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

*Commentary courtesy of Kerry

You’re stepping into the IOFI presidency at a time of accelerating regulatory scrutiny. What specific regulatory shifts in 2026 should flavor manufacturers be preparing for now—and where does IOFI need to strengthen its advocacy muscle?

Savage: Having stepped into this role in October 2025, I see 2026 as a year defined by intensified regulatory pressure and faster-moving policy shifts across all major markets.

Several developments will require close attention. First, we are witnessing significant changes in flavoring regulations in key jurisdictions, alongside evolving expectations around safety evaluation. These reflect a broader shift toward more precautionary regulatory approaches, with substantially higher data requirements needed to maintain market access.

A second area of challenge is the growing impact of sustainability-related regulation. New requirements linked to responsible sourcing, environmental footprint measurement and supply chain due diligence have the potential to reshape sourcing practices, introduce additional compliance layers, and create new barriers to trade in natural materials.

At the same time, ongoing geopolitical tensions and unilateral trade measures continue to influence tariff and non-tariff conditions affecting flavorings and raw materials. These pressures are increasing supply chain volatility and disrupting the international movement of key inputs.

In response, our advocacy must be both science-driven and globally coordinated. This includes strengthening engagement with international risk assessment bodies, reinforcing transparency through robust safety datasets, and accelerating capacity building in emerging markets.

Equally important is ensuring that the industry continues to innovate, adapt and communicate clearly, in line with our mission to ensure safe flavoring portfolios, support growth, and remain the trusted global reference point for flavorings.

Ultimately, our task in 2026 is to help keep the regulatory landscape predictable, science-based and internationally coherent – not only to safeguard market access, but to ensure the industry can continue delivering innovation, quality and safety at scale.

Regulatory divergence between the EU, U.S. and emerging markets continues to widen. Is global harmonization still realistic, or should companies be preparing for a more permanently fragmented compliance landscape?

Savage: Regulatory divergence is now a defining feature of the global flavoring environment.

Different regions are moving at different speeds, with varying expectations for safety data, sustainability compliance and labeling. In several markets, the shift toward more precautionary or hazard-oriented approaches has driven significant regulatory change, increasing the compliance burden and complicating global portfolio management.

Despite this, global harmonization remains a critical long-term objective, particularly when anchored in strong scientific foundations.

One of the most important tools available to the industry is the IOFI Global Reference List (GRL): a comprehensive compendium of flavoring materials considered safe for their intended use by internationally recognized assessment bodies. The GRL provides a common scientific baseline that can support regulatory alignment across multiple markets. Continued investment in consistent safety datasets and transparent scientific publication is essential to building trust and enabling broader global acceptance.

At the same time, companies need to prepare for a reality in which differences persist—across data expectations, sustainability reporting, supply chain obligations and trade policy.

The most resilient approach is therefore a dual strategy:

• continuing to advocate strongly for science-based harmonization
• while building the internal capability to operate effectively within fragmented regulatory systems

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

You’ve spoken about the critical role of flavor in public health reformulation. Why do policymakers still underestimate flavor’s role in reducing sugar, salt and fat — and how can the industry better demonstrate the science behind successful reformulation?

Savage: As demand for healthier products accelerates, consumers increasingly expect brands to deliver nutritionally improved food and beverages without compromising on taste.

Taste solutions play a critical role in making that possible. Many of these solutions are built on advanced technologies, including bioconversion, fractionation, extraction and fermentation, but their impact is most clearly demonstrated in real-world reformulation outcomes.

Reformulating products to meet improved nutritional targets—while maintaining taste, mouthfeel and overall sensory experience—is inherently complex. This is particularly true when reducing sugar, salt or fat, which are fundamental to both flavor and functionality.

The ability to achieve this balance is the clearest demonstration of how applied science can solve complex reformulation challenges.

These technologies enable brands to reduce sugar, salt and fat while preserving the sensory qualities that drive consumer preference and repeat purchase. However, there is still more to do in communicating this effectively.

As an industry, we need to better demonstrate the role of flavor through clearer scientific evidence, stronger case studies and more direct engagement with policymakers, so that the enabling role of taste in public health reformulation is more fully understood.

Climate volatility, geopolitical tensions and agricultural constraints are reshaping sourcing strategies. How do you see flavor houses balancing cost pressures with resilience and sustainability in the next three to five years?

Savage: From a Kerry perspective, flavor houses can play a significantly expanded role in helping the industry navigate growing uncertainty in ingredient sourcing.

We are seeing increasing pressure from limited availability of key raw materials, combined with fluctuations in quality and cost. In response, the industry has invested heavily in recent years in developing taste-forward innovations designed to address these challenges directly.

These innovations support cost management, enhance supply stability, and enable manufacturers to protect existing product portfolios while continuing to innovate and launch new products with confidence.

Our taste technologies are underpinned by deep food science expertise, enabling us to help customers maintain complex flavor and aromatic profiles, or even enhance them, in the face of raw material variability.

Where ingredient constraints or variability lead to sensory inconsistency, we can apply science-based solutions to rebalance final flavor profiles and maintain product quality.

Increasingly, flavor houses are working in close partnership with manufacturers to optimize formulations, protect sensory performance and build more resilient and sustainable product systems capable of withstanding ongoing and future disruption.

With increasing scrutiny on labeling and definitions, how should companies navigate the ongoing “natural” narrative without sacrificing performance, scalability or regulatory compliance?

Savage: Across major markets, companies benefit from the presence of clear regulatory definitions for “natural flavorings,” which provide a strong and credible foundation for compliant labeling.

These definitions are supported by the IOFI Code of Practice, which includes detailed guidance on the interpretation of “natural,” covering source materials as well as physical and biochemical production processes.

In addition, IOFI’s global network of 18 regional and national associations provides high-quality, localized regulatory support, helping companies interpret evolving rules and apply them appropriately within different market contexts.

Taken together, these resources provide a robust framework that allows companies to navigate the natural labeling landscape with confidence.

The key is to remain firmly grounded in regulatory clarity and scientific integrity, ensuring that product performance, scalability and compliance are addressed holistically rather than as trade-offs.

As president and CEO of Taste at Kerry, you oversee global innovation. Where should flavor companies be placing their biggest bets right now—biotech, precision fermentation, digital formulation tools, AI-driven flavor creation, or something else?

Savage: Science and innovation sit at the core of Kerry’s strategy, and we see both as essential to delivering better nutrition in a more sustainable way.

In today’s environment, it is less about choosing a single technology and more about leveraging a combination of capabilities to advance innovation in taste.

Fermentation remains a cornerstone of our approach. We bring over 40 years of expertise in yeast processing, manufacturing and application, and continue to invest in this area because it consistently unlocks new opportunities in flavor development.

At the same time, we are expanding our focus to include advanced digital tools that enhance the capabilities of scientists across our network of more than 70 technology and innovation centers worldwide.

Our Taste and Biotechnology platforms, powered by bio-fermentation and biotransformation, remain central to our strategy and a key area of ongoing investment.

The future of flavor innovation will be driven by the integration of biological science, advanced processing technologies and digital tools, rather than any single standalone solution.

Consumption growth is increasingly driven by Asia, Africa and Latin America. How should IOFI adapt its governance and technical agenda to reflect the priorities of these fast-growing regions?

Savage: To remain globally representative and future-ready, IOFI must continue evolving its governance and technical agenda in several important ways.

First, it needs to strengthen regional representation and input, moving beyond a supportive role to more actively co-create policy positions with regional partners. IOFI’s existing network provides a strong platform for this, but deeper engagement will be critical.

Second, there is a need to address region-specific sustainability and sourcing challenges, particularly in key producing regions for natural raw materials. Frameworks such as the IFRA-IOFI Sustainability Charter provide a strong foundation, but further expansion of guidance and capacity-building tools will be essential.

Third, IOFI should continue to build regulatory capability and training, particularly in markets where regulatory frameworks are evolving rapidly or remain fragmented.

Finally, governance structures—including committees and working groups—must increasingly reflect global consumption patterns, ensuring alignment with the markets that will drive future growth.

This evolution is critical to ensuring IOFI maintains both relevance and credibility as a truly global organization.

How can the industry attract and retain the next generation of flavor chemists and regulatory scientists in an era where biotech and tech sectors compete for the same talent pool?

Savage: The challenges facing the food and beverage industry today present a strong opportunity to attract talent looking to make a meaningful and tangible impact.

At Kerry, our ambition to reach more than two billion people with sustainable nutrition solutions by 2030 provides a clear sense of purpose and scale.

Across the industry, we are strengthening engagement with universities, supporting research initiatives and giving students exposure to real-world scientific challenges. This helps demonstrate both the breadth and impact of careers in flavor science.

We also see that many young scientists have a natural passion for food and drink, which gives our industry a distinct advantage in attracting talent compared to other sectors.

Ultimately, retaining 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.