Reformulating food and beverages used to be about solving one problem at a time: cutting sugar, reducing sodium or shortening an ingredient deck. But today, brands are expected to do all of it at once, without compromising taste, texture or cost.
According to ADM, nearly two-thirds of consumers want brands to reformulate products to be healthier, with 66% looking for more protein, 83% reducing sugar intake and 57% cutting back on sodium.
To help manufacturers meet those demands, ADM recently invested more than $40 million in its Erlanger, Ky., facility, including $10 million in a customer creation and innovation center where CPG brands can work side by side at the bench with ADM experts to solve reformulation challenges, said Brad Schwan, president, global marketing at ADM.
From the spacious and sunlit new facility, Schwan acknowledged reformulation is complicated with many interrelated components that can be intimidating and difficult to untangle. But, he added, ADM is helping to simplify reformulation by reframing it around five key pillars.
These include less sugar, less sodium, optimized fat, more protein and cleaner label – all of which involve myriad interrelated sensory, safety and nutritional attributes, Schwan said.
He explained when one ingredient or attribute is dialed up or down, it impacts more than the nutritional profile. It also impacts the taste, texture and shelf life of the product, which in turn can require adjustments across the other pillars simultaneously to create a finished product that meets consumer expectations.
As such, he said, “you actually have to approach reformulation in a very holistic way in order to deliver that consumer delight.”
Enabling science for sugar reduction
For example, sugar reduction is a top priority for eight out of 10 consumers who are actively limiting or reducing it in their diets, according to ADM research. But while sugar may be best known for its sweetness, it also serves as a building block for texture, stability and nutritional functionality.
Sugar impacts browning, binding, crisp and crunch, emulsification and foam stability, gelling, osmotic pressure, freezing point depression, water activity, clarity, process tolerance, prebiotic function, energy, metabolic function, bulking and more.
With so much on the line, ADM takes a three-prong approach to sugar reduction that includes replacing sweetness, rebalancing flavor and rebuilding functionality.
When it comes to sweetness, ADM research conducted in January reveals 32% of consumers want natural sugars or sweeteners and 47% are limiting artificial options.
ADM’s SweetEdge portfolio meets these demands with a collection of natural sweeteners, including SweetRight Stevia Edge M, SweetRight Stevia Edgility, SweetRight Reduced Sugar Glucose Syrup, and others, such as cane sugar.
ADM research also reveals that most consumers (67%) are willing to have less sweetness to have a healthier product. About two-thirds also are willing to have less variety and buy products that look different.
Where they are more hesitant to compromise is on price and texture. ADM research found only 55% of consumers are willing to have products that taste different than they are used to and only 54% will settle for texture or mouthfeel differences. Even fewer – 50% – are willing to pay more for healthier products.
This unwillingness to compromise on key attributes is why simply swapping ingredients one for one with sugar won’t work, Schwan explained. And that is why ADM uses a range of ingredients to recalibrate taste, texture and cost.
“When you replace sugar, part of what needs to be adjusted as you reduce that sugar is you need to rebuild some of the texture. So, a couple of things we use” to do that, are tapioca starch and a soluble corn fiber called Fibersol, Schwan explained.
Unlocking sodium reduction
Sodium reduction presents many of the same challenges as cutting sugar, especially when consumers still expect familiar flavor and texture, according to ADM research.
Most Americans consume nearly 50% more sodium per day than recommended, and nearly as many (47%) say they are concerned about their sodium intake, with 37% stating they are limiting or interested in limiting their intake, according to a 2024 survey by the International Food Information Council.
This is reinforced by an Innova Snacking Survey conducted in 2025 that found 35% of US consumers say ‘low in salt’ is an important attribute in a snack.
In addition, FDA issued draft guidance in August 2024 to encourage voluntary sodium reduction across 163 food categories and a multi-year sodium reduction approach to school meals.
But like sugar, sodium does more than deliver saltiness. It assists water binding and retention, emulsification, preservation, activation of other ingredients (like yeast) and elevates other flavor profiles, Schwan explained.
He touted ADM’s TasteSpark salt modulation toolbox as a way to reduce sodium levels while still dialing up other flavors, improving mouthfeel and texture and being easy to use when bundled or blended with other dry ingredients.
Protein is driving consumer choices
At the same time, manufacturers are trying to increase protein, improve fat profiles and meet growing demand for functional nutrition.
“This protein trend has been one that we’ve been observing in the market for several years, actually, where consumers have been looking for more protein, but what I would tell you is that it’s really intensified in recent years,” Schwan said.
Consumer research cited by ADM found three in five global consumers say they are actively adding protein in their diet and in response there has been a 32% increase in new food and beverage launches featuring protein and at least one health claim.
According to Schwan, consumer demand for protein is evolving in two important ways.
First, they want it across categories, including places where it historically wasn’t a priority, such as snacks.
Second, consumers want more plant-based protein options, according to ADM, which found 46% of global consumers are flexitarians and looking for more plant-based protein and less animal protein in food and beverages.
Research by ADM suggests consumers are interested in plant-based protein from ancient grains and seeds.
Blending plant- and animal-based protein also can offer manufacturers cost relief, Schwan added. For example, he noted, the spike in whey protein isolate “opens opportunities where our customers might say, ‘Hey, there could additional sources of protein that could be incorporated into here that would deliver a high quality protein, for example with a PPCAAS of one, which means it is a complete protein that might be able to do it a more cost effective way.”
Clean label capabilities
Clean label reformulation is also accelerating, particularly around ingredient transparency and natural colors.
“Within clean label, the place where we are seeing the most urgency right now relates to the guidance and the desire by the industry and by consumers, importantly, to reduce and eliminate artificial food dyes. And so that area is where we are meeting challenge with our Colors from Nature portfolio,” Schwan said.
“Medium term,” the priority for clean label will shift to support the other pillars ADM identified as key areas for reformulation, he added.
For example, within sugar reduction, consumers want less sugar but they also don’t want artificial sweeteners, he said.
“Clean label is something that consumers really are looking for in many different categories,” he added.
Reformulation requires experimentation
As consumer expectations continue to rise, reformulation is becoming less about compromise and more about precision.
But as today’s examples show, getting there still requires experimentation, technical expertise and close collaboration between brands and suppliers.
From sugar and sodium reduction to protein and clean label demands, the challenge now is doing it all at the same time.
