SupplySide Global 2026 review: Slushies, occasion-led drinks and mocktails shake up beverage innovation

Beverage innovation was a showstopper on the SupplySide Global 2026 show floor in Las Vegas, US, last week (Oct 28–31). Everyday drinks, RTDs, and functional beverages demonstrated how brands are tailoring drinks for consumer lifestyles and specific consumption occasions. Food Ingredients First unpacks some of the key beverage highlights from the event. 

One popular concept was the idea of a functional slushie, which several key ingredient players showcased. 

ADM brought its microbiome portfolio into an everyday, indulgent format with a wall of functional slushies, showing how biotics can fit into occasions consumers already enjoy. “We’re featuring these functional slushies, but our ingredients could be used in any beverage,” June Lin, VP of global innovation marketing, told us. “It’s something consumers are already drinking, so they can easily fit it into their lifestyles.”

The aim is to deliver functional benefits without compromising the experience. “You also want it to have the right flavor, texture, and sweetness, and give consumers choice around when and where they take the product,” she said.

Customizable formats 

Each biotic slushie from ADM targeted a different consumer need. The stress, mood, and sleep support slushie features its L. gasseri CP2305 postbiotic. The digestive health slushie is made with Bifidobacterium longum ES1, which is a heat-treated postbiotic studied for gut health benefits, including bloating.

ADM’s weight maintenance slushie is made with its BPL1 postbiotic (non-living version of its proprietary strain, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis CECT 8145) for metabolic health, targeting consumers coming off GLP-1 medications.

“We’re showing different ways to feature these ingredients, so that consumers have more choice in what they use every day,” Lin explained.

Glanbia’s Cognitive Support Slushie concept showed how functional benefits can be built into a fun, indulgent format that consumers already enjoy.Meanwhile, Glanbia exhibited a slushie format, serving up a Strawberry Black Currant Non-Stimulant and Cognitive Support Slushie built on its All N Non-Stimulant Energy and Cognition Support Accelerator Premix. 

The ready-to-use premix, which can also serve as a base for further customization, combines EGCG, B vitamins (100% RDI of B1, B3, and B6), and adaptogens with just 12 mg of caffeine per serving from organic guayusa extract. The company says it “gives brands a gentler energy and focus proposition than conventional energy drinks.”

Flavors came from Glanbia’s Flavor Producers and Foodarom businesses, including natural strawberry, blackcurrant, and vanilla, alongside a flavor modifier to round out the profile.

Prova also highlighted a Turtle Cluster-flavored slushie with collagen and a coffee marshmallow sauce. A turtle cluster is a classic confectionery treat made from crunchy pecans, rich buttery caramel, and a smooth chocolate coating, which also offers a nod to nostalgia through taste innovation. 

Protein beverages for different needs 

Protein stood out as a clear megatrend at the trade show, backed by Innova Market Insights research showing that three in five consumers intend to boost their protein intake compared to last year. Notably, between 2020 and 2024 alone, the number of high-protein drinks grew by 122%, with clear protein emerging as an in-demand solution, according to the market researcher. 

Arla Foods Ingredients brought three personalized clear shake concepts designed to help brands move beyond “one-size-fits-all” protein shakes toward solutions tailored to different performance goals, exercise occasions, and active lifestyles. 

The company revealed that the concepts tap into the demand for clear protein beverages, which are emerging as a lighter, fruitier, and more refreshing alternative to traditional milky shakes. 

Each shake combined Lacprodan whey proteins with selected functional ingredients, built around a shared recovery need and specific performance outcome. 

The Build Resistance Shake paired Lacprodan ISO.RefreshShake with creatine for strength-focused activities, such as weightlifting. The Sustain Endurance Shake combined Lacprodan Pro2O withArla Foods Ingredients’ concepts tapped into demand for clear protein drinks as a lighter, fruitier alternative to milky shakes. carbohydrates and electrolytes for running, cycling, and other endurance sports. Finally, the Move Mobility Shake featured Lacprodan ISO.WaterShake with collagen for mobility-focused activities, such as yoga and dance.

Speaking to us at the show, Peter Anderson, senior director of Performance Nutrition, said: “The general trend we’re seeing is that people just want more out of their beverages. In particular, the whey and collagen combination has gained quite a lot of interest in the market, as consumers seek skin benefits alongside protein.”

Behind the lighter, more refreshing format is careful formulation, noted Anderson, adding that each protein sits at a different pH, which shapes both mouthfeel and flavor pairing. 

“An acidic product would normally go with very acidic flavors like lemon, whereas a pH-neutral one suits flavors like melon,” Anderson said. “It really gives you the opportunity to work with different flavors across the whole universe of clear proteins.” 

Prinova also highlighted a clear protein powder beverage — a clean-tasting, refreshing drink in sherbet flavor offering high-protein functionality without the heaviness of a traditional shake. 

Drinking to wellness 

Meanwhile, Ingredion focused on combined solutions that bring protein, fiber, and sugar reduction together, rather than tackling each separately.

Among its concepts was the Super Juicy Vibe Reduced Sugar Smoothie, made with its Fusera liquid beverage optimization system. The RTD smoothie contains up to 50% less sugar than 100% fruit juice smoothies, and can cut formula cost-in-use by up to 30%. 

In keeping with the theme of healthy and functional beverages, Cargill showcased a Blackberry-Flavor Shrub Spritz with pre- and postbiotics.

TCargill showcased a Blackberry-Flavor Shrub Spritz with pre- and postbiotics designed to target gut health.he fizzy, alcohol-free drink is designed to make gut health feel like an occasion rather than a routine. The spritz combines 5 g of soluble corn fiber, a fermentable prebiotic, with 500 mg of Cargill’s EpiCor postbiotic per serving. EpiCor is a whole-food fermentate that the company says has been clinically studied to benefit the gut microbiome. 

Meanwhile, Beneo blurred the lines between confectionery and beverages, with its melting tea gummies that dissolve in hot water to create a ginger lemon tea. 

The gummies are made with one of the company’s newer fibers, a short-chain FOS made from sugar. The fibers, as Jamie Matthews, head of CTS Americas at Beneo, told Food Ingredients First, have a “fairly strong, sugar-like sweetness and a clean flavor, while offering a more economical alternative to chicory-based fibers.”

The mocktail movement 

Beneo also tapped the mocktail trend, which was prevalent at the show, with its Tranquilo Margarita, an alcohol-free drink built around mood support. It combines Palatinose (isomaltulose), chicory root inulin, and L-theanine. Palatinose “is still a fully caloric sugar,” as Matthews explained, but it is digested “slowly and in a sustained way, giving you a steady supply of glucose throughout the day.”

According to the company, the concept reflects changing drinking habits among younger consumers. “Younger consumers these days don’t drink alcohol as much anymore, so a mocktail is always a good idea,” Hanna Bean, marketing manager Americas at Beneo, said. “We still wanted to keep it tasty and fun.” 

France-based ingredient supplier Roquette also addressed the alcohol-free movement with its Prebiotic Yuzu Lime Gin and Tonic Mocktail. The drink has 8 g of Nutriose FM06 soluble corn fiber peRichard LaBonte, head of marketing Americas at Roquette, noted that “a lot of the world is slowing down on alcohol.”r serving, according to the company, and 50% less sugar than regular tonic. 

“Younger people are just not drinking alcohol. Some of it is due to cost, because it’s very expensive, but it’s also about health,” Richard LaBonte, head of marketing Americas at Roquette, told us.

He said more customers are asking for adult beverages without the alcohol, and the question they want answered is: “How do we create exceptional mocktail experiences, but also give a functional benefit from an ingredient?” The FDA classifies Nutriose, a resistant dextrin, as a dietary fiber, and LaBonte noted it has a prebiotic effect at 8 g. 

However, he stressed that function can’t come at the expense of flavor. “You can’t compromise on taste; taste always comes first. It’s a trend that has caught a lot of people by surprise, and it’s not just a US thing. A lot of the world is slowing down on alcohol.”