inulin from chicory, and soluble corn fiber all marked growth in tracked launches year-on-year.

Naturality as product differentiator 

Naturalness, meanwhile, has moved from a premium differentiator to a non-negotiable. Some 69% of consumers globally say the more natural a product feels, the more they believe it supports long-term health. One in three say that a “made with natural ingredients” claim alone is enough to make an indulgent product feel healthier.

“Naturalness has crossed a threshold,” Williams says. “It used to be a nice-to-have or a premium positioning tool — now its table stakes. When nearly seven in ten consumers globally link naturalness to long-term health, that’s not a trend, that’s a baseline expectation that brands can’t afford to get wrong.”Protein, naturalness, and sugar reduction are the three pillars shaping consumer ingredient preferences in 2026, according to Innova Market Insights.

Formulators are responding. Innova tracked an increase in F&B launches featuring natural colors claims in 2025 compared to the previous year, while launches combining protein with natural claims also rose. 

Botanical ingredients are also expanding into functional territory, with floral, fungi, and algae species emerging as the fastest-growing subcategories. Half of all consumers globally report being extremely or very concerned about their mental health, and brands are turning to adaptogens, chamomile, and other botanicals as natural mental well-being solutions.

Reductions and reformulations 

On the reduction side, sugar remains the primary target. Innova’s data shows 40% of consumers are actively limiting added sugars, with salt and sodium, artificial sweeteners, and saturated fats also on the cut list. But the picture is more complex than simple avoidance — a majority of consumers say they don’t care about healthiness when they want to indulge.

“The consumer message on sugar is clear but nuanced — they want less of it, but they’re not prepared to sacrifice taste or accept artificial alternatives,” says Williams. “That puts real pressure on ingredient suppliers to develop smarter systems that can deliver reduction without the consumer feeling like they’re missing out.”

Artificial sweeteners, notably, rank third on the list of ingredients consumers are actively limiting — suggesting that sugar reduction strategies relying on synthetic alternatives may face pushback. While 57% of consumers say they would compromise on naturalness for sugar reduction, a larger share are actively cutting artificial sweeteners from their diets, pointing to a narrow path for formulators.

Fiber and whole ingredients are emerging as part of the solution, with launches carrying low or reduced glycemic index claims growing globally in 2025.

Global ingredient trends: Looking ahead

Williams sees these three strategies converging into a broader challenge for the industry. “Consumers are becoming their own nutritionists, in a sense. They’re reading labels, stacking functional benefits, and making deliberate trade-offs,” she says. “The brands that understand this — and communicate it clearly through their ingredient choices — are the ones that will build lasting trust.”

The Global Ingredient Trends 2026 webinar takes place this Thursday at 4:00 PM CET and will explore additional ingredient trends shaping food and beverage innovation.