The focal point of Cargill's stand was an inviting "Market Plaza" where food manufacturers were able to interact with dedicated specialists and discovered how Cargill helps fuel sustainable business growth by implementing new ideas and helping customers create successful new products integrating emerging market trends.

"In today's society, sustainable practices are no longer a 'nice-to-have', they are a given requirement", says Taco Terheijden, director cocoa sustainability at Cargill. "We are seeing a fast-growing trend towards ethical eating and sustainability, growing 36% over the last 5 years. At Cargill, our global presence, market insights and supply chain capabilities ensures we are well positioned to deliver more sustainable solutions for our customers".

Cargill also targeted other trends like label friendliness, sodium and calorie reduction, cost optimization, specialized nutrition and plant-based alternatives. "Brands need to be proactive and combine sustainable solutions with other food industry drivers. This is exactly what we do for our customers while increasing speed to market and success rates," explains Nils Sips, director R&D food ingredients EMEA, Cargill.

Answering these food industry opportunities, Cargill's Innovation Centers have developed advanced and easy-to-apply prototypes, like a gelled dairy dessert with a new and innovative type of sustainably sourced carrageenan; a highly nutritious drink providing essential nutrients for an aging population; a 30%, 50% and 70% calorie-reduced soft drink; a plant-based frozen dessert containing sustainably sourced coconut oil; 30% sugar-reduced pralines and up to 30% sodium-reduced potato chips.