SupplySide Global 2026: Univar Solutions on GLP-1, affordability and everyday nutrition

Ingredients + Specialties from Univar Solutions highlighted its “Powering Healthy Tomorrows” concept to help brands add functional benefits to everyday products at SupplySide Global 2026 last week. At the event, held annually in Las Vegas, US, the company explained how consumer mindsets toward nutrition are shifting, as brands, manufacturers, and consumers look to “get more out of every bite and sip.”

In light of these industry topics, Univar Solutions underscores that for ingredient suppliers today, the challenge is helping manufacturers turn these overlapping trends into products that taste good, feel familiar, and earn a place in consumers’ daily routines. 

Protein, fiber, and gut health support are moving beyond specialty supplements into familiar formats, such as everyday beverages, gummies, snacks, and stick packs, while the GLP-1 movement is reshaping eating habits and cost pressures are pushing brands to deliver more nutrition at lower prices.

The company’s presence at the show was largely driven by its customer base. Speaking to Food Ingredients First from the show floor, Jarrett Russell, director of corporate accounts for health and nutrition at Univar Solutions, said: “We want to be where our customers are, and this is a great show to showcase some of the new prototypes and ingredients.” 

Food ingredients for wellness and GLP-1 

For Jake Frash, a culinary food scientist at the company, the “Powering Healthy Tomorrows” platform responds to a “fundamental change in consumer expectations.”

Company concepts at the show spanned healthy aging, cognitive wellness, GLP-1, hydration, and digestive health.“Food is becoming more and more of a medicine,” he told us. “Food is wellness, and consumers are looking for more out of their food.” 

He described the concept as “the thesis for our broader business goals,” adding that consumers “want to feel good about what they’re eating.” He also underscored how consumers want to know that food comes from sustainable sources and is good for them, as well as cost-effective and tasty. 

According to Russell, familiar functional ingredients are now being deployed with clearer intent. “We know about protein, and we know about fiber, but now it’s for a purpose. Hydration is one example, he flagged, adding that “it used to mean just drinking water, but now it’s a delivery method for fiber and gut health.” 

Frash also pointed to fortification in categories where consumers would not traditionally expect it. “For certain products, it makes sense to have a little extra protein, whether that’s 5 to 10 g of protein, or 5 g of fiber, as an added benefit,” he explained. 

Delivery format matters too, according to the company. “Gummies and chewables, for instance, can help make a healthy habit stick,” said Russell, while Frash added: “Whether it’s a stick pack in your backpack or gummies you bring to the gym, there are a lot of ways of getting nutrition quickly and conveniently.” 

Russell expects GLP-1 to keep driving product development as treatment formats evolve. “If you think about the delivery method, it was always just an injection, and now we’re seeing GLP-1 pills, so it’s getting more convenient to take. There are a lot of different options right now, with many ways to customize formulations to meet the trends GLP-1 is bringing into the marketplace,” he explained. 

Soda Bar concepts eyes potential for functional adult soft drinks

One of the main highlights from the company’s stand was its Functional Fizz Soda Bar, where the company served throwback-inspired drinks fortified with fiber, protein, and collagen. It also taps into the dirty soda trend, in which sodas are customized with creams, syrups, and other mix-ins. 

“We’re going for that throwback vibe,” Kim Bozek, senior manager, marketing communications at the company, told us. “Dirty soda bars are very trendy right now, but we wanted to give it a more traditional vibe, while using some of our more innovative ingredients.” 

Drinks on offer included the Orange Fiber Boost Fizz and Dirty Velvet, a protein-enriched take on a classic flavor. The menu also featured a Strawberry Glow Collagen for a better-for-you positioning, containing collagen derived from bovine.

The aim is functional benefits that don’t compromise on taste. Discussing the Orange Fiber Boost Fizz, Bozek said: “Between the flavor and the sweetener ingredient from Cargill, they do a lot. You’re not tasting the fiber; you’re tasting a better flavor profile, without needing a ton in it.” 

She also addressed the potential beyond soft drinks,At the Functional Fizz Soda Bar, the company offered throwback-inspired drinks fortified with fiber, protein, and collagen.as the sober-curious movement drives demand for sophisticated alcohol-free options. “Some of these could be a really nice solution for an alcohol producer trying to appeal to a different market.” 

Nostalgia and affordability shape the consumer experience

According to Frash, familiar flavors give new functional products a head start on crowded shelves. “Consumers always want a taste of something old, but with a modern twist,” he explained, noting that childhood cereal flavors, for example, have recently seen a resurgence in protein shakes and energy drinks. 

A familiar taste is one less barrier for a brand to overcome “just to get the customer to pick up the product and examine it further,” he added. The visuals, colors, and logos are all part of that experience, remarked Frash. 

With competition rising and intensifying, Russell identified affordability as a key differentiator. “Some products that may have been in specialty stores in the past are now in your local convenience store,” he noted. “People can now get protein drinks or fiber-fortified drinks that are positioned as much more affordable.” 

For Frash, the packaging and overall sensory experience can also set products apart, including how a product feels to open and dispense, as can meaningful nutrition claims around ingredient fortification. This is important to the company as “consumers want to get the most of the calories they consume,” he concluded.