The recent IFT FIRST event spotlighted how food makers are shifting toward natural colors, sugar stealth, and GLP-1-driven formulation. Regulatory winds and wellness trends are rewriting the color, taste, and portion playbook.
AI is now the sous-chef behind food innovation, reshaping R&D from lab bench to market shelf. As illustrated by this week’s IFT FIRST event in Chicago, platforms like Tastewise are accelerating product timelines, predicting consumer trends, and leveling the playing field for brands big and small.
Legacy CPGs are losing consumer relevance to agile upstarts – but AI, innovation, and a shift to “disruptive optimism” offer hope. EY’s latest report calls on brands to earn loyalty daily or drift into obscurity.
