ADM 2025 Flavor Leaders & Newsmakers

Jul 1st, 2025

ADM is helping brands adapt to global and regional changes in dietary habits.

Courtesy of ADM

Amid an ever-changing industry, ADM has found ways to create consistent solutions for its customers and counter uncertainties. From vertically-integrated product platforms, transparent sourcing practices and investment in research, the company has used the past year to continue to give its customers the same level of quality service in the face of the challenges of the flavor industry.

Perfumer & Flavorist+ spoke with several subject matter experts at ADM: Calvin McEvoy, president of global flavors and member of the board of governors at Flavor Extract Manufacturers Association; Divya Mohan, director of global food and beverage creation, design and development, health and wellness; Brad Schwan, vice president of marketing; and Marie Wright, president of creation, design and development and chief global flavorist. Each leader gave their own insights into how ADM is meeting consumer demands and incorporating new technologies into its business plan.

ADM

Chicago, Illinois, USA

2024 Sales: $1.8 billion

Unleashing Innovation and Addressing Evolving Industry Challenges

Calvin McEvoy: An ever-evolving industry calls for flexible innovation and technical prowess, with an eye not only on current trends, but also those emerging acrossCalvin McEvoy, President, Global Flavors, ADM, and member of the board of governors at Flavor Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA)Courtesy of ADM food, beverage and dietary supplement sectors. ADM provides a comprehensive formulation understanding and a robust ingredients pantry, which are rooted in market insights and proprietary consumer research, enabling our customers to anticipate and develop tailored offerings, unleashing what’s next in innovation. As a full solutions provider, we help brands navigate a dynamic landscape with ongoing extensions of our capabilities, technologies and ingredient lines with taste and color at the core of everything we do.

Our enduring commitment to strategic and collaborative support for our customers helps push the boundaries in new product development to address demand for more diverse food and beverage options that are nutritious, taste great and are approachably priced. With the integration of important acquisitions, including Revela Foods, FDL and Totally Natural Solutions (TNS), we’re elevating new product introductions with superior sensory experiences. These acquisitions extend our solutions library and target specific growth areas, including dairy and alternative dairy applications, nutrient-dense foods and beverages, and non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverage innovation.

We’re deeply vertically integrated in critical product platforms including citrus, vanilla, mint, dairy, botanical extracts, aroma ingredients and colors to provide supply chain resiliency to counter varying supply chain challenges.

This is the key to providing consistent solutions to our customers. Our multi-faceted, full-systems approach – combining transparent sourcing of raw materials, investment in agronomy advancements, and research and in-house formulation expertise – ultimately paves the way for delicious and nutritious products that can feed the growing global population for generations to come.

Bridging the Gap Between Exceptional Taste, Functionality and Dietary Shifts

Divya Mohan: Functionality is now a baseline expectation for consumers. This challenges developers to provide more healthful options while still deliveringDivya Mohan, Director, Global Food and Beverage Creation, Design and Development, Health and Wellness, ADMCourtesy of ADM satisfying sensory experiences across categories. We continue to build upon our decades of technical know-how for flavor and function, putting ADM at the forefront of addressing the rising demand for sensory excellence in convenient, health-forward offerings. We work alongside manufacturers to fortify and reformulate existing products or bring new product development to life, checking the boxes on taste, texture, nutrition, convenience and value.

ADM is helping brands adapt to global and regional changes in dietary habits. Our sophisticated flavor modulation technology advances the possibilities for “healthy indulgence,” providing manufacturers with the tools for holistic reformulation that considers all aspects of the consumer experience. Through the expansion of our ingredient portfolios and ongoing research and development, we’re supporting brands in delivering reduced sugar, salt and fat content. This scrutiny from consumers comes at a time when potential new guidelines are emerging for voluntary sodium reduction targets and front-of-pack labeling, impacting a range of food categories.

Specifically, our TasteSpark® Masking technology neutralizes off-notes from functional ingredients so characterizing flavors can be enjoyed unhindered. TasteSpark® Mouthfeel technology builds back richness and indulgence in low- or no-sugar and low- or no-fat applications. Our newest extension to this line is our TasteSpark® Salt Modulation, which rebalances taste loss and supports overall flavor profiles in reduced sodium formulations. These flavor modulation solutions can be labeled as “Natural Flavor,” offering clean-label positioning for crucial product differentiation.

Added functionality is also top of mind. Our health and wellness technology platform continues to rapidly expand, presenting novel, resilient gut microbiome-supporting solutions to usher in the next wave of functional food and beverage innovation.

In February 2025, we announced the addition of Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305 postbiotic to our portfolio, opening the door to new possibilities in functional food through the gut-brain axis. L. gasseri CP2305 targets highly sought-after support for stress, mood and sleep^1,2,3. Through introductions like L. gasseri CP2305, we’re reinforcing our leadership in postbiotics. As solutions that can retain functional stability through harsh processing conditions and complex formulations, even in shelf-stable matrices, we foresee postbiotics as a significant force behind appealing, efficacious functional food innovations.

Supporting New Consumer Segments and Needs

Brad Schwan: The industry has witnessed the unique introduction of a new consumer segment – those engaging with anti-obesity medications (AOMs), includingBrad Schwan, Vice President, Marketing, ADMCourtesy of ADM GLP-1 receptor agonists. The surge in use of AOMs has created a set of consumers with distinct support needs and consumption behaviors. Among over 1,500 active AOM users in the U.S., 78% report feeling full more quickly⁴, which may be a result of the reduction of “food noise” from the use of AOMs. As such, GLP-1 users report snacking less and consuming smaller portion sizes. Many of these consumers also note altered taste and sweetness perceptions.

Each of these compounding factors has driven demand for portion-controlled offerings with balanced flavor profiles and lower sweetness levels, all while being nutrient dense. Our research shows 83% of GLP-1 users find products specifically positioned for people taking AOMs appealing, and 81% are willing to pay a premium for such items⁴. They also state taste and nutritional value are equally important, and they’re intentionally looking to increase their intake of plant-based proteins, fiber and probiotics/prebiotics⁴.

In October 2024, ADM launched a platform to help food, beverage and dietary supplement producers create products for consumers engaging with AOMs and seize this extraordinary market opportunity. The platform identified five needs and concerns of people currently taking AOMs (maintaining muscle mass, minimizing gastrointestinal discomfort and supporting hydration) and those reducing or stopping use (promoting satiety and managing weight regain). Built through our foundation of formulation expertise and market understanding, our supportive solutions platform provides over 25 market-ready concepts featuring plant proteins, wholesome ingredients, sweeteners, biotics, flavor modulation technology and more. It is an excellent example of the full systems support we provide to food, beverage and dietary supplement brands, fast-tracking our customers’ speed to market to meet evolving consumer needs now and for the years ahead.

Innovating to Navigate Supply Chains and Costs

Marie Wright: The industry is facing distinct challenges while also needing to deliver on exceptional flavor, nutrition, affordability and clean labels. Ingredients derived from natural sources, including flavors, colors and sweetening solutions, are in high demand, particularly as regulatory pressures continue. Environmental concerns and supply chain disruptions also influence crop volumes. ADM is wellMarie Wright, President of Creation, Design and Development and Chief Global Flavorist, ADMCourtesy of ADM positioned to solve today’s known challenges, as well as those yet to come. Through our global footprint, we help manage risks, address costs and fulfill consumer expectations through elegant flavors.

Citrus fruits and flavors are among the popular ingredients experiencing volatility. Our CitrusFlex citrus solutions enable juice and flavor optimization, leveraging our wide-ranging flavor raw material portfolio to deliver outstanding natural citrus profiles at accessible price points. The introduction of CitrusFlex in 2024 comes from years of technical expertise, coupled with long-standing procurement partnerships, diversifying our supply chains and championing traceability.

Technology is integral to bringing functional and flavorful product development to consumers in regions around the world. The acceleration of artificial intelligence is enabling greater efficiencies by streamlining processes like pinpointing microbial strains for individualized wellness support, as well as combining it (AI) with the vast knowledge of our food scientists, flavorists and chefs for next-generation sensorial experiences.

Essential supply partnerships, novel technologies and science-backed solutions help extend natural resources so formulators can do more with less. These are the keys to our innovation toolbox, which support consumers’ nutritional demands with full flavor impact, driving forward the future of food.