As businesses navigate volatile ingredient markets, rising production costs and an increasingly uncertain geopolitical landscape, consumers are also under pressure to make every purchase count. In fact, 81% now cite value as the most important factor influencing their food and beverage purchases.
Although inflation has eased in many markets, household budgets remain under pressure, and consumers are redefining what value really means. Price still matters, but increasingly people judge products by what they deliver in return: great taste, satisfying texture, meaningful nutrition, recognisable ingredients and less food waste. For manufacturers, that changes how affordability must be approached.
This shift is already shaping conversations across the industry. At the 2026 Consumer Analyst Group of New York Conference (CAGNY) in February, many of the world’s leading FMCG companies focused on strengthening the value equation, recognising that long-term growth depends on balancing operational efficiency with continued investment in product quality, innovation and consumer satisfaction.
It reflects what we see every day as we work with customers to solve increasingly complex formulation challenges and unlock value without compromising the experience consumers expect.
Value means more than price
Consumers are thinking more carefully about every purchase. More than half of global consumers (52%) say they only buy food they know they’ll use, while 40% now plan shopping trips in advance, highlighting a much more deliberate approach to value .
Alongside affordability, consumers are looking for products that deliver great taste, meaningful nutrition, recognisable ingredients and the quality they expect. A key part of that experience is mouthfeel – the texture and sensation experienced when consuming food and beverages. It includes how food looks, tastes, sounds and feels in the mouth, with cues such as creaminess, smoothness, thickness or crunch all contributing to the overall eating experience and shaping perceptions of quality.
We see this across categories. Some shoppers are embracing private label because quality has improved, while others continue to pay more for products offering functional nutrition, satisfying sensory experiences or greater versatility. What connects these behaviours is not what consumers spend, but what they expect in return. For manufacturers, the challenge is not to reduce costs wherever possible, but to create products that deliver greater value for consumers while supporting commercial performance.
The hidden cost of cost cutting
When margins come under pressure, reformulation is often one of the first places manufacturers look for savings. But focusing on formulation cost alone can come with a hidden price.
Simply replacing an ingredient with a lower-cost alternative may reduce recipe costs but taken at face value it can also affect the taste and texture consumers expect. If the eating experience changes, a saving on paper can quickly become a false economy, potentially weakening consumer acceptance, repeat purchase and market share. This reflects the affordability narrative that cost reduction needs to protect sensory quality and consumer value, not undermine it.
The opportunity, therefore, is not simply to make formulations cheaper. It is to create more value across the whole product and production process. That means working across four connected levers – managing formulation costs, increasing productivity, reducing waste and elevating the value consumers perceive in the finished product. Together, these levers can help improve profitability and support growth while protecting the quality and experience consumers expect.
Reformulating for value
That starts with understanding which product attributes consumers value most and using formulation science to protect them while creating efficiencies throughout manufacturing. At Tate & Lyle, we use our proprietary Tate & Lyle Sensation™ tool to understand the sensory attributes consumers value most and translate those insights into formulation strategies that protect the eating experience while improving manufacturing efficiency.
No single ingredient can solve today’s formulation challenges. Real progress comes from combining expertise across starches, fibres, hydrocolloids, proteins and sweetening solutions to create ingredient systems that balance formulation costs, manufacturing efficiency, nutritional goals and the sensory experience consumers expect.
Viewed this way, manufacturers can improve commercial efficiency without compromising the eating experience consumers expect. Rather than solving one challenge at a time, successful reformulation creates value across the entire product lifecycle.
Creating value across the whole product
This broader approach to affordability creates opportunities that go well beyond cost reduction.
Across categories, successful reformulation is not about removing ingredients. It is about understanding the role each ingredient plays and bringing together the right combination of solutions to simplify labels, improve nutrition, extend shelf life and rebuild functionality without compromising the consumer experience.
A good example is Tate & Lyle’s work with a manufacturer to reformulate a lower-fat mayonnaise. By combining functional starches with sensory science expertise, the team maintained the firmness, mouthcoating and overall eating experience consumers love. The result was a 50% reduction in formulation costs, oil content reduced from 68% to 30%, and a 14-percentage-point increase in consumer liking.
Value is also created beyond the recipe itself. Manufacturers are increasingly looking for solutions that simplify production, improve process consistency and increase manufacturing productivity. Higher yields, reduced waste and more efficient production can all contribute to affordability without changing the consumer experience. In many cases, these gains create as much value as reducing ingredient costs alone.
Looking beyond affordability
The pressures facing the food industry aren’t going away. Supply chains will remain complex, ingredient markets will continue to fluctuate, and consumers will continue to expect more value from every purchase.
Manufacturers need a broader view of affordability, one that considers where value is created across the whole product journey. Every ingredient, process and formulation decision has a role to play in protecting quality while improving commercial performance.
Mastering the science of value means creating products that work harder at every stage, from ingredient selection and production through to the consumer experience. Affordability is not about doing less. It is about formulating smarter. The manufacturers that succeed will be those that consistently create more value across the entire value chain – for consumers, retailers and their own businesses.
About the author
Marina Di Migueli is the global marketing director for starch, protein & mouthfeel at Tate & Lyle
