Flavor > Trends | Perfumer & Flavorist

The broader Mood Intelligence platform is built around the idea that consumers experience food and beverages through more than taste. Products can be associated with comfort, energy, focus, relaxation, adventure or other emotional territories, creating an opportunity to design sensory experiences around those desired states.

Can Flavor Be Designed for a Feeling?

IFF's Mood Intelligence framework combines data with the creative work of flavorists.

By treating flavor as the hero, nutrition as the enabler and texture as the core experience, brands can move past functional compromise to build the next generation of truly craveable snack bars.

The Flavor Equation: Engineering Craveable Snack Bars in the Age of Protein and Sugar Reduction

The primary hurdle is executing what consumers call "mindful indulgence."

The Scandinavian concept of lagom—the idea that there is a 'just right' amount of everything—is quietly influencing how product developers think about sensory design.

Mapping the Global Senses (Part 2 of 3): Novelty & Familiarity

Read the latest issue

Consumers don't just want 'spicy'—they want the challenge.

Summer's Last Sip: What the Taste Trends Taught Us

With portions shrinking dramatically—some consumers reporting a shift from three or four chapatis to one or two, or from multiple bowls of rice to half a bowl—the sensory and nutritional payoff of each bite becomes increasingly important.

GLP-1s Are Changing What “Good Taste” Means

Canned cocktails are just one manifestation of the shakeup reinventing RTD beverage alcohol.

From Spritz to Sizzle: Flavor-Forward Innovation Reshapes the RTD Alcohol Boom [Forward Thinking]

Most healthier-formulation projects fail not on nutrition but on sensory outcome, because the ingredients being reduced were doing far more sensory work than their labels suggest.

The Reformulation Paradox: Making Food Healthier Without Losing the Taste

'[R]etaining this next generation will depend on continuing to position flavor science as a field where individuals can combine scientific excellence with creativity and real-world impact, shaping how consumers experience food in ways that improve both health and sustainability,' says John Savage, IOFI president and president and CEO of Taste at Kerry.

Leading Through Change: Kerry's John Savage on IOFI, the Future of Flavor and More

"The industry must continue pushing for international coherence, but also remain operationally agile in the face of divergence."

'Looking ahead, Takasago’s 'Technology for the Future' will drive innovation and strengthen our position in the flavor industry,' says Satoshi Masumura, chairman and CEO of Takasago.

Beyond Taste Q&A: How Takasago Is Redefining Flavor Innovation Through Technology and Sustainability

From AI to upcycled ingredients: Takasago's approach to reinventing how the world tastes.

In practical terms, businesses are looking for flavorists, application scientists, sensory specialists and formulation experts who can work with stevia variants, Reb M, thaumatin, sweet proteins, sweetness enhancers, bitterness blockers, masking systems, fibers, fats and texturants to rebuild a complete product experience.

Five Specialist Skills Driving Real Hiring Activity in Flavor and Fragrance

Pet food, fragrance compliance and texture innovation are reshaping F&F hiring priorities right now.

Flavor is now engineered as an integrated, multi-sensory system where taste, mouthfeel, and texture function as a unified matrix.

The New Era of Flavor Leadership

Executives are aggressively redefining how flavor innovation drives commercial value in a volatile market.

Across the board, consumers are looking for multi-sensorial experiences. So much of life is consumed via screens now that people crave fully engaging, elevated sensory experiences whenever possible. We are not only considering taste, but also texture, mouthfeel, color, aroma and more.

Sensient’s Flavor Playbook for a Rapidly Evolving Food Industry

'Over the past 12 months, Scentium has experienced a particularly strong period of growth, achieving a 22% increase in global turnover,' says Manuel García, global sales director/deputy general manager Scentium. 'This performance was driven by our differentiated service model in priority product categories and territories across emerging markets, as well as by our niche-focused strategy in more mature markets.'

Inside Scentium’s 22% Growth Surge and Global Flavor Expansion

'At its core, Robertet’s ambition is simple yet powerful: to future naturals by putting creation at the service of brands, and brands at the service of consumers,' says Mark Bailey, senior vice president, global flavors division, Robertet.

Shaping the Future of Flavor Through Emotion, Science and Nature

How Robertet is blending natural mastery, emotional science and entrepreneurial creativity to redefine the future of flavor innovation.

'AI and machine learning are deeply integrated across McCormick’s flavor creation process, from consumer insights and sourcing to product development,' says Brendan M. Foley, chairman, president, and chief executive officer, McCormick & Company Inc. 'These digital tools enhance how we engage with customers, enabling faster, insight-driven innovation with greater agility and high-impact in the marketplace.'

McCormick’s Brendan Foley on AI, Heat Culture & the Next Era of Flavor

"As the industry expands toward broad-based ingredient solutions, our distinction lies in maintaining a 100% focus on flavor."

This year's 'Flavor Leaders & Newsmakers' special issue reveals an industry moving decisively away from simple sensory replication toward the intentional orchestration of complex, multi-dimensional consumption experiences.

Flavor Leaders & Newsmakers 2026: Convergence, Intelligence and Resilience in Global Flavor Design

Emerging forces are fundamentally redefining the corporate agendas, research and development brief structures, and capital expenditure priorities of global taste leaders.

IFF Taste Accelerates Innovation Engine as GLP-1, AI & Wellness Redefine Global Flavor Demand

IFF is helping customers create products that deliver more joy in every sip and bite.

As consumer expectations continue to evolve and markets become more complex, the future of flavor innovation at dsm firmenich will be shaped by the ability to leverage deep consumer understanding to guide advanced science, digitalization, and biotechnology to deliver no compromise solutions in collaboration with our customers and their brands.

dsm-firmenich Taps Science, AI and Biotech to Redefine the Future of Flavor

Overall, our ambition is to help bring progress to life by addressing some of the food system’s most pressing challenges.

'In an era where both breakthrough innovation and thoughtful reformulation are critical, we are positioning ADM’s flavors business as a partner of choice for regional and global brands alike,' says Calvin McEvoy, president, global flavors, ADM.

ADM Doubles Down on Natural Flavors Growth With Billion-Dollar Momentum and Global Expansion