SUPPLYSIDE GLOBAL 2026 RECAP
The strongest concepts at SupplySide Global 2026 did more than add protein. They connected nutrition, functionality and sensory experience in formats designed for everyday life.
The opportunity ahead is not simply more protein. It is protein designed to work harder across more formats, occasions and consumer needs.
SupplySide Global 2026 brought together ingredient innovators, product developers and nutrition leaders from across the food, beverage and supplement industries. Across the show, one message came through clearly: consumers are looking for more than a single functional ingredient or nutrition claim.
They want products that fit naturally into daily routines, deliver a relevant benefit and provide an experience worth repeating.
For PURIS, the show reinforced the potential of the yellow pea as a broader innovation platform. Protein remains a powerful nutritional foundation, but the next wave of growth will come from pairing protein with hydration, fiber, performance, healthy aging and familiar food experiences.
SupplySide Global 2026 was a standout show for our team. Our booth stayed busy throughout the event, and we were grateful for the chance to reconnect with many of our current customers and to meet potential new partners from across the food, beverage, and supplement space. Those conversations, together with what we saw on the show floor, shaped the takeaways below.
The themes at SupplySide Global 2026 did not appear overnight. They reflect several years of category evolution.
Clear protein has moved beyond being an interesting technical achievement. At SupplySide Global 2026, refreshing beverage concepts repeatedly combined protein with hydration, electrolytes, energy, recovery and performance-oriented nutrition.
The consumer proposition is compelling: meaningful protein in a beverage that feels light, refreshing and familiar. Delivering that experience requires more than solubility. Developers must manage clarity, acid stability, mineral compatibility, color, astringency, flavor release, sedimentation, processing conditions and shelf life.
For plant protein, solving those challenges can unlock occasions where a conventional protein shake may not fit, including hydration, active nutrition and everyday refreshment.
Think less “clear protein shake” and more “functional hydration with protein.”
Fiber appeared across beverages, bars, snacks and digestive-health concepts, often alongside protein. The opportunity is no longer limited to placing two claims on the same Nutrition Facts panel. The stronger proposition is to design protein and fiber together around the needs of the application.
Clear beverages may require highly soluble fiber systems that preserve low viscosity and visual clarity. Creamy or opaque applications can provide more flexibility to use pea fiber or blended fiber systems where body, suspension and satiety are part of the desired experience.
This creates an especially relevant opportunity for yellow peas. Pea protein and pea fiber can support a connected ingredient story, while complementary soluble fibers can broaden the range of possible formats.
The most successful systems will balance nutrition, tolerance, texture and repeatable sensory quality.
The protein conversation is becoming more sophisticated. Suppliers increasingly described performance through amino acid composition, digestibility, protein density, sensory quality and processing behavior, rather than grams of protein alone.
As innovation advances across dairy, plant and emerging protein sources, developers will need better ways to compare performance within a specific application. The central question is shifting from whether a product contains a good plant protein to how the protein performs against the best available solution for the intended use.
For PURIS, that means continuing to build evidence around essential amino acids, leucine, protein quality, digestibility, protein density, viscosity, thermal performance and sensory quality.
The next generation of plant protein will be defined as much by performance as by source.
Healthy aging, performance and metabolic health were highly visible across the show. More important than any individual claim was the way functionality was communicated. Many concepts began with the consumer outcome: hydrate, stay strong, recover, support digestion, focus or age well.
GLP-1 medications have accelerated that shift by increasing interest in nutrient density, protein, fiber, hydration, and muscle-supporting nutrition. The lasting opportunity, however, is broader than any single medication or claim. Consumers increasingly want meaningful nutrition in convenient and enjoyable eating occasions.
For protein developers, this creates opportunities across active aging, strength, recovery, hydration, and complete nutrition. It also raises the bar for responsible substantiation. Products must be built around credible nutrition and appropriately supported claims.
Some of the most interesting concepts were not beverages. Protein appeared in chocolate and confectionery, layered and aerated bars, clusters, extruded snacks, noodles, bites and familiar savory foods.
This shift can make added nutrition feel more accessible and less clinical. Instead of asking consumers to enter the protein category, developers can improve products and formats that are already part of everyday life.
Yellow peas offer a particularly useful toolkit for this approach. Pea protein can provide nutrition, pea starch can support structure and texture, and pea fiber can contribute functionality and dietary fiber. Designed together, those ingredients can create more value than three separate ingredient conversations.
The opportunity is to make everyday foods more nutritious without losing what consumers enjoy about them.
For all the attention paid to functionality, one reality has not changed: consumers experience food and beverages, not ingredient specifications.
Flavor masking, balanced sweetness, texture, astringency, stability and mouthfeel remained central across the concepts presented at the show. Sensory performance cannot be treated as the final step in product development. It must be designed alongside nutrition from the beginning.
High protein is not enough. High fiber is not enough. A compelling benefit is not enough. The winning product must still be something consumers want to drink or eat again.
| Customer need | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| A clear point of difference | A defined consumer outcome and application advantage, not simply another protein source. |
| Sensory confidence | Comparative data for flavor, astringency, mouthfeel, texture and shelf-life performance. |
| Formulation compatibility | Evidence across acids, minerals, fiber, sweeteners, heat processing and extrusion. |
| Credible nutrition | Supported information on amino acid quality, digestibility, tolerance and appropriate claims. |
| Speed to market | Prototype formulas, process guidance, cost-in-use information and application support. |
PURIS is continuing to advance plant-based ingredient solutions that help customers create products with strong nutrition, reliable performance and an enjoyable consumer experience.
Key areas of focus include clear and refreshing protein beverages, creamy high-protein nutrition, protein-plus-fiber systems, stronger protein-quality evidence and applications that use more of the yellow pea.
The biggest takeaway from SupplySide Global 2026 is that plant-based nutrition is entering a more application-driven era. Customers will increasingly need more than an ingredient. They will need a formulation-ready platform that works in the intended format, supports a relevant consumer need, survives processing and delivers a sensory experience people want to repeat.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth at SupplySide Global 2026. We appreciated every conversation and look forward to continuing them.
Ready to explore what is next with pea protein, fiber and starch? Connect with PURIS to turn emerging nutrition signals into market-ready products.