International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF)

Flavors, scent and food ingredients, counted R&D. Read November 9, 2026 from the annual report for the period ending December 31, 2025, filed February 27, 2026. Ranked 39 of the 84 Basic Materials companies read so far, by the share within reach now.

The filing states approximately 21,500 employees at December 31, 2025, 5,500 in the United States, and counts about 3,000 in research and development, read apart at scientific R&D; the rest is split among food ingredients and flavors, scent and biosciences by the segments' revenue, by description.

The figures on this page come from the company's own annual report and from BLS staffing patterns for its industries, never from a roster. They are estimates with a stated method. Nothing here says what the company will do: within reach is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.

What follows from the reading

Share of working time within reach of AI, on the long-run pace at four in five: 27% now, 33% at the end of 2027, 35% at the end of 2028, 36% at the end of 2030. By the patterns, the work is about 36% desk work, 12% people work and 52% body work. These are the site's industry estimates weighted by the shares below: estimates with a stated method and range, not a forecast of what the company will do. By the same patterns, at the end of 2028 about 64% of the working time stays with people (conversation, in-person and hands-on work), 30% becomes checking a model's work and 5% could be handed over with lighter checks, from the industries' own figures, not the company's roles.

Headcount

21,500 employees as of December 31, 2025 (stated). Approximately 5,500 of 21,500 employees are in the United States (stated).

The filing: “As of December 31, 2025, we had approximately 21,500 employees worldwide, of whom approximately 5,500 are employed in the United States.”

The workforce as industry patterns

What the filing says about the workforce: Approximately 21,500 employees worldwide at December 31, 2025, about 5,500 in the United States; about 3,000 in research and development activities; a safety management system based on OSHA standards at all sites with supervised contractors.

Companies read with the same leading pattern

Other companies whose largest staffing pattern is also Other Food Manufacturing, largest first, each read from its own annual report. Within reach now and at the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.

• PepsiCo (PEP, 306,000 employees)23% now, 26% by 2028
• McCormick & Company, Incorporated (MKC-V, 14,100 employees)20% now, 24% by 2028
• The Marzetti Company (MZTI, 3,500 employees)20% now, 23% by 2028
• Utz Brands, Inc. (UTZ, 3,300 employees)20% now, 24% by 2028
• The J. M. Smucker Company (SJM)20% now, 24% by 2028

What the filing says about AI

17 sentences in the filing name AI. The filing names AI in its risk factors: exposure to AI-related risks and opportunities that could bring material liabilities if not managed, and increased reliance on cloud computing, AI and hybrid work adding complexity and risk of unauthorized access to personal and proprietary information.

• “We are exposed to AI-related risks and opportunities that if we fail to properly manage, could result in material liabilities, or otherwise materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.”
• “Increased reliance on cloud computing, AI, and hybrid work arrangements adds complexity and risk, including through unauthorized access or disclosure of personal and proprietary information.”
• “We are exposed to AI-related risks and opportunities that if we fail to properly manage, could result in material liabilities, or otherwise materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.”
• “We have been increasingly using AI tools in our operations, research and development and other areas.”
• “Many of our third-party partners also utilize AI tools.”

Its annual reports, year by year

Sentences naming AI in each annual report, counted by one rule, beside the median report in the Index that year. Each count links its filing. Every company, by year and sector

• Fiscal 20210median 0
• Fiscal 20220median 0
• Fiscal 202316median 1
• Fiscal 202420median 4
• Fiscal 202517median 10

Headcount by filing year

As reported in each year's annual report, with the filing. A year marked not read had no figure the reading could take from the report's text.

Limits of this reading

• The Index row and the data service's history carry 3,000, the filing's count of research and development employees, against the stated 21,500 employees worldwide (rule 2).
• The segment split beyond the counted R&D staff is by description from the revenue lines (c).

Source: the company's annual report on EDGAR, accession 0000051253-26-000006, the filing. Read by Claude Fable 5.1 under rubric version 1, by the method. A company can write to info@stratussc.com to have its reading checked against its filing.