IFE Manufacturing 2026 live: Döhler highlights key trends shaping F&B innovation
31 Mar 2026 | Döhler
Döhler spotlights innovation and trends across clean label, plant-based, and functional nutrition. Stefanie Engel, market segment manager for Food Global, shares how evolving ingredient solutions are helping brands meet demand for natural, health-driven products — and where the biggest opportunities in food and beverages are emerging next.
Finning grins first, reporting from IFE 2026 in London.
I'm at the donor stand with Stephanie Engel, who is market segment manager for Food Global.
Welcome to you.
So my first question, what key trends in F&B innovation are you focusing on at this year's event?
It's sometimes really hard to understand what the trend is because sometimes it's just something that comes up very quickly and then it's gone after a short period, but there are other trends that are really like insisting in the market, and what we can see is that many consumers are looking for products that replace, for example, very volatile ingredients and also of course, animal derived ingredients.
So we see that there's a lot of alternatives going on.
But of course if you see, let's say.
That are skyrocketing.
Matcha is a topic.
Uber is a topic, so there are some colors and some tastes that are quite prominent at the moment.
So as you say, many brands are looking for natural and clean label ingredients.
So how is your company helping manufacturers meet that demand?
Of course we try to create products that solve a problem or that clean up the ingredient list.
So for example, if you have a specific product that is perceived by the consumer as a chemical.
Or something where they do not really understand from the ingredient list what it does to your body when you consume it, then many companies want to replace that with a more natural ingredients, and this is really a typical Duller approach to look for the more natural products and to replace them, the industrial perceived or non-natural perceived ingredients.
And as you mentioned before, plant-based products continue to grow.
So what are the opportunities do you see in this space right now?
Definitely there is you have seen, we've seen the market where everything tried to mimic milk or the the real dairy yogurt and things like that, and now you can see that the alternative products have a standalone position, so they can be consumed as something else.
They don't want to mimic only, there are some products who still do, def definitely, but they they are they have an all consuming moment.
And their own, let's say their own rights to be in the market and the consumer is fully aware that this is something of interest and that it also catches their interest.
They come in nice flavors, they come in nice colors.
They come for a specific occasion to consume, and this is what the customer is also interested in that it's not always the same old traditional stuff they had in years.
They are always open for something new.
So health and functionality are also increasingly important to consumers.
So how are your ingredient solutions helping to support this demand?
Definitely when you have, for example, protein enriched products, they usually come with a side effect that is not so appealing in your mouth, so usually it gets fuller and fuller, and we also work towards flavors and other ingredients that then help to adjust the mouthfeel to.
An enjoyable mouthfeel and and also to let's say to mask some not so desired flavors, and this is of course very helpful if you then figure out, OK, for that protein it works in that way or for that mixture it works in that way so that the It overall feels more like an indulgence and not as I have to, I have to eat it like this because it's healthier for me.
It feels not so much enforced.
Yeah, exactly, yeah.
OK, so looking ahead, what do you see as the biggest innovation areas in F&B over the next few years?
Definitely the functional topics will play a major role because we can also see at the horizon that after the whole protein waste, fiber will be for sure one of the next things, but definitely also some botanicals that are more not only matcha, that are more related to health and where the consumer has already understood this is something that is good for my body.
This will.
Definitely play a major role, but still, also there's a lot of understanding that mental health is a topic, and sometimes you need to take a break from your stressful everyday routines that you have, and this break can go with an indulgent moment and let's say with a full calorie and full taste flavor where you don't have to negotiate between healthy and indulging, but.
Take like, OK, this is the exception from the routine and take full coloring, and so we are also looking for those products that are really there to give you a nice mouth feel and a nice flavor, an appealing color, and we call that multi-sensory experience when everything comes together and you just have a moment to enjoy.
Stefan, thanks for your time today.
