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Health trends and new markets drive sugar confectionery amid Western slowdown, flags RaboResearch

Health trends and new markets drive sugar confectionery amid Western slowdown, flags RaboResearch

The global sugar confectionery market is shifting. As growth slows in mature Western markets, major companies are redirecting investment toward categories like savory snacks and chocolate, according to a new report from RaboResearch. Emerging regions such as Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East are driving new demand and offering opportunities for growth.
Sodium reduction moves center stage as health and sensory expectations converge
Sodium reduction moves center stage as health and sensory expectations converge
With increased consumer scrutiny around sodium intake, food manufacturers are under growing pressure to cut salt without sacrificing taste, texture, or product integrity. In high-sodium categories like processed meats, snacks, and cheese alternatives, the stakes are particularly high since salt not only seasons but also preserves, stabilizes, and structures. Food Ingredients First speaks with leading companies, Biospringer by Lesaffre, Lallemand Bio-Ingredients, ADM, and Corbion, to understand what consumer insights are driving current R&D priorities and the next phase of innovation in sodium reduction.
IFT First 2025: Cargill talks bridging macro consumer trends with product development
IFT First 2025: Cargill talks bridging macro consumer trends with product development
Leveraging its legacy proprietary research tools, US food corporation Cargill highlights how its consumer insights support manufacturers in navigating shifting demands, cost pressures, and product innovation at  IFT First 2025  in Chicago, US, which concluded yesterday. Food Ingredients First sits down with Keith Albright, senior consumer insights manager for the North America team at Cargill, to understand how data collection and category-level insights are influencing formulation and helping identify gaps in the market.
Cognitive Strength for Every Age with DavosLife E3 Tocotrienols
Cognitive Strength for Every Age with DavosLife E3 Tocotrienols
KLK OLEO is excited to share the groundbreaking research conducted by Davos Life Science, a division of KLK OLEO. A new study demonstrates that DavosLife E3 Tocotrienols can significantly enhance learning, improve focus, and accelerate cognitive function. Published in The Journal of Functional Foods, these findings reveal that DavosLife E3 Tocotrienols positively influence memory formation, attention, reaction time, and neural efficiency, showcasing their brain-boosting potential.This Technical Paper is brought to you by KLK OLEO.
IFT First 2025: Biospringer serves up flavor innovation with “bitter blockers” for alt-sweeteners
IFT First 2025: Biospringer serves up flavor innovation with “bitter blockers” for alt-sweeteners

Andrew Vasina, North America culinary center manager, spoke to us about how Biospringer uses fermentation to develop natural flavor solutions. He highlighted yeast extracts that enhance umami in savory foods and bitter blockers that mask off-notes in sweeteners and botanicals. Vasina also noted that fermentation is central to Biospringer’s clean label approach and supports the growing demand for transparency and natural ingredients.

Meal Times Diversify
Meal Times Diversify

In this edition you will learn more about:

  • Top 5 Trends in Ready Meals
  • Elevating Texture
  • Vanilla’s Future
  • Ready Meal Circularity
  • Meal Replacements
  • Dinners Diversify
  • NPD Highlights
  • Gluten-Free Bakery
  • Sustainable Food Systems
  • Authenticity Inspires Innovation
  • New Protein Formats
  • Gene-Edited Pork
  • Fresh & Flavorful Convenience
  • Advancing Global Nutrition
  • Artisanal Appeal
  • Unleashing Flavor in Food Development
  • Opportunities in Convenience Foods
  • Palm Oil & Cocoa Sourcing
  • GLP-1 Drugs
  • Potential of Synbiotics
  • View from the Top: Jennifer Lindsey chief marketing & digital officer Corbion

Latest headlines

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Plant-based labeling crackdown? EC draft regulation targets 29 “meat-related”...
European Commission building with EU flags flying in front of it.
The European Commission (EC) has proposed new restrictions on the use of traditional meat-related terms by plant-based food products, reigniting a contentious debate in the food industry over labeling, transparency, and innovation. The draft regulation — part of a revision of the Common Market Organization Regulation to amend Regulation No 1308/2013 — seeks to ban 29 “meat” specific terms.
Trump says Coca-Cola agreed to real cane sugar use in US production
Coca-Cola crates.
US President Donald Trump has announced that Coca-Cola will use real cane sugar instead of corn syrup in the production of its signature soda in the US. While Coca-Cola has not explicitly confirmed or denied the reformulation, its spokesperson told media outlets that “more details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon.”
IFT First 2025: Biospringer by Lesaffre showcases yeast-based “bitter blockers”...
a trade show booth with a white counter
Biospringer by Lesaffre is advancing flavor innovation through its yeast-based ingredients to target “intense” sensory profiles in foods. Its fermentation-derived Springer Mask 102 solution blocks bitterness and neutralizes off-notes in alternative sweeteners, while the Maxarome Prime yeast extract enhances flavors by boosting umami, meaty, and salty notes in savory foods.
FDA plans to revoke 52 “antiquated food standards” following analysis
A buyer buying canned food.
The US FDA is proposing to revoke 52 “obsolete standards of identity for food products” after concluding they are unnecessary and outdated. The standards apply to canned fruits and vegetables, dairy products, baked goods, macaroni products, and other foods.This latest move builds on the Trump Administration’s recent deregulatory initiatives within the F&B space.
Boosting dairy: Scientists unlock stem cells for improved cow health and milk...
a female scientist holding a test tube in the lab
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, have uncovered a promising approach to enhancing dairy cow health and milk quality using molecules derived from stem cells. Their study shows that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their secretions can reduce inflammation in cows while boosting milk fat content — resulting in creamier and more nutritious milk.
Genetically engineered gut bacteria may open new pathways for targeted nutrition
close up of scientist in protective gear holding up a DNA helix model

Nutrition Insight

New research has found that engineering a gut microbe can unlock new natural treatments against diseases. Scientists genetically modified the common gut bacterium Phocaeicola vulgatus. When proliferated in the gut microbiome, it led to reduced oxalate levels, emerging as a potential treatment for kidney stones. 
Highlighted features
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Food Research
Cost pressures fuel risky food safety practices among UK...
Food prices and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) remain the leading consumer concerns in the UK, where buyers report risky coping mechanisms to keep costs low, reveals the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) latest Consumer Insights Tracker report. The findings show that nearly nine in ten UK adults are worried about the price of food, while over three-quarters are concerned about UPFs.
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Food Ingredients News
Olive oil fraud: Experts discuss climate, supply chain and...
Olive oil is now at the center of a global fraud crisis as climate change shrinks harvests and elevates prices, leading to increased incentive for criminal deception. From counterfeit labels to oils diluted with cheaper vegetable fats, fraudsters exploit regulatory gaps and consumer trust, while authorities scramble to keep pace.
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Food Ingredients News
The UK’s 10-year Health Plan: Challenges and opportunities...
The UK government has set out its 10-year Health Plan which will restrict junk food advertising targeted at children, ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16-year-olds, reform the soft drinks industry levy to drive reformulation, and introduce mandatory health food sales reporting for all large companies in the food sector.

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IFT First 2025: Biospringer serves up flavor innovation with “bitter blockers” for alt-sweeteners

Andrew Vasina, North America culinary center manager, spoke to us about how Biospringer uses fermentation to develop natural flavor solutions. He highlighted yeast extracts that enhance umami in savory foods and bitter blockers that mask off-notes in sweeteners and botanicals. Vasina also noted...

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IFT First 2025 live: Cargill on leveraging insights to “meet consumers where they are” and guide NPD
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IFT First 2025: Hydrosome Labs boosts fermentation and beverage flavor with “ultrafine bubbles”
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IFT First 2025 live: FoodChain ID highlights AI-powered formulation guidance tool
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