How GLP-1s, Fibermaxxing, and Clean Label Are Driving Demand for Fungi-based Ingredients: Takeaways from IFT First 2026

• Held in Chicago, IFT First 2026 brought together thousands of food scientists, ingredient suppliers and manufacturers to showcase the technologies shaping the future of food.

• Three themes surfaced repeatedly across panels and the show floor: GLP-1, fibre and clean label- each increasing demand for ingredients that deliver more nutrition and functionality with fewer formulation trade-offs.

• Fungi emerged as one of the few ingredient platforms capable of addressing all three simultaneously, from protein and fibre to sweetness, preservation and texture.

GLP-1s Are Changing the Formulation Brief

The impact of GLP-1 medications on food formulation was a repeated theme in conversations and on panels at IFT First 2026. Gallup's latest survey estimates that roughly one in nine U.S. adults now takes a GLP-1 medication for weight loss, up from one in 33 just two years ago. Many companies present were designing for the same reality: consumers eating less food need every bite to deliver more.

That shift is forcing formulators to think beyond simply adding protein. At Mara Bio, that thinking was central to the company's strategy for Flexitein, a mycelium-derived ingredient produced from dairy and brewing by-products. Founder and CEO Mark Balchin described Flexitein as being designed for "the GLP-1 type consumer,", among others, combining protein, fibre, and minerals at low inclusion rates while also contributing water binding and emulsification, allowing formulators to "use less ingredients for more impact." The appeal is not simply nutritional: multifunctional ingredients reduce formulation trade-offs while helping simplify ingredient lists.

Attendees at IFT First

Fibre Becomes Part of the Same Conversation

One pattern throughout IFT First was that GLP-1 and fibre were rarely discussed separately. As appetite declines, every calorie carries more nutritional weight, making fibre increasingly valuable alongside protein. Datassential's 2026 Trends Report found that 54% of consumers want more fibre, rising to 60% among Gen Z, even as most Americans continue to fall short of recommended intake.

Paul Shapiro, co-founder and CEO of BMC Ingredients, connected those trends directly: "Everyone wants more protein these days but with GLP-1s they also want more fiber. While there is no fiber in animal products...the benefit of eating mycelium is that you get both the protein that you want and the fiber that you need." Shapiro framed mycelium's dual nutritional profile as relevant not only to GLP-1 users but to any consumer seeking more whole-food fibre and protein.

BMC Ingredients recently rebranded from The Better Meat Co to reflect the new positioning of their Rhiza mycoprotein as a flexible, nutrition-packed ingredient across beverages, baked goods, and snacks, rather than solely as a standalone meat alternative. As manufacturers look to increase nutrient density per ingredient, fungi's natural ability to offer both protein and fibre, along with complete amino acids, makes it an attractive offering.

Clean Label Raises the Bar

If GLP-1 and fibre dominated the nutrition discussions, clean label increasingly shaped formulation decisions. The recent launch of the "UPF Certified" label, alongside growing regulatory attention to ultra-processed foods and ingredient transparency, signals that manufacturers increasingly expect formulations to be judged not only on nutrition, but on how they are built.

MycoTechnology approached the challenge from another direction. Harvey Chimoff, Head of Marketing at MycoTechnology, described Zukora as "a high-intensity, naturally derived sweet protein" that already exists in the honey truffle. "We identified and isolated that protein and, using an advanced form of fermentation, produce it as a powdered ingredient for food and beverage applications," he explained. Rather than introducing another artificial sweetener, Zukora offers formulators a naturally derived option for reducing sugar while avoiding many of the taste compromises associated with conventional high-intensity sweeteners. Zukora received self-affirmed GRAS status in the US earlier this year.

Chinova Bioworks highlighted the same trend from a different angle, showcasing Chiber, its mushroom-derived natural preservative for longer shelf life, as a way to support cleaner-label formulations across a wide range of food and beverage applications. Rather than asking manufacturers to choose between shelf life and simpler ingredient lists, the company is positioning fungal ingredients as a way to deliver both.

Functionality as a Selling Point

Across mushroom, mycelium, and precision-fermentation companies alike, a common thread was versatility: within the manufacturing process or common applications.

• At Maia Farms, the emphasis was not simply on nutrition. Its mushroom and pea protein blend, recently launched in Amy's Kitchen products nationwide, requires no pre-hydration, a key benefit for manufacturers to remove a processing step while maintaining clean label credentials, texture, and functionality.

• Enifer's Pekilo mycoprotein, produced through fermentation, similarly reflected this shift. The ingredient combines a mild flavour, high protein content, and functional properties that allow it to be incorporated across multiple applications, from meat alternatives and bakery to pasta, snacks, and dairy.

• Onego Bio similarly highlighted functionality over technology, demonstrating their Bioalbumen product in meringue and macarons- some of the most technically demanding applications for egg proteins- to show how precision fermentation can deliver the foaming and stability manufacturers expect from conventional egg whites.

• FORMO positioned its precision-fermented Enhanced Casein around dairy functionality rather than its animal-free origin, highlighting applications ranging from clear high-protein beverages to barista foams and analogue cheese. They earned GRAS approval earlier this year.

The message across the show floor was consistent: performance first, technology second.

Moving toward mass adoption

Several announcements before and during IFT First reflected an industry moving beyond proving novel technologies toward becoming part of food manufacturing infrastructure, including:

• The EVERY Company announced a manufacturing partnership with ADM, giving its precision-fermented egg proteins access to one of the world's largest ingredient production and distribution networks.

• MycoTechnology announced a collaboration with Adorvia Biotechnology that pairs Zukora with Reb M stevia to improve taste while enabling greater sugar reduction. This widely expands the market for MycoTechnology, including entry into China via Adorvia's distribution.

• Those Vegan Cowboys launched Margaret's Finest, a platform of precision-fermented animal-free caseins. Instead of offering one protein, the company is developing a portfolio of caseins with different functional properties, reflecting a broader shift from novel ingredients toward application-specific platforms for food manufacturers. (This follows a record-breaking crowd-funded fundraise of €4M in 10 days earlier this year)

Taken together, these developments reinforce a broader trend: the fungal food industry is maturing from niche products into ingredient infrastructure. Rather than asking manufacturers to create entirely new categories, companies are developing proteins, fibres, sweeteners, and functional ingredients that slot into existing formulations and manufacturing systems as a foundational technology for food.

Read more: For a deeper analysis of companies, technologies and commercial trends shaping the fungal food industry, check out MycoStories' recent Fungi in Food report.