CK Intelligence
The IFT FIRST 2026
Trend Forecast
Three forces reshaping the food & beverage shelf this summer — and the marketing move behind each one.
CK Intelligence — our custom-built AI-powered insights & trend monitor
We built CK Intelligence to continuously scan the food, beverage and nutrition landscape — regulatory filings, new-product launches, scientific and conference programming and consumer sentiment signals — and surface what's actually moving before it hits the mainstream. The AI does the watching; our team does the interpreting, so every read comes with a point of view drawn from decades of ingredient experience.
Welcome to the first edition. Each quarter, we'll publish the trends that matter most for ingredient marketers — and the move behind each one.
How it worksThe 30-Second Read
- GLP-1 is now a formulation discipline. Protein density per serving is the metric that wins briefs — market outcomes, not grams.
- Synthetic dyes are on a regulatory clock in two countries. U.S. Red 3 reformulation is due January 15, 2027; Mexico's COFEPRIS is removing Red 3 with a 24-month transition.
- Additive scrutiny went mainstream. A June 2026 Consumer Reports / Yuka study put clean label proof — not claims — at the center of brand trust.
- The throughline for marketers: The opportunity isn't a new ingredient; it's a sharper message that formulators and shoppers both believe.
The Read for Ingredient Marketers
CK Intelligence is powered by a proprietary AI trend and insight monitoring program our team built to continuously scan the food, beverage and nutrition landscape — regulatory filings, launch data, scientific programming and consumer signals. The AI surfaces the signal; what you're reading is that signal filtered through decades of ingredient and industry experience. We publish it quarterly, ahead of the curve, with our own lens.
July puts the entire industry in one room in Chicago at IFT FIRST, and our monitoring picked up a sharpening in the conversation. Consumers now expect food that is good for them and genuinely delicious, with a clean ingredient story they can actually read. Below are the three trends that matter most this month. Each starts with a real consumer shift — then the marketing move: how an ingredient company helps its customers answer that demand and become the partner formulators reach for first.
CK's Take
“IFT FIRST is the single biggest earned media moment our industry gets all year. The brands that walk in with a clear story walk out in the trade press — it's where twelve months of coverage, partnerships and positioning get set in a single week.”
Carrie Livingston · Vice President, Media Relations
Select any trend to expand the full analysis, signals and CK's Take.
Health & Nutrition
GLP-1 Rewrites the Protein Rulebook
The move: market outcomes, not grams.
Momentum10/10
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The trend. The GLP-1 conversation has shifted from “smaller portions” to “every bite must work harder.” Danone's Oikos Fusion, a cultured dairy drink built for GLP-1 users, with 23g of complete protein and 5g of inulin fiber per serving, set the template and other major ingredient houses have rolled out GLP-1 specific protein systems in 2026.
Why it matters. The clinical driver is muscle. Because appetite suppression cuts overall intake, GLP-1 users risk losing lean body mass during rapid weight loss — which is why they're advised toward roughly 1.2–2.0g of protein per kg of body weight, distributed ~25–40g per meal. Protein now has to arrive in a smaller, nutrient-dense package.
The gap. Most suppliers still pitch protein on grams and cost. The unmet need is a formulation story — muscle preservation + satiety + digestive comfort in one credible package — that a brand can translate directly onto pack.
The White Space
Almost everyone is selling “more protein.” Almost no one is selling the complete GLP-1 stack — protein for muscle, fiber for satiety, micronutrients for the smaller plate — as a single, on-pack-ready narrative.
Insight → Action
Help your customers sell outcomes, not grams, to the GLP-1 consumer. Give them a “GLP-1 companion” messaging framework — a satiety and muscle preservation claim story, backed by protein-quality data and a clean label profile that they can lift straight onto their pack. The supplier who hands brands a finished consumer narrative wins the spec.
CK's Take
“GLP-1 is the biggest demand reset our industry has seen in a generation, and most ingredient brands are still selling grams when the buyer is purchasing outcomes. The companies that win the next five years will lead with the muscle and satiety story in plain language — this is a brand positioning moment first, a formulation moment second.”
Matt Hensler · Chief Marketing Officer
Regulatory & Color
The Synthetic Dye Deadline — in Two Countries
The move: sell certainty, not pigment.
Momentum9/10
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The trend. Synthetic color is now on a hard regulatory deadline across North America. In the U.S., the FDA's 2025 order revoking Red 3 gives food makers until January 15, 2027 to reformulate. Now, Mexico has followed: COFEPRIS is removing Red 3 from its list of permitted colorants with the agreement published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) and a 24-month transition.
Why it matters. This is no longer a single-market problem. A brand selling across the U.S. and Mexico faces two overlapping reformulation clocks and any product imported into the U.S. must comply regardless of origin. Meanwhile, the broader U.S. dye phase-out has slipped from end of 2026 to end of 2027, while state laws march ahead on fixed dates.
The gap. Natural color is technically harder — stability, pH sensitivity, cost, shade matching. Brands need suppliers who can mitigate the risk of switching and help them talk about it as an upgrade and an opportunity.
The White Space
Everyone is selling “natural color.” Far fewer are selling cross-border compliance confidence — one partner who maps the U.S. and Mexico timelines, guarantees shade match and gives the brand language to frame the switch as a quality upgrade.
Insight → Action
Position your natural color line as “reformulation, de-risked” for your customers. Consumers increasingly read the label and reward a clean color story — so lead with the regulatory calendar, then hand brand teams ready-made, on-pack language — plus the shade match and stability data they need to tell that story with confidence. Sell certainty, not pigment.
CK's Take
“A forced reformulation sounds like a constraint, but it's really a blank canvas. The brands that treat the switch to natural color as a design opportunity — new look, new story on pack — will make competitors who just swap the dye and move on look like they missed the moment.”
Debra Tucker · Vice President, Creative Services
Clean Label & Transparency
Additive Scrutiny Goes Mainstream
The move: message “nothing to hide.”
Momentum9/10
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The trend. A June 2026 Consumer Reports / Yuka investigation tested 40 popular processed foods and found that more than a third contained more additives or contaminants in a single serving than experts consider safe to consume daily. It landed alongside the FDA launching post-market reassessments of long-permitted additives such as BHA, BHT and ADA.
Why it matters. Additive safety has become a “kitchen table issue.” The reporting spotlights titanium dioxide (banned as a food additive in the EU, still permitted in the U.S.) and the “secret GRAS” loophole that lets ingredients enter the food supply without FDA notification. An unfamiliar additive on the label is now a reputational liability.
The gap. “Clean label” has been said so often it's lost meaning. The opening is proof — third-party validated, plain language ingredient stories that hold up when a journalist or a Yuka scan comes looking.
The White Space
The market is saturated with the claim of clean and starved for the evidence. Suppliers who arrive with documentation — sourcing, testing, plain-language explanations — let brands say “here's why,” not just “trust us.”
Insight → Action
Help your customers answer the consumer's “what's in this?” with “nothing to hide.” Package each ingredient with a one line consumer-facing explanation, an origin story and third-party validation a brand can publish. Turn your transparency into the marketing asset that makes their brand audit-proof.
CK's Take
“The smart strategic read here is that 'clean label' has flipped from a claim to a burden of proof. The brands that get ahead of it — building the documentation and the plain language story before a journalist or an app forces the question — turn a regulatory risk into a positioning advantage.”
Kristen Mattingly · Senior Strategy Director
Quick Answers
Frequently Asked
What are the biggest food and beverage trends at IFT FIRST 2026?
Three trends dominate this July: GLP-1-driven protein reformulation, the regulatory deadline phasing out synthetic dyes like Red 3 in both the U.S. and Mexico, and mainstream consumer scrutiny of food additives and clean label claims.
When is the FDA Red 3 deadline?
The FDA's 2025 order revoking Red 3 requires food manufacturers to reformulate by January 15, 2027, and ingested drugs by January 18, 2028. Imported products must comply as well.
Has Mexico banned Red 3?
Yes. Mexico's COFEPRIS is removing Red 3 from its list of permitted colorants, with the agreement published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) and a 24-month transition period for the industry to comply.
How should ingredient companies market to GLP-1 consumers?
Lead with outcomes per serving rather than grams of protein. Pair the protein with a muscle preservation and satiety story in plain language, backed by protein-quality data and a clean label profile, so brands can put it directly on pack.
From Trend to Brief
These aren't just trends.
They're your next positioning.
A trend you can message around — with the right claim language, the proof points and a story formulators and shoppers both believe — is a competitive advantage. That translation, from market signal to marketing move, is what ColinKurtis does for ingredient and nutrition brands every day.
Bring one of these three trends into your next brief and let's pressure test how your brand should own it.
Let's Take Your Marketing to the Next LevelSources
- Fonterra protein retail growth and global protein powder market projection, via Bakery&Snacks (February 2026). bakeryandsnacks.com
- Oikos Fusion formulation and GLP-1 positioning, Danone; New Nutrition Business (November 2025). new-nutrition.com
- Ingredient-house GLP-1 protein launches, Nutrition Insight (April 2026). nutritioninsight.com
- IFT FIRST 2026 program and dates (July 13–15), Institute of Food Technologists. iftevent.org
- Red 3 revocation and reformulation deadlines, U.S. FDA. fda.gov
- Mexico COFEPRIS removal of Red 3 and 24-month transition, via Mexico Business News (2025). mexicobusiness.news
- Additive/contaminant testing, titanium dioxide, dye timeline, state laws, brand commitments, Consumer Reports & Yuka (June 9, 2026). consumerreports.org
- Clean-label themes at IFT FIRST 2026; state additive restriction count, IFT and Consumer Reports (2026). iftevent.org
Figures cited as published by the sources above. Some market projections come from secondary trade reporting; please verify against primary sources before external client use.
