Salt and Fat Alternative Ingredients Market, Global, 2025-2031

Salt Alternatives are Experiencing Transformational Growth Driven by Increasing Consumer Awareness and Regulatory Intervention

Growing concerns about cardiovascular disease, obesity, hypertension, and other lifestyle-related illnesses have been linked to the high consumption of processed and ultra-processed foods (UPF) globally, which often contain excessive salt and fat to enhance flavor and prolong shelf life.

Consumer attitudes toward salt and fat are rapidly evolving, shaped by increasing health awareness and regulatory initiatives. In response, food and beverage (F&B) manufacturers are focusing on reformulating F&B products to reduce unhealthy fats and salts to meet the demand for healthier and more nutritious options.

Salt and fat alternatives are ingredients used to replace traditional fats (such as butter or oils) and salts (including table salt) in F&B products to improve health by reducing calories, unhealthy fats, and sodium. For instance, alternative ingredients such as potassium and other salts, as well as umami compounds such as MSG and yeast extracts, can be used instead of table salt. Similarly, carbohydrates and proteins can be used as fat substitutes. These alternatives help preserve flavor and texture while providing healthier options for those managing their diets or having health concerns.

The market penetration of salt alternative ingredients in the F&B industry remains limited; however, increasing regulatory intervention, favorable policies, and rising consumer awareness are gradually driving growth. In contrast, the penetration of fat alternative ingredients is expected to decline during the forecast period due to the growing clean-label trend and the rising consumer awareness of the importance of healthy fats in the diet.

Geographically, high-income countries with high UPF consumption and associated non-communicable diseases, such as North America and Europe, will drive the most demand for salt alternatives during the forecast period. North America and Europe, having previously led the adoption of fat alternatives, are now showing a decline in demand for fat alternatives due to a strong shift to natural and clean-label products.

Frost & Sullivan covers 5 regions in this study: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. The study period is from 2022 to 2031, the base year is 2024, and the forecast period is from 2025 to 2031.

The Impact of the Top 3 Strategic Imperatives on the Salt and Fat Alternative Ingredients Market

Transformative Megatrends

• Why:
• The fat and salt alternative ingredients market, including the clean-label food ingredients market, is shaped by megatrends such as health-conscious eating, sustainability, and clean-label demands.
• MSG is linked to headaches, flushing, nausea, dizziness, heart palpitations, and numbness, which lowers the ingredient's adoption as a salt alternative to a certain extent in the salt alternative ingredients market.
• Concerns over palm oil's environmental and health impact are driving RSPO-certified sustainable options and alternatives such as high-oleic sunflower, olive oils, and coconut oil.
• Meanwhile, low-fat products using artificial alternatives face declining demand as consumers prioritize transparency and natural ingredients, impacting the fat and salt alternatives market.
• Frost Perspective:
• Companies must proactively invest in reformulation and ingredient innovation to stay ahead of evolving consumer preferences and ensure that their products align with emerging health and sustainability standards while maintaining taste and functionality in the fat substitutes market.
• Companies that can position themselves as leaders in providing solutions aligned with these broader societal goals will be better equipped to capture share in the salt alternative ingredients market.

Disruptive Technologies

• Why:
• The rise of new technologies, such as fermentation-derived fat and salt alternatives (yeast extracts, fermented fats, cell-cultured fats), can significantly disrupt the traditional ingredients industry, affecting the regional salt alternative demand market.
• In addition, personalization technology is transforming food reformulation and helping brands balance health, taste, and profitability. AI-driven solutions, including Kerry's Sodium Reduction Simulator and FoodPairing AI's digital twin, optimize ingredient adjustments, while SaltSim's cost analysis tool ensures financial feasibility in the fat substitutes market.
• Frost Perspective:
• Failing to anticipate and adapt to these disruptive technologies could leave companies struggling with outdated formulations, reduced consumer demand, and regulatory pressures, impacting the clean-label food ingredients market.
• Competitors are innovating rapidly in the fat and salt alternatives market, making it critical for businesses to stay ahead through continuous R&D, strategic partnerships, and agile product reformulation to ensure relevance in a rapidly evolving market.

Innovative Business Models

• Why:
• Reducing salt and fat in food requires a multifaceted approach, as no single solution fits all formulations or consumer preferences in the salt alternative ingredients market.
• To stay competitive, companies should adopt innovative business models such as co-development partnerships, diverse ingredients and solutions offerings, and effective consumer education campaigns around food preparation, impacting the fat substitutes market.
• For example, Cargill provides technologically advanced Alberger(R) flake salts and potassium chloride ingredients for sodium reduction, aligning with the trends in the growth of the regional salt alternative demand market.
• Frost Perspective:
• By embracing these models, companies can deliver unique value propositions and meet changing consumer preferences for low-fat and low-sodium products in the fat and salt alternatives market.
• Companies that fail to experiment with new business models risk missing out on emerging market segments, particularly in the clean-label food ingredients market.

Key Competitors

• Salt Alternatives
• ABF Ingredients
• ADM
• Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
• AngelYeast Co., Ltd.
• Balchem
• Cargill Incorporated
• Compass Minerals
• Fufeng Group
• ICL
• Ingreland
• Intrepid Potash
• Kerry
• Kosnature
• K+S Aktiengesellschaft
• Lesaffre
• Linghua Group Limited
• Lotus Health Group Food Co., Ltd.
• MCLS Europe
• Meihua Holdings Group Co., Ltd.
• Muby Chemicals
• Netmag B.V.
• Fat Alternatives
• ADM
• AMCO Proteins
• Arla Foods Ingredients Group P/S
• Armor Proteines
• Beneo
• Cargill
• CP Kelco
• Erie Foods International Inc.
• FrieslandCampina
• Glanbia plc
• Grain Processing Corporation
• Hilmar Ingredients
• IGRECA France
• Kerry
• Lactalis Ingredients
• Leprino Foods Company
• Meihua Bio
• OVODAN EGG GROUP
• Tate & Lyle PLC

Growth Drivers

• The increasing consumption of UPFs is driving the demand for salt alternatives in the salt alternatives market.
• The health concerns associated with high sodium intake and the growing consumer consciousness about health drive the demand for salt alternatives in the fat substitutes market.
• The growing regulatory pressures, as well as the guidelines on sodium reduction, are driving the growth of the salt alternatives market and influencing the clean-label food ingredients market.

Growth Restraints

• Challenges with the reformulation and the cost involved hinder the adoption of salt alternatives in the salt alternative ingredients market.
• Health concerns about certain salt alternatives limit their demand in the fat and salt alternatives market.
• Gaps between consumer knowledge and action on salt intake restrain market growth in the clean-label food ingredients market.