Food innovation is becoming less about developing products in isolation and more about creating solutions collaboratively across the supply chain, according to RAPS, which used its 2026 Innovation Days event to highlight how ingredient suppliers are evolving into development partners for manufacturers.

The two-day event in Kulmbach, Germany, brought together customers and partners from across Europe to explore emerging food trends, changing consumer expectations and the technologies helping manufacturers turn ideas into commercially viable products.

Rather than focusing solely on new ingredients, RAPS positioned the event around the wider innovation process – combining market intelligence, culinary expertise and application knowledge to help manufacturers respond more quickly to changing market demands.

“We design the Innovation Days to bring customers, markets and application expertise together in a very practical way,” said Dr Oliver Ebneth, CEO at RAPS. “For us, co-creation means developing solutions collaboratively – based on concrete market requirements, with a clear view of consumer expectations and with the goal of turning insights into successful products.”

From consumer insight to industrial application

The event opened with market and consumer insights from Euromonitor, providing attendees with a view of global product launch activity and future innovation opportunities.

This reflects a growing challenge for food manufacturers: identifying consumer trends is becoming easier, but translating those trends into scalable products that meet technical, regulatory and commercial requirements remains complex.

Ingredient suppliers are increasingly being asked to support this process earlier in the product development journey, helping manufacturers bridge the gap between concept creation and industrial production.

At the RAPS Innovation Days, this approach was demonstrated through six innovation sessions covering areas including meat and plant-based applications, next-generation snacking concepts, natural flavour development, organic ingredients and microencapsulation technologies.

The demonstrations highlighted how ingredient systems must now deliver across multiple requirements simultaneously – from authentic taste and clean-label positioning through to processing performance and consistency at scale.

The changing role of ingredient suppliers

For manufacturers, the relationship with ingredient suppliers is evolving beyond traditional supply arrangements.

As product development cycles become shorter and consumer expectations become more fragmented, suppliers with strong application expertise can provide valuable support in areas such as formulation, testing and process optimisation.

RAPS demonstrated this through examples spanning meat processing, bakery, dairy, ready meals, sauces and dips, confectionery and retail applications.

The breadth of categories involved reflects a wider industry trend: many of the challenges facing manufacturers are no longer category-specific.

Whether developing a plant-based alternative, improving a convenience food formulation or creating a differentiated flavour profile, manufacturers increasingly require access to technologies and expertise that can be adapted across multiple applications.

Innovation requires manufacturing feasibility

One of the key themes emerging from the event was the importance of ensuring innovation concepts are commercially realistic.

While consumer trends often begin with ideas around flavour, nutrition or sustainability, successful products must ultimately perform within existing manufacturing environments.

RAPS highlighted technologies including CO₂ extraction for natural flavour profiles, microencapsulation systems designed to improve ingredient performance, and specialist spice and herb solutions aimed at delivering authenticity and differentiation.

These technologies demonstrate the growing importance of functionality alongside consumer appeal.

For manufacturers, innovation is no longer simply about creating something new; it is about creating something that can be produced efficiently, consistently and profitably.

Turning collaboration into commercial opportunity

The event also included factory tours, technical presentations, live demonstrations and tastings, giving customers insight into how RAPS translates market trends into industrial ingredient solutions.

Agneta Hoffmann, CMO at RAPS, said: “Innovation starts with understanding our customers and the markets they operate in. Our role is to translate market insights into practical ingredient solutions that create real value for food manufacturers.”

The approach reflects a broader shift within the food industry, where collaboration between manufacturers, ingredient specialists and technology providers is becoming increasingly important.

As companies face pressure to deliver new products faster while managing cost, sustainability and regulatory challenges, access to specialist knowledge throughout the development process could become a key competitive advantage.