Ingredion reorganizes business, focuses on ‘texture and healthful solutions’

Dive Brief:

• Ingredients giant Ingredion announced this week plans to reorganize its business to sharpen its global focus on texture and healthful solutions, while also continuing as a provider of food and industrial ingredients to local markets.
• Currently, the producer of emulsifiers, flours, and more is organized by region, but with this strengthened global focus, slated to take place in the first quarter of 2024, the company expects to provide financial stakeholders with greater insight into performance.
• Ingredion’s focus on textures and “healthful solutions,” follows a consumer trend – especially within the plant–based space — for items with whole ingredients that still emulate non plant-based structure.

Dive Insight:

Westchester, Illinois-based Ingredion has been working towards tapping into the dairy and vegan spaces by expanding its portfolio to give formulators healthier options for their products. 

Last week, Ingredion debuted a new product made from a functional native corn starch base to improve the texture of some plant-based items. The ingredient, called Novation Indulge 2940, aims to achieve a gelled texture for application in dairy and dairy–alternative products like yogurts, puddings and cheeses. 

The ingredients giant is hoping the reorganization of its operations toward a global focus will have a positive impact on the company’s market share in emerging consumer trends. 

“The new structure will allow for greater transparency into our product capabilities, improve our focus on growing market opportunities and serving customers, and provide greater insight to financial stakeholders,” president and CEO Jim Zallie said in a statement. 

With its new focus the company is tapping into seemingly lucrative consumer trends: texture and healthier ingredients. 

Recent reports have shown that many consumers are not happy with the ingredients used in popular plant-based alternatives, specifically meat and dairy. Meanwhile, the need for achieving a satiating texture for these products has yet to be met. 

Ingredion is not the only company hopping on this trend. Alternative protein company Pureture recently launched a plant-based casein product to improve the texture of plant-based milk and dairy products without sacrificing clean and healthy ingredients.