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.
Amid deepening tariff fatigue, F&B leaders brace for prolonged disruption while rethinking sourcing and private-label strategy. With costs rising and margins thinning, industry players are innovating, deploying strategies like alternative sourcing. FI recently gleaned business tips from dozens of industry leaders regarding tariffs.
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.
