ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
There are many factors that could adversely affect our business, results of operations and cash flows, some of which are beyond our control. The following is a description of some important factors that may cause our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows in future periods to differ materially from those currently expected or desired. Factors not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial may also materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Risks Related to Our Business and Our Industry
Changes in consumer practices, preferences, price sensitivity, behaviors, demand and perceptions may reduce the demand for our products.
The demand for food products that contain our ingredients, including agricultural products developed through biotechnology, may be adversely affected by changes in consumer practices, preferences, price sensitivities, tastes, and national, regional and local economic conditions. Consumer preferences and purchasing behaviors relating to food and beverage products continue to evolve and may be influenced by nutrition guidance, education campaigns, and public‐health initiatives. These developments may cause consumers to avoid food or beverage products that contain added sugars, sweeteners, carbohydrates, highly-processed foods, high fructose corn syrup, or biotechnology‐derived ingredients, in favor of foods or beverages that are perceived as being “healthier” or of contributing to a “cleaner” ingredient label. These perceptions have negatively affected the demand for some of our ingredients.
Some of our customers, including those engaged in the food and beverage industries, may incur significant costs to address increasing concern among consumers, public health professionals and government agencies about the potential health impacts associated with obesity and inactive lifestyles, which could materially affect price sensitivity and the demand for our products. Similarly, the increasing availability, use and acceptance of weight loss medications, including the expanded use of medications designed for weight loss in people without diabetes, may reduce sales of food and beverage products that contain our ingredients, since the medications regulate appetite and may reduce the overall amount of food and beverages consumed.
As a result, certain customers may reformulate products, reduce volumes, or discontinue products that incorporate certain of our ingredients, including sweeteners, starches, texturizers, and other specialty ingredients, or seek alternative ingredients from our competitors. Such changes could reduce demand for our products, increase pricing pressure, require additional investment by us in reformulation and product development, influence customer procurement decisions and mix, or result in underutilization of manufacturing assets. While we continue to invest in innovation and solutions that we believe aligns with evolving customer and consumer needs, these efforts may not fully offset those adverse demand, pricing, or cost impacts. Any of the foregoing could materially and adversely affect our production volumes, profit margins, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.
Geopolitical developments, tensions, threats or conflicts could harm our business by adversely affecting the availability and prices of raw materials and energy supplies; disrupting global markets, supply chains, and foreign exchange and interest rates, and causing changes in migration patterns.
Ingredion operates a global manufacturing and sourcing network and relies on agricultural commodities, energy, logistics services, and international customers, suppliers, and other counterparties. Our operations could be adversely affected by actions taken in connection with cross-border actions by the governments of countries in which we conduct business or through which our products may travel. Heightened geopolitical tensions, a perceived reduction in multilateral security cooperation, or changes to geopolitical policies or relationships, could contribute to increased or more volatile energy or freight costs, shortages or delays in raw materials or other inputs, sanctions or export controls, changes in trade policy, currency volatility, and reduced customer demand in certain markets. In addition, these factors may spur secondary or tertiary conflicts with or between other countries or regions, which could increase volatility in the availability and prices of raw materials and energy supplies, create supply chain disruptions or delays, or reduce customer or consumer demand.
These developments, together with ongoing conflicts and tensions in other regions, including the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the continuing situation in the Middle East, could disrupt international trade flows, energy and commodity markets, transportation networks, and financial markets. Certain of these locations are in regions that provide sources of raw material and energy supplies for both us and some companies whose products we distribute, particularly in our Texture & Healthful Solutions segment and our Pakistan business.
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In addition, heightened geopolitical uncertainty may increase the risk of cyber incidents, disrupt capital markets, and adversely affect foreign exchange and interest rate conditions, all of which could negatively affect our financial results. While we seek to mitigate these risks through diversification, risk management, and contingency planning, such efforts may not be successful. Any of the foregoing developments could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.
Economic conditions may adversely impact demand for our products, reduce our access to credit, affect our investment returns and cause our customers and others with whom we do business to suffer financial hardship.
General business and economic conditions that could affect us include barriers to trade (including as a result of tariffs, duties and border taxes, among other factors), the strength of the economies in which we operate, unemployment, inflation, interest rates, tighter or uneven credit conditions, and fluctuations in debt and equity markets. While currently these conditions have not impaired our ability to access credit and equity markets to finance our operations, we are subject to the risk of further deterioration in the financial markets, including their impacts on our suppliers, customers, and consumers.
These economic developments could negatively affect our operations through reduced consumer demand for our products, pressure to extend our customers’ payment terms, insolvency of our customers and increased provisions for credit losses, product order delays or cancellations, less advantageous supplier finance terms and conditions, and counterparty failures.
In connection with our defined benefit pension plans, adverse changes in investment returns earned on pension assets and discount rates used to calculate pension and related liabilities or changes in required pension funding levels may have an unfavorable impact on future pension expenses and cash flows.
Volatile worldwide economic conditions and market instability may make it difficult for us, our customers and our suppliers to accurately forecast future product demand trends, which could cause us to produce products in excess of demand, increase our inventory carrying costs, and incur additional charges for aged, obsolete or spoiled inventory. This forecasting difficulty also may cause a shortage of products that could affect our ability to satisfy the demand for our products.
Our reliance on certain industries for a significant portion of our sales could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Of our 2025 net sales, approximately 58 percent were generated by sales to the food industry, approximately 9 percent by sales to the beverage industry, approximately 7 percent by sales to the animal nutrition industry, and approximately 7 percent by sales to the brewing industry. If our customers in any of these industries were to substantially decrease their purchases, our business might be materially adversely affected.
Operating difficulties at our manufacturing facilities and liabilities relating to product safety and quality could adversely affect our business and harm our reputation.
Producing starches, sweeteners and other food and industrial ingredients is a capital-intensive industry. We conduct preventive maintenance and de-bottlenecking programs at our manufacturing facilities designed to maintain and improve capacity and facility reliability. If we encounter operating difficulties at a facility for an extended period or start-up problems with any capital improvement projects, we may not be able to meet a portion of our sales order commitments and could incur significantly higher operating expenses, either of which could adversely affect our operating results, financial condition, cash flows and prospects and result in adverse publicity. Furthermore, we use boilers to generate steam required in our production processes. An event that impairs the operation of a boiler for an extended period could have a significant adverse effect on the operations of other manufacturing facilities in addition to the facility where the event occurred. If we are unable to contain our operating costs and maintain the productivity and reliability of our production facilities, our profitability and growth could be adversely affected.
In addition, we are subject to risks related to such matters as product safety and quality issues, product recalls, and customer claims, including product liability claims. The liabilities that could result from these risks may not always be covered by, or could exceed the limits of, our insurance coverage related to product liability and the other applicable forms of insurance that we carry. In addition, adverse publicity about our products, or our customers’ products that contain our ingredients, including concerns about product safety or similar issues, whether real or perceived, could harm our reputation and result in an immediate adverse effect on our sales and customer relationships, as well as require us to devote significant resources to rebuild our reputation. The occurrence of any of the foregoing matters could adversely affect our operating results, financial condition, cash flows and prospects.
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Our ability to expand our business may suffer if we do not keep pace with technological developments and continue to offer innovative products, including more sustainable production methods.
A significant portion of our growth depends on innovation in products, processes and services. Our R&D efforts may not result in new products and services at a rate or of a quality sufficient to gain or maintain market acceptance. Increasing capabilities from generative artificial intelligence may increase the ability of competitors or customers to identify or develop new solutions that could compete with or reduce demand for our products and services. If our R&D efforts lag those of our competition or do not align to customer or consumer demand, our business might be materially adversely affected.
Competitive pressures may adversely affect our market share, revenue and profitability.
We operate in a highly competitive environment. Competition in markets in which we compete is largely based on price, quality and product availability. Many of our products compete with virtually identical or similar products manufactured by other companies in the food and ingredients industry. In the U.S., our competitors include divisions of larger enterprises that have greater financial resources than we do. Some of these competitors, unlike us, have vertically integrated their corn refining and other operations. Many of our products also compete with products made from raw materials other than corn, including cane and beet sugar. Fluctuation in prices of these competing products may affect prices of, and profits derived from, our products. In addition, government programs supporting sugar prices indirectly impact the price of corn sweeteners, especially high fructose corn syrup. Furthermore, co-products such as corn oil and gluten meal compete with products of the corn dry milling industry and with soybean oil, soybean meal and other products, the price of some of which may be affected by government programs such as tariffs, duties or quotas. If we do not successfully respond to these market forces and developments, our business might be materially adversely affected.
Market volatility may adversely affect our ability to pass through potential increases in the cost of corn and other raw materials to customers via product price increases, to purchase quantities of corn and other raw materials at prices sufficient to sustain or increase our profitability, or to supply product quantities and meet shipment delivery requirements that our customers demand.
The price and availability of corn and other raw materials are subject to volatility as a result of economic and industry conditions, including supply and demand factors such as supply chain disruptions, crop disease and severe weather conditions that include drought, floods, frost and ocean currents. These conditions are difficult to anticipate, are beyond our control and could adversely impact our profitability by affecting the prices we pay for raw materials.
Our finished products are made primarily from corn. Purchased corn and other raw material costs generally account for between 40 percent and 60 percent of our finished product costs. Some of our products are based upon specific varieties of corn that are produced in significantly smaller volumes than yellow dent corn. These specialty grains cost more due to their more limited availability and require planning cycles of up to three years to ensure we receive an adequate supply. We also manufacture certain starch-based products from potatoes. The T&HS segment’s current potato starch requirements constitute a substantial portion of the total available supply of feedstock in the U.S. and Canada. In the long term, continued growth in demand for potato starch-based ingredients and new product development could result in capacity constraints. Also, we utilize tapioca in the manufacturing of starch products, primarily in Thailand, as well as pulses, gum, rice, stevia and other raw materials around the world. A significant supply disruption or sharp increase in prices of any of these raw materials that we are unable to recover through pricing increases to our customers could have an adverse impact on our growth and profitability, especially if such an event disproportionately affects us as compared to our competitors.
In North American countries served by our F&II segments, we sell a large portion of our finished products derived from corn at firm prices established in supply contracts typically with a term of one year, though some terms may be shorter and some contracts have multi-year terms. To minimize the effect of volatility in the cost of corn related to these firm-priced supply contracts, we enter into corn futures and options contracts or take other hedging positions in the corn and soy futures market. These derivative contracts typically mature within one year. At expiration, we settle the derivative contracts at a net amount equal to the change in the price of the commodity from the date we entered the derivative contract, with the intention of offsetting the change in commodity prices from the time we entered the firm-priced supply contracts. The fluctuations in the fair value of these hedging instruments may adversely affect our cash flows. We fund any unrealized losses or receive cash for any unrealized gains on futures contracts on a daily basis. Although the corn and soy futures contracts or hedging positions are intended to minimize the effect of volatility of corn costs on operating profits, the hedging activity can result in losses, some of which may be material. In addition, our hedging activities may not be fully successful in limiting the effect of volatility on the cost of corn.
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Inputs to our procurement, production processes and delivery channels, such as raw material, energy, and freight and logistics, may experience price fluctuations, supply chain interruptions, tariffs, duties, and shortages that could adversely affect our results of operations.
Our business in the past has been adversely affected by fluctuations in our energy costs, which represented approximately 9 percent of our finished product costs in 2025 and could be negatively affected by such fluctuations in future periods. We use energy primarily to create steam required for our production processes and to dry products. We consume natural gas, electricity, coal, fuel oil, wood and other biomass sources to generate energy.
Because we ship products worldwide, our business in the past has been, and in future periods could be, adversely affected by fluctuations in freight and logistics costs, tariffs, duties, and disruptions in supply channels between parties and locations that include our suppliers, production and storage facilities, tolling and packaging partners, distributors and customers. Risks to our business include impacts from labor strikes or weather-related events that affect transportation by rail, air, shipping or ground.
The market prices for our raw materials, supply chain freight and logistics, and energy may vary considerably depending on supply and demand, global economic conditions, trade policies and agreements, tariffs, duties and other factors. We purchase these commodities and services based on our anticipated usage and future outlook for these costs. Changes in trade policy, including the imposition of new or increased tariffs, duties or border measures, and retaliatory actions by trading partners, could increase our input and logistics costs or disrupt supply chains. We may not be able to purchase these commodities and services at prices that we can adequately pass on to customers, which could have an adverse impact on our growth and profitability.
An inability to contain costs, manage working capital, or achieve budgets, including completing planned maintenance and investment projects on time and on budget, could adversely affect our future profitability or cash flows.
Our future profitability and growth depend on our ability to contain operating costs and per unit product costs and to maintain and implement effective cost control programs, while also maintaining competitive pricing and superior quality products, customer service and support. Our ability to maintain a competitive cost structure depends on continued containment of manufacturing, delivery and administrative costs, as well as the implementation of cost-effective purchasing programs for raw materials, energy and related manufacturing requirements. Our working capital requirements, including margin requirements on open positions on futures exchanges, are directly affected by the price of corn and other agricultural commodities, which may fluctuate significantly and change quickly. In addition, our future profitability and growth depend on our ability to achieve budgets, including completing planned maintenance and investment projects on time and on budget. If we do not successfully manage these activities, our business might be materially adversely affected.
Global climate change and legal, regulatory, or market measures to address climate change, may negatively affect our business, operating results, financial condition, cash flows, and prospects.
We are subject to risks associated with the long-term effects of climate change on the global economy and on our industry in particular. Extreme weather and natural disasters that occur around the globe, such as drought, wildfires, storms, floods, and changes in ocean currents, could make it more difficult and costly for us to manufacture, store, and deliver our products to our customers, obtain raw materials from our suppliers, or perform other critical corporate functions. In particular, if such climate change impacts negatively affect agricultural productivity, we may be subject to decreased availability or less favorable pricing from certain commodities that are necessary for our products, including corn, specialty grains, rice, stevia, peas and sugar. Adverse weather conditions and natural disasters could reduce crop size and crop quality, which could reduce our supplies of raw materials, lower recoveries of usable raw materials, increase the prices of our raw materials, increase our costs of storing and transporting raw materials, or disrupt production schedules. Our manufacturing operations also could be adversely affected by reduced water availability resulting from droughts or other interruptions from acute and chronic physical climate events due to climate change, including droughts, heat waves, freezing temperatures, changing precipitation patterns and heat stress.
There is a global concern that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere may have an adverse effect on global temperatures, weather patterns and the frequency and severity of natural disasters. The increasing concern over climate change could result in new domestic or international legal requirements for us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts of our operations, improve our energy efficiency, or undertake sustainability measures that exceed those we currently pursue. Furthermore, such measures may result in the taxation of greenhouse gas emissions. Any such regulatory requirements could cause disruptions in the manufacture of our products and result in increased
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capital, procurement, manufacturing and distribution costs. Our reputation could be harmed if we fail, or are seen as having failed, to respond responsibly and effectively to changes in legal and regulatory measures adopted to address climate change. The occurrence of any of the foregoing matters could adversely affect our operating results, financial condition, cash flows and prospects and could require us to devote significant resources to rebuild our reputation.
In addition, changing customer preferences may result in increased demands regarding packaging materials and other components in our products and their environmental impact on sustainability. Moreover, customers may place increasing importance on purchasing products that are sustainably grown and made, requiring us to incur additional costs for increased due diligence and reporting. These demands may cause us to incur additional costs or make other changes to other operations to respond to such demands, which could adversely affect our financial results.
We are or will be obligated to comply with new sustainability and climate-related reporting requirements under California climate-related reporting statutes, laws of member states of the European Union implementing the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, and other laws and regulations that continue to evolve. These sustainability reporting requirements, under evolving sustainability reporting frameworks, will require us to provide, at least annually, detailed public disclosures about the greenhouse gas emissions and other climate-related effects our activities produce, the climate-related operating and financial risks we face, and the strategies we pursue to reduce and adapt to the impacts of climate change. We expect to incur substantial costs to prepare these disclosures and implement internal controls for sustainability reporting. Changes in the scope, timing, or interpretation of these requirements, and any divergence among reporting regimes across jurisdictions, could increase our compliance costs, create disclosure and control challenges, and expose us to enforcement actions, litigation, or reputational harm. If we fail to compile, assess and report the required operating and accounting information in a timely manner and in accordance with mandatory reporting standards or if public statements regarding sustainability-related matters are alleged to be misleading, we could be exposed to fines and other sanctions and sustain harm to our reputation.
If we do not identify and complete acquisitions, divestitures, or strategic alliances on favorable terms or achieve anticipated synergies relating to any acquisitions or alliances, we could experience unforeseen operating difficulties, additional expenses and the diversion of significant management resources from our ongoing business.
We regularly review potential acquisitions, joint ventures, or strategic alliances with candidates who possess complementary businesses, technologies, services, or products. In addition, we regularly review potential divestitures based on our strategic priorities, benefits, impacts, and opportunities of such transactions. We have completed several such divestitures in recent years such as the sale of our South Korea business in February 2024, for which we are still receiving consideration payments. In September 2025, we entered into a definitive agreement to sell a 51 percent ownership interest in the Pakistan business, which we amended in December 2025 to grant Nishat Group an option to purchase additional shares for commensurate consideration per share. We may be unable to find suitable acquisition candidates, purchasers for operations we may wish to sell, or appropriate partners with whom to make investments, form partnerships, joint ventures or strategic alliances. Even if we identify appropriate acquisition, divestiture, investment or alliance candidates, regulatory reviews may prevent a transaction from being consummated, or we may be unable to complete acquisitions, divestitures, investments or alliances on favorable terms, on time, on budget, or at all.
The failure to consummate proposed transactions may result in the diversion of substantial resources, including management time and cash used for transaction-related expenses, which otherwise would be available for developing our ongoing business. Due diligence performed before a transaction may fail to identify a material liability or an issue that could have an adverse impact on our reputation or reduce or delay the anticipated benefits resulting from the transaction. In addition, the process of integrating an acquired business, technology, service, or product into our existing business and operations, or of divesting certain operations or businesses, may result in unforeseen operating difficulties and expenditures, including with respect to the retention of strategic talent, systems integration, and internal control effectiveness. Integration of an acquired company or transition of a divested business or operations to a new owner may also require significant management resources that otherwise would be available for developing our ongoing business. Moreover, we may not realize the anticipated benefits of any acquisition, divestiture, investment or strategic alliance and may have to record impairment charges on goodwill or other write-offs. Future acquisitions, divestitures or investments could also require us to issue equity securities, consolidate financial statements of variable interest entities, incur debt, assume contingent liabilities or amortize expenses related to intangible assets, any of which could harm our business.
In addition, we participate in several joint ventures, some of which are intended to be long-term investments, in which we have limited control over governance, financial reporting, and operations. As a result, we face operating, financial, legal and other risks relating to these investments, including risks related to the financial strength of our joint venture partners or their willingness to provide adequate funding for the joint venture, differences in objectives between us and our partners,
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legal and compliance risks relating to actions or omissions of the joint venture or our partners, and the risk that we will be unable to resolve disputes with the joint venture partners. As a result, these investments may contribute significantly less than we anticipate to our earnings and cash flows.
We operate a multinational business subject to the economic, political and other risks inherent in conducting operations in foreign countries and with foreign currencies.
We sell products to, purchase inputs from, and operate in foreign countries where we transact with foreign currencies, and where our results are subject to foreign currency exchange fluctuations. Historically, we have been able to adjust local prices relatively quickly to offset the effect of local currency depreciation versus the U.S. dollar, although we may not be able to do so in the future. If the value of the U.S. dollar changes versus a foreign currency, it could take us an extended period to offset the impact of any such changes. We may hedge transactions that are denominated in a currency other than the currency of the operating unit entering into the underlying transaction. Our hedging activities may not be fully successful in limiting the adverse impacts of currency movements.
Our international operations are subject to political, economic and other risks. There has been and continues to be significant political instability in some countries and regions in which we operate. Additional uncertainties have resulted from changes in the U.S. government’s approach to international trade policy, including a review of long standing free trade agreements, both generally and with respect to matters directly and indirectly affecting agricultural commodities such as corn, sugar and soy. Unilateral actions affecting trade, protectionist trade measures, renegotiation of existing bilateral or multi-lateral trade agreements, the formation of new agreements or treaties with or between foreign countries, retaliatory actions by countries, and consequences from market uncertainty related to any of these events could adversely impact our operations, earnings and cash flows. Resulting tariffs, duties, levies, or import or export licensing requirements could also adversely affect our results of operations. Economic changes, terrorist activity and political unrest may result in business interruption or decreased demand for our products. Country capital controls, such as those imposed in Pakistan and Argentina, may prevent the repatriation of dividends or payments due to us from our investments and subsidiaries or transfer of consideration payments for divestitures, such our pending agreement to sell an interest in our Pakistan business, in countries that impose such controls.
Our profitability could be negatively impacted if we fail to maintain satisfactory labor relations.
We have employees domiciled in the U.S. and in other countries who belong to labor unions. Strikes, lockouts or other work stoppages or slowdowns involving our unionized employees or attempts to organize for collective bargaining purposes among non-unionized employees could have a material adverse effect on our business. The collective bargaining agreement that we have at our Cedar Rapids, Iowa facility, which experienced a strike from September 2022 to January 2023 involving approximately 103 employees, covers approximately 120 employees and expires on August 1, 2026.
Our inability to attract, develop, retain, motivate and maintain good relationships with our workforce, including key personnel, could negatively impact our business and our profitability.
Our future success depends on our ability to attract, develop, retain, motivate and maintain good relationships with qualified personnel, particularly those who have extensive expertise in the ingredient solutions industry and who may also have long service with our company. Such personnel are members of our senior executive leadership and work in key areas throughout our U.S. and international operations such as manufacturing, sales, and innovation, all of which are critical to our future growth and profitability. We face intensive competition in retaining and hiring individuals with the requisite expertise, both within and outside the ingredient solutions industry, including from companies that have greater resources than we do.
Changes in our labor markets and those of our vendors as a result of pandemics, migration, and other socioeconomic and demographic changes have increased the competition for hiring and retaining talent. As a result of this competition, we may be unable to continue to attract, develop, retain, motivate and maintain good relationships with suitably qualified individuals at acceptable compensation levels who have the managerial, operational, and technical knowledge and experience to meet our needs. Furthermore, any failure by us to manage internal succession or to effectively transfer knowledge from departing employees to others in the organization could adversely affect our business and results of operations. Even if we succeed in hiring new personnel to fill vacancies, lengthy training and orientation periods might be required before new employees are able to achieve acceptable productivity levels. Any failure by us to attract, develop, retain, motivate and maintain good relationships with qualified individuals could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
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Our business and financial results may be adversely affected by legal and regulatory proceedings.
We may from time to time become involved in legal and regulatory proceedings, lawsuits, claims, and investigations in the ordinary course of business, some of which could be material. The outcome of such legal matters, including failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations, workplace and labor matters, asbestos related claims, environmental proceedings, and product liability, tort, and commercial claims, may differ from our expectations because the outcomes of such legal matters may be difficult to predict with certainty. Various factors and developments could lead us to change current estimates of liabilities and related insurance receivables, where applicable, or permit us to make such estimates for matters previously not susceptible to reasonable estimates, such as a significant judicial ruling or judgment, a significant settlement, or unfavorable development, any of which could result in material charges. The occurrence of any of the foregoing matters could adversely affect our operating results, financial condition, cash flows and prospects and could require us to devote significant resources to rebuild our reputation.
Pandemics could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Pandemics, such as the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and subsequent years, have had, and could continue to have, negative impacts on our business, including by causing significant volatility in the commodity and currency markets, changes in consumer demand, behavior or preference, disruptions in our supply chain and manufacturing capacity, limitations on our employees’ ability to work and changes in the economic or political conditions in markets we serve, some of which could constrain or halt shipments from suppliers or to customers. Future epidemics or pandemics could affect the demand for and pricing of our co-products or products.
The recognition of impairment charges on long-lived assets, goodwill or investments could adversely impact our future financial position and results of operations.
As of December 31, 2025, our intangible assets and goodwill, net had a combined carrying value of $1,269 million, representing approximately 16 percent of our total consolidated assets. We perform an annual impairment assessment for our indefinite-lived intangible assets and goodwill and as required for investments and other long-lived assets. If the results of such assessments were to show that the fair value of these assets were less than the carrying values, we could be required to recognize a charge for impairment of long-lived assets, goodwill or investments, which could be material.
The future occurrence of a potential indicator of impairment, such as a significant adverse change in the business climate that would require a change in our assumptions or strategic decisions made in response to economic or competitive conditions, could require us to perform an assessment prior to the next required assessment date for our indefinite-lived assets and goodwill of July 1, 2026.
Risks Related to Our Regulatory Compliance
Global and regional economic policies and changes to existing laws and regulations may have an adverse impact on our business.
Political events, trade and international disputes, war, threats or acts of terrorism, natural disasters, monetary and fiscal policies, tariffs, duties, laws and regulations, public health issues, including pandemics such as COVID-19, and other activities of the U.S. and foreign governments, agencies and similar organizations, may have an adverse effect on our business. These conditions include, among others, changes in a country’s or region’s economic or political conditions, modification or termination of trade agreements or treaties promoting free trade, creation of new trade agreements or treaties, trade regulations affecting production, pricing and marketing of products, local labor conditions and regulations, including regulations regarding child labor, reduced protection of intellectual property rights, changes in the regulatory or legal environment, restrictions on currency exchange activities, currency exchange rate fluctuations, burdensome taxes, tariffs and duties, and other trade disputes or trade barriers. In general, changes in general government policy, law, or regulation and costs of legal compliance, including compliance with environmental regulation, and international risks and uncertainties, including changing social and economic conditions as well as terrorism, political hostilities and war, could limit our ability to transact business in certain markets and could adversely affect our operating results, financial condition, cash flows and prospects.
In addition, recent and potential future changes in the priorities and scope of U.S. federal or state regulatory agencies may increase legal, regulatory, and operational uncertainty for us, including with respect to environmental regulation, immigration enforcement and labor availability, trade policy, and tax and fiscal legislation. Such changes could increase
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costs, disrupt supply chains, limit access to talent, affect demand, and reduce predictability in regulatory oversight and enforcement.
Changes in our tax rates or exposure to additional income tax liabilities could impact our profitability.
We are subject to income taxes in the U.S. and in foreign jurisdictions. Our effective tax rates could be adversely affected by changes in the mix of earnings by jurisdiction, changes in tax laws, tax rate changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities and material adjustments from tax audits.
The recoverability of our deferred tax assets is dependent upon our ability to generate future taxable income. In addition, we are subject to ongoing audits in various jurisdictions and final determinations of prior-year tax liabilities are dependent upon many factors, including negotiations and dispute resolutions with tax or other governmental authorities. The outcome of these final determinations could have a material effect on our profitability and cash flows.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (the “OECD”), an international association of countries including the United States, is continuing discussions regarding fundamental changes in allocation of profits among tax jurisdictions in which companies do business, as well as the implementation of a global minimum tax, referred to as the “Pillar One” and “Pillar Two” proposals. Many countries, including countries in which we have operations, have enacted or are in the process of enacting laws based on the Pillar Two proposals. While the Pillar Two minimum tax requirement did not have a material impact on our current effective tax rate, we continue to monitor developments and administrative guidance in addition to evaluating the potential impact on our consolidated financial statements for future periods.
Risks Related to Our Financing Activities
Increased interest rates could increase our borrowing costs.
We continue to issue debt securities to finance capital expenditures, working capital and acquisitions, and for other general corporate purposes. Sustained or higher interest rates, tighter or uneven credit conditions, and capital market volatility could increase our cost of borrowing, constrain our access to liquidity, and heighten refinancing risk as debt maturities approach. An increase in interest rates in the general economy could result in an increase in our borrowing costs for these financings, as well as under our revolving credit facility, which bears interest at an unhedged floating rate. We have senior notes with $499 million principal, net of discounts, which incur interest at 3.2 percent annually, that mature on October 1, 2026. If we are unable to secure refinancing of these notes at a favorable interest rate, our financial results and cash flows could be adversely affected.
We may not have access to the funds required for future growth and expansion.
We may not have access to additional funds we need to grow and expand our operations. We expect to fund our capital expenditures from our cash flows from operations if we are able. If our operating cash flow is insufficient to fund our capital expenditures, we may either reduce our capital expenditures or utilize borrowings under our commercial paper program or our revolving credit facility, which also provides liquidity support for our commercial paper program. For further strategic growth through mergers or acquisitions, we may also seek to generate additional liquidity through the sale of debt or equity securities in private or public markets, through the sale of assets, or through the sale or divestiture of certain businesses or operations. Our cash flows from operations may not be sufficient to fund anticipated capital expenditures and, in such an event, we may not be able to obtain additional funds from financial markets, from the sale of assets, or from the sale or divestiture of certain businesses or operations at terms favorable to us. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flows or raise sufficient additional funds to cover our capital expenditures or to finance strategic growth opportunities, we may not be able to achieve our desired operating efficiencies and expansion plans, which may adversely impact our competitiveness and our results of operations.
Risks Related to Artificial Intelligence, Our Data, and Our Information Technology Systems
Our increasing use of artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies, and our reliance on third‐party technology providers, could expose us to operational, legal, regulatory, cybersecurity, and reputational risks that may adversely affect our business.
We and our customers, suppliers, and service providers increasingly develop, deploy, and rely on artificial intelligence (“AI”), machine learning and other advanced technologies to support product innovation, manufacturing operations, quality and safety processes, supply‐chain planning, customer service, and other administrative functions. These technologies are
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complex and may be less transparent or predictable than other technologies, and may fail, underperform, or produce incorrect, biased, or otherwise unreliable outputs, which could disrupt operations, adversely affect decision making, compromise product quality, or otherwise result in financial loss. Our use of and the value derived from AI may lag behind that of our competition. In addition, AI regulations are rapidly evolving and may diverge across jurisdictions, which could increase our compliance costs and limit how we deploy AI. How AI-related technologies are trained and the output from such tools could be the subject of infringement claims or other types of litigation. We may also incur significant capital expenditures and operating costs to acquire, implement, maintain and update AI capabilities, and may not realize the expected benefits of these capabilities. Further, AI may affect our workforce needs and may create challenges related to recruiting, retention, training and employee relations. If we fail to develop or use AI responsibly, or if public statements regarding our use of AI are alleged to be misleading, we could suffer reputational harm, regulatory scrutiny, or litigation, any of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Our information technology systems, processes and sites may suffer interruptions, security incidents, or failures that may affect our ability to conduct our business and cause significant damage to our reputation.
Our operations rely on certain key information technology systems, which are dependent on services provided by third parties and provide critical data connectivity, information and services for internal and external users. These interactions include, among others, ordering and managing materials from suppliers, risk management activities, converting raw materials to finished products, inventory management, shipping products to customers, processing transactions, summarizing and reporting results of operations, administering human resources benefits and payroll management, complying with regulatory, legal and tax requirements, and other processes necessary to manage our business. Increased information technology security and social engineering threats and more sophisticated cyber crime, including advanced persistent threats, pose potential risks to the security of our information technology systems, networks and services, as well as the confidentiality, availability and integrity of our third-party and employee data. Threat actors increasingly leverage AI, including deepfakes and other tools, to enhance phishing and social‐engineering attacks, which may make it more difficult for us to prevent, detect and respond to cybersecurity incidents. We also face risks from zero‐day vulnerabilities, supply‐chain attacks, and cybersecurity incidents involving third‐party service providers, cloud platforms, or software vendors upon which we rely. In addition, evolving cybersecurity and privacy regulations, including tighter incident reporting timelines and increased enforcement, may increase our compliance costs and potential liability, and our insurance coverage for cybersecurity‐related losses may be unavailable, insufficient, or subject to increased premiums, retentions or exclusions.
The frequency, sophistication and unpredictability of cybersecurity events globally have increased, and can be acute during times of geopolitical tension or instability between countries or when we make changes to our information technology systems or implement new ones. We have been subjected in the past, and may be subjected in the future, to incidents including phishing, e-mails purporting to come from vendors making payment requests, malware, and communications from look-alike corporate domains, as well as security-related risks resulting from our use of third-party software and services. The use of generative artificial intelligence is increasing the sophistication and effectiveness of these types of social engineering attacks. Future data security incidents could compromise or lead to the loss of material confidential, proprietary or otherwise protected information, seize, destroy or corrupt data, or otherwise disrupt our operations or affect our customers or other stakeholders.
Insider or employee cyber and security threats are also a significant concern for all companies, including ours. Despite our substantial investment in physical and technological security measures, employee training and contractual precautions, our information technology networks and infrastructure (or those of our third-party vendors and other service providers) are potentially vulnerable to unauthorized access to data, loss of access to systems or breaches of confidential information due to criminal conduct, attacks by hackers, employee or insider malfeasance or human error.
Although we have put in place security measures to protect ourselves against cyber-based attacks and disaster recovery plans for our critical systems that are designed to protect our data and customer data and to prevent data loss and other security incidents, these security measures cannot provide absolute security. In some cases, it is difficult to anticipate, detect or identify indicators of such incidents and assess the damage caused by the incidents. In addition, a failure to promptly disclose such material incidents as required by law may result in additional financial or regulatory consequences.
If our information technology systems are breached, damaged, or cease to function properly due to any number of causes, such as catastrophic events, power outages, security incidents, or cyber-based attacks, and if our cybersecurity response plans and disaster recovery and our cyber incident response plans do not effectively mitigate the risks on a timely basis, we may encounter significant disruptions that could interrupt our ability to manage our operations, cause loss of valuable data, and damage our reputation. Any such incidents also could subject us to government investigations or private litigation.
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These factors may adversely impact our operating results, financial condition, cash flows and prospects. We could also experience delays in reporting our financial results.
The third-party data management providers and other vendors that we rely upon may have or develop security problems or security vulnerabilities which may also affect our systems or data. A data security or privacy breach of their systems or other form of cyber-based attack may occur in the future. In addition, we use external vendors to perform security assessments on a periodic basis to review and assess our information security. We utilize this information to audit ourselves, monitor the security of our technology infrastructure, and assess whether and how to prioritize the allocation of scarce resources to protect data and systems. These security assessments and audits, however, may not identify or appropriately categorize relevant risks or protect our computer networks against security intrusions. Although we require our third-party vendors contractually to maintain a level of security that is acceptable to us and work closely with key vendors to address potential and actual security concerns and attacks, not all confidential, proprietary, or personal information may be protected on their systems.
Regardless of whether incidents result from an attack on us directly or on third-party vendors upon which we rely, the costs to address the foregoing security problems and security vulnerabilities before or after a cybersecurity incident could be significant. Remediation efforts may not be successful or timely and could result in interruptions, delays or cessation of service and loss of existing or potential customers that may impede our sales, manufacturing or other critical functions. Breaches of our security measures and the unapproved dissemination of proprietary information or sensitive or confidential data about us, our employees, our customers or other third parties could expose us, our employees, our customers or other affected third parties to a risk of loss or misuse of this information.
Risks Related to Investment in Our Common Stock
We may not continue to pay dividends, repurchase shares of our common stock, or to pay dividends or repurchase shares of our common stock at the same rate as paid in our most recent fiscal quarters.
Our payment of dividends or repurchases of shares of our common stock, as well as the amount of any dividends or repurchases of shares of our common stock, are solely at the discretion of our Board of Directors. Future dividend payments and repurchases of our common stock, if any, also will be subject to our financial results, the availability of statutory surplus funds to pay dividends or repurchase shares of our common stock, and our assessment of liquidity for strategic investments, ongoing business operations or capital structure changes. These factors could result in a change to our current policy of paying dividends and repurchasing shares of our common stock.
Any failure by us to maintain effective control over financial reporting could result in loss of investor confidence and adversely impact our stock price.
If we experience material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and are unable to remediate such material weaknesses, or are otherwise unable to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting or our disclosure controls and procedures, our ability to record, process and report financial information accurately and to prepare financial statements within required time periods could be adversely affected, which could subject us to litigation or investigations requiring management resources and payment of legal and other expenses, negatively affect investor confidence in our financial statements, and adversely impact our stock price. For example, we previously reported a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, which we fully remediated in fiscal 2021, related to ineffective information technology controls related to user access over certain information technology systems.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY
We face numerous cybersecurity risks that include cyber-based attacks and other security threats to our systems. We also could be adversely affected by cybersecurity incidents affecting our suppliers and other third-party service providers. To meet these threats, we expend substantial resources on cybersecurity risk management, strategy and governance.
The Board of Directors, directly and through its Audit Committee, oversees our cybersecurity risk management by reviewing material cybersecurity trends, potential risks and strategic priorities, and by monitoring progress towards those
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priorities. The Audit Committee is responsible under its charter for reviewing with our management the processes management has implemented to monitor and mitigate cybersecurity risk exposures. On a regular basis, the Audit Committee considers management’s reports on significant changes to our cybersecurity strategy, as well as risk mitigation and remediation efforts being undertaken with respect to cybersecurity incidents and under the program generally. The Audit Committee regularly reports to the Board of Directors on its activities with respect to cybersecurity matters.
In general, our incident and crisis management plans are aligned with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) framework for cybersecurity. These plans are intended to provide a framework and processes that allow us to take a consistent approach to cybersecurity before, during and after a cybersecurity incident. Our plans are reviewed and updated periodically. In addition, we conduct cybersecurity tabletop exercises to simulate an actual incident and increase our team’s awareness and preparedness. Based upon these activities, we maintain a risk register to track identified vulnerabilities and associated mitigation plans. We also regularly conduct security awareness training and phishing exercises for our employees around the world to help them identify and report suspicious activity.
We have implemented a number of cybersecurity risk management processes to assess, identify and manage material risks from cybersecurity threats. We conduct real-time monitoring of our environment for suspicious cyber activity using a variety of security tools and centralized logging systems. In addition, we leverage threat intelligence monitoring to stay updated on emerging cyber threats and vulnerabilities and, utilizing this information, conduct regular vulnerability assessments. Furthermore, we conduct regular penetration tests to simulate real-world attacks and identify weaknesses.
To supplement our internal resources, we engage external consultants to conduct independent assessments, perform penetration testing, and provide other cybersecurity-related services as needed. We also utilize external consultants and legal counsel to facilitate cybersecurity tabletop simulations. In addition, we engage external vendors to review and test key controls within our cybersecurity program.
We regularly assess cybersecurity risks associated with our use of suppliers and other third-party service providers. In this process, we classify by level of risk our principal suppliers and other key service providers and evaluate their data security controls and changes in potential cybersecurity risk levels. In addition, our contracts with these service providers require them to promptly report security incidents to us and to provide us with access to relevant information and resources to allow us to conduct related investigations.
Our cybersecurity risk management processes are integrated as part of our overall enterprise risk management processes. Our Audit Committee conducts its oversight of our cybersecurity risk management as part of its oversight of our enterprise risk management policies and procedures. In addition, we conduct an annual survey of over 500 Ingredion business leaders across multiple functions and geographic locations that asks them to evaluate the potential severity and likelihood of cybersecurity matters, among other enterprise and information technology risks. We solicit their views on information and data security protection against cyber and internal threats, reliability of systems including disaster recovery related to malware or other cyber threats, and system implementation failures, and evaluate the responses to modify our risk mitigation strategies accordingly.
Subject to oversight by our Board of Directors and Audit Committee, as described above, our Chief Digital and Information Officer is responsible for developing and guiding our global information technology and digital strategy, which includes overseeing cybersecurity risk management. The Chief Digital and Information Officer provides guidance on cybersecurity strategy initiatives and risk mitigation activities to the Senior Director, Global Information Security and the associated function. Our Chief Digital and Information Officer and our Senior Director, Global Information Security provide regular reports on security incident activity, including containment and remediation measures as relevant, and other cybersecurity risk management matters to the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee.
Our Chief Digital and Information Officer, who holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science, has over 30 years of experience at multinational companies, including seven years of service at Ingredion in his current position as a digital leader and executive, which includes experience managing and responding to cybersecurity risks. Our Senior Director, Global Information Security, who has over two decades of service at multinational companies and a federal government agency, including over three years of service at Ingredion in his current position dedicated to information technology and cybersecurity, possesses significant experience in protecting critical data and building cybersecurity-resilient organizations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications management and a master’s degree in cybersecurity, as well as a current Certified Information Systems Security Professional (“CISSP”) certification.
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While we regularly face attempted cyber intrusions, no cybersecurity intrusions have materially affected our operations to date. Notwithstanding our investment in cybersecurity, however, we may not be successful in preventing or mitigating a cybersecurity incident that could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, or financial condition. For a discussion of cybersecurity risks affecting our business, see Item 1A., Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Information Technology Systems, Processes and Sites.
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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
We own or lease, directly and through our consolidated subsidiaries, 41 active manufacturing facilities. In addition, we lease our corporate headquarters in Westchester, Illinois; our Idea Labs® headquarters in Bridgewater, New Jersey and White Marsh, Maryland; and shared service centers in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Guadalajara, Mexico; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
As of February 17, 2026, our three reportable business segments and All Other include the following 41 active manufacturing facilities:
Texture & Healthful Solutions
Shandong Province, China Owned
Shanghai, China Owned
Hamburg, Germany Owned
Wesenberg, Germany Owned
Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India Owned
Malegaon, Nashik, Maharashtra, India Owned
Ban Kao Dien, Thailand Owned
Kalasin, Thailand Owned
Sikhiu, Thailand Owned
Banglen, Thailand Leased
Idaho Falls, Idaho, U.S. Owned
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. Owned
Fort Fairfield, Maine, U.S. Owned
Belcamp, Maryland, U.S. Owned
North Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. Owned
Salem, Oregon, U.S. Owned
Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. Owned
Richland, Washington, U.S. Owned
Moses Lake, Washington, U.S. Owned
Plover, Wisconsin, U.S. Owned
Food & Industrial Ingredients–LATAM
Balsa Nova, Brazil Owned
Cabo, Brazil Owned
Mogi-Guacu, Brazil Owned
Barranquilla, Colombia Owned
Cali, Colombia Owned
San Juan del Rio, Queretaro, Mexico Owned
Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico Owned
Mexico City, CDMX, Mexico Owned
Lima, Peru Owned
Food & Industrial Ingredients–U.S./Canada
Cardinal, Ontario, Canada Owned
London, Ontario, Canada Owned
Bedford Park (Chicago), Illinois, U.S. Owned
Mapleton, Illinois, U.S. Owned
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S. Owned
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S. Owned
All Other
Ganzhou, China Owned
Enstek, Malaysia Owned
Cornwala, Jaranwala, Pakistan Owned
Mehran, Jamshoro, Pakistan Owned
Rakh Canal, Faisalabad, Pakistan Owned
South Sioux City, Nebraska, U.S. Owned
As of December 31, 2025, we owned our Alcantara facility, which we closed in 2026 and expect to sell in 2027. Additionally, in September 2025, we entered into a definitive agreement to sell a minimum of our 51 percent ownership interest in the Pakistan business, which is subject to certain conditions and approvals. We believe our manufacturing facilities are sufficient to meet our current production commitments, and we conduct preventive maintenance and de-bottlenecking programs designed to improve grind capacity and facility reliability. Furthermore, we intend to continue capital investments to support updates, modifications, improvements and efficient operations of our facilities for the foreseeable future.
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
In September 2022, following certain air emissions testing Ingredion performed at our Bedford Park, Illinois manufacturing facility, we reported to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (the “Illinois EPA”) that certain emissions had exceeded applicable limits under an air emissions permit. On February 8, 2023, the Illinois EPA issued us a Notice of Violation with respect to the matter addressed in our report. Violations of the Illinois environmental statute could result in
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the imposition of civil or criminal monetary penalties. We are engaged in discussions with the Illinois EPA regarding this matter.
In addition to the foregoing matter, we are currently subject to claims and suits arising in the ordinary course of business, including those relating to workplace and labor matters, asbestos-related claims, environmental proceedings and commercial claims. We also routinely receive inquiries from regulators and other government authorities relating to various aspects of our business, including with respect to compliance with laws and regulations relating to the environment, and at any given time we have matters at various stages of resolution with the applicable governmental authorities. The outcomes of these matters are not within our complete control and may not be known for prolonged periods of time. We do not believe that the results of currently known legal proceedings and inquires will be material to us. There can be no assurance, however, that such claims, suits or investigations or those arising in the future, whether taken individually or in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
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PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market Information: Our common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “INGR.”
Holders: On February 12, 2026, there were 2,623 holders of record of our common stock.
Dividends: We have a history of paying quarterly cash dividends. The amount and timing of the dividend payment, if any, is based on a number of factors, including our future estimated earnings, financial position and cash flows. The payment of a dividend, as well as the amount of any dividend, is solely at the discretion of our Board of Directors. Future dividend payments will be subject to our financial results and the availability of funds and statutory surplus to pay dividends.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities: The following provides information about our stock repurchases during the fourth quarter of 2025:
All repurchases during the fourth quarter of 2025 were made in open market transactions.
On November 3, 2025, the Board of Directors approved termination of our existing stock repurchase program and approved a new stock repurchase program authorizing us to purchase up to 8.0 million shares of our outstanding common stock during the period from November 4, 2025 through December 31, 2028. Repurchases under the program may be made by us from time to time in the open market, in privately negotiated transactions or otherwise, at prices we deem appropriate.
ITEM 6. [RESERVED]
Not applicable.
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, as used in this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” the terms “the Company,” “Ingredion,” “we,” “us,” and “our” and similar terms refer to Ingredion Incorporated and its consolidated subsidiaries. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included elsewhere in this report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. See “Forward-Looking Statements” above.
Overview
We are a leading global ingredient solutions provider that transforms grains, fruits, vegetables and other plant-based materials into value-added ingredient solutions for the food, beverage, animal nutrition, brewing and industrial markets. Our innovative ingredient solutions help customers stay on trend with simple ingredients and other in-demand ingredients.
While we identify the impacts on our results of divestitures, acquisitions and investments, including investments in joint ventures that we account for as equity method investments, our discussion below also addresses results of operations excluding those impacts, where appropriate, to provide a more comparable and meaningful analysis.
Results of Operations
We have three reportable business segments: Texture & Healthful Solutions (“T&HS”), Food & Industrial Ingredients–LATAM (“F&II–LATAM”) and Food & Industrial Ingredients–U.S./Canada (“F&II–U.S./Canada”). In addition, operating segments that are not individually or collectively a reportable segment are grouped and classified as “All Other.”
Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates affect the U.S. dollar amounts of our foreign subsidiaries’ net sales and expenses. For most of our foreign subsidiaries, the local foreign currency is the functional currency. Accordingly, net sales and expenses denominated in the functional currencies of these subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars at the applicable average exchange rates for the period.
In 2025, Ingredion continued to optimize its global operations and lower corn costs to deliver healthy solutions to our customers. As a result, Net income attributable to Ingredion for 2025 was $729 million, which represented an increase of 13 percent from $647 million, a year which included a $90 million gain on the February 2024 sale of our South Korea operations. Diluted earnings per share were $11.18 for 2025, compared to $9.71 for 2024. Our operating income of $1,016 million for 2025 increased by 15 percent from operating income of $883 million for 2024. The results from 2024 included impairment charges for the cessation of operations at our manufacturing facilities in Vanscoy, Canada; Goole, United Kingdom; and Alcantara, Brazil. For 2025, net sales decreased 3 percent to $7.2 billion from 2024, which was primarily due to unfavorable price mix, including the pass through of lower corn costs, and lower volumes.
For the Year Ended December 31, 2025
With Comparatives for the Year Ended December 31, 2024
Net sales. Net sales decreased 3 percent to $7.2 billion for 2025 compared to $7.4 billion for 2024. The decrease in net sales was driven by lower volume from each of the F&II segments and price mix, primarily from lower raw material costs, partially offset by T&HS favorable volumes.
Cost of sales. Cost of sales decreased 4 percent to $5.4 billion for 2025 compared to $5.6 billion for 2024. The decrease in cost of sales was primarily due to lower raw material and input costs. As a result, our gross profit margin increased to 25 percent in 2025 compared to 24 percent in 2024.
Operating expenses. Operating expenses increased 4 percent to $815 million for 2025 compared to $782 million for 2024. The increase in operating expenses was primarily attributable to increased employee costs. Operating expenses as a percentage of net sales was 11 percent in 2025 and 2024.
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Other operating (income), net. Other operating (income), net was $24 million for 2025 compared to $1 million for 2024. The increase was primarily attributable to reduced fees from the sale of our receivables, indirect tax benefits recognized in Brazil, and higher income from our equity method investments.
Restructuring/impairment charges. Restructuring and impairment charges decreased to $21 million for 2025 compared to $127 million for 2024. The 2024 charges were primarily related to impairments due to the cessation of operations at our manufacturing facilities in Vanscoy, Canada; Goole, United Kingdom; and Alcantara, Brazil, in addition to restructuring costs from our January 1, 2024 resegmentation. In 2025, we recorded impairment charges for equity investments and decommissioning costs for previously announced plant closures and restructuring activities that occurred during the year.
Financing costs. Financing costs decreased 5 percent to $37 million for 2025 compared to $39 million for 2024. The decrease was primarily due to lower interest expense on lower average outstanding debt balances during 2025 in comparison to 2024, partially offset by foreign exchange losses in 2025 compared to foreign exchange gains in 2024.
Net (gain) on sale of business. Net (gain) on sale of business was $90 million for 2024 to reflect the sale of our South Korea business. There was no such gain recorded in 2025.
Other non-operating expense. Other non-operating expense increased to $5 million for 2025 compared to $3 million for 2024.
Provision for income taxes. Our effective income tax rates were 24.4 percent for 2025 and 29.8 percent for 2024. The decrease in the effective tax rate was primarily driven by the change in value of the Mexican peso against the U.S. dollar in 2025, an unfavorable ruling by tax authorities that generated a multi-year tax contingency in 2024, and the impairment of an equity method investment during 2024. These impacts were partially offset by the change in our permanent reinvestment status of a certain foreign affiliate in 2025 and the favorable tax treatment in 2024 on the sale of our South Korea business.
Net income attributable to non-controlling interests. Net income attributable to non-controlling interests was flat at $7 million for both 2025 and 2024.
Net income attributable to Ingredion. Net income attributable to Ingredion for 2025 increased to $729 million compared to $647 million for 2024. The increase in net income was primarily due to higher operating income, lower financing costs and lower taxes in 2025.
Texture & Healthful Solutions
Net sales. T&HS net sales increased 1 percent to $2,397 million for 2025 compared to $2,366 million for 2024. The increase was primarily driven by increased volumes for starches and clean label solutions, partially offset by lower price mix.
Operating income. T&HS operating income increased 16 percent to $405 million for 2025 compared to $350 million for 2024. The increase was driven by lower raw material and input costs, as well as improved volumes, partially offset by an unfavorable price mix and higher operating expenses.
Food & Industrial Ingredients–LATAM
Net sales. F&II–LATAM net sales decreased 4 percent to $2,341 million for 2025 compared to $2,450 million for 2024. The decrease was primarily driven by lower volume demand.
Operating income. F&II–LATAM operating income increased 2 percent to $493 million for 2025 compared to $483 million for 2024. The increase was driven by lower raw material costs and Mexico currency hedges, partially offset by lower volume demand.
Food & Industrial Ingredients–U.S./Canada
Net sales. F&II–U.S./Canada net sales decreased 7 percent to $2,013 million for 2025 compared to $2,155 million for 2024. The decrease was primarily driven by lower volumes from the beverage and food industries and lower price mix from pass through of lower corn costs.
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Operating income. F&II–U.S./Canada operating income decreased 16 percent to $315 million for 2025 compared to $373 million for 2024. The decrease was primarily driven by lower volumes and production challenges at one of our large manufacturing facilities.
All Other
Net sales. All Other net sales increased 2 percent to $468 million for 2025 compared to $459 million for 2024. The increase was primarily due to an increase in volumes in our Sugar Reduction businesses and an increase in price mix in our Pakistan business, partially offset by lost volumes from the sale of our South Korea business on February 1, 2024.
Operating loss. All Other operating loss improved to a loss of $2 million for 2025 compared to a loss of $22 million for 2024. The improvement was primarily due to improvements in our Protein Fortification business partly offset by lower operating profits in our Pakistan business.
For the Year Ended December 31, 2024
With Comparatives for the Year Ended December 31, 2023
A discussion of the year-over-year comparison of results for 2024 and 2023 is not included in this report and can be found in Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in Ingredion’s annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2025, we had total available liquidity of $3.9 billion. Domestic liquidity of $1.6 billion consisted of $641 million in cash and cash equivalents and $1.0 billion available through our commercial paper program that had no outstanding borrowings. The commercial paper program is backed by $1.0 billion of borrowing availability under a revolving credit facility that we obtained on August 27, 2025, as described below.
As of December 31, 2025, we had international liquidity of $2.3 billion, consisting of $389 million of cash and cash equivalents and $3 million of short-term investments held by our operations outside the U.S., as well as $1.9 billion of unused operating lines of credit in foreign countries where we operate. As the parent company, we guarantee certain obligations of our consolidated subsidiaries. As of December 31, 2025, our guarantees aggregated $39 million. We believe that those consolidated subsidiaries will be able to meet their financial obligations as they become due.
On August 27, 2025, we entered into a new revolving credit agreement for an unsecured revolving credit facility in an aggregate principal amount of $1.0 billion outstanding at any time, which will mature on August 27, 2030. Loans under the facility accrue interest at a per annum rate equal, at our option, to either a specified Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) plus an applicable margin, or a base rate (generally determined according to the highest of the prime rate, the federal funds rate or the specified SOFR plus 1.00 percent) plus an applicable margin. We are subject to compliance, as of the end of each quarter, with a maximum leverage ratio of 3.5 to 1.0 and a minimum ratio of consolidated EBITDA (as defined for purposes of the revolving credit agreement) to consolidated net interest expense of 3.5 to 1.0, with each financial covenant calculated for the most recently completed four-quarter period. As of December 31, 2025, we were in compliance with these financial covenants.
Our commercial paper program allows us to issue senior unsecured notes of short maturities up to a maximum aggregate principal amount of $1.0 billion outstanding at any time. The notes may be sold from time to time on customary terms in the U.S. commercial paper market. We intend to use note proceeds for general corporate purposes. During 2025, there was no activity related to this program. The amount of commercial paper outstanding under this program in 2026 is expected to fluctuate.
As of December 31, 2025, we had total debt outstanding of $1.8 billion. Our outstanding debt consists primarily of senior notes under which repayment at maturity will occur in various years commencing in 2026 through 2050. We classify senior notes due in 2026 as long-term as we have the intent and ability to refinance the principal amount on a long-term basis. The weighted average interest rate on our total indebtedness was 4.0 percent for both 2025 and 2024.
On November 17, 2025, we entered into a lease for a new Global Innovation headquarters facility that will be built in Bridgewater, New Jersey, where we currently lease another facility for research and operations. When the Global Innovation headquarters construction is substantially complete and ready for our use, which we estimate will be in the first
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half of 2028, subject to environmental conditions, structural dependencies and regulatory approvals, we will begin lease payments for a term of 25 years. Lease payments will be primarily based on the cost to construct the facility, which we estimate will be approximately $145 million.
The principal source of our liquidity is our internally generated cash flow, which we supplement as necessary with our ability to borrow under our credit facilities and to raise funds in the capital markets. We currently expect that our available cash balances, future cash flow from operations, proceeds from divestitures, access to debt markets and borrowing capacity under our revolving credit facility and commercial paper program will provide us with sufficient liquidity to fund our anticipated capital expenditures, dividends and other operating, investing and financing activities for at least the next twelve months and for the foreseeable future thereafter. Our future cash flow needs will depend on many factors, including our rate of revenue growth, cost of raw materials, changing working capital requirements, the timing and extent of our expansion into new markets, the timing of introductions of new products, potential or agreed acquisitions of or investments in complementary businesses and technologies, continuing market acceptance of our new products, and general economic and market conditions. We may need to raise additional capital or incur indebtedness to fund our needs for less predictable strategic initiatives, such as acquisitions.
Net Cash Flows
Our cash provided by operating activities decreased to $944 million in 2025 from $1,436 million in 2024. The decrease was primarily due to a reduction of $490 million in cash from working capital. We used $73 million of cash in 2025 for working capital, compared to cash provided by working capital of $417 million in 2024, primarily for increases in customer receivables and inventory.
Our cash used for investing activities increased to $444 million in 2025 from $47 million in 2024, which reflected proceeds from the sale of our South Korea business of $255 million in February 2024. In 2025, we used $433 million for capital expenditures and mechanical stores purchases to update, expand and improve our facilities, compared to $295 million in capital expenditures in 2024 for the same purposes. Capital investment commitments for 2026 are anticipated to be approximately $400 million to $440 million.
We used $491 million for financing activities in 2025 compared to cash used for financing activities of $765 million in 2024, primarily because we did not borrow under our commercial paper program in 2025, while we repaid $327 million of commercial paper borrowings during 2024. Cash used for financing activities also includes cash dividends that we pay to our common stockholders of record on a quarterly basis, including those to non-controlling interests, which were $211 million during 2025 and $210 million during 2024. During 2025, we also repurchased 1.8 million outstanding shares of our common stock in open market transactions at a net cost of $224 million.
Key Financial Performance Metrics
We use certain key financial performance metrics to monitor our progress towards achieving our long-term strategic business objectives. These metrics relate to our ability to drive profitability, create value for stockholders and monitor our financial leverage. We assess whether we are achieving our profitability and value creation objectives by measuring our Adjusted Return on Invested Capital (“Adjusted ROIC”). We monitor our financial leverage by regularly reviewing our ratio of net debt to adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and other items (“Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA”). We believe these metrics provide valuable information to help us run our business and are useful to investors.
The metrics Adjusted ROIC and Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA include certain financial measures (Adjusted operating income, net of tax, and Adjusted EBITDA) that are not calculated in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). We also have presented below the most comparable financial measures calculated using components determined in accordance with GAAP. Management uses these non-GAAP financial measures internally for strategic decision-making, forecasting future results and evaluating current performance. Management believes that the non-GAAP financial measures provide a more consistent comparison of our operating results and trends for the periods presented. These non-GAAP financial measures are used in addition to and in conjunction with results presented in accordance with GAAP and reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of our operations that, when viewed with our GAAP results, provides a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our business. The non-GAAP financial measures should be considered as a supplement to, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, the corresponding measures calculated in accordance with GAAP.
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In accordance with our long-term strategy, we set certain objectives relating to these key financial performance metrics that we strive to meet. We cannot provide assurance, however, that we will continue to meet our financial performance metric targets. See Item 1A. Risk Factors and Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk for a discussion of factors that could affect our ability to meet those targets. The objectives reflect our current aspirations in light of our present plans and existing circumstances. We may change these objectives from time to time to address new opportunities or changing circumstances as appropriate to meet our long-term needs and those of our stockholders.
A reconciliation of non-GAAP historical financial measures to the most comparable GAAP measure is presented below.
Adjusted ROIC
Adjusted ROIC is a financial performance ratio not defined under GAAP, and it should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, GAAP financial measures. We define Adjusted ROIC as Adjusted operating income, net of tax, divided by average end-of-year balances for current year and prior year Total net debt and equity. Similarly named measures may not be defined and calculated by other companies in the same manner. We believe Adjusted ROIC is meaningful to investors as it focuses on profitability and value-creating potential, taking into account the amount of capital invested. The most comparable measure calculated using components determined in accordance with GAAP is ROIC, which we define as Net income, divided by average end-of-year balances for current year and prior year Total net debt and equity, as shown in the following table.
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Year Ended December 31,
Return on Invested Capital (dollars in millions) 2025 2024
Adjusted for:
Provision for income taxes 238 277
Other non-operating expense 5 3
Financing costs 37 39
Restructuring and resegmentation costs (i) 13 18
Net (gain) on sale of business (ii) — (90)
Impairment charges (iii) 8 109
Other matters (iv) (9) 6
Adjusted operating income, net of tax (b) 763 748
Short-term debt 48 44
Less: Cash and cash equivalents (1,030) (997)
Short-term investments (3) (11)
Share-based payments subject to redemption 64 60
Total redeemable non-controlling interests 7 7
Total net debt and equity $ 5,123 $ 4,713
Average current and prior year Total net debt and equity (c) $ 4,918 $ 5,071
Return on Invested Capital (a ÷ c) 15.0 % 12.9 %
Adjusted Return on Invested Capital (b ÷ c) 15.5 % 14.8 %
_____________________
(i)In 2025, we recorded $13 million of pre-tax restructuring charges primarily related to accelerated depreciation and decommissioning costs for previously announced plant closures and restructuring activities that occurred during the year. In 2024, we recorded $18 million of pre-tax restructuring and resegmentation charges primarily related to restructuring activities that occurred during the year and the resegmentation of the business that was effective January 1, 2024.
(ii)In 2024, we recorded a pre-tax gain of $90 million on the sale of our South Korea business. There was no such gain in 2025.
(iii)In 2025, we recorded $10 million of pre-tax impairment charges that primarily related impairment charges on our equity investments and equipment impairments due to restructuring activities. This was reduced by $2 million as it was included in Other non-operating expense. In 2024, we recorded $109 million of pre-tax impairment charges that primarily related to our plans to cease operations at our manufacturing facilities in Vanscoy, Canada; Alcantara, Brazil; and Goole, United Kingdom, and impairment charges on our equity method investments.
(iv)In 2025, we recorded $9 million of pre-tax benefits related to insurance recoveries and a favorable judgment related to certain indirect taxes. In 2024, this primarily related to tornado damage incurred at a U.S. warehouse.
(v)Adjusted effective tax rates were calculated as follows:
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Year Ended Year Ended
Adjustments:
Restructuring and resegmentation costs 13 2 18 5
Net (gain) on sale of business — — (90) (4)
Other matters (9) (2) 6 1
Tax item–Mexico — 14 — (18)
Other tax matters — — — (4)
Our long-term objective is to maintain an Adjusted ROIC in excess of 10.0 percent. For 2025, we achieved an Adjusted ROIC of 15.5 percent as compared to 14.8 percent for 2024.
Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA
Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA is a financial performance ratio that is not defined under GAAP, and should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, GAAP financial measures. We define this measure as Short-term and Long-term debt less Cash and cash equivalents and Short-term investments, divided by Adjusted EBITDA. Similarly named measures may not be defined and calculated by other companies in the same manner. We believe Total net debt to Adjusted EBITDA is meaningful to investors as it focuses on our leverage on a comparable Adjusted EBITDA basis and helps investors better understand the time required to pay back our outstanding debt. The most comparable ratio calculated using components determined in accordance with GAAP is Total net debt to Income before income taxes, calculated as Short-term and Long-term debt less Cash and cash equivalents and Short-term investments, divided by Income before income taxes, as shown in the following table.
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Year Ended December 31,
Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio 2025 2024
Short-term debt $ 48 $ 44
Less: Cash and cash equivalents (1,030) (997)
Short-term investments (3) (11)
Income before income taxes (b) 974 931
Adjusted for:
Depreciation and amortization 222 214
Financing costs 37 39
Other non-operating expense 5 3
Restructuring and resegmentation costs (i) 7 18
Net (gain) on sale of business (ii) — (90)
Impairment charges (iii) 8 109
Other matters (iv) (9) 6
Net Debt to Income before income tax ratio (a ÷ b) 0.8 0.9
Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio (a ÷ c) 0.6 0.7
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(i)In 2025, we recorded $13 million of pre-tax restructuring charges primarily related to accelerated depreciation and decommissioning costs for previously announced plant closures and restructuring activities that occurred during the year. This was reduced by $6 million as it included depreciation expense that was already included in the depreciation and amortization line. In 2024, we recorded $18 million of pre-tax restructuring and resegmentation charges primarily related to restructuring activities that occurred during the year and the resegmentation of the business that was effective January 1, 2024.
(ii)In 2024, we recorded a pre-tax gain of $90 million on the sale of our South Korea business. There was no such gain in 2025.
(iii)In 2025, we recorded $10 million of pre-tax impairment charges that primarily related to impairment charges on our equity investments and equipment impairments due to restructuring activities. This was reduced by $2 million as it was included in Other non-operating expense. In 2024, we recorded $109 million of pre-tax impairment charges that primarily related to our plans to cease operations at our manufacturing facilities in Vanscoy, Canada, Alcantara, Brazil, and Goole, United Kingdom, and impairment charges on our equity method investments.
(iv)In 2025, we recorded $9 million of pre-tax benefits related to insurance recoveries and a favorable judgment related to certain indirect taxes. In 2024, this primarily related to tornado damage incurred at a U.S. warehouse.
Our long-term objective is to target a ratio of Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA of 2.5 or less. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, the ratio was 0.6 and 0.7.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions and conditions.
We have identified below the most critical accounting policies upon which the financial statements are based and that involve our most complex and subjective decisions and assessments. Our senior management has discussed the development, selection and disclosure of these policies with members of the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors. These accounting policies are described in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements. The discussion that follows
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should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included elsewhere in this annual report on Form 10-K.
Property, Plant and Equipment and Definite-Lived Intangible Assets
We have substantial investments in property, plant and equipment (“PP&E”) and definite-lived intangible assets. For PP&E, we recognize the cost of depreciable assets in operations over the estimated useful life of the assets and evaluate the recoverability of these assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. For definite-lived intangible assets, we recognize the cost of these amortizable assets in operations over their estimated useful life and evaluate the recoverability of the assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. The carrying values of PP&E and definite-lived intangible assets at December 31, 2025 were $2.5 billion and $204 million, respectively.
In assessing the recoverability of the carrying value of PP&E and definite-lived intangible assets, we may have to make projections regarding future cash flows. In developing these projections, we make a variety of important assumptions and estimates that have a significant impact on our assessments of whether the carrying values of PP&E and definite-lived intangible assets should be adjusted to reflect impairment. Among these are assumptions and estimates about the future growth and profitability of the related asset group, anticipated future economic, regulatory and political conditions in the asset group’s market, and estimates of terminal or disposal values.
To optimize our operations, we continually review whether to further consolidate our manufacturing facilities or redeploy assets for other uses when we believe we can achieve a higher return on our investment. This review may result in the closure or sale of certain manufacturing facilities, which could have a significant negative impact on our results of operations, financial position and cash flows in the period in which we decide to close or sell the facility.
The future occurrence of a potential indicator of impairment, such as a significant adverse change in the business climate that would require a change in our assumptions or strategic decisions made in response to economic or competitive conditions, could require us to perform tests of recoverability in the future.
Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets and Goodwill
We have certain indefinite-lived intangible assets in the form of trade names and trademarks. Our methodology for allocating the purchase price of acquisitions is based on established valuation techniques that reflect the consideration of a number of factors, including valuations performed by third-party appraisers when appropriate. Goodwill is measured as the excess of the cost of an acquired business over the fair value assigned to identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The carrying value of indefinite-lived intangible assets and goodwill at December 31, 2025 was $143 million and $922 million, respectively, compared to $143 million and $906 million, respectively, at December 31, 2024.
We assess indefinite-lived intangible assets and goodwill for impairment as of July 1 each year (or more frequently if impairment indicators arise such as the resegmentation that occurred on January 1, 2024). We first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired, which include net sales derived from these intangibles and certain market and industry conditions. After assessing the qualitative factors, if we determine that it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset is greater than its carrying amount, then we are not required to compute the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset. If the qualitative assessment leads us to conclude otherwise, then we are required to determine the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible assets and perform a quantitative impairment test in accordance with ASC subtopic 350-30, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other. Based on our assessment’s results, we concluded that as of July 1, 2025 there were no impairments in our indefinite-lived intangible assets.
In testing goodwill for impairment, we first assess qualitative factors in determining whether it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. After assessing the qualitative factors, if we determine that it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of a reporting unit is greater than its carrying amount, then we do not perform an impairment test. If we conclude otherwise, then we perform the impairment test. Under this impairment test, the fair value of the reporting unit is compared to its carrying value. If the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds the carrying value of its net assets, goodwill is not considered impaired, and no further testing is required. If the carrying value of the net assets exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit, then an impairment exists for the difference between the fair value and carrying value of the reporting unit. This difference may not exceed the goodwill recorded at the reporting unit.
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When we test goodwill for impairment, we make certain estimates and judgments, which include identifying reporting units and determining the reporting units’ fair values based on both discounted cash flow analyses and an analysis of market multiples. To determine the fair value of reporting units, we use significant assumptions and estimates for discount and long-term net sales growth rates, in addition to operating and capital expenditure requirements. We consider changes in discount rates for the reporting units based on current market interest rates and specific risk factors within each geographic region. We also evaluate qualitative factors, such as legal, regulatory or competitive forces, in estimating the impact to the fair value of the reporting units, noting no significant changes that would result in any reporting unit failing the impairment test. Changes in assumptions concerning projected results or other underlying assumptions could have a significant impact on the fair value of the reporting units in the future. Based on the results of the annual assessment, we concluded that as of July 1, 2025 there were no impairments in our reporting units.
New Accounting Standards
For information related to our new accounting standards, see Note 1 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Hedging: We are exposed to market risk stemming from changes in commodity prices (primarily corn and natural gas), foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates. In the normal course of business, we actively manage our exposure to these market risks by entering various hedging transactions authorized under established policies that place controls on these activities. These transactions utilize exchange-traded derivatives or over-the-counter derivatives with investment grade counterparties. Our hedging transactions may include, but are not limited to, a variety of derivative financial instruments such as forward, futures, options, and swap contracts and agreements. We plan to continue to use derivative instruments to hedge this price risk and, accordingly, we will be required to make cash deposits to or be entitled to receive cash from our margin accounts depending on the movement in the market price of the underlying commodities. See Note 5 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Raw Material, Energy and Other Commodity Risks
We sell a significant portion of finished products, made primarily from corn, at firm prices established in customer contracts that typically last up to one year. In order to minimize the volatility in the cost of anticipated purchases of underlying commodity inputs related to these firm-priced customer contracts, such as corn and natural gas used in our manufacturing process, we enter into hedging contracts or take other hedging positions that also typically mature within one year. Most of our derivative hedging contracts are for the purchase of corn, primarily for our Food and Industrial Ingredient segments. Our pricing is determined through reference to the Chicago Board of Trade, a U.S. futures exchange, for corn we purchase from suppliers in the U.S., and through reference to B3 S.A., a Brazilian stock exchange and over-the-counter market, for corn we purchase from suppliers in Brazil. At expiration of the derivative hedging contract, we settle the derivative contracts at a net amount equal to the difference between the then-current price of corn and the futures contract price. Although these hedging instruments are subject to fluctuations in value, changes in the value of the underlying exposures we are hedging generally offset such fluctuations. While the futures contracts or other hedging positions are intended to minimize the volatility of input costs on operating profits, occasionally the hedging contracts can incur losses, some of which may be material.
Energy costs represent approximately 9 percent of our cost of sales. The primary use of energy is to create steam in the production process and to dry product. We consume natural gas, electricity, coal, fuel oil, wood and other biomass sources to generate energy. The market prices for these commodities vary depending on supply and demand, global economic conditions and other factors. We purchase these commodities based on our anticipated usage and the future outlook for these costs. We cannot assure that we will be able to purchase these commodities at prices that we can adequately pass through to customers to sustain or increase profitability. We use derivative financial instruments, such as over-the-counter natural gas swaps, to hedge portions of our natural gas costs generally over the following twelve to twenty-four months, primarily in our F&II and T&HS segments.
At December 31, 2025, we had outstanding futures and option contracts that hedged the forecasted purchase of approximately 84 million bushels of corn, as well as outstanding swap contracts that hedged the forecasted purchase of approximately 26 million mmbtus of natural gas. Based on our overall commodity hedge position at December 31, 2025, a hypothetical 10 percent decline in market prices applied to the fair value of the instruments would result in a charge to other comprehensive loss (“OCL”) of approximately $35 million, net of income tax effect of $13 million. Any change in
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the fair value of the contracts, real or hypothetical, would be substantially offset by an inverse change in the value of the underlying hedged item.
Unrealized gains and losses associated with marking our commodities-based cash flow hedge derivative instruments to market are recorded as a component of OCL. As of December 31, 2025, our Accumulated other comprehensive loss (“AOCL”) balance included $7 million of net losses (net of $3 million income tax effect) related to these derivative instruments which will be reclassified into earnings over the next twelve months. We expect the net losses to be offset by changes in the underlying commodities costs.
Interest Rate Risk on Debt
We are exposed to interest rate risk on our variable rate debt and price risk on our fixed rate debt. As of December 31, 2025, approximately 97 percent, or $1.7 billion principal amount, of our total debt is fixed rate debt and 3 percent, or approximately $49 million principal amount, of our total debt is variable rate debt subject to changes in short-term rates, which could affect our interest costs. We assess market risk based on changes in interest rates utilizing a sensitivity analysis that measures the potential change in earnings, fair values and cash flows based on a hypothetical 1 percentage point change in interest rates at December 31, 2025. A hypothetical increase of 1 percentage point in the weighted average floating interest rate would increase our annual interest expense by an insignificant amount and would change the fair value of our fixed rate debt at December 31, 2025 by approximately $87 million.
Since we have no current plans to repurchase our outstanding fixed rate instruments before their maturities, the impact of market interest rate fluctuations on our long-term debt is not expected to have a material effect on our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Interest Rate Risk on Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits
Financial measurement of our defined benefit pension and other postretirement benefit (“OPEB”) obligations are sensitive to changes in discount rates, which are based on prevailing market interest rates. A decrease in discount rates generally increases the present value of plan obligations and related expense, while an increase in discount rates has the opposite effect.
The weighted average discount rate used to determine our obligations under U.S. pension plans as of December 31, 2025 and 2024 was 5.41 percent and 5.64 percent. The weighted average discount rate used to determine our obligations under non-U.S. pension plans as of December 31, 2025 and 2024 was 5.52 percent and 5.42 percent. The weighted average discount rate used to determine our obligations under our postretirement plans as of December 31, 2025 and 2024 was 8.16 percent and 7.75 percent.
A one percentage point decrease in the discount rates at December 31, 2025, would have increased the accumulated benefit obligation and projected benefit obligation by the following amounts (in millions):
U.S. Pension Plans
Accumulated benefit obligation $ 28
Projected benefit obligation 28
Non-U.S. Pension Plans
Accumulated benefit obligation $ 18
Projected benefit obligation 20
Postretirement Plans
Accumulated benefit obligation $ 7
Foreign Currency Risk
Due to our global operations, we are exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. As a result, we have exposure to translational foreign exchange risk when our foreign operation results are translated to U.S. dollars and to
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transactional foreign exchange risk when transactions not denominated in the functional currency of the operating unit are revalued.
We selectively use derivative instruments such as forward contracts, currency swaps and options to manage transactional foreign exchange risk. Based on our overall foreign currency transactional exposure at December 31, 2025, we estimate that a hypothetical 10 percent decline in the value of the U.S. dollar would have resulted in a transactional foreign exchange gain of approximately $27 million. At December 31, 2025, our AOCL account included in the equity section of our Consolidated Balance Sheets includes a cumulative translation loss of $899 million. The aggregate net assets of our foreign subsidiaries where the local currency is the functional currency approximated $2.2 billion at December 31, 2025. A hypothetical 10 percent decline in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies would have resulted in a reduction to our cumulative translation loss and a credit to OCL of approximately $250 million.
We enter foreign-currency derivative instruments that are designated as both cash flow hedging instruments and instruments not designated as hedging instruments for accounting purposes. As of December 31, 2025, we had foreign currency forward sales contracts with an aggregate notional value of $395 million and foreign currency forward purchase contracts with an aggregate notional value of $192 million not designated as hedging instruments for accounting purposes. As of December 31, 2025, we also had foreign currency forward sales contracts with an aggregate notional value of $425 million and foreign currency forward purchase contracts with an aggregate notional value of $358 million that are classified as cash flow hedges. The amount included in AOCL relating to these hedges at December 31, 2025 was $3 million of net gains (net of $3 million income tax effect). We expect $3 million of net gains (net of $2 million income tax effect) will be reclassified into earnings over the next twelve months.
Some of the countries in which we operate may experience high inflation. We elect hyperinflation accounting for our affiliate in Argentina, which has high cumulative inflation, determined its functional currency to be the U.S. dollar, and measure its income statement and balance sheet in U.S. dollars using both current and historical exchange rates. The effect of changes in exchange rates on its local currency denominated monetary assets and liabilities is reflected in earnings in financing costs in the Consolidated Statements of Income.
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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Index to Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data Page No.
Consolidated Statements of Income 41
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income 42
Consolidated Balance Sheets 43
Consolidated Statements of Equity and Redeemable Equity 44
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 45
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 46
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Stockholders and Board of Directors
Ingredion Incorporated:
Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Ingredion Incorporated and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, equity and redeemable equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2025, and the related notes (collectively, the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2025, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2025, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, and our report dated February 17, 2026 expressed an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Basis for Opinion
These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of a critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
Sufficiency of audit evidence over inventory
As discussed in Notes 1 and 14 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company held $1,227 million of inventory as of December 31, 2025. Inventories are comprised of raw materials, finished and in process, and manufacturing supplies that are physically located at certain of the Company's locations.
We identified the evaluation of the sufficiency of audit evidence over raw materials and finished goods inventory as a critical audit matter. Finished goods inventory is included within the finished and in process inventory. Evaluating the sufficiency of audit evidence obtained required subjective auditor judgment because of the geographical dispersion of the Company’s raw materials and finished goods inventory and the need to determine the nature and extent of procedures to be performed.
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The following are the primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter. We applied auditor judgment to determine the nature and extent of procedures to be performed over raw materials and finished goods inventory, including determining the Company locations for which those procedures were performed. For locations where procedures were performed, we evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness of certain internal controls over the inventory process. We also involved IT professionals with specialized skills and knowledge, who assisted in testing certain general IT and application controls related to the Company’s process of recording raw materials and finished goods inventory. We selected a sample of raw materials and finished goods inventory and counted inventory quantities through location visits during the year. For a selection of raw materials and finished goods inventory held at certain third-party warehouse locations, we confirmed the quantity held with third-party vendors. We also selected a sample of transactions used in the calculation of raw materials and finished goods inventory and compared inventory prices to underlying documentation, including third-party invoices. In addition, we evaluated the overall sufficiency of audit evidence obtained over raw materials and finished goods inventory by assessing the results of procedures performed, including the appropriateness of the nature and extent of audit effort.
/s/ KPMG LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 1997.
Chicago, Illinois
February 17, 2026
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Ingredion Incorporated
Consolidated Statements of Income
(dollars and shares in millions, except per share data)
Year Ended December 31,
Other operating (income), net (24) (1) (8)
Restructuring/impairment charges 21 127 11
Net (gain) on sale of business — (90) —
Other non-operating expense 5 3 4
Less: Net income attributable to non-controlling interests 7 7 8
Net income attributable to Ingredion $ 729 $ 647 $ 643
Earnings per common share attributable to Ingredion common shareholders:
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Earnings per common share of Ingredion:
See the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
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Ingredion Incorporated
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
(dollars in millions)
Year Ended December 31,
Other comprehensive income:
Currency translation adjustment 162 (100) 47
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to non-controlling interests 7 8 2
Comprehensive income attributable to Ingredion $ 878 $ 616 $ 641
See the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
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Ingredion Incorporated
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(dollars and shares in millions, except per share amounts)
As of December 31,
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,030 $ 997
Short-term investments 3 11
Prepaid expenses and assets held for sale 60 67
Property, plant and equipment, net 2,526 2,264
Other non-current assets 597 561
Liabilities and stockholders’ equity
Current liabilities:
Short-term borrowings $ 48 $ 44
Accrued liabilities and liabilities held for sale 575 633
Other non-current liabilities 473 486
Share-based payments subject to redemption 64 60
Redeemable non-controlling interests 7 7
Ingredion stockholders’ equity:
Preferred stock — authorized 25.0 shares — $0.01 par value, none issued — —
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (937) (1,086)
Total Ingredion stockholders’ equity 4,274 3,804
Non-redeemable non-controlling interests 21 19
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 7,897 $ 7,444
See the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
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Ingredion Incorporated
Consolidated Statements of Equity and Redeemable Equity
(dollars in millions)
Net income attributable to Ingredion — — — — — 643 — — —
Net income attributable to non-controlling interests — — — — — — 7 — 1
Dividends declared — — — — — (199) (3) — —
Repurchases of common stock, net — — — (101) — — — — —
Share-based compensation, net of issuance — — 7 42 — — — 7 —
Fair market value adjustment to non-controlling interests — — 7 — — — — — (7)
Purchases of non-controlling interests — — — — — — — — (2)
Other comprehensive (loss) — — — — (8) — (6) — —
Net income attributable to Ingredion — — — — — 647 — — —
Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests — — — — — — 9 — (2)
Dividends declared — — — — — (209) (5) — —
Repurchases of common stock, net — — — (216) — — — — —
Share-based compensation, net of issuance — — 12 68 — — — 5 —
Fair market value adjustment to non-controlling interests — — (6) — — — — — 6
Purchases of non-controlling interests — — — — — — — — (40)
Other comprehensive (loss) income — — — — (30) — 1 — —
Net income attributable to Ingredion — — — — — 729 — — —
Net income attributable to non-controlling interests — — — — — — 7 — —
Dividends declared — — — — — (211) (5) — —
Repurchases of common stock, net — — — (224) — — — — —
Share-based compensation, net of issuance — — 3 24 — — — 4 —
Other comprehensive income — — — — 149 — — — —
See the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
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Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(dollars in millions)
Year Ended December 31,
Cash from operating activities
Non-cash charges to net income:
Mechanical stores expense 67 62 62
Net (gain) on sale of business — (90) —
Deferred income taxes 6 (15) (6)
Other non-cash charges 43 32 59
Changes in working capital:
Accounts receivable and prepaid expenses (51) 148 77
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities (27) 20 (79)
Cash from investing activities
Capital expenditures and mechanical stores purchases, net (433) (295) (314)
Proceeds from sale of business 12 255 —
Purchases of equity securities, net (20) (4) (9)
Other (3) (3) (6)
Cash used for investing activities (444) (47) (329)
Cash from financing activities
Commercial paper repayments, net — (327) (63)
Repurchases of common stock, net (224) (216) (101)
Common stock activity for share-based compensation, net (12) 46 20
Purchases of non-controlling interests — (40) (2)
Dividends paid, including to non-controlling interests (211) (210) (194)
Cash used for financing activities (491) (765) (569)
Effects of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 24 (28) 6
Increase in cash and cash equivalents 33 596 165
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 997 401 236
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 1,030 $ 997 $ 401
See the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
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Ingredion Incorporated
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted)
1. Description of the Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Unless the context otherwise requires, all references herein to the “Company,” “Ingredion,” “we,” “us,” and “our” mean Ingredion Incorporated and its consolidated subsidiaries.
Description of the business: We primarily manufacture and sell sweeteners, starches, nutrition ingredients and biomaterial solutions derived from wet milling and processing corn and other starch-based materials to a wide range of industries, both domestically and internationally.
Basis of presentation: The Consolidated Financial Statements consist of the accounts of Ingredion, including all subsidiaries. Intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.
Use of estimates: The preparation of the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions about future events. These estimates and the underlying assumptions affect the amounts of assets and liabilities reported, disclosures about contingent assets and liabilities, and reported amounts of revenues and expenses. Such estimates and assumptions impact the value of purchase consideration, accounts receivable, inventories, certain investments, goodwill, intangible assets and other long-lived assets, legal contingencies, income taxes, and pension and other postretirement benefits, among others. These estimates and assumptions are based on our best estimates and judgment. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis using historical experience and other factors, including the current economic environment, which we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. We will adjust such estimates and assumptions when facts and circumstances dictate. Corn price volatility, adverse changes in the global economic environment, foreign currency depreciation versus the U.S. dollar, and access to credit markets increase the uncertainty inherent in such estimates and assumptions. As future events and their effects cannot be determined with precision, actual results could differ significantly from these estimates. Changes in these estimates will be reflected in the financial statements in future periods.
Foreign currency translation: Assets and liabilities of foreign subsidiaries, other than those whose functional currency is the U.S. dollar, are translated at current exchange rates with the related translation adjustments reported in equity as a component of Accumulated other comprehensive loss (“AOCL”), and income statement accounts are translated at the average exchange rate during the period. The U.S. dollar is the functional currency for our subsidiaries in Mexico and Argentina, and we translate their monetary assets and liabilities at current exchange rates with the related adjustment included in financing costs in our Consolidated Statements of Income. Non-monetary assets and liabilities are translated at historical exchange rates with the related translation adjustments included in AOCL in our Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Revenue recognition: Ingredion recognizes revenue under the core principle to depict our transfer of products and solutions to customers in amounts that reflect the consideration we expect to receive. To achieve that core principle, we apply the following five-step approach: (1) identify the contract with a customer; (2) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (3) determine the transaction price; (4) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (5) recognize revenue when a performance obligation is satisfied.
We identify customer purchase orders, which in some cases are governed by a master sales agreement, as the contracts with our customers. For each contract, we consider the transfer of products, each of which is distinct, to be the identified performance obligation. The pricing model can be fixed or variable within the contract. The variable pricing model is based on historical commodity pricing and is determinable before we complete the performance obligation. To determine the transaction price for the contract performance obligations, we also evaluate whether the price could be adjusted, and we may reduce the transaction price for certain sales adjustments such as volume incentive discounts and other discount arrangements. We estimate transaction price adjustments using the expected value method based on our analysis of historical volume incentives or discounts over a period considered adequate to account for current pricing and business trends. Historically, actual volume incentives and discounts relative to those estimated and included when determining the transaction price have not materially differed. We accrue volume incentives and discounts in Accrued liabilities and liabilities held for sale in the Consolidated Balance Sheets when we satisfy the performance obligation. We consider the product price as specified in the contract, net of any discounts, as the standalone selling price as it is an observable input that represents the price if we sold the product to a similar customer in similar circumstances. We do not recognize any significant financing components since payment is due shortly after we satisfy our performance obligation.
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Ingredion Incorporated
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted)
We recognize revenue when we satisfy our performance obligation and control is transferred to the customer, which occurs at a point in time, either upon delivery to an agreed upon location or to the customer. Further, in determining whether control has transferred, we consider if there is a present right to payment and legal title, along with risks and rewards of ownership having transferred to the customer.
Shipping and handling activities related to contracts with customers represent fulfillment costs and are recorded in Cost of sales in the Consolidated Statements of Income. Taxes assessed by governmental authorities and collected from customers are accounted for on a net basis and excluded from net sales. We expense costs to obtain a contract when we incur the costs since most contracts are one year or less. These costs primarily include our internal sales force compensation. Under the terms of these programs, the compensation is generally earned, and the costs are recognized when we recognize the revenue.
From time to time, we may enter into long-term contracts with our customers. Historically, such contracts do not result in significant contract assets or liabilities. Any such arrangements are accounted for in Accounts receivable, net or Accrued liabilities and liabilities held for sale in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Cash and cash equivalents: Cash equivalents consist of all instruments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less and that have virtually no risk of loss in value.
Accounts receivable: Accounts receivable consists of trade and other receivables carried at approximate fair value, net of an allowance for credit losses. The allowance for credit losses is determined using our best estimate of expected credit losses based on historical loss experience and current forecasts of future economic conditions, and we adjust this estimate over the life of the receivable as needed.
Inventories: Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Costs are predominantly determined using the weighted average method.
Long-term investments: We hold marketable securities and equity investments, which we include in Other non-current assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Marketable securities are carried at fair value and we record changes in fair value to Other operating income, net in the Consolidated Statements of Income if we maintain the securities for processing transactions that directly support operating activities; otherwise, we record changes in fair value to Other non-operating expense in the Consolidated Statements of Income.
Equity investments in companies for which we do not have the ability to exercise significant influence are accounted for at fair value, with changes in fair value recorded in Other non-operating expense in the Consolidated Statements of Income. Equity securities without readily determinable fair values are carried at cost, less impairments, if any, and adjusted for observable price changes for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer. We perform a qualitative impairment assessment to determine if such investments are impaired, which considers all available information, including declines in the financial performance of the issuing entity, the issuing entity’s operating environment and general market conditions. Impairments of equity securities without readily determinable fair value are recorded in Other non-operating expense in the Consolidated Statements of Income.
Equity investments in companies for which we have the ability to exercise significant influence, but not control, are accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Upon formation, each equity investee must apply a new basis of accounting by initially measuring its assets and liabilities at fair value (with exceptions to fair value measurement that are consistent with the business combinations guidance). Our share of the earnings or losses reported by equity method investees is recognized in Other operating income, net in the Consolidated Statements of Income, and we generally recognize our share of income or expense one month in arrears due to the timing of when results are available. Each reporting period, we evaluate declines in the fair value of equity method investments below carrying value to determine if any are other-than-temporary and if so, we write down the investment to its estimated fair value. Impairments are recognized in Restructuring/impairment charges in the Consolidated Statements of Income.
Leases: We determine if an arrangement contains a lease, as well as its classification as an operating lease or finance lease, at the inception of the agreement. Lease assets represent our right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent our obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Lease assets and liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the present value of future lease payments over the lease term. As
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Ingredion Incorporated
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted)
most of our leases do not provide an implicit rate, we use an incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date to determine the present value of lease payments. The lease asset value includes in our calculation any prepaid lease payments made and any lease incentives received from the arrangement as a reduction of the asset. Certain leases have options to terminate or extend the life of the lease, which we include in the lease asset and lease liability calculation when we have sole discretion to exercise the option, and it is reasonably certain we will. We do not separate lease and non-lease components for our leases when it is impracticable to separate them, such as leases with variable payment arrangements. We have certain leases that have variable payments based solely on output or usage of the leased asset, which we do not record in our Consolidated Balance Sheets, but expense as incurred. Lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Leases with an initial term of twelve months or less are not recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Property, plant and equipment, net and definite-lived intangible assets:Property, plant and equipment (“PP&E”) is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and definite-lived intangible assets are stated at cost less accumulated amortization. For PP&E, depreciation is generally computed on the straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of depreciable assets, which range from 25 to 50 years for buildings and from two to 25 years for machinery and equipment. Costs for mechanical stores represent costs for spare parts used in the production process that are capitalized in PP&E as part of machinery and equipment until they are utilized in the manufacturing process and expensed as a period cost. Where permitted by law, accelerated depreciation methods are used for tax purposes. For definite-lived intangible assets, we recognize the cost of these amortizable assets in operations over their estimated useful life, which range from two to 30 years. We review the recoverability of the net book value of PP&E and definite-lived intangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset group may not be recoverable. If this review indicates that the carrying values of the asset group will not be recovered, we reduce the carrying values to fair value and recognize an impairment charge. The impairment analysis for long-lived assets occurs before the goodwill impairment assessment described below.
Assets and liabilities held for sale: We classify long-lived assets or disposal groups as held for sale in the period when all of the following conditions have been met:
•we have approved and committed to a plan to sell the assets or disposal group,
•the asset or disposal group is available for immediate sale in its present condition,
•an active program to locate a buyer and other actions required to complete the sale have been initiated,
•the sale of the asset or disposal group is probable and expected to be completed within one year,
•the asset or disposal group is being actively marketed for sale at a price that is reasonable in relation to its current fair value, and
•it is unlikely that significant changes to the plan will be made or that the plan will be withdrawn.
When all the held for sale criteria are met, we initially measure a long-lived asset or disposal group that is classified as held for sale at the lower of its carrying value or the fair value less any costs to sell, recognize any resulting losses, and cease depreciation and amortization of the long-lived asset or assets within a disposal group. Until the date of sale or until the asset or disposal group are no longer classified as held for sale, we assess fair value less any costs to sell and recognize any resulting losses at each reporting period. Gains are not recognized until the date of the sale.
Indefinite-lived intangible assets and goodwill: We have certain indefinite-lived intangible assets in the form of trade names, trademarks, and goodwill. Our methodology for allocating the purchase price of acquisitions to trade names and trademarks is based on established valuation techniques that reflect the consideration of a number of factors, including valuations performed by third-party appraisers when appropriate. Goodwill represents the excess of the cost of an acquired entity over the fair value assigned to identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed. We assess indefinite-lived intangible assets and goodwill for impairment annually (or other circumstances requiring assessment), which we perform as of July 1 of each year.
In testing indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment, we first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset is greater than its carrying amount. If not, then we determine the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible assets by performing a quantitative impairment analysis that considers various factors, including net sales derived from these intangibles and certain market and industry conditions.
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Ingredion Incorporated
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted)
In testing goodwill for impairment, we first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of a reporting unit is greater than its carrying amount. If not, then an impairment exists for the difference between the fair value and carrying value of the reporting unit. This difference is not to exceed the goodwill recorded at the reporting unit.
Hedging instruments: We use derivative financial instruments consisting primarily of commodity futures, swaps and option contracts, forward currency contracts and options, interest rate swaps, and Treasury lock agreements (“T-Locks”).
When we enter a derivative contract, we designate the derivative as a hedge of variable cash flows to be paid related to certain forecasted transactions (“a cash flow hedge”), as a hedge of the fair value of certain fixed (“firm”) commitments (“a fair value hedge”), or as a non-designated hedging instrument. This process includes linking all derivatives that are designated as cash flow or fair value hedges to specific assets and liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, or to specific firm commitments or forecasted transactions. For all hedging relationships, we document the hedging relationships and our risk-management objective and strategy for undertaking the hedge transactions, the hedging instrument, the hedged item, the nature of the risk being hedged, how we will assess the hedging instrument’s effectiveness in offsetting the hedged risk, and a description of the method to measure ineffectiveness. We also formally assess, both at the hedge’s inception and on an ongoing basis, whether the derivative that is used in a hedging transaction is highly effective in offsetting changes in cash flows or fair values of hedged items.
For hedging instruments designated as cash flow hedges, unrealized gains and losses associated with marking cash flow hedging contracts to market (fair value) are recorded as a component of other comprehensive loss (“OCL”) and included in the equity section of the Consolidated Balance Sheets as part of AOCL. These amounts, as well as their related tax effects, are subsequently reclassified into earnings in the same line item affected by the hedged transaction and in the same period or periods during which the hedged transaction affects earnings, or in the period a hedge is determined to be ineffective. Gains and losses from cash flow hedging instruments reclassified from AOCL to earnings are reported as Cash provided by operating activities on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.
For hedging instruments designated as fair value hedges, unrealized gains and losses associated with marking fair value hedging contracts to market (fair value) are recorded in earnings each period. Unrealized gains and losses on hedged items in designated and highly effective fair value hedges are also recorded in earnings each period.
For hedging instruments not designated as hedging instruments for accounting purposes, all realized and unrealized gains and losses from these instruments are recognized in earnings during each accounting period.
We assess the effectiveness of hedging contracts based on changes in the contract’s fair value. The changes in the market value of our hedging contracts have historically been, and are expected to be, highly effective at offsetting changes in the price of hedged items. We discontinue hedge accounting prospectively when it is unlikely or not probable that a forecasted transaction will occur or when we determine that the designation of the derivative as a hedging instrument is no longer appropriate, since the derivative is no longer effective in offsetting changes in the cash flows or fair value of the originally intended hedged transaction. When we discontinue hedge accounting, we continue to carry the derivative on the Consolidated Balance Sheets at its fair value and freeze the deferred gains or losses into AOCL. Changes in the fair value of the derivative are recognized in earnings in the same line item as the original hedged transaction instead of AOCL. Any accumulated gains and losses that were included in AOCL in the period we determined the hedge to be ineffective are also released to earnings.
Pension and other postretirement benefits: All U.S. pension and postretirement benefit plans and most non-U.S. pension and postretirement benefit plans value the vested benefit obligation based on the actuarial present value of the vested benefits to which employees are currently entitled based on their expected date of separation or retirement. We determine our assumption for the discount rate used to measure year-end pension and postretirement obligations based on high-quality fixed-income investments that match the duration of the expected benefit payments, which has been benchmarked using a long-term, high-quality AA corporate bond index. We use a full yield curve approach in the estimation of the service and interest cost components of benefit cost by applying the specific spot rates along the yield curve used in the determination of the benefit obligation to the relevant projected cash flows.
For defined benefit plans, the service cost component of net periodic benefit cost is presented within either Cost of sales or Operating expenses on the Consolidated Statements of Income. The interest cost, expected return on plan assets,
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Ingredion Incorporated
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted)
amortization of actuarial loss, amortization of prior service credit and settlement loss components of net periodic benefit cost are presented as Other non-operating expense on the Consolidated Statements of Income.
Actuarial gains and losses in excess of 10 percent of the greater of the projected benefit obligation or the market-related value of plan assets are classified in AOCL, along with the related tax impact, and recognized as a component of net periodic benefit cost over the average remaining service period of a plan’s active employees for active defined benefit pension plans and over the average remaining life of a plan’s active employees for frozen defined benefit pension plans.
Share-based compensation: We have a stock incentive plan that provides for share-based employee compensation, including the granting of stock options, shares of restricted stock, restricted stock units and performance shares to certain key employees. Compensation expense is generally recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Income on a straight-line basis for all awards over the requisite service period. We estimate a forfeiture rate at the time of certain grants, and we update the estimate throughout the vesting of certain awards within the amount of compensation costs recognized in each period.
Earnings per common share: Basic earnings per common share (“EPS”) is computed by dividing Net income attributable to Ingredion by the weighted average number of shares outstanding. Diluted EPS is calculated using the treasury stock method, computed by dividing Net income attributable to Ingredion by the weighted average number of shares outstanding, including the dilutive effect of outstanding stock options and other instruments associated with long-term incentive compensation plans.
Risks and uncertainties: We operate domestically and internationally, and our business and assets in each country are subject to varying degrees of risk and uncertainty. We insure our business and assets in each country against insurable risks in a manner that we deem appropriate. Because of our geographic dispersion, we believe that a loss from a non-insured event in any one country is not likely to have a material adverse effect on our operations as a whole. Additionally, we believe there is no significant concentration of risk with any single customer or supplier whose failure or non-performance would materially affect our results. We do not consider the potential for insurance recoveries if we record accruals for estimated probable costs from events or circumstances that may be insured.