The Editor Presents: The Trends Edition
15 Dec 2025 | The World of Food Ingredients
Join The World of Food Ingredients’ editor, Missy Green, as she brings you the top highlights from this consumer trends-focused edition. In addition to an annual overview of standout NPD from 2025, she’ll discuss where gaps in cell-based meat and slaughtered meat remain and a new approach to battling off notes. Top nutrition trends identified by the personalized nutrition platform Qina will also be revealed.
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Welcome to the World of Fit ingredients live edition of The Editor Presents.
I'm your editor, Missy Green, and it's my pleasure to present you with the consumer trends edition.
So, it's all about what will job development in the coming year.
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So, it's the end of the year and it's a time of reflection.
Anova Market Insights launched their top 10 trends for 2026.
We just had FIE last week and there's a lot of predictions about the year ahead and thinking back on the year that we experienced, and I'd like to go through a couple of those with you.
So, Enova's top 10 trend or its top trend for 2026 was powerhouse protein.
And if you're at FIE or any trade show this year or at the supermarket recently, you know that this is definitely a huge thing.
And what's funny in some way is that it feels like A bit of a rehash of the low fat movement because there's a lot of products out there that are just lowering the fat or taking out the fat, and you're left with more protein, right?
But it's, you know, a low fat cheese does not have the same Connotation now as a high protein cheese.
And also, you know, it's interesting to see how consumers, you know, will be more forgiving of a cheese that doesn't have that same mouthfeel, you know, because it's low in fat, because it's high in protein, and because that's something that's so sought after, you know, at the moment.
But we also see that fiber is becoming a hotter topic, and that was the #2 top 10 trend.
People are talking about the hashtag fiber maxing.
You know, gut health is becoming more important, so there's also an opportunity there.
At the same time.
There's this pushback from ultra-processed foods, right?
And that, I think, could be a segue into how fiber can become more important, because people are recognizing.
Not just they wanna have fiber, but they wanna eat fiber in the foods that are already there.
So, one of the questions that people were bouncing around at FIE was, will fiber become the next protein?
I asked this question to Luanne Williams, SVP of Global Research at Innova Market Insights, and she was not convinced.
She thinks that protein is much more attractive, and even though fiber is something that we all need, it's never gonna be exciting to eat.
But There could be used for it in other ways.
So, one of the interesting things I saw was soluble pea fiber as a natural stabilizer, and this is just a byproduct from pea protein and pea starch production.
There's a company transforming that into a fiber that could suspend proteins and high protein beverages.
So, essentially creating a hydrocoloid, but they're able to call it a pea fiber concentrate on the label.
So, texturizing is a really interesting way of incorporating more fiber.
All right, of course, it's the hydrocoloid function, it's not a huge amount, but another function for it.
So, those are the top 10 trends, 2 of the top 10 trends, 8 more to to see, they're all out in this edition.
We also have this great infographic brought to us by N Market Insights, honing in on some of the main trends, and here we have some interesting stats, so speaking about fiber.
When global consumers were asked about which ingredient are they looking for most in, food and beverages for gut health, fiber came out as number one with 47% of consumers.
Also, we have 5 key insights from the top 10 trends, and the number 1 is craving luxury.
So, indulgence is still picking up.
This is really apparent in the, the Dubai chocolate craze that's, you know, been going on all year.
Seeking something very premium in everyday little small moments.
It's definitely something we're seeing.
So, next we will skip ahead to the NPD pages, and this is just such a joy to flip through.
We've got some of the most interesting NPD that we've identified throughout the year in 8 different categories and from all over the world and in many different types of markets.
One of the interesting ones I want to point out here is, the Stranger Things cookies, that we published this maybe a month and a half before Stranger Things released their Their latest season.
And I have to say that I just started watching the new season.
And at some point when I was watching it, it just like clicked that I really wanted to try these cookies that were inspired by the Upside Down.
So, I think this is a really powerful marketing tool, connecting series with food.
And Netflix has definitely been launching different products with brand collaborations throughout the year.
Something else to keep an eye on for sure.
So, moving on, cultivated meat.
The Future Protein Production conference happened in Amsterdam not too long ago.
I saw several companies there who are starting to bring their product to market, getting regulatory approval, and on the next page, there's actually a list you can see.
Of all the companies right now in the world who have a product that they're selling where they have regulatory approval.
So, it's maybe 67.
Companies, and this article was written by a product technologist at Campton BRI in the UK.
She takes a look at what are some of the obstacles that are still in the way of really making a survival technology.
And, the scaling up in the business side is a whole another ballpark, but just looking at from a very technological standpoint, what's standing in the way is really interesting.
So, one example was the color, right, because cultivated meat doesn't have any blood, so they don't have this pinkish look to them.
Another fascinating aspect that I found was that flavor volatiles are formed in the postmortem period.
So, there's actually something that happens in the cell metabolism.
That contributes to the flavor when the animal dies.
And that is a challenge with slaughter-free meat.
So In this next article, this is written by a sensory science expert.
He specialized in stevia for decades, and he's been recently working with neuroscientists to understand the brain science behind, off-net perception.
And he traces it back to this evolutionary impulse to keep ourselves safe and avoid things that, you know, don't taste right.
These trigger like a, Some sort of alarms in our brain, right?
So, he's been working on taste modulators, which can provide a sense of safety and security.
As you're consuming products, that might have off notes.
And one of the main findings that we found was that a lot of our perception happens in the retronasal cavity, and that happens first.
So, one of the solutions that he suggests is one that can compete with receptors in your retronasal cavity.
So, if those can get to your receptors first, then you won't observe the off notes that come just immediately after.
What's really interesting about this approach is he's not just looking at food as this is something we need to change, but he's thinking about how can we Also manipulate the experience of what's being perceived and the actual person who's perceiving it.
So a lot of science has been done here, and you can read about it.
Next, we spoke with suppliers in the Opinion Edge, and we asked them, what are the trends that they see in 2026.
Once again, protein, very important, wellness, texture, Functional products, also everything doing, having to do with naturalness.
Certainly some, some color and flavor houses have contributed.
OK, next we have an important article for producers who produce ready to eat foods in Europe.
The EU is becoming more strict with Listeria, the cases are rising.
So they're.
They're upping the requirements on it.
And this is, this is really challenging because in Europe, you're not allowed to just kill all the bacteria on a meat.
You can't decontaminate because that could encourage the use of inferior meat.
So, It's something that you, it's tricky to do, but it's doable, also with natural solutions and Corbian contributed quite a bit to how that is possible.
All right, next we heard from a US based writer who explains a little bit about Generally recognize the safe grass status, what it means, how it can be done, what's the difference between self-affirmed grass and regular grass.
Next we have A special on melatonin.
This is one of the ingredients which has a health claim throughout Europe, but it can't be used everywhere throughout Europe.
So, it's a bit of a regulatory maze.
In some countries, you actually need a prescription to, to get melatonin, and in some places, it's a supplement with all kinds of dosage recommendations in between.
And then we have some top nutrition trends.
This was written by Mariette Abrahams.
She's a renowned speaker in the industry.
She was also just at FIE and on panels giving talks.
She compiled some of the top trends that she has seen through her personalized nutrition platform, Kina.
And GLP1 was definitely In her trends, but also everywhere throughout FIE patents are due to expire next year in Europe for these types of medications.
So, Will it totally change the industry?
This was one of the questions that everyone was asking at FIE.
How's it going to impact the industry?
Or will it be, you know, just another opportunity?
I attended a panel where they discussed how You know, with these types of medications, consumers.
Aren't interested in food.
They're not thinking about food at all.
So it could be a very different.
Tough of world we live in.
Let's see, further, we talked about antioxidants for beauty in the nutricosmetics arena.
And functional mushrooms for brain health.
Last but not least, we spoke with the executive vice president of Russelo, who told us about the company's experience going into very specialized collagen peptides, and the next side of platform.
And what it means for the company.
So, that's all I have for you today, but.
Do feel free to reach out if you have any comments, and I'll also open up the floor for any questions.
We have a first question from Nika, and she asks, what stood out for you as I FIE?
Hi, Nika, I think it was really interesting to see.
And if IE how minimally processed ingredients are just making so much sense.
It used to be that.
You know, it used to be more desirable to have ingredients that were as specific as possible.
Like, this is the, the very, very highest protein content.
It's totally pure, it's completely isolated.
But now, it seems that companies are realizing, if we Don't totally strip out all the fiber.
We keep it together.
It's It's first of all, way less energy to produce this.
And then the other benefit is that then consumers can, you know, continue to enjoy the benefits of fiber, we have less waste streams.
There's all these benefits, and, of course, could make It could make formulation a bit more challenging, but in other ways, maybe it would help.
In the instance of the, of the fiber, the pea fiber, as a stabilizer, in that way it's actually , it's been isolated, but it's, it's bringing a functionality that's beneficial.
But I also spoke with Nisha Zelesni, who's a great trophy contributor as.
So she writes for the World of Food ingredients, and she also mentioned that Seaweed powder has some interesting possibilities because there's a consumer perception around carrageenan that it might not be healthy, although the studies have not been substantiated, but nevertheless, there's this idea behind it, which has gained momentum and it's hard to to shake that off.
So, seaweed powder, you know, just incorporating more.
Of the ingredient, all the things that come around the ingredient, maybe also bring extra health benefits.
It also brings some unwanted flavors, but I think it's something that the industry is exploring more now that consumers are You know, asking for more whole foods in their processed foods.
Thanks, Missy.
And we have another question from Krishna.
She asked, do you think cultivated meat will reach scale?
I think it, it's looking pretty promising.
There's already a company in the UK, which is producing pet food.
And they seem to have a lot of success in what they're doing.
And the UK, they're also working with the UK in their sandbox project to try to figure out what are the standards for cultivated meat, and what are the regulatory requirements.
There's, there's so many question marks in this industry that's just developing at the, at the very, very cusp of its beginning.
Some people say it's really not scalable, but I think You know, the technology is still so new.
But there's not a standard approach yet, so.
I think I'm hopeful that they will, Yeah, continue what they're doing and hopefully some more investment will be on the way.
Thank you.
And we have another one from Daniel.
He said, hi, Missy.
What's going to be next for GLP one innovation?
Hi, Daniel.
Yeah, GLP1 innovation.
I spoke with Luanne Williams, from a Nova Market Insights, and she made a really interesting point about GLP1 innovation.
She said that Now, she has stopped drinking and there's so many social occasions around drinking, but she never feels like she misses out because the industry has come out with so many great mocktails and alcohol-free alternatives that nobody has to feel like they miss out anymore.
And she thinks the same thing could happen for GLP one, because consumers are, you know, they're not eating in the same way.
So, they don't need to also miss out on the social occasion of eating.
And that's something that the people were talking about as , you know, our People who are not eating, but eating is part of the social fabric, is this gonna influence our social lives?
But yeah, maybe not necessarily.
It's definitely an opportunity.
Any sort of change is an opportunity to do something different.
I know that I have spoken to companies who have researched flavor differences, and I did notice that GLP1 consumers aren't able to eat like really creamy products.
They can't have spicy products or sweet products.
And Interestingly, on the panel as , somebody asked, how should we appeal in marketing to, to people on GLP1 medications?
And, and the response was not per se, emotionally, because these consumers are not driven by impulses.
So, maybe coming out with something that's more scientifically based on And, you know, composition and like what's needed is, you know, just more like a, a very direct approach.
Is the way to go with Gw consumers.
Another, another thing to think about is just, you know, companion products that can help them on their journey, so.
I think there will definitely be a lot.
Europe is not the only country where the patent is expiring next year.
It's also believe China and Canada.
I'm sure, we're gonna see a flurry of things coming out next year.
That's all the questions for today.
OK, , it's been my pleasure presenting the consumer trends edition.
This is Missy Green signing off.
Editor
Missy Green
Editor
