With consumers asking for more from your products, it's time to explore ingredients that can deliver

Chickpeas, lentils, flax and sorghum can help you stack more benefits into every bite

By now, you’ve probably heard of benefit stacking – the consumer mindset for seeking out multiple nutritional benefits from the foods they eat – and it’s reshaping how we shop the store aisles. From more protein and added fiber to ingredient labels that prioritize whole grains, one thing is clear: the products outpacing the competition are those that often deliver more than one wellness claim.1 The most pressing question is how to successfully and confidently create new products or reimagine existing favorites that help your brand align with consumer wants.  

It starts with nutrient-dense ingredients 

When it comes to the role that ingredients play in food choices, consumer priorities are becoming clear. Compared to last year, share of products in the food and beverage category that contain whole grains, pulses or seeds like chickpeas, lentils, sorghum and flax have increased by as much as 388 percent.2 And awareness of these ingredients continues to climb. Consumers now have a nearly universal awareness of flax – 91 percent – over previous years.3 But what exactly is a nutrient-dense ingredient?  

The National Institute of Health (NIH) defines nutrient density as “foods and beverages that provide vitamins, minerals and other substances that may have positive health effects with relatively few calories.”4 For your formulations, this means integrating ingredients that can address multiple consumer need states, like being GLP-1 friendly by delivering desired nutrients, contributing to digestive health, serving as good sources of protein or fiber, or being organic or gluten free. But in addition to delivering on valued health and wellness benefits, your products need to provide the taste and texture consumers expect. In short, your portfolio needs an ingredient upgrade. 

“We are regularly working with customers to help them integrate emerging, nutrient-dense ingredients into their formulations to ensure their products are in line with what consumers are seeking today,” said Anke Golde, Senior Director, Ardent Mills Research and Development. “Often, strategic swaps or additions of versatile ingredients can mean more benefits for the consumer without changing the sensory performance of your products.” 

A snapshot of today’s nutrient-dense ingredient options

Lentils: With organic options available, lentils check nearly all the boxes, offering consumers whole grain nutrition, serving as a good source of fiber, delivering on clean-label and gluten-free expectations and supporting GLP-1-friendly formulations by delivering desired nutrients and digestive function.  

By the numbers:

  • The share of new food and beverage products with lentils is +36% year-to-date vs. the previous year.5
  •  The share of new bean-based snacks with lentils is +29% year-to-date vs. the previous year.5
  • The share of new plain pasta products with lentils is +196% year-to-date vs. the previous year.5
  • 59% of consumers claim that they eat lentils because they are a healthier choice.6
  • 49% of consumers claim that they eat lentils to add fiber to their diets.6
  • 45% of consumers claim that they eat lentils to add protein to their diets.6
  • 44% of consumers claim that they eat lentils because of the vitamins and nutrients they deliver.6

Sorghum: This versatile, nutty tasting whole grain is also a popular clean-label, gluten-free choice for supporting GLP-1-friendly formulations by delivering desired nutrients, digestive function and organic products. 

By the numbers: 

  • 55% of consumers agree that sorghum has a positive impact on the taste of finished products that include it as an ingredient.7  
  • 53% of consumers agree that sorghum has a positive impact on the nutritional profile of finished products that include it as an ingredient.7 
  • 48% of consumers agree that sorghum has a positive impact on the texture of finished products that include it as an ingredient.7  
  • The share of new cereal and energy bars launched year-to-date with sorghum as an ingredient is +388% vs. one year ago.8   

Flaxseed and Milled Flaxseed: Depending on the format, flax is an excellent or good source of fiber and provides added protein to your formulations. It can also help you meet your clean-label and gluten-free goals.  

By the numbers:  

  • The share of new cereal and energy bars launched year-to-date with flax as an ingredient is +15% vs. one year ago.8   
  • The share of new cold cereal launched year-to-date with flax as an ingredient is +49% vs. one year ago.8   
  • Social discussion about flaxseed is +2%.9  
  • Sentiment in social discussion about flaxseed is nearly universally positive at 96%.9

Chickpeas and Chickpea Flour: A benefit-stacking leader, this powerful pulse can help you deliver on more protein and provide a good source of fiber, as well as help you support GLP-1-friendly formulations by delivering desired nutrients, digestive function, clean label, organic, gluten free and whole grain ingredients.  

By the numbers:  

  • 94% of consumers are familiar with chickpea.7  
  • 81% of consumers agree that chickpeas are nutritious.7   
  • 80% of consumers agree that chickpeas are a good source of fiber.7 
  • 79% of consumers agree that chickpeas are a good source of protein.7  
  • Share of new F&B products with chickpea flour is +68% year-to-date vs. previous year.8  
  • More than one-half (59%) of new food and beverage products launched year-to-date with chickpea flour as an ingredient have included a high/source of protein claim/positioning.8  
  • Growth in social discussion about chickpea flour AND fiber has increased +49% year-over-year.10  
  • Growth in social discussion about chickpea Flour AND protein has increased +33% year-over-year.10  
  • 54% of U.S. consumers claim that they would purchase savory snacks made with chickpea flour.7
“Depending on your innovation goals, there is a range of ingredients that are versatile enough to protect the taste and texture consumers expect from your products while improving the nutritional attributes you can deliver,” added Golde.  

Why Ardent Mills? Your single source for success  ​

You have many options for sourcing ingredients, but only one who delivers the largest domestic footprint, proven ingredient expertise and end-to-end capabilities that will help you innovate and reformulate with agility and confidence.  

Growing capabilities that mean supply assurance and quality  
Ardent Mills is investing in the ingredients – like chickpeas, flaxseed and other gluten-free options – that matter to consumers and to your growth. Our new Richardton facility is focused on in-house capabilities and specialty services like roasting and blending, in addition to significant and scalable storage space.  

Our vertically integrated supply chain spans grain cleaning, milling, packaging and processing, and we ensure full traceability and maintain trusted partnerships with more than 100 small farms.  

When you bring all of this together, Ardent Mills is the partner to help you push forward with emerging ingredients to create the products that win with consumers today and into the future. 

Make today the day

Getting started is easy. Reach out to our team at Ardent Mills to talk about ingredient options, discuss your innovation goals or request ingredient samples.

1,3,7 Ardent Mills Proprietary Research, US consumers 18+

2,5,8 Ardent Mills Proprietary Research based on Innova Market Data

4: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10282407

6: Pulse Canada, US consumers 18+

9: Menu Data AI

10: Tastewise, US Food