Cargill prioritizes whole-system formulation over hero ingredients for everyday nutrition

With 2027 soon approaching, Nutrition Insight speaks with Cargill about what consumers increasingly demand and how that shapes the industry. 

The multinational company’s research points to consumers wanting everyday outcomes over single-nutrient claims. For formulators, this preference may change the ingredient selection and product development process. 

“We are seeing nutrition expectations shift from simply asking what is in a product to asking what that product can contribute to everyday life,” says Aysegul Ozcan, Enhanced Nutrition commercial marketing director at Cargill.

“Cargill’s proprietary research Future of Food demonstrates that consumers are increasingly interested in benefits such as sustained energy, digestive comfort and healthy aging, but they still expect those benefits to come through foods that taste good and fit naturally into their routines.”

She explains that formulators must think more about the whole formulation and less about a single hero ingredient.

“Protein, fiber, carbohydrates, fats, sweeteners, and texture systems all have to work together to deliver the nutritional profile without compromising taste, stability, or the eating experience.”

“The other side of that shift is a much higher bar for substantiation,” adds Ozcan. “In Europe in particular, regulation requires premarket substantiation to communicate a health benefit, while consumers themselves are becoming more skeptical of broad wellness language.”

Therefore, she stresses that credible innovation must be grounded in science and regulatory frameworks. This means long-term investment and commitment to build substantiating evidence over time.

“The skill is then to translate those technically substantiated claims into language that appeals to consumers. The strongest propositions will be those where the nutritional benefit, formulation, evidence, and consumer communication all align,” Ozcan points out.

Proteins seep into everyday food

According to Cargill, protein is moving well beyond sports nutrition into breakfast, snacking, and on-the-go. 

According to Cargill, protein is moving well beyond sports nutrition into breakfast, snacking, and on-the-go.“The opportunity we see is protein becoming part of ordinary eating rather than a specialist sports-nutrition occasion,” comments Ozcan. “Cargill's Future of Food proprietary trends framework describes protein as an ‘everyday safety net’ — consumers are using it to make smaller, more fragmented eating occasions feel more substantial.”

“That is opening opportunities in familiar formats such as dairy, bakery, breakfast, and portable snacks, where protein can fit naturally into the day rather than requiring consumers to adopt a sports-nutrition mindset.”

However, Ozcan points to the challenge of increasing protein, as she explains not all proteins have the same nutritional value and some affect taste, texture, solubility, stability, and processing differently.

“Formulators must consider the whole product system. At the same time, protein demand is increasing globally, which makes dependable supply and diversification important.”

“Cargill’s approach is therefore to work across protein sources and ingredient systems while co-creating with customers around the particular sensory, nutritional, cost, and processing requirements of the finished product,” shares Ozcan.

Drivers of metabolic health trends

Growing consumer interest in digestive and metabolic health is partly driven by GLP-1 users’ changing eating habits, Cargill observes. 

Ozcan cautions product developers not to create a separate category of foods that make GLP-1-related claims.“Use of GLP-1 medications is contributing to changing eating patterns, particularly around smaller portions and an increased focus on getting meaningful nutrition from fewer calories,” says Ozcan. 

“Cargill’s 2025 TrendTracker research found that, among GLP-1 users who had experienced side effects, 41% reported focusing on hydration, 25% eating more fiber, 24% eating more protein, and 21% eating more frequent, lighter, and smaller meals. That reinforces a broader nutrition trend toward protein, fiber, nutrient density, and formats that deliver more nutritional value in a smaller eating occasion.”

Based on this trend, Ozcan cautions product developers not to create a separate category of foods that make GLP-1-related claims, as it would not be permitted under EU rules.

“Rather, these changing habits add momentum to needs we already see more broadly across the market.” 

Retaining consumer trust

Trust and credibility are also becoming decisive as consumers become more skeptical of broad wellness claims.

“Credible ingredient science starts with being able to connect the ingredient, the evidence, the formulation and the claim,” states Ozcan. 

“Consumers have access to more nutrition information than ever, but also more conflicting information. The industry must therefore not only understand whether an ingredient has scientific evidence behind it, but also whether the evidence supports the benefit being communicated at the level and in the format in which that ingredient is actually consumed.”

Enjoyable nutrition

Across all of the trends Cargill spots, there is a tension between making functional food feel enjoyable and familiar versus clinical.

Ozcan explains that formulators must think more about the whole formulation and less about a single hero ingredient.“For us, taste and functionality cannot be treated as separate briefs. Consumers may want more protein or fiber, less sugar or sodium, or other nutritional improvements, but they are unlikely to keep buying a product if those improvements make the food less enjoyable,” notes Ozcan. 

“Our Future of Food Trends research consistently shows that consumers want nutrition to fit into foods and occasions they already understand, rather than making everyday eating feel like a health intervention.”

She stresses that formulation must increasingly occur at a system level because changing one part of a product can alter sweetness, texture, mouthfeel, stability, or processing.

“So, the solution may require several ingredients working together rather than simply adding or removing one,” advises Ozcan. “We have seen the same principle in reformulation work across sugar, sodium, and fats: nutritional improvement has to be delivered alongside the sensory and functional properties consumers expect.”

“The trade-off breaks down when either side becomes theoretical. A technically impressive nutritional profile that consumers do not enjoy will struggle to become part of everyday diets, while an appealing product cannot credibly promise a functional outcome that the formulation, dosage, or evidence does not support.”

Ultimately, Ozcan says that the goal of formulation is not maximum functionality at any cost, but rather lies in designing meaningful, substantiated nutrition in an appealing format that consumers want to eat.