Unlocking Strategies for Success in 2026

Ardent Mills Shares the Marketplace Factors Customers Should Address Next Year and Beyond

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Based on recent Ardent Mills research1, there are four factors we're watching in 2026 to help our customers formulate with confidence, build consumer loyalty and outpace the competition. 

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Price and Cost Management 

The Fast Facts: Prices will likely continue to rise, but at potentially slower rates, resulting in 'value' becoming a foundational priority for consumers with discretionary spending power. 

Consumer Implication: The definition of value is evolving to transcend price alone. Consumers will continue to move from 'inexpensive' to 'willing to pay more' if the product is viewed as 'worth it', living at the intersection of value and performance. 

Customer Next Steps: Identify lower-cost-but-performance-equal ingredients that deliver functional benefits or other attributes that align with consumer preferences that are viewed as worth incremental spend. 

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Better-For-You Continues to Rise 

The Fast Facts: Eating for wellness solidifies its influence as the fundamental driving force in food. 

Consumer Implication: Consumers are now invested in eating for wellness for a range of reasons and are demonstrating a 'real' commitment. 

Customer Next Steps: Prioritize the development of products that bring together great taste and the wellness interests of consumers and be sure to share this "best-of-both-worlds" story on pack and in marketing. 

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Sustainability Matters 

The Fast Facts: Real action and follow-through are catching up to aspirations and on-paper commitments 

Consumer Implications: Earnest, underlying interst in issues like sustainability and wellness are leading consumers to spend in ways that help them achieve their goals and support evolving priorities. 

Customer Next Steps: Brands most likely to win will continue to make early investments in the future of sustainability and educate consumers along the way to create loyalty and engagement. 

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Elevated Eating Experiences 

The Fast Facts: A great eating experience has moved from being desired to being required - consumeres want more from what they're spending and consuming. 

Consumer Implications: No compromises allowed - the food must taste great for both physical and emotional reward.

Customer Next Steps: Great taste is the baseline - the industry must meet that threshold and then look to add other sensory or functional benefits. 

Eating Disruptors Continue to Have an Impact

For most of 2025, we talked about the influence of three consumer eating disruptors impacting our customers - the rise and use of GLP-1s, the shift to reduce ultra-processed foods and the desire for cleaner labels2. 

1. GLP-1s

Data shows that use will continue to grow as key adoption barriers like limited insurance coverage, cost, perceived safety risks and limited availability erode. And with new formats for the medication - like pills, on the horizon, more consumers will consider taking a GLP-1. 

  • The food industry will continue to expand its offering of GLP-1-friendly products and invest in marketing those products to engage this growing consumer base. 

2. Ultra-Processed Foods 

More than likely, the industry (and consumers) won't land on a universally-agreed-to definition of what constitutes an ultra-processed food, but that won't stop the societal drive to avoid or reduce consumption of foods that could fall under this broad umbrella. 

  • Manufacturers should review current formulations for opportunities to move their products closer to the undefinied UPF line by using recognizable ingredients. 

3. Functional Foods 

The call for healthier eating is staying consistent and becoming louder. This rise in interest will continue to require great tasting foods that also offer a wellness benefit of some kind. 

  • Innovation will continue to accelerate to meet the 'movement' and capitalize on the characteristics - like protein, fiber, digestive health benefits and whole grains - that enable 'cleaner eating'.  
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A Look Ahead for CPG Brands

  • Convenience, value and cleaner labels are on the rise.
  • "Inexpensive" will become less of a driver for the "upgrade consumer", replaced by an expanded definition of value, wellness and simplicity.
  • The demand for health-conscious and functional foods continues to increase, fueled by consumer desire for products that promote well-being.

A Look Ahead for Foodservice 3

  • We can expect traffic to start to return at modest levels (especially if economic concerns soften) meaning that delivering value with benefits will win consumer consideration.
  • Younger consumers will continue to be the most 'loyal' to food-away-from home and so the landscape will lean into their preferences — loyalty clubs/digital orders, portability, global cuisine and ingredients, benefits, flavors and more.

A Look Ahead for CPG Brands

  • Convenience, value and cleaner labels are on the rise.
  • "Inexpensive" will become less of a driver for the "upgrade consumer", replaced by an expanded definition of value, wellness and simplicity.
  • The demand for health-conscious and functional foods continues to increase, fueled by consumer desire for products that promote well-being.

A Look Ahead for Foodservice 3

  • We can expect traffic to start to return at modest levels (especially if economic concerns soften) meaning that delivering value with benefits will win consumer consideration.
  • Younger consumers will continue to be the most 'loyal' to food-away-from home and so the landscape will lean into their preferences — loyalty clubs/digital orders, portability, global cuisine and ingredients, benefits, flavors and more.

How We Can Help 

If you're ready to act on the data, we can help. From providing ingredients that can help optimize your formulations for wellness, cleaner labels, sustainability commitmnts and more to working with you to bring your newest product strategies from idea to shelf, Ardent Mills has the team of ingredient experts ready to partner with you to meet your goals. 

1 Ardent Mills Proprietary Analysis/Perspective

2 Ardent Mills Proprietary Analysis/Perspective

3 Ardent Mills Proprietary Analysis/Perspective