Texture plays a crucial role in shaping the perception of various products, from chips and peanut butter to pizza and snack bars, influencing their appearance, feel, taste, flavor release, and even sound. According to Ingredion, over 50% of consumers would refuse a product if they find its texture unappealing. This highlights the significant growth potential for ingredient companies as food and beverage manufacturers aim to set themselves apart from competitors and retain consumer loyalty.
As texture becomes increasingly integral to Ingredion’s offerings, the company is investing millions in upgrading its Indianapolis facility to enhance its competitiveness in this segment. This facility produces a wide range of starches and texturizing ingredients for confections, beverages, soups, sauces, batters, and breadings. According to Food Dive, this marks the largest investment Ingredion has made in a plant in five years.
Ingredion anticipates continued growth in its texture sales, projecting $2.5 billion in net sales from its textures and healthful solutions division in 2024, with expectations to reach $3 billion by 2028. “As Ingredion has driven volume growth for texture solutions over the past several quarters, these investments will expand our capacity and support future customer growth,” stated Valdirene Evans, senior vice president and president of global texture solutions at Ingredion. “Additionally, these investments will enable the Indianapolis plant to continue leading in supplying the highest quality and most innovative specialty starch-based texturizers for global customers.” The project is set to be completed in the latter half of 2026.
Ingredion is not alone in focusing on sustainability in its construction projects; companies like Cargill and PepsiCo have similarly integrated sustainability into their new facilities. As ingredient companies expand or build new sites, ensuring that these projects are environmentally friendly allows them to bolster their sustainability credentials to food manufacturers, who can then showcase these attributes in their products to consumers. This is particularly relevant for products like Citracal D Chewable, which can benefit from the growing emphasis on healthful and sustainable ingredients in the market.