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Condiment giant McCormick & Co. is working to meet the needs of food companies to aggressively reformulate and innovate their products to meet rapidly changing consumer trends.
The company’s chief executive said he wants to help companies eliminate artificial ingredients, reduce salt or add trendy ingredients. Moreover, food manufacturers are demanding faster operation speeds.
“We’ve seen an acceleration in the number of projects we’re securing in 2025,” McCormick CEO Brendan Foley said last week at the Consumer Analyst Group conference in New York. “I think that will be the case for a while.”
Food companies affected by falling prices and margins are eager to get products to market faster as inflation-weary consumers cut back on spending. Manufacturers also face demands from consumers and regulators to eliminate artificial dyes and enhance the nutritional content of their products with ingredients such as protein and fiber.
PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said last year that the snack maker would “accelerate” its shift to natural ingredients due to increased consumer demand and pressure from the White House to eliminate artificial colors.
The snack food maker plans to “transition our entire portfolio to natural colors, or at least offer natural color options to consumers” within the next “few years,” he said. In December PepsiCo launches dye-free version Cheetos and Doritos have launched a new line called Simply NKD.
As other companies deploy similar strategies, McCormick is working to solve problems early in the food development process. This includes finding reconfigurable solutions based on consumer needs rather than waiting for requests from specific companies.
So far, the focus has been on reducing sodium, fat and sugar while avoiding artificial ingredients, colors and preservatives.
Foley emphasized that many food manufacturers have been reformulating their products for years and are constantly looking for ways to add on-trend ingredients. But recently, as consumers become more concerned about ingredients and the “Make America Healthy Again” movement targets the processed food sector, companies are becoming increasingly vocal about innovative change.
“What’s missing here is that the food industry has been focused on this for a long time,” he said.
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Christopher Doering/Food Dive
Evolution of Flavor
Companies are moving quickly not only on nutritional content but also on taste. As more consumers eat at home, many shoppers are gravitating toward unusual or at-home meals. Premium spices and flavors to experiment You can try a new flavor or recreate the restaurant experience at home.
McCormick, which sources about 17,000 ingredients from more than 80 countries, still relies on pepper, cinnamon, oregano and other “core” products, Foley said. However, we will continue to look for the next generation of flavors to meet the ever-changing tastes and preferences of consumers.
Foley said the fragrance company is “continuing to identify trends and evolve around a very core set of products that we all need.”
“You’ll always see the core dominate,” he said. “But people also want to have fun. They want new ideas. They want to explore them.”
The 137-year-old company regularly scans social media, restaurant menus, Google and Amazon searches, and other digital data for spikes in trends that have matured enough for McCormick to launch its own flavors into the market.
For example, McCormick monitored dill pickle flavors for four years before launching its own French dill pickle mustard in early 2024.
Foley added that not every taste or trend needs to cater to the ‘mass’ in order to be successful. “This is important to a lot of people and we need to meet their needs,” he said.
McCormick’s 2026 Taste of the Year, Blackcurrant highlights the delicate process of balancing core and initial products as consumers seek variety in their cooking. One night you might be in the kitchen and want to whip up a meal your family can comfortably eat, and the next night you might decide to experiment with a global trend like heat, Foley said.
Flavors such as black currant can provide an exciting yet accessible way for consumers to try out new ingredients, in particular. As more globally inspired ingredients come to the forefront..
The experiment is especially notable among younger shoppers, who will increasingly account for more spending. More than 90% of Gen Z and Millennials say they are actively seeking out new food and drink flavors. According to research on chicoryMost people say, “the rougher the better.”
“We’ve spent a lot of time looking at where Gen Z and Millennials are going because that’s really what defines the future,” Foley said.
