Ift First

IFT FIRST

Plant-based pain points: Solutions for cleaner labels, improved moisture retention and a better bite

11-Aug-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

As consumers become more familiar with plant-based alternatives to animal products they are becoming more sophisticated in how they evaluate their options and less willing to compromise on nutrition, taste, texture and variety – pushing industry to find...

Sustainability in focus at IFT First 2022: ‘We don’t want regenerative ag to become the next ‘natural’ because then it doesn’t mean anything’

07-Aug-2022 By Elaine Watson

Sustainability “is probably on slide two or three of every customer presentation now,” notes Ingredion, but how can consumers cut through the PR noise to make meaningful comparisons between brands? Checkout our final gallery of trends at IFT FIRST exploring...

IFT FIRST

Hybrid beverages lure consumers to new categories with blend of familiar and novel

03-Aug-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

As the pandemic progresses and consumers delve deeper into how nutrition impacts their health, they are expecting more from the products they buy – pushing beverage makers to blur category lines to offer more benefits, according to Mintel.

Trendspotting at IFT First 2022: From upcycled foods to plant-based meat and dairy innovation

27-Jul-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

The IFT First 2022 show floor was abundant with companies touting their upcycled ingredients and other exhibitors highlighting plant-based meat and dairy innovation. Take a look at some of the trends highlighted at the show this year.

IFT First

Spoonshot: ‘The need for seafood alternatives has become absolutely vital’

26-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Two incompatible trends – increasing interest in seafood and climate change – are opening the door for the alternative seafood market, but for this emerging segment to reach its full potential, stakeholders must better align their go-to ingredients with...

IFT First

Layn blazes digital trail with easily searchable online ingredient library for ‘synergistic’ exploration, product development

26-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Well-known for sugar alternatives, including stevia and monk fruit, Layn Natural Ingredients has steadily expanded its portfolio with a full line of functional botanicals that can now easily be explored through a just-launched online ingredient library...

IFT First

Revela Foods debuts at IFT to offer ‘one stop shop’ for flavor innovation, processing

22-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Through the merging of three companies with a combined 175 years of experience in innovation, Revela Foods debuted at IFT First in Chicago this month with the simple idea that “life is complicated – food doesn’t have to be.”

Trendspotting at IFT First 2022: Alt proteins… is it time to under promise and over-deliver?

22-Jul-2022 By Elaine Watson

So-called ‘alternative proteins’ – from upcycled barley and canola protein to animal-free whey made in fermentation tanks using genetically engineered microbes – were a hot topic at IFT First in Chicago. But with US retail sales of some meat alternatives...

Mintel at IFT First: ‘We see fiber moving into the mainstream,’ but new messages, formats and categories are key'

20-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Fiber may be best known for improving regularity and most commonly associated with older consumers, but the multifunctional ingredient is getting a makeover thanks to a slew of new products touting its other benefits and targeting shoppers across generations...

IFT First NASA panel: To boldly go… What will astronauts eat on a mission to Mars?

19-Jul-2022 By Elaine Watson

“The NASA food system used on the International Space Station is more than adequate,” delegates at IFT First were told in a packed education session last Tuesday. “But a mission to Mars won't allow the resupplying of food and the crew won't...

Trendspotting at IFT First 2022: Sugar reduction... 'What consumers look at on the label in the US is calories, then sugar’

19-Jul-2022 By Elaine Watson

From more efficient production of rare sugars tagatose and allulose (and intriguing new possibilities with D-allose), to ‘enhanced’ sugars, and a mystery disaccharide that behaves like sugar, but is metabolized very differently, check out part one of...

IFT FIRST: Mintel highlights need for fat innovation in plant-based foods

15-Jul-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

While still a growing $7.4bn industry, plant-based foods have some significant hurdles to overcome around formulation especially in the area of fat content, according to Mintel.

IFT First: Bonumose gears up for commercial production of rare sugar tagatose this fall: ‘It really does stand apart in terms of its taste and its functionality’

14-Jul-2022 By Elaine Watson

Bonumose – a Virginia-based startup with patented technology it claims could enable the mass market adoption of rare sugars which have exciting benefits but currently come with a hefty price tag – is gearing up to start commercial production of tagatose...