Food Processing _ January 2026

JANUARY 2026

Flavor & ingredient trends • 23 State ingredient bans • 30 Manufacturing Outlook Survey • 33 Hot pursuit of thermal control • 37

OUTLOOK 2026

THE GREAT REFORMULATION Remove banned colors, add protein and fiber and avoid being called ultraprocessed • 18

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CONTENTS FEATURES 2026 OUTLOOK

The Great Reformulation

You'll probably be busier this year removing ingredients rather than adding them.

COVER IMAGE: BILL ANTKOWIAK, GENERATED WITH SHUTTERSTOCK AI

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FORMULATION

2026 Flavor and Ingredient Trends

Consumers this year will look for fiber, healthfulness, global tastes, complex heat.

23

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Frozen Dessert Trends Scream ‘Fun’

Keep an eye on flavors like Dubai chocolate, holiday specialties and nondairy offerings.

27

INGREDIENTS

Keeping Track of State Ingredient Bans

One federal reg or 50 different state laws?

30

PLANT OPERATIONS

Manufacturing Outlook Survey: Cost Control vs. Optimism

Our 25th annual survey finds plenty of both.

33

EQUIPMENT

Hot Pursuit of Thermal Control

Processors seek better control over their thermal processing technologies.

37

DEPARTMENTS

TECHNOLOGY

EDITOR’S PLATE

5

FOOD SAFETY

9

ON THE WEB

7

NEWS

11

POWER LUNCH

8

ROLLOUT

16

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Software Keeps Processes Humming

But new equipment and technology only operate as well as the people and systems behind them.

40

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EDITOR'S PLATE

I've Seen This Movie Before The resolution of the ultraprocessed foods issue could resemble genetically engineered labeling or the 1990s end of Big Tobacco. You don't want the latter.

U

ltraprocessed food is the scariest topic I have seen in more than 30 years of writing about the food & beverage industry. One other issue comes close, and that one had what I would call a surprise happy ending – something I hope will be repeated for UPFs. There’s another metaphorical business case history that did not have a happy ending. I don’t think it applies to the food & beverage industry, although a lot of people are trying to draw parallels.

That happy ending was the settlement of labeling for genetically engineered ingredients in foods. Despite all the furor back in the 2010s, I doubt the federal requirement to label genetically engineered ingredients has hurt any company. Similarly, reformulating your products without Blue 1&2, Green 3, Red 3&40 and Yellow 5&6 will be a pain, but not an impossibility.

How about reformulating your entire product portfolio? Maybe even terminating some products?

Are we about to see the end of the Oreo or Twinkie? Maybe even of Mondelez and J.M. Smucker?

Nah, that’s doomsday stuff. But give it at least a moment’s thought.

I suspect nobody back in the 1980s thought some silly lawsuits could bring down the global tobacco industry. After all, smoking was a personal choice,

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a God-given right, and no one was forcing cigarettes on anyone. People wanted cigarettes.

Ever hear someone describe a favorite food product as “so good it’s addictive”?

Tobacco’s good times didn’t last long. After lawsuits by attorneys general of 46 states, the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement of 1998 resulted in payments of $206 billion over the first 25 years of the settlement to compensate states for healthcare costs related to smoking.

It forever altered the marketing of those products – and the public perception of smoking.

Although it didn’t put Philip Morris or R.J. Reynolds out of business, Brown & Williamson and Lorillard, the other two defendants, no longer exist.

I don’t want to see that happen to General Mills, Kraft Heinz or Conagra … none of which has been on solid financial footing lately.

First off, there isn’t even a clear and accepted definition of ultraprocessed foods. The Nova classification system from 2009 laid out an interesting but problematic foundation for the discussion, but it needs to be refined.

Who better to refine it and shape some self-regulation – all in a non-defensive, non-confrontational way – than the food industry?

Last November, the highly regarded medical journal The Lancet published a three-paper report

that claimed a “UPF industry” was “infiltrating government agencies” to maintain its control of the food supply. In December, the city attorney for San Francisco filed suit against 10 of the country’s largest food processors with the same goal as those 46 attorneys general did against Big Tobacco: Pay for the health crisis you’ve (allegedly) caused.

The San Francisco lawsuit closely resembled a December 2024 lawsuit in Philadelphia, which was dismissed last August but indicated a plan of attack.

So there is plenty of writing going up on the walls. Hearkening back to the genetically engineered labeling issue, the food industry’s leading companies fought that from day one – in a few cases illegally – but got lucky with a rather painless resolution. They may not be so lucky in any resolution of the UPF debate.

Like it or not, there is a problem.

Fair or not, the food industry has been labeled the cause of the problem. Ready or not, you need to be a big part of the solution.

Written by

Dave Fusaro EDITOR IN CHIEF DFUSARO@ENDEAVORB2B.COM

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ON THE WEB JANUARY 2026 | VOLUME 87 NUMBER 1

EDITORIAL TEAM EDITOR IN CHIEF

Dave Fusaro

dfusaro@endeavorb2b.com SENIOR EDITOR

Andy Hanacek ahanacek@endeavorb2b.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Ed Avis, Claudia O’Donnell EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

What’s New Online Don’t miss what’s happening on FoodProcessing.com.

Mohamed Z. Badaoui Najjar, Ph.D.

R&D Senior Director– Strategy & Portfolio Sector Food & Beverage, PepsiCo

Ed Ballina

Principal, Operational Excellence Consulting (retired from PepsiCo)

James Davis Director-Global Sanitation, OSI Group LLC

Leslie Herzog

Vice President of Operations & Research Services, The Understanding & Insight Group LLC (retired from Unilever)

Steven Hill, Ph.D.

T

here's no holiday for FoodProcessing.com.

We spent the past month restocking the shelves and planning for new content going online this month. Here are some of the highlights.

WEBINARS

Product lifecycle management, proteins and more topics

We ended 2025 with a handful of webinars that you can still catch on-demand. Dassault Systemes and Tom McGirty of Marzetti Co. spoke on product lifecycle management systems. Becky Dheri, founder of snack company Days Out, and Abby Sewell from the Good Food Institute discussed emerging protein sources. See all our archived webinars and the upcoming ones at: www.FoodProcessing.com/ webinars

Vice President-R&D, QA, Food Safety, Sustainability, Engineering, Regulatory, T. Marzetti

Leslie Krasny Krasny Law Office

Jagriti Sharma Senior Vice President of Product, Poppi

Alvaro Cuba Simons

Operations & Supply Chain Consultant (formerly of Mondelez and Kraft)

Gary M. Stibel Founder & CEO, The New England Consulting Group

DESIGN & PRODUCTION ART DIRECTOR

Bill Antkowiak bantkowiak@endeavorb2b.com PRODUCTION MANAGER

Rita Fitzgerald

rfitzgerald@endeavorb2b.com AD SERVICES MANAGER

Jennifer George

jgeorge@endeavorb2b.com

EXECUTIVE STAFF

SURVEY RESULTS

Our full 2026 Manufacturing Outlook Survey results

The story on p33 gives you infographics for six of the 11 questions we asked in our 25th annual Manufacturing Outlook Survey, which we closed Dec. 2.

Those other questions dealt with AI and machine learning, readiness for FSMA 204 and more issues. To see graphics for all the survey questions, go to: www.FoodProcessing.com/ 55341099

PODCASTS

Economic outlooks, ethnic foods, appealing to kids

For those of you who like to listen, we continue to build our podcast library. In recent weeks, we had Billy Roberts of CoBank offering an economic outlook for the food & beverage industry in the new year; Kiernan Laughlin, general manager of Deep Indian Kitchen, discussing Americans’ love of ethnic foods; Rabobank experts highlighting the impact of tariffs on the packaging supply; and Kidfresh CEO Michael Allen examining the taste preferences of children. www.FoodProcessing.com/ podcasts

GROUP CONTENT DIRECTOR

Keith Larson

CIRCULATION REQUESTS

Lori Books

ENDEAVOR BUSINESS MEDIA, LLC CEO

Chris Ferrell COO

Patrick Rains CDO

Jacquie Niemiec CALO

Tracy Kane CMO

Amanda Landsaw EVP MANUFACTURING & ENGINEERING GROUP

Lisa Paonessa

VP OF CONTENT STRATEGY, MANUFACTURING & ENGINEERING GROUP

NEWSLETTER

Daily food & beverage news

We try to write a "best of" the news every other month in this magazine, but all the stories you see on pp11-15 first appeared on our website and in our daily newsletter. Stay up to date on food industry news by visiting www.FoodProcessing. com daily or by signing up for our daily newsletter. https://bit.ly/3yHyZLZ

Robert Schoenberger

Endeavor Business Media, LLC

30 Burton Hills Blvd, Ste. 185, Nashville, TN 37215 800-547-7377

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POWER LUNCH

Lancet’s Damnation of a ‘UPF Industry’ The journal finds a Big Tobacco-like cabal is ‘infiltrating government agencies, promoting corporate-friendly regulation and manufacturing scientific doubt.’

U

ltraprocessed foods received their most severe criticism in The Lancet. The highly regarded, peer-reviewed medical journal in November published a three-paper series that cites a “UPF industry” that is “infiltrating government agencies … promoting corporate-friendly governance models [and] forms of regulation … and framing debate, generating favourable evidence, and manufacturing scientific doubt.”

The three reports include the usual review of the increase in ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) in diets globally and the association with many diseases. What is novel is the harshness of the criticism and the implication that UPFs were engineered by a devious food & beverage industry.

“This rise in ultra-processed foods is driven by powerful global corporations who employ sophisticated political tactics to protect and maximise profits,” said The Lancet’s summary. “Deteriorating diets are an urgent public health threat that requires coordinated policies and advocacy to regulate and reduce ultra-processed foods and improve access to fresh and minimally processed foods.”

The third report – with the lengthy title “Towards unified global action on ultra-processed foods: understanding commercial determinants, countering corporate power, and mobilising a

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public health response” – has the nastiest criticisms.

It applauds many countries’ control of tobacco marketing decades ago. Then it goes after an unspecified evil cabal sounding much like Big Tobacco of the 1980s. As the authors summarize their report: “First, we show that the UPF industry is a key driver of the problem, as its leading corporations and co-dependent actors have expanded and restructured food systems almost everywhere, in favour of ultra-processed diets. The higher profitability of UPFs compared with other types of food fuels this growth, by financially incentivising the ultra-processed business model over alternatives, and generating resources for continued expansion.

“Second, we highlight that the main barrier to advancing policy responses is the industry's corporate political activities, coordinated transnationally through a global network of front groups, multi-stakeholder initiatives, and research partners, to counter opposition and block regulation. These activities include direct lobbying, infiltrating government agencies, and litigation; promoting corporate-friendly governance models, forms of regulation, and civil societies; and framing debate, generating favourable evidence, and manufacturing scientific doubt.

“Third, we present strategies for reducing the UPF industry's power in

food systems and for mobilising a global public health response.

Reducing the UPF industry's power involves disrupting the ultra-processed business model and redistributing resources to other types of food producers; protecting food governance from corporate interference; and implementing robust conflict of interest safeguards in policy making, research, and professional practice.”

Needless to say, the series provides a different vision for the food system with emphasis on local food producers, preserving cultural foods transitions and providing economic benefits for communities.

One of the 20 authors of the first paper is Prof. Carlos Monteiro from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

He wrote the 2009 paper that first used the term ultraprocessed foods, the last of four groups of food based on their amount of processing and added ingredients.

The second paper’s authors include professors Marion Nestle and Barry Popkin, well-regarded critics of the food & beverage industry. Monteiro, Nestle and Popkin also contributed to the third paper.

Written by

Dave Fusaro EDITOR IN CHIEF

JANUARY 2026

FOOD SAFETY

The Food Industry’s 2025 Slalom With a new administration bringing in a sweeping change in ideology and a heavy focus on health, the food industry lived through a tumultuous 2025. k…

IMAGE: DIZAIN / SHUTTERSTOCK

L

ast year in this space, I predicted that 2025 would be a year of change. While that certainly came to pass, especially at the federal food agencies, it was a mixed bag as to how much that change resulted in action or in impact on the food industry.

There was an entirely new administration with a sweeping change in ideology and significant personnel cuts and shuffling; and there was a heavy focus on eliminating artificial dyes, ultraprocessed foods and self-affirmed GRAS, all intended to Make America Healthy Again.

But as 2025 closed out, there was little to no solid FDA action or regulation taken on these.

The phase-out of artificial dyes has become an “encouraged” but voluntary industry initiative; ultraprocessed foods are struggling to be defined; and the elimination of self-affirmed GRAS is under “exploratory” rulemaking.

On the other hand, the FDA did advance some initiatives in 2025 such as: • Granting approval of some natural-sourced color additives that could be used by manufacturers to replace the synthetic,

FOODPROCESSING .COM

petroleum-based dyes that have been under pressure to be banned.

• Implementing a revised definition and criteria for voluntary use of the “healthy” claim on food labels to align it more closely with current nutrition science and dietary guidelines.

• Revoking or proposing revocation of food standards determined to be obsolete and no longer applicable or necessary • Publishing a final rule on the pre-harvest agricultural water provision of FSMA’s Produce Safety Rule.

Structurally, there was a great deal of shuffling in the agency. Not only was FDA reduced in personnel through reductions in force, voluntary “encouraged” resignations and early retirements, but the

National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) and the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) – on which the USDA, FDA and CDC had extensively relied for impartial advice and recommendations – were completely eliminated.

The administration also announced a planned restructuring that would consolidate the 28 divisions of Health and Human Services into 15. However, that plan, which was announced in March, has not yet been implemented, and in December a Congressional bill to consolidate food oversight into a single agency was reintroduced.

While the proposal would not unite FDA and USDA, it would pull the food divisions out of FDA into a stand-alone agency under HHS, with a separate Foods Commissioner. Whether either of these reforms will be implemented is yet to be seen, but they are sure to continue as discussions in 2026.

Written by

David Acheson FOUNDER & CEO The Acheson Group (www.achesongroup.com)

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As 2025 closed out, there was little to no solid FDA action or regulation taken.

The phase-out of artificial dyes has become an “encouraged” but voluntary industry initiative; ultraprocessed foods are struggling to be defined; and the elimination of self-affirmed GRAS is under “exploratory” rulemaking.

The public health side was just as tumultuous, with the complete overhaul of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) – which guides the nation’s immunizations policies. A number of vaccine schedules and recommendations have been shifted, though not without controversy.

At the USDA, it was, more or less, business as usual, but there’s not been much forward momentum there either. In fact, it withdrew its proposed rule to reduce salmonella in raw breaded poultry products, kicking down the road its decision on an approach to address the issue.

The reasoning behind it was the number of issues raised in public comments, including whether FSIS has legal authority to propose final product standards, the scientific and technical information used to support the framework, the potential economic impacts and whether the proposed 1 CFU salmonella can even be detected in breaded chicken products.

If you take all these shifting, pending and controversial initiatives and add the ever-changing tariffs and their impacts on the industry, the increased focus on imports and shift to unannounced foreign inspections, and the general MAHA swing in ideology, it sums up to show 2025 to have been a rather turbulent year.

The food industry had to be ever on its toes, ready to make quick turns while not receiving actual regulations to guide the slalom-like course that was being laid. Q Dr. David Acheson, FDA's former associate commissioner for foods, is founder and CEO of The Acheson Group (www.achesongroup.com), a consulting firm with a focus on food safety and risk management. Used with permission.

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IN THIS SECTION » TreeHouse taken private » Death knell for cultured meats? » Processors used for UPFs

The End-of-Year CEO Shuffle New chief executives named at Kraft Heinz, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Grupo Bimbo.

A

head of its split into two companies next year, Kraft Heinz Co. hired Steve briefly unemployed Cahillane Steve Cahillane as CEO. He's experienced at splitting companies up.

For eight years Cahillane was chairman and president/CEO of Kellogg Co. and led the planning for that company to split in 2023.

He held those same titles at Kellanova until it was acquired last month (finally!) by Mars Inc. That acquisition had been in the works since August of 2024 but European antitrust authorities just approved it Dec. 7.

Cahillane replaces Carlos Abrams-Rivera, who will serve as an advisor to Kraft Heinz until March 6. That also removes Abrams-Rivera as potential CEO of the future North American grocery half of the spinoff, a post he had been promised when the split was announced last September. Kraft Heinz is looking to fill that position. Following

FOODPROCESSING .COM

the separation into two independent, publicly traded companies, Cahillane will serve as CEO of the slightly larger sauces, spreads and seasonings spinoff, tentatively called Global Taste Elevation Co. As part of the leadership transition, John Cahill, vice chair of Kraft Heinz’s board and CEO of Kraft prior to the combination with Heinz, will become board chair. Miguel Patricio will step down as chairman but continue to serve as a board member. Last we heard, Kraft Heinz expects the transaction to close in the second half of 2026.

Both major soft drink companies named new CEOs. Effective March 31, Henrique Braun, currently Coca-Cola Co.’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, Henrique will succeed James Braun Quincey as CEO. Quincey will become executive chairman after serving as CEO for nine years. Braun, 57, joined Coca-Cola in 1996.

Although Ramon Laguarta remains chairman and CEO of all of PepsiCo, Ram Krishnan was promoted to CEO Ram Krishnan of PepsiCo North America at the end of December. Steven Williams, who has been CEO of PepsiCo North America for the past year, got a handful of titles: vice chairman, executive vice president, global chief commercial officer and head of corporate affairs. The changes were announced a week after PepsiCo announced a new strategic plan with several organizational and personnel changes, following pressure applied by activist investor Elliott Management.

Back in November, Grupo Bimbo, the Mexican parent of Bimbo Bakeries USA, promoted Alejandro Rodriguez Bas to CEO, as recent chief executive Rafael Pamias Romero resigned for personal and health reasons.

Rodriguez Bas joined Grupo Bimbo in 2021, most recently serving as president of Barcel Global, Bimbo’s salty snack business.

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TreeHouse Foods Taken Private by European Investment Firm closing price on Sept. 26, the last full trading day prior to market speculation around a transaction, and a 29% premium to the company's 30-day volume-weighted average share price up to that date.

The news came the same day TreeHouse announced its third-quarter financials – which were not good.

Net sales were $840 million, up a tiny 0.1% from the same period last year, but the net loss was $265.8 million, compared to a net loss of $3.4 million for the same period of the previous year. That loss, however, included a non-cash goodwill impairment loss of $289.7 million.

Otherwise, adjusted earnings before taxes, etc., were $91.6 million.

TreeHouse for years has been trying to reshape itself. Steve Oakland, former vice chairman of J.M. Smucker

Private label manufacturer TreeHouse Foods Inc. in November said it has agreed to sell itself to Industrial F&B Investments III Inc., a European investment fund, for $2.9 billion, all in cash.

Under the terms of the agreement, for each share of common stock, TreeHouse shareholders will receive $22.50 per share in cash and one non-transferable Contingent Value Right (CVR). The CVR will provide each shareholder with an opportunity to receive proceeds, if any, from ongoing litigation relating to TreeHouse’s coffee business.

The upfront cash portion of the consideration of $22.50 per common share represents an equity value of $1.2 billion, a 38% premium to TreeHouse Foods'

Is This the End of Cultured Meat?

In December, two cultured meat companies – one with U.S. government approval and a newly built plant – went bankrupt.

Believer Meats shut down operations in early December, according to news reports and social media. Founded in 2018, the Israeli company started life as Future Meat Technologies and counted ADM among its investors.

According to CTech, an Israeli technology news site, the company laid off its remaining employees after running out of cash and facing more than $34 million in unpaid construction bills for its U.S. plant, which apparently had been largely completed in Wilson, N.C. The FDA had granted Believer Meats a “No Questions” letter in

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July of last year, and USDA had approved labeling for its cultivated chicken product in early November – meaning it could have started selling its product in grocery stores.

Just before Christmas, Netherlands-based Meatable wound down operations and dissolved.

The company, which also was founded in 2018, was “unable to obtain continued funding from either existing shareholders or from new investors,” according to Meatable investor Agronomics.

All of which makes us wonder if we’ll ever see a cultured meat product from Eat Just/Good Meat or Upside Foods, the first two companies to get government approval, both back in June of 2023 – or any other producer.

Co. and president of its U.S. Food and Beverage business unit, took over as CEO in 2018 from founder Sam Reed and began selling off underperforming and ill-fitting parts of the business. Oakland has since added the title of chairman.

One of those underperforming assets, its Meal Preparation business, was sold to Investindustrial, Industrial F&B Investments' parent firm, in April 2022 for $950 million.

Once the largest private label manufacturer in the country, TreeHouse had $6.3 billion in sales in 2017 and was our Processor of the Year in 2010. It’s been on track for about $3.4 billion in sales this year.

TreeHouse was created in 2005 by Reed and a few other former Keebler executives (hence the name). While many food & beverage processors are primarily brand managers and marketers, TreeHouse is a manufacturer first and foremost. At one time it had 38 plants, all in North America.

TreeHouse will operate independently within Investindustrial's portfolio. Following the acquisition of TreeHouse, in North America alone, Investindustrial will have more than 85 manufacturing plants and 16,000 employees.

“We are confident in the longterm growth opportunities in private brands and the categories where TreeHouse Foods operates, as well as the company's ability to build on its strong foundation of leadership,” said Andrea Bonomi, chairman of the industrial advisory board of Investindustrial. “We look forward to working closely with the TreeHouse Foods leadership team and employees to drive its longterm success.”

JANUARY 2026

NEWS

AI Data Centers Are Squeezing Out Food and Beverage Expansions Food & beverage processors are facing unprecedented energy constraints — from multi-year grid interconnection delays to steep increases in electricity costs — that threaten the industry’s growth and possibly even its ability to survive at its present state.

Data from a survey by AlphaStruxure, Schneider Electric, Endeavor Business Intelligence and Food Processing magazine point to a worsening energy bottleneck that is delaying facility expansions, straining supply chains and forcing processors to compete with fast-growing AI data centers for scarce grid capacity — according to “Kilowatts into Calories:

Surveying Food Processors on Energy Challenges.”

Key findings include: • 57% of food processors planning expansions can’t secure enough grid power.

• 52% say their utilities lack capacity to support growth.

• 70% face waits of three years or more for grid upgrades — some exceeding six years.

• 91% pay above the U.S. industrial average ($0.08/ kWh) for electricity, with nearly half seeing costs rise 26%+ in five years.

• 81% rely on backup generators, but 63% don’t have enough capacity for outages beyond a few hours.

The report is based on responses from 145 senior energy decision-makers in the food & beverage industry.

For decades, food processing facilities secured large-scale utility interconnections with relative ease. After the AI industry took off, food processors are now in competition with data centers to secure electricity from the grid, and this scarcity is driving up wait times and energy costs.

This is the first industry survey to measure how the U.S. food & beverage and consumer packaged goods industries are adapting to the unfolding energy crunch. The full report is available at https:// bit.ly/3MSWVTE.

A thorough mix batch after batch

San Francisco Sues 10 Makers of Ultraprocessed Foods Claiming “the food industry knew their products were making people sick,” San Francisco’s city attorney on Dec. 2 filed a lawsuit against 10 food & beverage companies, “the country’s largest manufacturers of ultraprocessed foods.”

The 10 companies are essentially the same ones named in a December 2024 lawsuit in Philadelphia: Coca-Cola Co., Conagra Brands, General Mills, Kellogg Co., Kraft Heinz Co., Mars Inc., Mondelez International, Nestle USA, PepsiCo and Post Holdings. That suit was dismissed last August.

The filing mirrors the Philadelphia suit in many ways: In addition to naming the same defendants, it makes the same comparisons to Big Tobacco companies of the 1980s and mourns the consolidation of the food industry in the past 50 years. And Morgan & Morgan, the law firm that

filed that unsuccessful case, is listed among the supporting law firms.

Also like the Philadelphia case, it hearkens back to the alleged 1999 closed door meeting in which a former Kraft Foods executive allegedly raised red flags about the health effects – and business liability – of what would come to be known as ultraprocessed foods and “begged them [other food company executives] to change.”

“The proliferation of ultraprocessed foods in the American diet has been linked to a host of serious health conditions, imposing untold health care costs on Americans, as well as cities and states across the nation,” San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu’s announcement said.

“The lawsuit alleges the food industry knew that their products were making people sick, but they continued to devise and market increasingly

The Non-GMO Project Publishes its Non-Ultraprocessed Foods Standard The Non-GMO Project in November made good on its promise to create a program to certify (or disqualify) foods as not ultraprocessed. And it's developed a seemingly comprehensive set of rules to that end.

The Non-Ultraprocessed Foods (Non-UPF) Verification Program attempts to “offer a clear, evidencebased framework rooted in scientific findings and aligned with consumer expectations. It identifies products that avoid the core hallmarks of ultraprocessing, including

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both engineered additives and industrial processes that degrade food structure and function.”

Those were the two main components or culprits: processing and ingredients.

“While some emerging policies focus narrowly on specific ingredients, ultraprocessing by definition demands that we evaluate processing itself. This standard does exactly that — recognizing that how a food is made is just as important as what goes into it,” the announcement said.

addictive and harmful products in order to maximize profits.”

Chiu's is a civil suit brought on behalf of all citizens of California, claiming a violation of California’s unfair competition law and public nuisance.

“These companies created a public health crisis with the engineering and marketing of ultraprocessed foods,” Chiu said in a news conference. “They took food and made it unrecognizable and harmful to the human body.”

The suit seeks an end to “further deceptive marketing and requiring them to take affirmative action to ameliorate the effects of their prior false marketing … [ending] the public nuisance in San Francisco that Defendants created or assisted in creating [and making payments to abate that public nuisance]; penalties; and plaintiff’s attorney fees.”

The core, however, is a list of about 289 ingredients that would make a food or beverage ultraprocessed. The A (acesulfame-potassium) to Z (zirconium compounds) list includes the usual suspects: the seven petroleum-based colors targeted by the FDA, all synthetic non-nutritive sweeteners and all gums, thickeners and texturizers. But also most refined or processed oils and sodium-based preservatives, flavor enhancers, leavening agents, chelators, emulsifiers and functional salts (but not naturally occurring sodium).

See the standard at: www. nonultraprocessed.org/standard.

JANUARY 2026

NEWS

Expansions Swire Coca-Cola USA, which manufactures, distributes and sells Coca-Cola and other beverage brands across 13 states in the western U.S., will build a $475 million, 620,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing facility in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The project will create about 170 jobs for the Draper, Utah-based company that employs 1,300 people in Colorado and more than 8,000 overall. Swire will consolidate its production operations into the new, facility, replacing its current, 90-year-old plant in Denver.

Pilgrim’s Pride broke ground in November on a prepared foods facility in Walker County, Ga. The 300,000-sq.-ft. facility, which was first announced in July 2025, is slated to cost $400 million and create more than 630 jobs once fully operational.

More than two years in the works, Walmart in November opened its milk-processing facility in Valdosta, Ga. — its second owned and operated milk plant.

The facility is expected to create more than 400 jobs and was first announced in October 2023. The 300,000-sq.-ft. facility represents a $350 million investment by the retailer to bolster its “end-toend supply chain for affordable, high-quality milk.”

DrinkPak, a canned beverage contract manufacturer with facilities in California and Texas, will invest $195 million to open a plant in Philadelphia — its third U.S. facility. The company will lease a 1.4-million-sq.-ft., build-to-suit facility on nearly 75 acres. The project is expected to create 174 jobs over the next three years and is expected to be complete in early

FOODPROCESSING .COM

2027. DrinkPak, which was founded in 2020, produces alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages for a number of brand owners.

Tyson Foods will spend $127 million to renovate a former Cargill turkey processing plant in

Springdale, Ark., into a chicken processing facility. Tyson estimates some 200 employees will be needed to run the plant. Tyson already runs a chicken slaughter facility nearby and will not slaughter birds at the renovated site.

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ROLLOUT Ready-to-Eat Meat via Sous Vide Rea

Cuis Cuisine Solutions, a global leader in sous vide, is la launching Sear & Serve, a line of fully cooked, k chef-quality, premium sous vide beef and pork al cuts designed to bring consistently exceptional es results to home kitchens. The launch coincides with the debut of a new direct-to-consumer ble website, making the line immediately accessible to consumers nationwide.

Sear & Serve features ready-to-heat proteins tha that deliver restaurant-level tenderness and flavor wit with minimal effort. Each cut is prepared using pr precise time and temperature sous vide techniques to ensure optimal texture and taste. Home cooks ssimply finish with a quick sear on the stove or grill to e enjoy a steakhouse-quality experience.

The initial line includes 72-hour boneless short rib, bone-in beef short rib, 100% grass-fed beef tri-tip, traditional brisket bites and seasoned pork belly. A 100% grass-fed beef ribeye and grassfed New York strip steak will debut soon.

Multi-Vitamin Wellness Shots

New Suja Organic Multivitamin wellness shots are easy to sip and refreshingly delicious, according to the company. Designed for both daily use and as an extension of existing wellness regimens, each 2-oz. nutrient-packed refrigerated shot offers big benefits with big impact.

Each shot serves as an excellent source of vitamins A, C, E and a full spectrum of energizing B-vitamins, along with Suja’s phytonutrient blend of organic ingredients, such as turmeric, green tea and tart cherry.

Each flavor of the shot also provides one specialty nutrient. Strawberry citrus contains 3g of dietary fiber to support health. Raspberry pp digestive g p y ginger includes magnesium. Mango turmeric delivers 500% of the recommended daily intake of biotin.

“Consumers are clamoring for functional solutions to fill nutritional gaps in their daily diet,” says Nicole Portwood, chief marketing officer. “Our new Multivitamin trio brings together the most in-demand nutrients in 2025—magnesium, biotin and fiber—in a delicious, accessible format.”

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Mexican-Inspired M i I i dT Trail il Mi Mix

Chuza, the Mexican-owned, minority-certified snack brand known for its chili-dusted dried fruit snacks, is expanding its product portfolio with the launch of a trail mix line.

The three varieties made their debut in November at select Whole Foods Markets. Each mix combines sweet, spicy and savory flavors rooted in Mexico’s vibrant culinary traditions, layering naturally dried fruits, roasted nuts, seeds and Chuza’s signature chili seasoning for a crave-worthy taste experience.

The Clásico Trail Mix is a blend of dried cranberries, roasted peanuts, cashews and crunchy almonds.

Barrio Mix takes on the traditional bar mix. It is packed with roasted peanuts, crispy sesame chips, crunchy corn sticks, hearty corn nuts, almonds and pepitas. Tropical Trail Mix features roasted peanuts, buttery almonds, crispy sesame chips, crunchy cashews, golden corn nuts and juicy, dried pineapple.

“These trail mixes represent a major milestone for Chuza,” says founder Danny Schwarz. “This launch allows us to expand our reach into new snacking occasions while staying true to what Chuza stands for: quality ingredients, bold flavors and a celebration of our culture.”

JANUARY 2026

ROLLOUT

Better-for-You Bread

Dave’s Killer Bread, the flagship organic bread brand from Flowers Foods, a pioneer in the organic seeded bread category, offers more than 30 varieties of whole grain organic bakery and snack products. Supreme Sourdough is the brand’s most recent launch. It is made with an authentic starter and a special double-fermentation process. The bread is rolled in the brand’s signature Good Seed topping and sliced thick, with a suggested retail price of $6.99 per loaf.

In addition, Dave’s Killer Bread recently reintroduced its legacy Oats & Blues loaf to mark its 20th anniversary. Oats & Blues has a soft texture, a hint of sweetness and delivers whole grains in every bite. It features a unique crunchy crust rolled in oats and blue cornmeal. This loaf was one of the very first varieties of Dave’s Killer Bread launched at the Portland Farmers Market in 2005.

Bar Food Made at Home

With consumers dining out less, especially during colder, gloomy winter months, Tast!ez, McCain Foods’ frozen snack brand, expanded its portfolio with five new varieties inspired by the peak season for cozy get-togethers and comfort food cravings.

The new additions include a variety of filled, crispy golden triangular bites. They are Buffalo Mac & Cheese, Chili Mac & Cheese, Sweet BBQ Flavored Pork and Mexican-Style Street Corn. The last resembles Mexican elote with roasted corn and melty cheese, wrapped in a mild spicy breading. They are a nod to Mexican street food’s rapid growth on appetizer menus. There’s also new Sour Cream & Onion Cheese Curds. These classic pull-apart cheese curds feature a chip-inspired twist of tangy sour cream and savory onion in a crispy breading.

All of the bites go from freezer to table in minutes with quick prep in the air fryer or oven. The Tast!ez shareable snack format rolled out in 2024 and was recognized by Newsweek as one of the Best New Products of 2025.

FOODPROCESSING .COM

C Creatine-Powered ti P d Energy Bars

Creatine is a compound found in the human body and involved in making energy for muscles.

It’s a fast-growing supplement recognized for improving exercise performance and muscle mass. It is now available in a bar format from JimmyBar! Functional Protein.

The company is rolling out the Creatine Protein Bar in double-fudge brownie and chocolate peanut butter varieties. With 20g of protein, 5g of creatine and 4g of sugar, each bar offers a convenient, crave-worthy way to fuel both body and brain. The bars have a suggested retail price of $3.99 per bar or $42.99 per 12-count box.

“Creatine is one of the most important and well-researched supplements for building strength, power and endurance,” says Jim Simon, co-founder and CEO. “We saw an opportunity to combine the power of creatine with real food and great taste, something that’s never been done before. This isn’t just another protein bar. It is the next evolution of functional fuel.” Q

17

OUTLOOK 2026

THE GREAT REFORMULATION

You will be busy this year removing banned colors, adding protein and fiber and avoiding any potential ultraprocessed food tag.

Written by

Dave Fusaro

E

state laws regulating ingreverything will be better dients; and the overall health this year, won’t it?

EDITOR IN CHIEF of the business. We’ll address After a chaotic them all below.

2025, that’s a question without a sure answer. From regulatory and other government oversight issues to changing What’s an ultraprocessed food? consumer trends to the financial health of So far, the answer to that question has food & beverage companies, there’s a lot been “I’ll know it when I see it.” of 2025 that needs to be resolved in 2026.

UPFs received their most severe critForemost is how the current debate over icism Nov. 18, 2025, in The Lancet. The ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) will play out. highly regarded, peer-reviewed medical Harsh criticisms over the ill-defined category journal published a three-paper series that rose throughout 2025 and reached a fever describes a “UPF industry” that is “infilpitch in the final months. At the current tratrating government agencies … promoting jectory, the subject is likely to be addressed corporate-friendly governance models with some authority this year. [and] forms of regulation … and framing Which means that, in addition to refordebate, generating favourable evidence, mulating products to remove the seven and manufacturing scientific doubt.” petroleum-based color additives and some The Lancet’s articles place the blame on other newly banned ingredients, you may be redeveloping some to look less ultraprocessed. “powerful global corporations who employ sophisticated political tactics to protect and That’s not all you’ll be facing in the new maximise profits.” And they liken the situation year. Lurking in the shadows are the effects to the clout Big Tobacco had in the 1980s – a GLP-1 drugs will have on some food cattack that was first taken in an unsuccessful egories; what the Make America Healthy UPF class action lawsuit filed in December Again (MAHA) movement will demand 2024 and dismissed last August. next; whether there will be 50 different

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JANUARY 2026

OUTLOOK 2026

IMAGE: BILL ANTKOWIAK GENERATED BY SHUTTERSTOCK AI

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FOODPROCESSING .COM

IMAGE: ZAIKINLES / SHUTTERSTOCK

A similar approach was taken

by San Francisco’s city attorney in December when he filed a lawsuit against “the country’s largest manufacturers of ultraprocessed foods.” It claims “the food industry knew their products were making e people sick,” and he wants the g companies offset the resulting public health costs. enThe 10 companies are essenn tially the same ones named in tion that December 2024 class action -Cola lawsuit in Philadelphia: Coca-Cola Co., Conagra Brands, General Mills, Kellogg Co., Kraft Heinz rCo., Mars Inc., Mondelez Intero national, Nestle USA, PepsiCo and Post Holdings. me “Processed foods have become ding a necessary cornerstone of feeding our growing global population, but their complexity has reached undesirable levels,” James Petrie wrote in news site The Green Queen. He’s CEO and co-founder of Australia’s Nourish Ingredients – which calls itself “a deep tech company leading in animal-free fats and precision fermentation.” He added, “Today’s food labels often read like chemistry textbooks, leaving consumers increasingly wary of what they’re putting into their bodies.”

But there is no agreed-upon scientific definition of ultraprocessed foods. Some efforts try to define UPFs by their ingredients – sponsors of some of the state laws banning certain ingredients (see p30) say what they’re really trying to ban are ultraprocessed foods. Other critics look at the processing steps involved.

“Attempting to classify foods as unhealthy simply because they are processed, or demonizing food by ignoring its full nutrient content, misleads consumers and

20

exacerbates health disparities,” says Sarah Gallo, senior vice president of product policy and federal affairs at Consumer Brands Assn., the industry’ main lobbying group.

Not every shopper is aware of the issue yet, but their numbers are

growing. The biggest fear for food & beverage processors is regulation, but most would prefer a single federal rule rather than 50 different state laws.

As much as processors fear labeling, that may exonerate some nutritious foods that are currently being called ultraprocessed – things like yogurt, enriched bread and nondairy “milks.” The first step will be reaching an enforceable definition.

Health & Human Services, FDA and USDA jointly issued a request for information last July to gather comments toward establishing a uniform definition for ultraprocessed foods, but they haven’t reported those results yet. One way or another, this issue likely will come to a head in some way this year.

A shot of GLP-1s

GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist) medications, such as Wegovy, Ozempic and

others, succeed in weight loss by suppressing appetite and changing eating behaviors. Like all drugs, they have side-effects, and one directly relates to food and nutrition: Because they’re eating and drinking less, users run the risk of d dehydration, malnutrition, muscle loss and weaker bones.

The painful side effect for food & bev beverage processors is lower ssales, especially of snacks a “junk” foods. “GLPand 1 are, as we predicted, 1s in increasingly important becaus because [Food Processing] readers cannot forecast sales and production if they th don’t understand the incredib incredibly robust adoption rate of GLP-1s GLP-1s,” says Gary Stibel, founder and CEO CE of The New England Consulting Group.

A late-2025 report funded by Tate & Lyle report notes an estimated 15 million Americans say they’ve “ever” used these medications, and use is expected to double over the next decade, with one in nine U.S. adults expected to use GLP-1 medications by 2035.

“Sales in certain categories are declining or at risk as GLP-1 users shift toward smaller portions, functional ingredients and guiltfree satisfaction,” the report says.

But it also notes prospects: “For manufacturers, GLP-1 has created exciting opportunities, driven by a greater interest in healthier formulations and choices that support users.”

In most cases, the solution for food manufacturers means less sugar, fat and carbohydrates – a recipe for many reformulations over recent decades – and more protein and fiber. And, generally, packing more nutrition into smaller or fewer portions.

JANUARY 2026

OUTLOOK 2026

What’s MAHA's next target?

FOODPROCESSING .COM

Last Year’s January Story: Expect theUnexpected Don’t say we didn’t warn you. "Expect the Unexpected" was the title of last January’s outlook cover story, just days before Donald Trump was sworn in as president. The story noted he already was threatening tariffs and immigration reforms, and it wondered what would happen if indeed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were named secretary of Health and Human Services – and what influence his Make America Healthy Again coalition would have on food regulation.

disease crisis through integrated prevention-focused programs and streamlined accountability for related programs.”

We asked HHS the status of that “Administration for a Healthy America,” but haven’t heard back.

What’s next from MAHA is not clear. They champion raw milk and whole milk in schools, shun vaccines and fluoride in drinking water and want an overhaul of allowed pesticides and other environmental chemicals. In terms of food, with the removal of synthetic colors underway, their focus has turned to ultraprocessed foods. They’re rumored to have a hand influencing the overdue 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

“As Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration pursue the Make America Healthy Again agenda, we anticipate regulatory activities also focused on safety and transparency,” says Consumer Brands’ Gallo.

“Specifically, we are preparing for regulatory dockets on both the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) pathway and front of pack nutrition labeling,” she continues.

“GRAS reform, especially, presents an opportunity to modernize FDA’s Office of Chemical Safety and provide greater transparency for consumers.”

U.S. soft drink and snack food makers – some from the newly created Americans for Ingredient Transparency lobbying group – are reported to be employing Republican pollsters, strategists and political financiers to pit MAGA against MAHA – pointing out the conflicting aims of President Trump’s pro-business Make American Great Again philosophy with the anti-business rhetoric of the MAHA effort, according to an investigation by the British newspaper The Guardian and environmental watchdog Fieldnotes.

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IMAGE: NIK_NADAL / SHUTTERSTOCK

When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. rose in pre-election polls and then in President Trump’s inner circle, much of his support base was the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, which he helped create. So it was no surprise that base continued to influence him as secretary of Health & Human Services Dept.

In February 2025, President Trump established the MAHA Commission, chaired by Kennedy.

“Cleaning up” America’s food supply, especially of those synthetic colors, was in the crosshairs from the start. Last April, Kennedy sidestepped the cumbersome regulatory route by making a strong and public demand that processors remove six petroleum-based color additives (Blue 1&2, Green 1, Red 40 and Yellow 5&6) by the end of 2026.

Despite initial resistance, food & beverage processors fell in line.

But what MAHA-inspired targets are next?

There were two MAHA Reports published last year. The initial one, in May, just laid out the movement’s primary concern: overweight children with chronic diseases, most often caused by less physical activity, ultraprocessed foods and “toxic chemicals” in foods and the environment.

The September MAHA Report, just 19 pages long (compared to the 73-page May report), was lighter on criticisms and even more so on solutions. It did promise, “HHS will undergo comprehensive reorganization to create the AHA [Administration for a Healthy America], a new agency structure specifically designed to coordinate and lead the federal government’s response to the chronic

Is food & bev a healthy business?

Every year seems to bring some comings and goings among the bigger food & beverage companies. Last year, mergers & acquisitions activity seemed to highlight not so much opportunity for the buyer but weakness in the company being acquired.

In several high-profile cases, companies had gotten so big and diverse, usually from past acquisitions, they are splitting in half.

The biggest deal, although it was begun in 2024, will rewrite the snack food landscape as well as one of the world’s largest family-held companies. After 17 months of antitrust review, mostly in Europe, Mars in December was allowed to complete its acquisition of Kellanova for $36 billion. Despite being the higher-potential, snack-oriented and global half of the former Kellogg Co., Kellanova had difficulty performing since its 2023 split from Kellogg.

The other half of Kellogg, cereal-only/domestic-only company WK Kellogg Co, had an even tougher time on its own and was bought last year by European confectioner Ferrero Group for $3.1 billion.

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Perhaps following the Kellogg-split playbook, “demerging” was a theme in 2025. Unilever, which has struggled with its size and diverse holdings, in December was able to complete the separation of its ice cream business, including Ben & Jerry’s, into Magnum Ice Cream Co. Nestle had done much the same with its ice cream business in 2020.

A bigger and more complex deal is just getting started. In August, Keurig Dr Pepper said it would acquire European coffee powerhouse JDE Peet’s for $18.4 billion and then separate into two publicly held companies. KDP’s Keurig business would be spun off into a new, global coffee company while the rest of the company continues its focus on domestic soft drinks.

Similarly, after years of lackluster performance, Kraft Heinz announced in September it would split into a mostly condiments company (with billion-dollar brands Heinz, Philadelphia and Kraft Mac & Cheese) and a general grocery company (with billion-dollar brands Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles and Lunchables). That should happen before the end of this year.

There are other signs that bigger isn’t always better and that food & beverage is not the moneymaker it was. General Mills became North America’s biggest yogurt maker after buying the rights to Yoplait in 2011. But that came to an end when Big G sold the business last July to French dairy Lactalis.

Hormel had big plans for Justin’s nut butters when it acquired the business in 2016; near the end of last year, Hormel sold 51% to a private investment firm. B&G Foods has sold off the Green Giant vegetables business that it bought from General Mills in 2015 for $765 million.

After years of trying to trim and refocus itself, TreeHouse Foods is being taken private by European investment firm Industrial F&B Investments for $2.9 billion. Hearthside Food Solutions, the country’s largest contract manufacturer, emerged from bankruptcy in March with a new name, Maker’s Pride LLC, $2 billion of eliminated debt and an infusion of new capital.

J.M. Smucker is still trying to make its 2023 Hostess acquisition profitable.

Circana in December lowered its retail food & beverage sales outlook for 2026. The market data firm is now forecasting dollar sales growth for the industry to be in a range of 2-4% next year, down from the 3-5% range it predicted in August. Q

(952) 933-2559 info@xchanger.com JANUARY 2026

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

2026 FLAVOR AND INGREDIENT TRENDS Fiber, healthfulness, global tastes and complex heat will influence consumer buying – and product development – in the new year.

Ed Avis CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

A

manda Sains, the vice president of marketing for Joolies (joolies.com), knows that her company’s dates are well positioned to take advantage of several big consumer trends in 2026: Being perceived as healthy while still being delicious and texturally interesting.

“We present dates as ‘California palm tree candy’ that’s genuinely good for you,” Sains says.

“Pound for pound, they have more potassium than a banana, plus they’re a good source of

FOODPROCESSING .COM

dietary fiber, magnesium and copper. At a time when consumers are actively reducing refined sugar but still want something delicious, we’re presenting dates as nature’s answer to that dilemma and satisfying their sweet cravings.”

Joolies dates and other food products that are healthy and “functional” – particularly those that are rich in protein – are among the most trendy foods going into 2026, based on data from multiple trend reports.

However, some reports are predicting waning interest in protein, with fiber becoming “the new protein,” according to market research firm Datassential. “Fiber (which can naturally increase the GLP-1 hormone in the body) is poised to overtake protein and be the next big health trend, particularly at retail, where new

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PHOTO: TATJANA BAIBAKOVA / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Written by

Dates are healthy, high in fiber, functional and texturally interesting – all trends that should carry into 2026.

products are popping up highlighting fiber in relation to gut health.”

Other key food trends that can be culled from the numerous studies that pop up every year at this time are the continued interest in global flavors; the growth of products demonstrating “complex heat”; an increasing interest in texture; and consumers’ desire for multi-sensory products.

Trend 1 Healthy food now means highprotein and GLP-1 friendly

There’s nothing new about consumers’ desire for healthy food, but two big trends are driving that situation: The desire for higher protein food and the habit-changing power of GLP-1 weight loss drugs.

The trend toward high-protein foods is powered by the concept that consuming a lot of protein leads to muscle growth and weight loss, mostly through less eating. A study by marketing agency Curious

Plot (curiousplot.agency) found that 63% of consumers were “very” or “extremely” curious about high-protein foods, and 79% were “actively researching” that topic.

Similarly, a study by Collage Group (www.collagegroup.com) found that nearly one-third of Gen Z consumers have recently purchased d protein drinks, and more than half prefer high-protein snacks.

“Protein overall is still huge, but what’s interesting is where it’s starting to show up,” says Eran Mizrahi, CEO and co-founder of Source86 (source86.com), a global sourcing firm. “QSR chains and even ice cream brands are exploring higher-protein versions.”

Mizrahi his firm is getting more requests for clear whey, a dairy byproduct that provides a light, clean protein.

Andrea Ramirez, consumer and customer market insight manager for Torani (www.torani.com), has also observed the high-protein trend in relation to her company’s new sugar-free beverage syrups.

“More beverage creators are showcasing higher-protein coffees, lower-calorie flavored waters and better-for-you dirty sodas,” Ramirez says. “Our new Sugar Free Liquid Drink Enhancers and Zero Calorie Beverage Sauces let consumers enjoy full-flavor, social-media-ready beverages while still aligning with their personal health goals.”

The increasing use of GLP-1 drugs, such as Wegovy and

FedUp Foods, a private-label maker of functional beverages, is trying to serve GLP-1 users with drinks that suit their unique nutrient needs.

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JANUARY 2026

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Mounjaro, is another health-related trend affecting food processors. These drugs reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness.

FedUp Foods (fedupfoods.com), a private-label maker of functional beverages, is trying to tap that trend by creating drinks that suit the nutrient needs of GLP-1 users.

“As more consumers adopt these products, their focus is shifting toward satiety, steady energy, blood-sugar balance and overall nutrient density, all anchored in digestive wellness,” says Ravi Jhala, vice president of commercialization for FedUp Foods.

“We’re responding by tailoring our approach to the specific metabolic and sensory needs of GLP-1 users: from slower digestion to increased taste sensitivity and the tendency for nausea when products are too sweet or heavy. That’s why our formulations prioritize clean hydration, an easy-drinking texture and balanced nutrition, with an emphasis on light, complete proteins, microbiome support and gentle electrolytes that align with shifting appetite patterns.”

Another health-related trend is that consumers also are shying away from “ultraprocessed foods,” says William Grand, CEO of NutriFusion (nutrifusion.com).

He predicts that UPFs – which are defined as foods that include ingredients rarely used at home, such as emulsifiers, high-fructose corn syrup and artificial colors – will eventually be equated with cigarettes.

“At some point, the government and medical system will realize the incredible cost that ultraprocessed foods have had

FOODPROCESSING .COM

on the American consumer and system,” Grand predicts. “The same fate that fell on the American tobacco industry could very easily fall on the food industry with massive lawsuits and payouts.”

Trend 2 Global flavors still climbing

Another trend that will continue in 2026 is the increasing interest in global flavors. As with healthy foods, this is not a new trend overall, but this year it will become more mainstream and less novel, predicts Kate Howell, vice president at Les Dames d’Escoffier International (ldei.org), an organization of women leaders in the food, beverage and hospitality industries.

Global flavors also will become more identifiable with specific countries, as opposed to “Asian” or “Latin,” Howell believes. She sees more flavors from Malaysia, Korea, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru and Colombia hitting store shelves.

For example, Malaysian ingredients “like galangal, lemongrass, turmeric and pandan are breaking through because they offer deep, comforting flavors that still feel adventurous,” she says. “Dishes like rendang and laksa have become more accessible through at-home sauces and pastes, which help consumers try them confidently.”

Leith Steel, head of insights for creative agency Carbonate (www. carbonategroup.com), says her firm has named “Next-Gen Indian”

Bollygood sparkling lemonades and limeades are infused with Indian flavors such as pomegranate cardamom, mango turmeric, basil cumin and ginger mint.

as the cuisine of the year. She notes that the Indian-American population in the U.S. has more than doubled in the past 20 years, and a growing number and diversity of Indian restaurants has exposed consumers to more styles of Indian food.

Steel cites several CPG products that are tapping the Indian trend: Lay’s Tikka Masala Kettle Chips. Miss Vickie’s Tandoori BBQ chips and Bollygood sparkling lemonades and limeades infused with Indian flavors such as pomegranate cardamom, mango turmeric, basil cumin and ginger mint, among others.

Trend 3 Heat gets more complex

Spicy hot foods have been popular since Mexican cuisine hit the mainstream 50 years ago, but a growing trend is “complex heat,” which means heat paired with another flavor.

“Today’s consumers, especially Gen Z, are gravitating toward flavor-building spices and chili varieties that bring character, not just burn,” says Shannon O’Shields, vice president of marketing for ingredients supplier Rubix Foods (rubixfoods.com).

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“It’s less about ‘heat for heat’s sake’ and more about heat with harmony. Peppers like habanero, Thai chili and Aji Amarillo are being paired with fruits like mango, pineapple and dragonfruit to create that craveable sweet-heat balance.

We’ll continue to see complex heat influence every aisle, from beverages (think habanero yuzu lemonade) to snack foods (popcorn, nuts, chips, savory granola bars) and everything in between.”

A major CPG manufacturer tapping this trend is Nestlé. In a blog post, Mike Van Houten, Nestlé USA vice president of commercial excellence, identified new heat twists including “swangy” (spicy + sweet + tangy) and “swavory” (spicy + sweet + savory). Nestlé products offering these flavors include Maggi Chinese Spicy Garlic noodles, which pair savory noodles with garlic and chili peppers, and Korean Spicy BBQ, which includes sweet chili, garlic and smoky BBQ flavors.

Trend 4 Chewy and creamy textures rule

Food scientists know that texture is an important part of the eating experience, and in 2026 interesting textures will continue to trend. For example, chewy textures are hot now, says Carbonate’s Steel.

“Chewy textures like mochi, tapioca pearls and gummies — long beloved across Asian cultures — are becoming increasingly familiar through the mainstreaming of bubble tea and Asian desserts,” Steel says. “Gen Z, in particular, prizes layered and evolving textures, finding delight

26

“We’re seeing how fruit snacks like Dole’s new parfaits — apples or peaches layered with cream — are creating multi-sensory moments that feel elevated and functional,” Shields says.

Tapioca pearls have little nutritional value but add chewy texture and are the boba in bubble tea.

in foods that are ‘stretchy,’ ‘bouncy,’ or that shift as they chew.”

Shields from Rubix Foods says her company has identified creamy texture as a breakout trend. She points out the growing popularity of whipped dressings, compound butters and creamy spicy sauces.

The sudden popularity of Dubai chocolate emulates this trend – and the trend toward global flavors – because of its filling of smooth pistachio cream and crispy kataifi (shredded pastry).

Torani’s Ramirez says her company has made note of the growing importance of texture.

“Between cold foams, sprinkles and popping pearls, to name just a few examples, texture is transforming everyday drinks into joyful, sharable moments,” Ramirez says.

“With our assortment of syrups, sauces and liquid drink enhancers, we’re giving consumers options to chart their own beverage journey, which is very much in line with the rise of unique add-ins and toppings to create the texture they desire in their beverages.”

Texture is trending on its own, but it’s also part of another trend: food that offers a multi-sensory experience.

These types of foods offer consumers interesting textures, colors, aromas and other characteristics.

Sure it’s trendy, but will it last?

The four trends identified above will surely influence food manufacturers in 2026 and beyond, but can those manufacturers create products that will outlast the trend? Food marketing agency MorganMyers (morganmyers.com) conducted a study that revealed that just 12% of trendy products eventually became regularly purchased products.

The firm also identified the typical path that trendy products take to become staples. It starts with buzz, such as social media, followed by trial (free samples, discounts or bundling with familiar products). If the trials work – and their effects differ based on the generation of the buyer – the product may begin to shift from trend to staple. But generally only products that are versatile and reasonably familiar ultimately make the shift.

A good example is Greek yogurt, says Eric Davis, the company’s vice president of food & beverage. When it emerged about a dozen years ago, it was a twist on a familiar product. It could be used in a variety of dishes and came in a several sizes. Makers offered samples to introduce it and it soon caught on.

Today it’s still going strong.

“The goal of a food producer or CPG should be not to just hit trend status, but to become a staple,” Davis says. “The real money, literally and figuratively, is in staple status.” Q

JANUARY 2026

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

PHOTO: DMITRY LOBANOV / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

FROZEN DESSERT TRENDS SCREAM ‘FUN’ The ice cream category remains the biggest indulgent reward with trendy flavors like Dubai chocolate, holiday specialties and even premium nondairy offerings.

Written by

Dave Fusaro EDITOR IN CHIEF

Y

ou knew somebody was gonna do this: G.S. Gelato in November started selling Dubai-Style Chocolate Gelato, claiming to be the first wholesale gelato inspired by the Dubai chocolate sensation.

Whether Dubai chocolate is a fad or a sustainable trend, it’s imperative for scoop shops, ice cream processors and marketers to latch onto hot, trending flavors. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that cookies & cream was novel.

Dubai-style chocolate exploded worldwide in the past year, much of its popularity fueled

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by social media. “With demand still skyrocketing, this new gelato flavor lets operators and retailers offer a dessert experience that captures the indulgence and excitement of the global phenomenon, frozen dessert style,” says Stephanie Schultz, marketing director at G.S. Gelato.

In the case of G.S. Gelato, manufacturer of Italian gelato and other frozen desserts for foodservice, the end product is “chocolate gelato [mixed] with creamy pistachio gelato, elegantly swirled with a vibrant pistachio ribbon and finished with Dubai-style chocolate kataifi [AKA kadayif] bark.”

Pinkberry jumps on that bandwagon with Dubai Chocolate Frozen Yogurt Build. The chain of franchised frozen yogurt shops offers “an irresistibly smooth and creamy

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chocolate kataifi bark.

to Toast, provider of technology platforms (like waitstaff ordering systems) for restaurants. “Cultural fusion in ice cream blends traditional flavors from various global cuisines, resulting in unique combinations that reflect diverse culinary heritages,” the company says.

Toast believes “Savory ice creams challenge the traditional sweetness of the dessert, incorporating herbs, spices and unexpected ingredients like vegetables, cheeses or cured meats,” the company says, noting how chefs love to push boundaries in flavor experimentation.

chocolate hazelnut frozen yogurt that’s topped with crunchy toasted kataifi shredded phyllo, pistachio sauce and crushed, roasted pistachios on top.”

“Today’s consumers crave more than just dessert. They want an experience,” Schultz continues.

“Dubai-Style Chocolate is a taste of luxury. It’s an indulgent flavor consumers have fallen in love with.”

Also providing experiences, not just new flavors, is Mavens Creamery, based in San Jose, Calif., which makes Asian-inspired, super-premium ice creams. Bold, authentic ingredients combine with classic dairy indulgence to create flavors such as Thai Tea, Durian, Black Sesame and Vietnamese Coffee.

The company was founded by sisters Gwen and Christine Nguyen, who drew upon their Vietnamese heritage and fond memories of family dinners, especially when ice cream and Asian sweets were served for dessert.

Indeed, savory flavors and cultural fusion are among the trends for ice cream in 2026, according

Seasonal and limited-time-only What’s not in there To some consumers, what’s not products also can create excitein the ice cream is more importment, attract new customers and ant than what is. Lactose-free spawn a lot of social media talk. frozen desserts have been around SweetFrog, a frozen yogurt franchise, recently debuted Hot Chocolate since the 1980s, soon after LacExpress. Available just through Jan. 6, taid milk was created. Breyers followed soon after, using the it combines chocolate frozen yogurt, vanilla ice cream and a milk chocolate same process of using lactase enzymes to break down lactose in hot cocoa mix. “We recommend it dairy products. topped with crushed peppermint candies, chocolate chips, marshmallows and whipped cream,” says SweetFrog marketing. “A treat that captures the warmth and magic of the holiday season.”

Graeter’s Ice Cream also has a holiday selection, but the company created more excitement back in October with its Skyline Spice Ice Cream.

For the second year, Graeter’s partnered with Cincinnati’s Skyline Chili restaurants to celebrate National Chili Month.

Mavens Creamery founders Gwen and Christine Nguyen.

G.S. Gelato’s Dubai-Style Chocolate Gelato is chocolate gelato mixed with pistachio gelato, swirled with a pistachio ribbon and finished with Dubai-style

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Part sweet, part savory, part “wait, did they really do that?” – Skyline Spice Ice Cream combines Graeter’s small batch French Pot ice cream with crunchy oyster crackers and Skyline’s legendary chili spice blend. When it debuted last year it became the fastest-selling flavor in Graeter’s history.

Ice cream is not immune to the pumpkin spice tsunami each fall.

Cold Stone Creamery debuted three Pumpkin Spice Latte products for the season: an ice cream, a shake and a “creation.” That last one is pumpkin spice latte ice cream mixed with graham cracker pie crust, caramel, whipped topping and pumpkin pie spice.

Limited time can be a great time

JANUARY 2026

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Now Jersey Scoops out of Loleta, Calif., is making a lactose-free ice cream with A2 Jersey cow’s milk. Certain breeds of cows produce milk with only the A2 type of beta-casein protein, rather than the mix of A1 and A2 proteins found in most milk, making the resulting dairy products easier to digest.

While A2 milk is not lactose-free, Jersey Scoops, from a dairy farm that’s been operating since the 1860s, removes the lactose. Each pint has 16g of protein, and the company also claims the frozen desserts are carbon-negative. Jersey Scoops calls its products “a farm-toscoop ice cream.”

The dairy industry has seen an influx of new “milks” that are naturally lactose-free and boast health and sustainability claims. Plantbased analogues from almonds, soy, coconuts and oats, among others, have taken 15% or more of the milk category and are making similar inroads in ice creams.

Soy-based ice creams date back to the 1930s, but they didn’t become mainstream till the end of the 20th century. Now Oatly, one of the pioneers of plant-based milks (oatmilk) is making ice creams in vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and salted caramel. Available in pints only, they’re free of dairy, nuts, gluten and GMOs. So Delicious, a Danone brand, makes a variety of frozen desserts – ice cream pints, bars, sandwiches, other novelties – using “milks” made from soy, cashews, oats, almonds and coconut.

Even Ben & Jerry’s, known for its decadent ice cream pints, has a non-dairy line. Some of its most popular flavors – Cherry Garcia,

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Phishfood and 13 others – are made with oatmilk.

Also, what’s “not in there,” at least in the near future, are synthetic colors. And that will be a sea change, as one of the great attractions of many ice creams is the visual appeal.

Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in April asked all food processors to remove seven petroleum-based color additives — Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 — from all foods by the end of 2026. Red 3 is already banned as of Jan. 15, 2027.

Food processors in every product category pledged their allegiance, and the International Dairy Foods Assn. (IDFA) in July 2025 announced an agreement by 40 makers of ice cream in the U.S. to eliminate the artificial colors from products by Dec. 31, 2027. While they were not named, the association said they represent “more than 90% of the ice cream volume sold in the United States.”

“As national and state policies on artificial colors in food continue to change … many commercial ice cream makers have already

Sorbatto uses only the hues of the fruits to color its sorbets.

phased out certified artificial colors and many others are working with suppliers to phase them out by 2028 in compliance with this effort and other business considerations,” the IDFA said.

Ice cream manufacturers are scrambling to come up with natural alternatives. Common alternatives to synthetic red food dyes include extracts from fruits and vegetables, such as beets, dark carrots, pomegranates and tomatoes. Darker reds can be made from purple sweet potato, radish, beetroot, blackcurrants and blueberries.

Carrots also make shades of yellow, as can paprika, pumpkin, algal carotene and turmeric. Blue is one of the most difficult colors to replicate naturally, but spirulina, an algae, is an excellent match for Blue 1, with blueberries and other blue-purple fruits providing other solutions.

Although natural options, they are more expensive and sometimes trickier to work with than synthetic colorants, and many of the substitutes can impart their own flavor, especially in a product as delicate as ice cream. Q

Oatly, one of the pioneers of plant-based milks (oatmilk), is making vegan ice creams in vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and salted caramel.

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INGREDIENTS

EVEN PROCESSORS FAVOR FEDERAL INGREDIENT BANS After a barrage of varying state laws in the past year, the food & beverage industry acknowledges that national regulations with pre-emption may be necessary.

Written by

Dave Fusaro EDITOR IN CHIEF

O

ne of the impending showdowns of 2026 is how the food & beverage industry and the government – really, governments – will deal with the growing number of state laws banning, labeling or otherwise controlling certain foods and ingredients.

Last year in this story, we talked about two then-recently passed laws in California and efforts underway in Illinois, Indiana, New York and Pennsylvania – five states, that’s all. In the months since, six states exacted bans and the number of state legislatures considering them grew to 19. Two on-the-books laws – in Texas and West Virginia — are so sweeping and so imminent they have drawn lawsuits challenging them.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of Health & Human Services, last year did what he could to control questionable additives without going the lengthy and cumbersome regulatory route. Last April, he made a strong and public demand – without specified repercussions – that processors remove six petroleum-based

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color additive (Blue 1&2, Green 1, Red 40 and Yellow 5&6) by the end of 2026 LINK!!!!! Voluntary Removal of 6 Color Additives ‘By the End of Next Year,’ FDA and HHS Say | Food Processing Red 3 was banned by the previous administration, with an effective date of Jan. 15, 2027. So was brominated vegetable oil, outlawed effective last August.

Despite some initial pushback from the industry, one processor after another pledged to abide by the Jan. 1, 2027 deadline. Interesting, however, was the Mars response: The company would offer alternative versions of M&M’s, Skittles, Extra Gum Spearmint and Starburst made without FD&C colors at an unspecified date this year and apparently online only.

All that more or less satisfied the feds.

But not the states.

Seven states have enacted or passed bans on the colorants and other ingredients, and 19 more have bills pending in their legislatures.

While there are many similarities – all want to ban the petroleum-based FD&C color additives, and most also target butylated hydroxyanisole, potassium bromate and propylparaben – there are enough differences that a food maker might have to create several different versions of a product, maybe even 50 versions, if the company wants to sell in all 50 states.

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California started this

The California Food Safety Act (AB 418) started this all, passing back in October of 2023 with an enforcement date of Jan. 1, 2027. Food safety consultancy The Acheson Group at the time titled a newsletter about it “How a Single State Regulation Can Impact the Entire Nation.”

The law says, “No person or entity can manufacture, sell, deliver, distribute, hold, or offer for sale, in commerce a food product for human consumption that contains brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, or red dye 3.” It provides fines up to $5,000 for a first violation and up to $10,000 each for subsequent violations.

The initial version, proposed in the state senate, also included a ban on titanium dioxide (TiO2), however that was removed in the subsequent assembly bill.

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States that have already passed laws.

States that are debating possible regulations.

A year later, the California School Food Safety Act was signed into law, prohibiting California public schools from grades 1 to 12 from serving food containing blue 1, blue 2, green 3, red 40, yellow 5 and yellow 6.

“All of these chemicals are prohibited from being added to food sold in the European Union because of the dangers they pose, but are still allowed in the U.S.,” Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, who introduced both bills, said in a fact sheet.

Everything’s bigger in Texas

Texas SB 25, signed into law on June 22 of last year, is a wide-ranging law to improve health in that state. It requires more nutrition education and more school physical activity, among its mandates, and requires warning labels

on an exhaustive list of 44 food ingredients, from A (acetylated esters of mono- and diglycerides) to Y (yellow dyes 5&6). It goes into effect Jan. 1, 2027.

In December, four food industry associations filed suit challenging only the warning labels provision because, in essence, it forces them to lie. The required wording says “WARNING: This product contains an ingredient that is not recommended for human consumption by the appropriate authority in Australia, Canada the European Union or the United Kingdom.”

But the plaintiffs claim at least three of the specified ingredients — lye, acetylated esters of monoglycerides and acetylated esters of diglycerides – are permitted for use in some of those countries.

The complaint, which was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, argues that the labeling component in SB 25 is unconstitutional

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because it requires businesses operating in Texas to make false and misleading claims about their products – in violation of the companies’ constitutional rights.

West Virginia

West Virginia’s HB 2354 overwhelmingly passed both houses in the state legislature last March. It would prohibit the sale of any food product in the state that contains Red 3 or 40, Yellow 5 or 6, Blue 1 or 2 or Green No. 3 — the same color additives banned in California schools —along with butylated hydroxyanisole and propylparaben – the latter banned in the statewide California ban.

The law banned the listed colors in school nutrition programs effective last Aug. 1. Then, on Jan. 1, 2028, the ban will extend to all foods sold statewide. The International Assn. of Color Manufacturers has filed a lawsuit saying the legislation violates the constitutions of both the state and the country.

Louisiana

Senate Bill 14, passed unanimously by both state houses and signed into law on June 20, 2025, is even bigger than the Texas law, controlling 50 ingredients, some prohibited in schools, some banned throughout the state and some requiring QR codes with information on the suspect ingredients.

The new law of course includes the seven petroleum-derived colors that are mentioned in all passed or pending state and federal legislation, plus the other usual

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suspects (azodicarbonamide, butylated hydroxyanisole, etc.) but also some surprise additions — such as sweeteners acesulfame potassium, aspartame and sucralose plus bleached flour and seed oils.

By banning certain ingredients, it essentially removes ultraprocessed foods from state-funded schools; mandates warning labels for artificial colors, additives and banned chemicals; requires restaurants to disclose the use of seed oils in food preparation; prohibits the purchase of sugary soft drinks with SNAP benefits; and requires continuing education for health professionals on nutrition and metabolic health.

Arkansas, Utah, Virginia

Arkansas’ ambitions are much smaller. Act 622 only bans potassium bromate and propylparaben effective Jan. 1, 2028.

Utah’s HB 402 will prohibit the widely banned colorants as well as potassium bromate and propylparaben from school foods beginning with the 2026-27 school year.

Virginia last year enacted a bill that would ban the seven color additives from state schools effective July 1, 2027.

Environmental Working Group says there are similar bills, or ones focusing on PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in packaging, being debated in Alaska, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont and Wisconsin.

“The rights of states to enforce legislation that is not in sync with federal legislation is becoming increasingly controversial, particularly in relation to food dyes and additives,” The Acheson Group recently wrote. “From the MAHA focus to a new Senate bill, an alliance of major food manufacturers, and lawsuits against states implementing ingredient regulations, groups are taking sides – and action.”

While the food & beverage industry initially fought all forms of regulation of approved ingredients, it’s taken a more moderate stance since, capitulating to federal control that pre-empts different state laws.

To that end, Americans for Ingredient Transparency (AFIT) launched last Oct. 22. “These well-intentioned [state] efforts are creating an ever-expanding patchwork of disjointed food, beverage, and personal care regulations that are increasing confusion, rather than providing Americans with the clarity they deserve,” AFIT said in its inaugural announcement.

Food company backers are Coca-Cola Co., Conagra, General Mills, Hormel, Ken’s, Keurig Dr Pepper, Kraft Heinz, McCormick, Nestle, Ocean Spray, PepsiCo, Sargento and Tyson. The effort also is backed by a number of associations, including Consumer Brands Assn., American Beverage Assn., Meat Institute, National Restaurant Assn., National Milk Producers Assn., FMI-The Food Industry Assn., and others.

AFIT “stands ready to work with the Trump Administration and Congress on incorporating Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) reform, Front-of-Package labeling reform and QR code reform into federal law,” the group said. Q

JANUARY 2026

ANNUAL MANUFACTURING OUTLOOK SURVEY

More plant operators feel optimistic about 2026 than they did in 2025, but will cost control issues — which remain a top priority for many plants — hold back growth in the new year?

Andy Hanacek SENIOR EDITOR

A

fter a one-year hiatus, it appears that hope has made a comeback among food & beverage plant operators. That said, controlling costs remains the top priority for plant operations people surveyed in our annual Manufacturing Outlook Survey for the second year in a row, setting up a potential hurdle to growth for some.

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Indeed, after a “Debbie Downer” type of outlook for 2025, a much larger number of plant operators feel more positive heading into the new year: 70% of respondents to our survey said they were either very optimistic (32%) about 2026 or somewhat optimistic (38%). That’s up from 18% and 40% last year, respectively.

That positive mindset trickled its way into respondents’ predictions about their companies forecasted production plans in 2026. More plant operators (40%) expect their companies to expand production this coming year by opening or adding lines or plants, up from 30% last year.

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ILLUSTRATION: VECTORMINE / SHUTTERSTOCK

Written by

→ How do you feel going into 2026?

38%

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14% 7% 2%

Very optimistic

Somewhat optimistic

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Meanwhile, the number of survey takers who thought their companies would shut down lines or plants in the new year slid by 9 percentage points — from 16% to 7% — and the group who believes things will stay the same dropped 11 percentage points, from 47% to 36%.

17% 7%

Don't Know

Overall, 16% shared some type of pessimism about the 12 months ahead (compared to 12% last year) — though it should be noted that the “very pessimistic” group shrank by a few percentage points this year versus last (2% vs. 5%).

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Two things appear certain from these results, however: change and conviction. Fewer respondents think 2026 will be a straight continuation of 2025, with only 15% saying they felt neutral or unsure about what 2026 will bring (way down from 30% a year ago).

Our 25th annual Manufacturing Outlook Survey was conducted online from September through November of last year. There were 96 responses.

Continuing to control costs

Cost control maintained its place atop the list of priorities driving plant operations for 2026 for the second year in a row (and for only the second time in the survey's 25-year history). Until last year, food safety held the top spot for respondents, who were asked, “Please rank … the importance to your plant of each of the following manufacturing issues.”

Food safety still ranked second on weighted score and racked up the most first-place votes (26 this year, compared to only 10 first-place votes for cost control). So, while cost control may not be the most important issue for most plants, it is very important for almost all of them; and food safety is the most important issue for about a quarter of those surveyed but maybe not as high a priority as it is for other respondents.

Automation and capacity expansion ranked third and fourth respectively again this year, and each had higher weighted scores and more first-place votes than last year. Sustainability made the top five this year, showing last year’s drop to eighth may have been a blip — although energy efficiency repeated last year’s last-place finish.

JANUARY 2026

ANNUAL MANUFACTURING OUTLOOK SURVEY

Despite plenty of talk and often handwringing over the economy and tariffs, the issues of inflation and ability to source supplies didn’t seem to have many respondents super concerned, placing eighth and ninth this year. That said, inflation did pull in eight first-place votes, so it's pestering some.

When we asked respondents what vital issues were not included in the 10 we supplied, about a dozen specifically listed tariffs, imports or cost/price of goods as critical.

Other issues ranged from worker safety, recruitment and motivation to finding and affording parts for equipment. Another few mentioned addressing the skills gap in the workforce, and at least one was concerned with how artificial intelligence compared to human skills.

→ Rank 1 st place through 10th place the importance to your plant of each of the following manufacturing issues Cost control 757 (10)

7.89

Food safety 691 (26)

7.20

Automation 671 (24)

6.99 6.66

Capacity expansion 639 (18) Sustainability 565 (3)

5.89 4.78

Worker recruitment 459 (5) Better traceability 403 (0)

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Inflation 397 (8)

4.14 3.77

Ability to source supplies 362 (2)

3.50 50

Energy efficiency 336 (0)

Working on workforce

Speaking of humans, for those looking for plant work, 2026 appears to be another year in which most processors will hold steady rather than add workers.

Although this isn’t a structural change from last year, nearly half of respondents (48%) plan to maintain staffing levels in 2026, up from 41% last year.

We asked what plants would be doing to optimize asset use (see the bonus charts available online

Answers were scored 10 pts for a first-place vote, 1 pt for a 10th-place vote, etc. The first number (757, etc.) is total score, the number in parentheses is the number of first-place votes. Number at the end of the bar (e.g. 7.89) is the average score.

for full data on this question), and about half said they’d be adding on-the-job training programs to expand maintenance workers’ skill sets — so plant operators remain committed to improving efficiency through investment in their workers.

To that end, at least one respondent noted they were implementing Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)

principles around autonomous maintenance as part of their overall training of staff.

Only 22% plan to add to the workforce this year, a drop of 11 percentage points from last year.

When asked how their organizations

More on the Web In this print report, we include infographics showing answers to six of the 11 questions we asked. To see all 11 infographics, go to www.FoodProcessing.com/55341099.

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→ How is digital tech impacting your facility?

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Replacing paper records with electronic records

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Granting OEMs access to machine controls

were addressing staffing needs, 33% said they were recruiting maintenance technicians, 28% were planning to hire line operators for semi-automated tasks, and 22% were adding in-house engineering capabilities. All three of those groups, however, were smaller than last year.

Meanwhile, 15% believe their workforce will be reduced through attrition. Three percent said they’d be actively reducing staff sizes at their plants.

Filling the gaps

→ How will your plant’s production change in 2026?

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→ What are your plant’s plans for staffing in 2026?

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Maintain staffing level

Add to the workforce

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10%

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To fill the workforce gaps, 39% plan to expand in-house technical training, which is in line with last year’s plans. Fewer respondents said they were outsourcing more job functions this year than last (19% vs. 24%), and only 12% were putting in the effort to develop technical curricula with nearby schools to start the recruitment and training process earlier.

This year, we changed how we asked about the influence of AI and machine learning (ML), from a simple yes/no to an open-ended question. A subjective count of the answers we received showed that roughly 15% more respondents this year than last were somewhere along the curve of pursuing and implementing AI into their plants (see the bonus charts online for the tally). Confirmations ran the gamut from “some, cautiously” to “yes, make AI make money.”

Others were using AI and ML for inspection via enhanced vision technologies or planning and administrative work, while others mentioned supply-chain monitoring tasks and employee identification as well. Q

JANUARY 2026

HOT PURSUIT OF THERMAL CONTROL Thermal processing technology has come a long way, but food & beverage processors still seek more consistency, stability and control, leading to better food safety and product quality.

PHOTO: VOLODYMYR BONDARENKO / SHUTTERSTOCK

EQUIPMENT

Technology continues to evolve to where the days of manually checking the

Written by

Andy Hanacek SENIOR EDITOR

I

t’s a proven, traditional process, but that doesn’t mean thermal processing of food & beverage products has gone stale. In fact, innovation in operations devoted to cooking, smoking, frying, tempering, etc., continues to make those processes safer, more efficient and more stable.

“The advances in thermal processing have been more incremental, but still significant,” explains Lee Koepke, vice president

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temperature of smoked products are fast disappearing of operational integration for Stampede Culinary Partners, a in favor of wireless sensors and temperature probes. sous vide processor supplying restaurants, retailers and other channels. “Thermal processing has just become safer and more efficient.”

The ability for processors to be significantly more precise in application of heat to product and to better dial in their controls over temperature, humidity and air flow has greatly improved in recent years, says Zachary Andrews, senior corporate director of food safety and quality assurance for Charcuterie Artisans (which owns the Creminelli Fine Meats and Daniele businesses).

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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF STAMPEDE CULINARY PARTNERS

Seeking uniformity

Monitoring and adjusting for proper airflow and temperature variability in cooking equipment is critical to product consistency and safety.

“Technology has really come a long way in the past several years in terms of monitoring to make sure we hit our lethality requirements and that there’s less variability in our processes,” Andrews adds. “Innovation today revolves around smart sensors, Wi-Fi capabilities and the ability to monitor rooms incrementally and remotely.”

For Nelson Gaydos, outreach specialist for the American Assn. of Meat Processors (AAMP), changes in technology have been spurred along by the revisions about four years ago of USDA-FSIS appendices A and B, which regulate cooking and stabilization of meat and poultry products, respectively.

“Humidity became a much bigger requirement,” he says. “A lot of processors had to upgrade

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their smokehouses and embrace new technology, because sometimes it was very tedious to meet the humidity requirements with older machinery.”

Those upgrades, in turn, brought advancements in the amount of data that processors could capture and use to monitor the process, he adds.

Andrews says automation in terms of pre-setting cooking, temperature and fermentation parameters for individual products also has helped processors reduce variability from batch to batch. It's allowed Charcuterie Artisans, for one, to “produce large batches over and over with consistency, and because things are programmed, there’s a lot less energy usage as well.”

In a large facility, such as Charcuterie Artisans’ 600,000-sq.-ft. plant in Rhode Island, monitoring energy consumption can make a big difference to the bottom line, also making sure product is fully cooked but not overdone. Furthermore, keeping process times under control helps maximize throughput, Andrews adds.

“In order for us to be able to maximize the amount of product that we can produce, we need to make sure thermal processes are as short as possible,” he says. “We don’t want to have to extend cook times unnecessarily.”

Even with the leaps technology has taken when it comes to consistency and safety, Koepke says ensuring more uniform heating all the way through each product remains a daily challenge for processors, no matter whether the plant is using a smokehouse, oven or sous vide system. Charcuterie Artisans sees similar challenges, Andrews says.

“Especially with our largerdiameter products, we’re always up against making sure we get uniform heat penetration and that we’re not getting fat separations,” he explains. “We don’t want the product to be dry and unappetizing, so we would love to see technology that’s reliable and repeatable, and that continues to improve over the years.”

Being able to monitor temperatures and then adjust airflow and product runs accordingly is the key. Gaydos reminds processors “there’s always going to be cold spots; they may be smaller or there may be fewer of them, but it’s just the way thermodynamics happen.”

Additional advancement toward lowering energy costs and reduction of water consumption can help processors like Stampede meet their sustainability goals, Koepke adds. Furthermore, even though it’s a bit of what he calls a “Star Trek” idea, monitoring every single package through the system would pay off in terms of guaranteeing quality and safety of each product.

“Maybe there’s some type of sensor in the packaging itself to monitor things,” he says. “But imagine if every package that went through had some type of self-monitoring on it that you could program into that packaging.”

JANUARY 2026

EQUIPMENT

For the time being, temperature monitoring probes have been improving at a rapid pace to lend a hand. Wireless probes, for example, have been developed in the past decade or so to help companies stay compliant with regulations and keep tabs on equipment performance.

“We can see information a lot more quickly and then make decisions right away,” Andrews says.

“And if there are deviations or a room goes down, we can respond more quickly.”

AI: A ‘hot’ topic

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Sensors on other pieces of machinery, such as conveyors, can help with thermal data analysis as well as predictive maintenance.

“Our ability to kind of leverage AI for data validations, trending analysis and those types of tools really gives us even more confidence in our validated processes,” Andrews says. “And, if we see a certain oven is taking a little bit longer month-over-month to hit temperature, there are predictive models that tell us that oven is trending in the wrong direction.”

Koepke adds the fact that sensors can be placed on machinery such as conveyors, where data can be analyzed, often by AI tools, to help maintenance teams become more predictive than reactive, minimizing downtime on the floor. Finally, he notes that the possible capabilities for AI are impressive.

“AI is just going to get better for maintenance, food safety and for thermal processing as well, finding ways to be able to predict the cooking process of products,” he says. “And then, if for some reason the cooking process starts to go off track, AI can help the technology adjust and correct itself.” Q PHOTO: CERGIOS / SHUTTERSTOCK

Of course, the next frontier comes in the world of data and whatever role artificial intelligence (AI) might play in taking the industry to the next level of consistency, safety and quality.

Koepke relays that collecting data from a thermal process is a great step, but a plant needs to dedicate itself to doing something more with that data, starting with finding good analysts.

“You can’t look at the data once a week or once a month or once every six months; you have to look at it consistently and frequently,” he advises. “We have employees whose responsibilities include looking at the process data and raising any red flags if they see them.”

Stampede also currently uses AI tools to help take the data and make it more easily digestible for the employees, he adds. AI has been taught to locate and highlight the important data points and condense the message down around those points.

Some processors or plant management might feel intimidated

or uninterested in pulling more data from the process and using AI to analyze that information.

Gaydos says that’s a factor of sticking with what has worked best in the past, but he then advises processors to consider what could happen if something goes wrong in the process.

“If you build up a good history of data and show consistency, that can be helpful if an issue arises,” he explains. “It wouldn’t be scientific supporting documentation, but the data you generate yourself with your own equipment in your facility can help you improve efficiency in your process and with your employees.”

Charcuterie Artisans does just that, pulling in thousands of data points in a single production run, multiplied by four runs a day, six days a week, analyzing that information to build predictive models to monitor its equipment.

39

TECHNOLOGY

Digital technology continues to advance, allowing food & beverage processors to stay attuned to the inner workings of their businesses, and also forecast and innovate at a more successful rate.

Written by

Andy Hanacek SENIOR EDITOR

N

ew equipment and technology only operate as well as the people and systems behind them. Food & beverage processors have learned over the years that getting operational software right

40

makes a huge difference in how much efficiency they can squeeze out of a piece of machinery, a processing line and an entire operations network.

Today, it seems, whenever people think about software in food or beverage plants, the mind drifts automatically to artificial intelligence and machine learning. And sure, the computing power and programming needed to elevate the game on AI and ML is critical. For companies of various sizes,

JANUARY 2026

PHOTO: COURTESY OF NESTLÉ

SOFTWARE KEEPS PROCESSES CONNECTED AND CRUISING

TECHNOLOGY

Operators using a tablet in a KitKat factory in Caçapava, Brazil.

FOODPROCESSING .COM

Keeping processes connected

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software can make a big difference for companies looking to improve their plants’ efficiency, meet food safety

and regulatory compliance demands and provide data and record-keeping up and down the supply chain.

“By automating various workflows, such as inventory management, order processing and scheduling, ERP software ensures that production runs smoothly and is aligned with demand,” according to a blog post from Ultra Consultants. “This, in turn, enables food & beverage companies to save time, reduce costs and enhance the quality of their products.”

Of course, implementing any sort of company-wide change such as an ERP system requires processors take the proper precautions and work with the right vendors. It’s not Nestlé workers observe data on a tablet in a company plant in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF NESTLÉ

using AI to increase efficiency has been a gamechanger.

Take one recent Business Insider report, for example, highlighting the benefits gained in three different manufacturing plants. A startup pet food company named Spot & Tango used AI software to manage various parts of its supply chain and logistics, allowing the company to scale up its production and take some of the scheduling and coordination out of the hands of the workers.

Furthermore, more companies are turning to digital twin technology, where process and product innovation can be tested and trialed in a virtual space using real data to determine viability. Kellanova, for one, has taken advantage of this cutting-edge idea as part of a digital journey it has been on for years.

In a release from May 2025, Kellanova relayed it has “used digital twins to test, adjust and optimize new technology in a virtual environment before launching large-scale manufacturing of our paper Pringles cans in Europe, which enabled us to maintain production efficiency, reduce downtime and improve start-up.”

Meanwhile, more processors are taking advantage of AI software that can handle inspection and detection tasks at greater speeds and with improved accuracy. Walk any food & beverage trade show

floor, and numerous vendors will be happy to lay out the details of the programs that support and run the detection systems and cameras that inspect the product on the line.

AI has also worked its way into crunching the data produced by machinery on the line to plan maintenance and predict required downtime for maintenance in some cases.

Even with AI taking up the headlines as the new kid on the block, innovative software solutions have been available to help processors maneuver through the maze of challenges they face in day-to-day operations as well as long-term planning.

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U.S. SALES TEAM VICE PRESIDENT-SALES

Jason DeSarle (440) 476-9526, jdesarle@endeavorb2b.com

hard to find horror stories of ERP installations gone bad, even in the food & beverage space. Many of those bad-news case studies offer lessons that can be learned pretty easily.

Of course, the number of successful switchovers outnumbers the slip-ups. When implemented correctly and employees are properly trained on how to use the system, there are plenty of benefits to be reaped, no matter the size of the company.

With the right approach, there’s no such excuse as being too big to change for the better. In fact, global behemoth Nestlé just announced in October 2025 that it had finished the first phase of a major upgrade to its global digital core — what it called “the world’s largest-ever SAP upgrade.”

The company further noted that the “milestone in Nestlé’s digital transformation strengthens the company’s ability to drive growth by improving its operational efficiency and its responsiveness to evolving consumer trends.” And while digital initiatives, AI and automation often garner praise across the wider industry for their ability to free up employees to do more valuable or affirming work, in this case Nestlé pointed out that the move would free up “resources to invest in Nestlé’s iconic global brands.”

The company went on to say that it will be able to finish the upgrade across the rest of the group in two years, “significantly faster than similarly sized peers.” Nestlé’s ERP system connects processes from manufacturing and sales to supply chain, finance, and human resources, end-to-end in a single system, enabling streamlined operations and improved decision-making.

STRATEGIC ACCOUNT MANAGER

Lisa Williman (205) 332-5915, lwilliman@endeavorb2b.com

STRATEGIC ACCOUNT MANAGER

Roland Espinosa (201)912-1112, respinosa@endeavorb2b.com

SALES DEVELOPMENT REPRESENTATIVE

Ryan Leonard (941) 208-43088, rleonard@endeavorb2b.com

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JANUARY 2026

Stay on Top with EDUCATIONAL WEBINARS

What are current consumer trends? The new ingredient and equipment breakthroughs? What regulatory deadlines do I need to be aware of?

As preparations for the new year begin, we look back on some great webinars … which you can still attend. Although their live dates are past, you can still watch an archived version of such topics as: • Driving Food Product Development with Science-Based Innovation Lifecycle Management • New Proteins • Critical Components in the Food Processing Industry: Withstanding Harsh Conditions and Preventing Component Failure • Fresh Ideas, Faster Results: How AI-Powered Solutions are Future-Proofing Food & Beverage Businesses • Proactive vs Reactive Food Safety — Don’t Wait Until There’s a Problem!

Read more about them and register for any or all at: www.foodprocessing.com/webinars