November in review: Diluting deforestation regulations, Innova’s Top Trends for 2025, COP29 criticism

November was marked by advancements in plant-based innovation that go beyond mimicking meat and dairy and sharpen focus on enhancing taste and texture.

Key industry players descended on Frankfurt, Germany, to showcase F&B solutions at Fi Europe.

In business news, Nestlé announced plans to turn its water and premium beverages activities into a global standalone business. Meanwhile, Kerry Group will sell its dairy division to Kerry Co-Op in a €500 million (US$531 million) deal.

COP29 was held in Azerbaijan but faced criticism from several industry stakeholders for a lack of robust action on food-related climate change, among other topics.

The EU’s Deforestation Act was once again in the headlines as the European Parliament approved the delay to its full enforcement. A series of amendments also propose that some countries should benefit from far lighter controls.

Here, we recap the most significant stories of the month to ensure you stay informed about key F&B industry developments and insights.

FiE 2024: Plant-based innovators advance taste and texture in combined protein solutions

The race to formulate standout plant-based alternatives that compete with animal protein in taste, texture and nutrition heated up at this year’s Fi Europe in Frankfurt, Germany. Ingredient leaders continued to address market challenges, including cost-effectiveness, by exploring and often combining plant-based proteins from numerous and increasingly sustainable sources. Other FiE coverage throughout the month included interviews with Cargill about its alt-meat portfolio featuring mycoprotein and key suppliers developing innovative solutions to mitigate ingredient shortages. Meanwhile, IFF unveiled an enzyme alternative to crop-based texturants.

Scientists tap AI to elevate plant-based meat texture for enhanced consumer appeal

Researchers at Stanford University in the US spoke to us about working to close the texture gap between plant-based meat and animal meat by combining a three-dimensional mechanical technique and AI to mimic human sensory experience. The team aims to enhance consumer acceptance of plant-based meat and encourage open-access data to accelerate innovation in the segment.

Nestlé’s waters and premium beverages to become a standalone business to “unlock full potential”

Nestlé announced plans to turn its water and premium beverages activities into a global standalone business as part of an updated action plan to optimize operation performance.  Effective January 1, 2025, the unit will be under the leadership of Muriel Lienau, head of Nestlé Waters Europe. The F&B giant said it is exploring partnerships to leverage Nestlé’s brands and existing growth platforms. The action plan was presented on the company’s Capital Markets Day for investors and analysts.

Diluting deforestation laws? Environmental advocates slam EU’s “awful amendments” and delays to new rules

The European Parliament’s decision to dilute the EUDR received a barrage of criticism from environmental activists.The European Parliament’s decision to dilute the EU Deforestation Regulation received a barrage of criticism from environmental activists and other industry stakeholders for what was slammed as a “watering down” of policy targeting the fight against commodity-linked deforestation. In addition, a vote was adopted to add a new “no risk” category of countries which would see some regions benefit from far lighter controls. This sparked fears that some countries will get a “free pass.”

dsm-firmenich redefines plant-based beverages with innovation “beyond mimicking dairy”

dsm-firmenich unveiled two innovations — the Smart Milk range that mimics “creamy, buttery and rich” milky notes and Dynarome DA technology that masks off-notes in dairy alternatives like oat, pea and other plant proteins. The launches followed the Swiss-Dutch company’s deep dive into understanding what consumers truly crave and identified a significant gap in the market for authentic dairy-like experiences in plant-based beverages, said Utkarsh Shah, vice president of Sweet Goods North America dsm-firmenich Taste, Texture & Health.

COP29: Advocates call for global Plant Based Treaty to address food-linked emissions

COP29 was held in November and we covered several hot food-related topics. Environmental advocates highlighted the need for a global Plant Based Treaty to align the food system with the Paris Agreement and adopt the best practices in plant-based food policy at the local level. Slow Food slammed the US$300 billion finance deal that was negotiated during the high-profile event in Azerbaijan, claiming it is insufficient to tackle the food-related climate crisis. Also during the event, a partnership initiative between the United Arab Emirates and the US government confirmed an investment of US$29.2 billion to build “climate-smart agricultural food systems” to tackle the climate crisis, global hunger and food insecurity.

Kerry Group to sell dairy division to Kerry Co-Op in €500M deal

The Kerry Group entered into an agreement with Kerry Co-Operative Creameries Limited to sell Kerry Dairy Holdings (Ireland) Limited to the Co-Op in a €500 million (US$531 million) deal. Kerry Dairy Ireland is fully owned by Kerry. Under the proposed transaction, the Co-Op will initially acquire a 70% interest in Kerry Dairy Ireland, while Kerry will retain a 30% interest. The Kerry Group said that the planned deal will result in two leading businesses that are better positioned to focus on respective strategies.

Fonterra eyes IPO and trade sale options for consumer business divestment amid “strategic” shift

Fonterra Co-operative Group confirmed the divestment of its global Consumer business.Fonterra Co-operative Group confirmed the divestment of its global Consumer business and integrated units Fonterra Oceania and Fonterra Sri Lanka to prioritize its ingredients and foodservice businesses, following a “revised strategic direction.” The dairy exporter said it is assessing both a trade sale and IPO as divestment options and is preparing for a sale process that will vet both options.

Innova Market Insights’ Top Ten Trends 2025: “Ingredients and Beyond”

Food Ingredients First spoke with Lu Ann Williams, global insights director at Innova, after the company unveiled its Top Ten Trends for 2025. “Ingredients and Beyond” leads the trends, emphasizing that “added value” has become the new norm, with 58% of global consumers prioritizing ingredient quality when making F&B purchases. The market researcher predicted that brands that elevate quality beyond “just ingredients” will thrive in the years ahead.

Industry evolution: “The World of Food Ingredients” celebrates 30 years in an interview exclusive with the founders

The World of Food Ingredients unveiled its 30th-anniversary edition online at the beginning of November, celebrating a legacy in food science and innovation with a newly refreshed layout. Marking this milestone, we spoke to co-founders Patrick Mannion and Lu Ann Williams, who shared their journey and three decades of industry experience. In this rare interview, they revealed how ingredient companies have completely changed how they do business while consumer trends have come back full circle.