The global specialty food ingredients market size was estimated at USD 144.9 billion in 2030 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2% from 2024 to 2030. The rapid growth of the food and beverages, personal care, and pharmaceuticals industries, coupled with the rising penetration of organized and e-retail across the world, is expected to fuel the growth of the market.

The food and beverages industry is diverse and competitive and is driven by consumers’ demand and preferences for the safety of ingredients and processed foods. Demand for products such as non-GMO, gluten-free, organic, and natural foods has led to the development of products by non-traditional food companies that offer alternatives. Moreover, consumers give high importance to a balanced diet of high-quality food that has a positive impact on their health. Sugar-reduced products are an important pillar in such a diet as the health risks associated with high sugar intake are very severe. This has also increased the demand for such healthy and natural specialty food ingredients.

Gather more insights about the market drivers, restrains and growth of the Global Specialty Food Ingredients Market

Functional food ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, hydrocolloids, prebiotics, amino acids, plant extracts, and carotenoids are the key ingredients of fortified food. The health-conscious population is rapidly expanding in emerging markets, which will drive the demand for the fortification of food. The nutritional consumption differences across regions contribute greatly to the apparent differences in the health of populations across the countries.

These ingredients customarily preserve the texture, enhance color, emulsify, add benefits in processing, and ultimately add a superfluous edge health dimension to the produced food. The health, nutritional, and technological related functions of these products make the diet pleasant for consumption, tasty, safe, healthy, and even affordable. Hence, these advantages associated with specialty food ingredients are expected to be the major driving factors of the industry.

Specialty Food Ingredients Market Report Highlights

• The sensory product dominated the market with a revenue share of 58.9% in 2022, on account of the increasing demand for processed and convenience foodstuff and a shift in demand for higher nutritious and organic products
• In the functional product segment, hydrocolloids accounted for the largest revenue share in 2022 as they are widely used in many food formulations to improve quality attributes and shelf-life. The two major uses are thickening and gelling agents. As thickening agents, they find uses in soups, gravies, salad dressings, sauces, and toppings while as gelling agents, they are extensively used in products like jam, jelly, marmalade, restructured foods, and low sugar/calorie gels. Thus, it is anticipated to witness robust growth over the forecast period
• The food and beverage application segment led the market in 2022 and accounted for over 70.0% share of the global revenue. The large demand for sugar substitutes as consumers strive to eat products with less sugar or no-sugar products is anticipated to drive the food and beverage application segment
• Asia Pacific is expected to register the highest CAGR from 2023 to 2030 on account of the robust growth of the food and beverage industry in Asian countries such as India, China, and Thailand
• The global market is highly fragmented with the presence of large-sized international companies and small- and medium-sized domestic players. Key players are focusing on acquisitions and are increasingly expanding product capacities

Browse through Grand View Research's Food Additives & Nutricosmetics Industry Research Reports.

• Salicylic Acid Market: The global salicylic acid market size was valued at USD 547.5 million in 2024 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.2% from 2025 to 2030.
• Glutamic Acid Market: The global glutamic acid market size was valued at USD 12.55 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.6% from 2025 to 2030.

Specialty Food Ingredients Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global specialty food ingredients market report based on product, application, and region

Specialty Food Ingredients Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

• Sensory
  • Enzymes
  • Emulsifiers
  • Flavors
  • Colorants
  • Others
• Functional
  • Vitamins
  • Minerals
  • Antioxidants
  • Preservatives
  • Others

Specialty Food Ingredients Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

• Food & Beverage
  • Snacks
  • Bakery
  • Confectionery
  • Dairy Products
  • Breakfast Cereals
  • Frozen Foods
  • Meat, Poultry & Seafood
  • Baby Food
  • Sauces, Dressings & Condiments
  • Alcoholic
  • Non-alcoholic
  • Others
• Pharmaceutical
• Personal Care

Specialty Food Ingredients Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

• North America
• Europe
• Asia Pacific
• Central & South America
• Middle East & Africa

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