Cargill looks to set new standards in nutritional innovation, sustainability and wellness in 2025
In the ever-evolving nutrition landscape of 2025, experts highlight that consumers are focusing on health and wellness and demanding products that are not only indulgent but also nutritionally enriching. Cargill states that it is integrating technologies and strategies to align product developments with consumer desires for healthier options and sustainable practices.
By leveraging insights from proprietary data, Cargill says it identifies a growing demand for products that reflect personal values and support environmental and social causes and the company is using these insights to guide its latest product innovations and market strategies.
Nutrition Insight sits down with Franck Monmont, the president of Cargill Food Solutions to better understand the company’s strategy for 2025 and beyond
What are some of Cargill’s most recent key innovations?
Monmont: At Cargill, we strive to be our customers’ primary source of inspiration and growth by setting new standards for innovation and collaboration. Our proprietary data reveals that consumers are increasingly seeking products that are indulgent, experiential and healthier.
They also view their purchases as reflections of their personal values and want to support environmental and social causes through their buying decisions.
We are exploring various ways to help our customers balance nutrition and indulgence. For instance, we’ve recently made significant progress in aligning our new product releases with Nutri-Score requirements, particularly in the sweet bakery segment. One of our most exciting developments is our entry into the Nutri-Score race with brownies.
Monmont says consumers want products that are “indulgent, experiential and healthier.”
Traditionally, brownies are not associated with nutritional indulgence, and most on the market have Nutri-Score rankings of D or E. However, we aim to change this dynamic by offering holistic solutions that address the growing consumer demand for better nutritional profiles in cake applications, including brownies.
How do these innovations address current trends in the nutrition industry?
Monmont: To demonstrate the possibilities, our application experts have achieved what once seemed impossible through dedicated reformulation work.
We have developed delicious brownie prototypes with significantly improved Nutri-Score ratings — Nutri-Score C with 30% sugar reduction, low sodium and high fiber and even Nutri-Score A with 85% sugar reduction, low sodium and high fiber. These options have been validated by our internal R&D and sensory experts, and consumer tests have confirmed their acceptance.
We are also responding to the growing consumer demand for value-added segments such as dairy-free, vegan, clean-label and sugar-reduced chocolate products. This year, we announced a 60% expansion of our coatings and fillings plant in Deventer, the Netherlands.
Not only do coatings offer more flexibility when it comes to color, flavor and other sensorial characteristics, but they also provide a unique opportunity for food manufacturers to include positively perceived ingredients and features to labels that align with broader consumer trends.
For example, coatings can offer an opportunity to highlight the addition of beneficial substances, such as fiber, proteins or minerals, to achieve nutritional targets. They also provide third-party certification to satisfy a growing demand for more sustainably produced products.
The upgraded Deventer facility features a nut-free line and a separate hazelnut line, plus many other options like low sugar and no palm.
What trends do you anticipate will shape the nutrition industry this year?
Monmont: The food industry is set to evolve significantly over the next 5-10 years, driven by an increasing focus on vitality. We know that protein plays a significant role in personal wellness, and we are seeing an increase in protein diversification — including animal and alternative sources — with consumers increasingly seeking cleaner protein sources that are both healthier and have a lower carbon footprint while remaining cost-conscious in their selection process.
One such source is chicken meat, which has one of the lowest environmental footprints of any traditional protein source, containing less fat than other animal protein sources while being highly economical.
Cargill highlights that consumers demand diverse, cleaner proteins prioritizing health, sustainability and affordability.
The chicken meat category today accounts for 40% of the total animal protein industry worldwide and has huge innovation potential to support consumers’ desire for on-the-go and snacking consumption and experimentation with new flavors.
How is your company preparing to meet these changes?
Monmont: When it comes to alternative protein, plant-based burgers and ground meat alternatives were just the beginning. Our aim is to help customers meet consumers’ demands regarding the taste, texture and nutritional value of animal protein and dairy-based products, as well as answer the calls for healthier, more sustainable and better-tasting solutions.
We have many ready-to-go concepts, including alternatives to yogurts, drinks, cheese and various meat alternative formats. Cargill’s portfolio includes Puris pea protein, a plant-based dairy alternative with 30 g of protein.
In addition, Cargill’s RadiPure pea protein has been used to craft a plant-based sports powder drink that provides the right nutritional profile with a perfect balance of protein and carbohydrates without compromising taste and mouthfeel.
As we see more consumers prioritize health and wellness, there will also be a growing demand for functional products that offer benefits such as immunity-boosting properties and support for gut health. This trend presents opportunities for brands to innovate by incorporating ingredients with recognized health benefits while reducing artificial additives and sugar content.
For example, dietary fibers are important nutrients in a healthy diet. Certain soluble fibers feed beneficial bacteria in the gut, promoting a healthy microbiome, while insoluble fiber helps promote regularity. Cargill’s portfolio includes soluble corn fiber, which can be used as a bulking agent to support sugar-reduction goals, offering yet another benefit.
What role will technology play in your future product offerings, and are there advancements we can expect to see integrated into your products in the near future?
Monmont: Advances in plant-based alternatives have piqued consumer curiosity, with innovations in cultivated, precision and biomass fermentation breaking new ground. At the same time, demand for alternatives to traditional meat and dairy is focused on meeting nutritional needs with a greater emphasis on sustainability without compromising on taste, texture or affordability.
Monmont spotlights dietary fibers for their nutrient-rich gut health benefits.
One great example of future-forward technology can be found in our partnership with Enough. Mycoprotein, which offers a meat-like texture, protein profile, scalability and sustainability, plays a disruptive role in the market. In February 2024, Cargill announced an investment in Enough’s latest growth funding campaign and signed a commercial agreement to use and market its mycoprotein.
With this mycoprotein, we can deliver the perfect plant-based chicken filet, along with snack formats such as Thai-style patties, gyozas and spring rolls, where fibrous proteins are essential for a good bite and texture.
Our partnership with Voyage Foods further exemplifies our commitment to developing future-proof products that meet pressing consumer demands. Cargill Indulgence Redefined — a confectionery alternative to chocolate developed in collaboration with Voyage Foods. Voyage is decoupling foods from traditional source raw material — creating new alternatives to the food and drink we love while striving to be more sustainable, scalable and cost-effective.
The backbone of Cargill Indulgence Redefined is Voyage’s patented technology, based on gently roasted and processed regionally available raw materials, providing new alternatives to indulgent treats with a focus on sustainability, fully plant-based and with no nuts in the recipe formulation.
Can you tell us about any new offerings or launches we can expect from Cargill in 2025?
Monmont: With 67% of consumers likely to use health labels when shopping, with sugars being the most scrutinized ingredients, followed by fats and oils, we’re focused on helping our customers meet the sweet spot between indulgence and healthier products.
Cargill is partnering with Cubiq Foods for innovative fat solutions.
New to the European market in 2025 is EverSweet, an innovative stevia sweetener developed by Cargill and dsm-firmenich’s joint venture, Avansya. EverSweet uses advanced fermentation techniques to produce the sweetest and cleanest-tasting components — steviol glycosides Reb M (primarily) and Reb D — without using the stevia leaf.
This allows for deeper sugar reduction than previously possible with stevia sweeteners while maintaining a high-quality sweet taste for reduced and zero-calorie food and beverages. This innovation enables food manufacturers to meet the rising demand for healthier, more sustainable products.
We’re also looking at opportunities to expand and leverage our existing partnerships to meet consumer preferences regarding fats and oils in products. Our broad portfolio of fats and oils can help our customers achieve their nutritional and sensory goals.
In fact, Cargill was the first global supplier whose entire worldwide edible oils portfolio meets the WHO’s best practice standard on eliminating industrially produced trans-fatty acids.
Our partnership with Cubiq Foods is one great example of where innovative fat solutions have the potential to meet consumer needs across a diverse range of applications, from plant-based alternatives to bakery items, chocolate confectionery, ice cream and more.
