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When Mike Leonard began his new role as chief innovation officer in May, he said Ingredion had already laid the foundation for the company's aspirations.
“We were already in a position where we needed to provide textures and other useful solutions that make healthy taste better, and that’s a big challenge,” he told Food Dive at IFT in Chicago last week. “Innovation plays a really big role there.”
Before joining Chicago Leonard, an ingredient solutions provider, was CEO of MycoTechnology, a food ingredients company focused on fungi. He also spent time at Motif FoodWorks, a food technology company, and Pepsi Co.
In terms of how Leonard plans to drive innovation across the enterprise, he said integrating all the components of the company's various solutions is key.
“Ingredion has a very broad portfolio of consumer solutions. We are experts in starch and have a long history in this space, but with the recent addition of our sweeteners business and our protein fortification business, we have a very broad range of solutions to offer.”
According to Leonard, the company's innovation process will start by solving specific customer problems, and with its technical capabilities and R&D platforms, executives will focus on making all of these systems work better together.
We make healthy taste even more delicious
“We are very interested in being part of the nutrition and wellness community and reengaging with influential figures and thought leaders in the field to inform our innovation strategy,” Leonard said.
According to Leonard, Ingredion prioritizes scientific rigor in the work it does and the products it brings to market.
This week the company launched Fibertex. Ingredion claims the multi-benefit citrus fiber provides improved texturing properties and a “clean label.” The product can replace expensive and volatile ingredients such as eggs, oils and tomato solids, alleviating cost and supply issues without compromising texture, stability and eating experience, the company said.
Recent launches include a clean label pea protein called Vittessense, a Red Raspberry PC 28 Brix product under the Kerr brand, and a Cranberry Juice Concentrate 50 Brix product, which can be used as a clean ingredient fruit solution in protein bars.
“As an ingredient company, when we launch a new product, we want to make sure that there’s already an environment in place for the new ingredient to thrive from a thought leadership perspective, especially as it relates to potential claims that our customers might make,” Leonard said.
Higher expectations
During his time in the industry, Leonard observed that consumers expect more from their food.
“It’s not just about the macronutrients, it’s about how many macronutrients I’m getting and whether my food is helping me in ways that it wasn’t before,” Leonard said. “It’s such a complex situation that we’re reaching out to more experts in the nutrition and health influencer community.”
Leonard said Ingredion must pressure test its agenda when it comes to innovation.
“We want to make sure that what we’re working on is consistent with and supported by what the community understands to be true.”
Leonard said he is keeping a close eye on cost pressures on food supplies as the challenge ahead.
“From our perspective, we see the solutions we provide as a value-add, but we are very sensitive to the cost of use,” Leonard said. “We want to make sure that our solutions are easy to adopt, and we don’t approach the industry as just an out-of-the-box product.”
Leonard said that no matter how healthy a food is, consumers have to want to eat it, and a big part of that is improving both texture and taste to complete the overall eating experience.
“When consumers say taste is important, they really mean the eating experience, too. So we think there’s an opportunity for premium innovation in spaces like texture.”
