Ingredion is a global ingredients company that develops plant-based, texture, nutrition and sugar-reduction solutions used by food and beverage manufacturers worldwide.
You’ve worked across different parts of the food and health world. What drew you specifically to Ingredion?
I’ve been in the food industry my whole career, about 22 years now. I’m trained as a scientist, but everything I know about food I learned in the industry. I’ve always been passionate about the intersection of technology, health and wellness, and I’ve worked with ingredient companies both big and small, as well as consumer-facing CPG companies. I’ve seen both ends of the value chain.
My motivation for coming to Ingredion was to have impact at scale on issues that are most pressing globally: nutrition, food quality, availability and convenience. These are important trends to address, and companies like Ingredion play a big role in enabling better food choices. Being here gives me a unique opportunity to contribute in a bigger way to that mission.
Where do you see Ingredion’s role in addressing issues with Western diets and improving nutritional quality?
Consumers today, especially in the West, see food as agency—people expect more from their food in terms of nutrition and what it represents socially and culturally. Food has become central to lifestyle and health aspirations, and that makes working in food incredibly interesting. The industry’s call to action is growing stronger as expectations rise.
Ingredion’s role is to help enable better choices and improve nutritional quality while keeping food enjoyable. Nutrition doesn’t matter if people don’t want to eat the product, and that’s where texture is essential. Our expertise allows customers to create compelling textures in foods that are higher in protein and fibre or lower in sugar, without compromising taste. Our winning aspiration is to be the go-to provider for texture and healthful solutions—protein fortification, sugar reduction, fibre fortification—all of which consumers across generations increasingly prioritise.
Could you tell us more about your approach to plant science?
Texture is the foundation of everything we do. Eating is simple, but food is complicated, so we rely heavily on the science of food and eating—understanding the physics of how people chew and perceive texture. It’s not enough to offer more protein, less sugar or more fibre; it has to be delivered in a format consumers enjoy and want to buy again. That’s where understanding structure and the chemistry between ingredients becomes critical.
We have more than 500 scientists in over 30 locations working on this. Plant science is a major innovation area for us—creating new types of grains through traditional breeding to deliver textures we can’t achieve through normal processing and to improve efficiency. It takes time, but the results can be significant. We’re also investing in new pea protein varieties and in better-tasting forms of stevia, all with the aim of supporting higher protein, higher fibre, and lower sugar products.
Do you seek partnerships with life sciences companies, particularly with the rise of weight-loss drugs?
Yes. While CPG companies are our core customers, they increasingly expect us to bring them science that supports meaningful, evidence-backed health claims. Partnerships in areas like microbiome health are important, and many of our customers are investing there. We’re also working to understand how protein content impacts diets of people on or coming off weight-loss medications, where optimal nutritional profiles are still being studied.
Collaboration with universities, scientists and organisations advancing that research is essential. Our customers expect us to be doing this work and to bring them viable options. Another important area is using cornstarch polymers in paper and packaging to replace petroleum-based chemicals. It’s not food directly, but it affects the food experience—removing PFAS and other synthetics from items like pizza boxes and fry boxes. Making paper behave more like plastic without harmful chemicals is a major part of our innovation agenda.
What is your take on the Make America Healthy Again movement, especially in relation to prevention and healthier diets?
We welcome the focus on better health outcomes for everyone. Prevention and nutritional quality have been priorities for us for a long time, and the forces behind the current movement have been building for years. It’s why we positioned our portfolio around protein, sugar reduction and fibre fortification—combining digestive and metabolic health benefits with the texture that makes healthy food appealing.
The movement reinforces trends we’ve already been addressing. The food industry needs to rise to the challenge of delivering healthier food that still tastes great, and our role is to help our customers do exactly that. We feel a strong responsibility to offer these ingredients to our customers and the world. The fact that these topics are now front and centre is good for everyone.
Do you still encounter reluctance within parts of the food industry to adopt healthier ingredients?
Awareness takes time, especially with food, which is personal and deeply tied to behaviour. Eating may be simple, but food is complicated, and that complexity applies to changing habits as well. Consumers need time to understand what new ingredients mean and how they benefit them.
I wouldn’t call it reluctance—more of a learning curve. As an industry, we can speak more plainly about what we do because we’re feeding people, and technology helps us do that. Over time, increased health messaging and rising awareness will continue to support broader adoption.
Since we’ve spoken so much about texture, can you give an example of a product on the shelves today where your technologies have improved texture and nutritional value?
While I can’t name specific brands, I can give representative examples. One area is snacks that offer airy, light textures with pleasant crunch and melt-in-your-mouth qualities. These textures allow for lower caloric density while still maintaining great eating quality, alongside sugar reduction and protein fortification benefits.
Another great example is developing creaminess in yogurts, particularly plant-based ones. If you’ve ever tried a plant-based yogurt, you know how difficult it is to match the creaminess of dairy. Yet those products are full of nutrition and offer clear benefits. Creating ingredients that help a plant-based product behave more like an animal-based one is an area where texture plays a huge role, and it’s essential for making these alternatives more appealing.
Looking ahead, what do you expect from the food and wellness landscape over the next few years?
It’s going to be an exciting and productive period. From a technology standpoint, new molecules that improve metabolic and digestive health and overall nutritional quality are emerging, and we’re actively discovering them. Precision fermentation will become increasingly important, enabling a broader range of beneficial molecules through natural fermentation processes. We’re developing capabilities there to expand the benefits we can offer.
On the texture side, we’re advancing the science behind new eating experiences. Texture is foundational to who we are, and we see a rich landscape for creating products that make nutritious foods more appealing. Technology will play a central role across the industry, but the ultimate goal remains simple: delivering great-tasting, healthy foods wherever consumers want them. That’s the challenge we’re committed to meeting.
