International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) Risk Analysis

As of December 31, 2024, our total debt was $8.977 billion. There may be circumstances in which required payments of principal and/or interest on our debt could adversely affect our cash flows, our operating results or our ability to return capital to our shareholders. In addition, our existing Revolving Credit Facility and Term Loan are also at variable interest rates, exposing us to potentially material interest rate risk at our current level of indebtedness. Furthermore, our degree of leverage could adversely affect our future credit ratings. If we are unable to maintain or improve our current investment grade rating or improve our leverage, it could adversely affect our future cost of funding, liquidity and access to capital markets. The Company does not have any rating downgrade triggers that would accelerate the maturity dates of its senior unsecured debt. However, any downgrade in our credit rating may, depending on the extent of such downgrade, negatively impact our ability to raise additional debt capital, our liquidity and capital position, and may increase our cost of borrowing for new capital raises. In addition, our existing Revolving Credit Facility and Term Loan have pricing grids that are based on credit rating, such that our cost of borrowing may increase if our public debt rating decreases. The pricing grid rates have increased by 0.125% for the duration that financial covenant relief (as described below) is provided. Our Revolving Credit Facility and Term Loan contain various covenants, limitations and events of default customary for similar facilities for similarly rated borrowers, including the requirement for us to maintain, at the end of each fiscal quarter, a maximum ratio of net debt for borrowed money to credit adjusted EBITDA in respect of the previous four fiscal quarters. On September 19, 2023, we entered into further amendments to our Revolving Credit Facility and Term Loan that extend certain relief with respect to this financial covenant by providing that during the relief period our leverage ratio shall not exceed as of the end of the fiscal quarter (for the period of the four fiscal quarters then ended): (i) 5.25x for any fiscal quarter ending on or before March 31, 2024, (ii) 4.75x for the fiscal quarter ending June 30, 2024, (iii) 4.50x for the fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2024, (iv) 4.25x for any subsequent fiscal quarter ending on or before March 31, 2025, (v) 4.00x for any subsequent fiscal quarter ending on or before September 30, 2025 and (vi) 3.75x for the fiscal quarter ending December 31, 2025. The financial covenant relief provided in the September 2023 amendments superseded the ratios and step downs set forth in prior amendments to these credit facilities entered into on August 4, 2022 and March 23, 2023. During the financial covenant relief period, the amendments prohibit us from (i) effecting share repurchases, (ii) declaring and paying dividends in cash on common stock in excess of $0.81 per share per fiscal quarter (for an aggregate amount of $3.24 per fiscal year) and (iii) creating liens to secure debt in excess of the greater of $300 million and 3.65% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets, in each case subject to certain exceptions set forth in the amendments. During the financial covenant relief period, the Term Loan is subject to a mandatory prepayment provision whereby certain asset sale proceeds must be used to pay down amounts outstanding thereunder. See Note 14 for additional information on the amendments to the debt agreements. Our current level of leverage could increase our vulnerability to sustained, adverse macroeconomic weakness, limit our ability to obtain further financing, lead to a reduction or suspension of our dividend payments, decrease our flexibility in responding to or preparing for changes in the industry in which we operate and our ability to pursue certain operational and strategic projects or opportunities, including necessary investments into our business or large acquisitions. Our level of indebtedness, as well as a failure to comply with covenants under our debt instruments, could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition or our ability to return capital to our shareholders and any additional debt modifications, instruments or covenant reliefs may subject us to additional covenants and restrictions.

Defects in, misuse of, quality issues with respect to (including products recalls) or inadequate disclosure of risks relating to our products, as well as performance or other issues in our customer relationships, could lead to lost profits and other economic damage, productivity losses, property damage, personal injury or other liability resulting in third-party claims, criminal liability, significant costs, damage to our reputation and loss of business. Any of these factors could adversely affect our business, financial condition and our results of operations.

We, directly or indirectly through our suppliers, are subject to risks, inherent in agriculture, development, manufacturing, distribution or sale on a global scale, including natural disasters, global or local health crises, international conflicts, terrorist acts, geopolitical developments, trade wars, industrial accidents, environmental events, climate change events (including severe weather events), strikes and other labor disputes, disruptions in supply chain or information systems, political or economic crises (such as uncertainty related to protracted U.S. federal government funding negotiations or inflation), disruption or loss of key research or manufacturing sites, product quality control, safety and environmental compliance issues, regulatory requirements, as well as other external factors over which neither our suppliers nor we have control. We use many different raw materials for our business, such as essential oils, extracts and concentrates derived from fruits, vegetables, flowers, woods and other botanicals, animal products, raw fruits, organic chemicals and petroleum-based chemicals, as well as, gelatin, glycols, cellulose products and cellulose processed grains, guar, locust bean gum, organic vegetable oils, peels, saccharides, seaweed, soybeans, and sugars and yeasts. In connection with our manufacturing of our products, we often rely on third-party suppliers for such raw materials. If our suppliers are unable to supply us with sufficient quantities of ingredients and raw materials to meet our needs, we would need to seek alternative sources of such materials (which may result in higher procurement costs) or pursue our own production of such ingredients or direct acquisition of such raw materials. However, for certain of our ingredients and raw materials, we rely on a limited number of suppliers where there are not readily available alternatives. If we are unable to obtain or manufacture alternative sources of such ingredients or raw materials at a similar cost, we may seek to (i) reformulate our products and/or (ii) increase pricing to reflect the higher supply cost. To mitigate our sourcing risk, we maintain strategic stock levels for critical items. However, if we do not accurately estimate the amount of raw materials that will be used for the geographic region in which we will need these materials or competitively price our products, our margins could be adversely affected. Environmental events may affect our facilities, customers or suppliers and the availability, quality and pricing of raw materials. There is growing evidence that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere may have an adverse impact on global temperatures, weather and precipitation patterns, growing and harvesting conditions (both on land and in the sea), and the frequency and severity of extreme weather and natural disasters, such as floods, wildfires, droughts and water scarcity. Environmental or climate change events may disrupt our facilities and have a negative impact on, among other things, crop size and quality, supply chain, energy or transportation costs, affecting as a result our manufacturing processes and the availability, quality, and pricing of affected raw materials. Climate related policies and energy production restrictions and pricing, or the lack or failure of such policies and restrictions, may exacerbate such negative impacts. As we source many of our raw materials globally, we are subject to additional risks. Supply chain disruptions, as demonstrated by the disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, may result in increased costs, delays or limited availability related to raw materials, strain on shipping and transportation resources, and higher energy prices, which can negatively impact our margins and operating results. Energy prices (including the price of fuel and alternative energy sources) are in and of themselves subject to significant volatility caused by, among other things, market fluctuations, supply and demand changes, currency fluctuations, production and transportation disruptions, and other world events, as well as geopolitical developments and climate change related conditions discussed above. In addition, the imposition of or changes in customs, tariffs, other trade protection measures (including with respect to China, Canada, Mexico, European Union or other jurisdictions by the U.S.), import or export licensing requirements, and sanctions on trade with certain countries, imposed by the U.S. or other countries as well as related retaliatory actions or ensuing uncertainty related to such trade measures, could adversely affect demand for our products, our cost or ability to import raw materials or export our products to other markets. Similarly, geopolitical developments, such as the US-China relations, escalating tensions between China and Taiwan, the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israel-Hamas war and wider Middle East developments (including disruptions to the Red Sea passage or such conflicts spreading further in the relevant regions), could also impact, among other things, certain raw material, energy and transportation costs, certain of our suppliers, distributors, customers and local markets, global and local macroeconomic conditions, and cause further supply chain disruptions (including by delaying the delivery times of raw materials needed for our business or our products to customers). We maintain operations in both Russia and Ukraine and export products to customers in Russia and Ukraine from operations outside the region. As the Russia-Ukraine war has prolonged, it continues to impact our sourcing of certain raw materials for future years, and we continue to look for alternative suppliers or adjust the types of raw materials used in our products. In response to the events in Ukraine, the Company has limited the production and supply of ingredients in and to Russia and Belarus to only those that meet the essential needs of people, including food, hygiene and medicine, and as a result, our operating performance in Russia remains lower compared to previous years and may not reverse in the near future. The Israel-Hamas war and wider Middle East developments have impacted and may continue to impact our operations in Israel and certain of our customers, local markets and suppliers. While we operate research and development, manufacturing and distribution facilities throughout the world, many of these facilities are extremely specialized and certain of our research and development or creative laboratories facilities are uniquely situated to support our research and development efforts while certain of our manufacturing facilities are the sole location where a specific ingredient or product is produced. If our research and development, manufacturing and distribution facilities were disrupted, including due to the risks outlined above, the cost of relocating or replacing these activities or reformulating these ingredients or products may be substantial, which could result in production or development delays or otherwise have an adverse effect on our margins, operating results and future growth. If we are not able to successfully mitigate such risks, we could experience disruptions in production or increased costs, which may result in decrease in our gross margin or reduced sales, and have a material adverse effect on our productivity, business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our ability to differentiate ourselves and deliver growth largely depends on our ability to successfully develop and introduce new products and product improvements that meet our customers' needs, and ultimately appeal to consumers. Innovation is a key element of our ability to develop and introduce new products. We cannot be certain that we will be successful in achieving our innovation goals, such as the development of new molecules, new and expanded delivery systems and other technologies. In 2024, we spent approximately 5.8% of our sales on research and development, and we expect to continue investment in research and development and innovation initiatives. This investment level may vary in the future if available resources to invest in research and development are limited due to our ongoing integration and restructuring efforts or from adverse macroeconomic or supply chain factors. We also may need to devote more resources to enhancing our existing product portfolios. Our research and development investments may only generate future revenues to the extent that we are able to develop products that meet our customers' specifications, are at an acceptable cost and achieve acceptance by the targeted consumer market. Furthermore, there may be significant lag times from the time we incur research and development costs to the time that these research and development costs may result in increased revenue. Consequently, even when we "win" a project, our ability to generate revenues as a result of these investments is subject to numerous customer, economic and other risks that are outside of our control, including delays by our customers in the launch of a new product, the level of promotional support for the launch, poor performance of our third-party vendors, anticipated sales by our customers not being realized or changes in market preferences or demands, or disruptive innovations by competitors.

We rely on patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets to protect our intellectual property rights. We often rely on trade secrets to protect our products, manufacturing processes, extract methodologies and other processes, as this does not require us to publicly file information regarding our intellectual property. From time to time, a third party may claim that we have infringed upon or misappropriated their intellectual property rights, or a third party may infringe upon or misappropriate our intellectual property rights. We could incur significant costs in connection with legal actions to assert our intellectual property rights against third parties or to defend ourselves from third-party assertions of invalidity, infringement, misappropriation or other claims. Any settlement or adverse judgment resulting from such litigation could require us to obtain a license to continue to use the intellectual property rights that are the subject of the claim, or otherwise restrict or prohibit our use of such intellectual property rights. Any required licensing fees may not be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all. For those intellectual property rights that are protected as trade secrets, this litigation could result in even higher costs, and potentially the loss of certain rights, since we would not have a perfected intellectual property right that precludes others from making, using or selling our products or processes. The ongoing trend among our customers towards more transparent labeling could further diminish our ability to effectively protect our products. We vigilantly protect our intellectual property rights, including trade secrets. We have designed and implemented internal controls intended to restrict access to and distribution of our respective intellectual property. Despite these precautions, our intellectual property is vulnerable to unauthorized access through employee error or actions, theft and cybersecurity incidents, and other security breaches, including due to increasing use of AI tools. See, also "-We are subject to risks associated with the potential use of AI in our own operations and by third-party partners that we may engage with." Protecting intellectual property related to biotechnology is particularly challenging because theft can be difficult to detect and biotechnology can be self-replicating. Accordingly, the impact of such theft can be significant. For intellectual property rights that we seek to protect through patents, we cannot be certain that these rights, if obtained, will not later be opposed, invalidated or circumvented. In addition, even if such rights are obtained in the U.S., the laws of some other countries in which our products are or may be sold may not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the U.S. For instance, we may be unable to obtain or defend intellectual property rights in new and inventive technology developed in whole or in part by relying on AI tools. If other parties were to infringe on our intellectual property rights, or if our intellectual property rights were the subject of unauthorized access leading to competitive pressure or if a third party successfully asserted that we had infringed on their intellectual property rights, it could materially and adversely affect our future results of operations by, among other things, (i) us being required to cease production and marketing or reducing the price that we could obtain in the marketplace for products which are based on such rights, (ii) increasing the royalty or other fees that we may be required to pay in connection with such rights, (iii) limiting the volume, if any, of such products that we can sell or (iv) resulting in significant litigation costs and potential liability.

We rely on information technology systems, including some managed by third-party providers, to conduct business and to support our business processes, including those relating to product formulas, product development, manufacturing, sales, order and invoice processing, production, distribution, internal communications and communications with third parties throughout the world, processing transactions, summarizing and reporting results of operations, complying with regulatory (including SEC), tax or legal requirements, and collecting and storing customer, supplier, employee and other stakeholder information. To address the risks to our information technology systems and the associated costs, we maintain an information security program that includes updating technology and information security policies and controls, cybersecurity insurance, cybersecurity governance and compliance, employee/consultant awareness training, table-top exercises, logging and monitoring and routine testing of our information technology systems. We believe that these preventative actions provide adequate measures of protection against information security breaches/incidents and generally reduce our cybersecurity risks, however, cybersecurity incidents, data breaches and operational disruptions are constantly evolving, becoming more sophisticated, including through the increasing use of AI, and conducted by groups and individuals with a wide range of expertise and motives, including foreign governments, cyber terrorists, cyber criminals, malicious employees and other insiders and outsiders. Additionally, continued geopolitical turmoil, including the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and between Russia and Ukraine, heightened the risk of cyber incidents. We and our third-party providers are subject to the risks posed by such incidents, which can take many forms, including code anomalies, "Acts of God," data leakage, hardware or software failures, human errors, cyber extortion, password theft or introduction of viruses, malware and ransomware, including through phishing emails. A disruption to our information technology systems could result in the loss of confidential business, customer, supplier or employee information, litigation or fines, and may require substantial investigations, repairs or replacements or impact our ability to summarize and report financial results in a timely manner, affecting our productivity or resulting in significant financial, legal and relational costs and potentially harming our reputation and adversely impacting our operations, customer service and results of operations. Additionally, the increasing use and evolution of technology, including cloud-based computing and AI, may lead to potential loss or unauthorized disclosure or use of personal data and proprietary information that was collected, used, stored, or transferred with respect to our business, and to dissemination or destruction of confidential information, unintentionally or otherwise, stored in our or in our third-party providers' systems or through use of AI, which may significantly increase our business and information security costs, and expose us to reputational harm, penalties, or legal liability. As we complete integration of systems of prior acquired companies with IFF's systems and prepare for the announced divestitures, we reduce our risk profile. Additionally, an information security or data breach could require us to devote significant management and financial resources to address the problems created, and, as a result of the private rights of action provided for under the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (the "GDPR"), the California Consumer Privacy Act (the "CCPA") and other laws relating to data protection and privacy in other jurisdictions, in the event of such breaches, additional private litigation against us may result. These types of adverse impacts could also occur in the event the confidentiality, integrity or availability of company, customer, supplier or employee information are compromised due to a data loss by us or a trusted third party. We or the third parties with which we share information may not discover any such incidents and/or loss of information for a significant period of time after the incident occurs. In addition, our hybrid and remote work arrangements could introduce operational risk, including cybersecurity and IT systems management risks. We have experienced threats to our data and our systems and although we have not experienced a material incident to date, there can be no assurance that these measures will prevent or limit the impact of a future incident. Additionally, while we have insurance coverage designed to address certain aspects of cyber risks in place, such insurance coverage may be insufficient to cover all losses or all types of claims that may arise.

IFF has been increasingly using or considering using AI tools in its operations, research and development and other areas. Many of our third-party partners also utilize or are considering utilizing certain AI tools. IFF may be exposed to risks in cases where IFF utilizes AI in connection with certain business activities now or in the future, in cases where, whether known or unknown to IFF, IFF personnel, use AI for our business or at IFF locations, or in cases where our third-party partners, whether or not known to IFF, use AI in their business activities (which we may not be in a position to control). The use of AI by us, our employees or any of our third-party partners may result in unauthorized disclosure of personal data, proprietary information and trade secrets, commercially sensitive or confidential information of IFF, our employees or our partners. Similarly, we may become, through the use of AI and unbeknownst to us, recipients or users of such information provided by other parties, which may enable, among other things, third parties to claim that we infringed on their intellectual property rights. Such unauthorized disclosures or uses of information can result, among other things, in reputational harm, loss of confidence by our customers or employees, penalties, litigation costs, or legal liability. Additionally, the use of AI may lead to the weakening or loss of intellectual property rights, where AI-generated inventions or creations may not be properly attributed to the rightful inventors, potentially resulting in disputes over intellectual property ownership and inventorship rights. Further, the use of AI to draft patent applications may lead to inaccuracies or omissions in the applications, potentially resulting in weakened patent protection or possible outright rejection based on intellectual property ownership and inventorship. Analyses, results or business processes relying on AI may also be deficient, inaccurate, or biased and we may fail to identify in a timely fashion or at all, if or to the extent that is the case. Furthermore, AI can exacerbate our cybersecurity or IT risks. See "-A significant data breach or other disruption to our information technology systems could disrupt our operations, result in the loss of confidential information or personal data, and adversely impact our reputation, productivity, business or results of operations." With new and evolving AI comes a continually changing AI regulatory environment, which may create additional compliance costs and risks. At the same time, AI is already changing and has the potential to further significantly change the way we or our competitors do business by, among other things, accelerating research and development, creating efficiencies, improving supply chain, productivity and other processes, customer experience, talent management and decision-making. Any failure to capitalize on the AI benefits to the same degree or with the same speed as our competitors may put us in a disadvantageous position and render our intellectual property portfolio less valuable. If we are unable to successfully manage these risks, it may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The markets in which we compete are highly competitive. We face vigorous competition from companies throughout the world, including multi-national and specialized companies active in flavors, fragrances, enzymes, pharmaceutical excipients, nutrition and specialty ingredients, as well as consumer product companies which may develop their own competing products. For instance, in the flavors industry, we face increasing competition from ingredient suppliers that have expanded their portfolios to include flavor offerings. Some of our competitors specialize in one or more of our product sub-segments, while others participate in many of our product sub-segments. In addition, some of our global competitors may have more resources than we do or may have proprietary products that could permit them to respond to changing business and economic conditions more effectively than we can. Moreover, there has been increased consolidation among our competitors, and such consolidation or partnerships among our competitors may exacerbate these risks. As we continue to enter into adjacent markets, such as functional foods, specialty fine ingredients and nutrition products, we may face greater competition-related risks in these markets than with our other businesses. For example, the specialty fine ingredients market is more price sensitive than the flavors market and is characterized by relatively lower profit margins. Some fine ingredients products are less unique and more replaceable than competitors' products. There is no assurance that operating margins will remain at current levels, which could substantially impact our business, operating results and financial condition. Competition in our business is based, among other things, on innovation, product quality, regulatory compliance, pricing, quality of customer service, the support provided by marketing and application groups, and understanding of consumers. It is difficult for us to predict the timing, scale and success of our competitors' actions in these areas. In particular, the discovery and development of new products, protection of our intellectual property and development and retention of key employees are critical to our ability to effectively compete in our business. Advancement in technologies have also enhanced the ability of our competitors to develop substitutable products. Increased competition by existing or future competitors, including aggressive price competition, could result in the loss of sales, reduced pricing and margin pressure and could adversely impact our sales and profitability. Failing to identify and make capital expenditures to achieve growth opportunities, being unable to make new concepts scalable, or failing to effectively and timely reinvest in our business operations, could result in the loss of competitive position and adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.

During 2024, our 25 largest customers, a majority of which were multi-national consumer products companies, collectively accounted for approximately 33% of our sales in the aggregate. Large multi-national customers' market share, especially in the consumer product industry, continues to be pressured by new smaller companies and specialty players that cater to or are more adept at adjusting to the latest consumer trends, including towards natural products and clean labels, changes in the retail landscape (including e-commerce and consolidation), and increased competition from private labels, which have resulted and may continue to result in decreased demand for our products by such multi-national customers and volume erosion, especially in our Nourish business. Furthermore, consolidations amongst our customers have resulted in larger and more sophisticated customers with greater buying power and additional negotiating strength. If such trends continue, our sales could be adversely impacted if we are not able to replace these sales. In addition, large multi-national customers and increasingly middle market customers continue to utilize "core lists" of suppliers to improve margins and profitability in the flavors and fragrance segments. Typically, these "core list" suppliers are then given priority for new or modified products. These customers are making inclusion on their "core lists" contingent upon a supplier providing more favorable terms, including rebates, which could adversely affect our margins. We must either offer competitive cost-in-use solutions to secure and maintain inclusion on these "core lists" or seek to manage the relationship without being on the "core-list." If we choose not to pursue "core-list" status due to profitability concerns or if we are unable to obtain "core-list" status, our ability to maintain our share of these customers' future purchases could be adversely affected and therefore our future results of operations.

As a result of our acquisition of Frutarom and the N&B Transaction, the number of our customers significantly increased and became more diverse. Our historical customer base was primarily comprised of large and medium-sized food, beverage and consumer products companies. With the completion of the N&B Transaction, our customer base has further increased significantly and, based on 2024 sales, we had approximately 18,300 customers, approximately 67% of which are small and mid-sized companies. This substantial increase in and diversity of our customer base has required us and may continue to require us to adjust, among other things, our product development, manufacturing, distribution, marketing, customer relationship and sales strategy as well as adapt corporate, information technology, finance and administrative infrastructures to support different go-to-market models. We may experience difficulty managing the growth of a portfolio of customers that is more diverse in terms of its geographical presence as well as with respect to the types of services they require and the infrastructure required to deliver our products. If we are unable to successfully gain market share or maintain our relationships with these customers, our future growth could be adversely affected.

Inflationary pressure and price uncertainty may continue in 2025. As a result of the broader inflationary environment and supply chain disruptions we have experienced, and may continue to experience, volatility and increases in the price of input costs, such as certain raw materials, transportation and energy costs. We might also suffer from supply disruptions from supplier exits as higher costs may become unaffordable for certain suppliers. In addition, though many central banks have paused monetary policies such as increasing interest rates to counter inflation, rates remain at historical highs and may continue to remain at such levels. These and other monetary policies to counter inflation could negatively affect our borrowing costs and those of our customers and suppliers, as well as exchange rates and other macroeconomic factors. If we are unable to increase the prices of our products to our customers to offset inflationary cost trends, or if we are unable to achieve cost savings to offset such cost increases, we could fail to meet our cost expectations, and our profits and operating results could be adversely affected. Our ability to price our products competitively to timely reflect higher input costs is critical to maintain and grow our sales. Increases in prices of our products to customers or the impact of the broader inflationary environment on our customers may continue to lead to declines in demand and sales volumes. Further, we may not be able to accurately predict or hedge for price fluctuations of input costs, or predict the volume impact of the price increases in our products, while our competitors may be able to more successfully adjust to such input cost volatility. Increasing our prices to our customers could result in long-term sales declines or loss of market share if our customers find alternative suppliers or choose to reformulate their consumer products to rely less on our products, which could have an adverse long-term impact on our results of operations. Increased cost volatility trends may also impact the business and financial situation of our customers or suppliers, which could in turn affect the demand or supply, respectively, by such parties. Future inflationary and deflationary trends are beyond our control, and we may not be able to sufficiently mitigate any impact on our business and financial situation.

We operate on a global basis, with manufacturing and sales facilities in or supply arrangements with companies based in the U.S., Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Greater Asia. During 2024, approximately 72% of our combined net sales were to customers outside the U.S. and we intend to continue expansion of our international operations. As a result, our business is increasingly exposed to risks inherent in international operations. These risks, which can vary substantially by location, include the following: - governmental laws, regulations and policies adopted to manage national economic and macroeconomic conditions, such as increases in taxes, austerity measures that may impact consumer spending, monetary policies that may impact inflation rates, employment regulations, currency fluctuations or controls and sustainability of resources;- changes in environmental, health and safety permits or regulations, such as regulations related to biodiversity or the continued implementation and evolution of the European Union's REACH regulations and similar regulations that are being evaluated and adopted in other markets, or the ban on microplastics recently adopted by the European Commission ("EC") and the burdens and costs of our compliance with such regulations which may differ significantly across jurisdictions;- increased product labeling and ingredient prohibitions in specific markets that may impact consumer preferences, products costs and/or customer acceptance;- the imposition of or changes in customs, tariffs, quotas, trade barriers, other trade protection measures, import or export licensing requirements, and sanctions on trade with certain countries, imposed by the U.S. or other countries, which could adversely affect our cost or ability to import raw materials or export our products to other markets;- risks and costs arising from our ability to cater to local demand and customer preferences, language and cultural differences;- the movement for increased unionization in the U.S. and internationally may lead to labor instability, employee turnover, increased labor costs or production and operation disruptions;- changes in the laws and policies that govern foreign investment in the countries in which we operate, including the risk of expropriation or nationalization, the costs and ability to repatriate the profit that we generate in these countries;- risks and costs associated with negative publicity on social media as a result of increased regulatory scrutiny, potential misinformation and/or targeted campaigns;- risks and costs associated with complying with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws;- risks and costs associated with complying with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, similar U.S. or foreign anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws and regulations, applicable sanctions or competition laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which we operate or ethical business practices and related laws and regulations;- risks and costs associated with political and economic instability, bribery and corruption, anti-American sentiment, and social and ethnic unrest in the countries in which we operate;- difficulty in recruiting and retaining trained local personnel;- natural disasters, global or local health crisis, pandemics (such as the COVID-19 pandemic), epidemics or international conflicts (such as the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel-Hamas war) or geopolitical tension (such as deteriorating U.S.-China relations), including trade wars, terrorist acts, political crisis, national and regional labor strikes in the countries in which we operate, which could endanger our personnel, interrupt our operations or adversely affect the demand for our products, the results of certain regions or our global supply chain; or - the risks of operating in developing or emerging markets in which there are significant uncertainties regarding the interpretation, application and enforceability of laws and regulations and the enforceability of contract rights and intellectual property rights. The occurrence of any one or more of these factors could increase our costs and adversely affect our results of operations.

We have significant operations outside the U.S., the results of which are reported in the local currency and then translated into U.S. dollars at applicable exchange rates for inclusion in our consolidated financial statements. The exchange rates between these currencies and the U.S. dollar have fluctuated and will continue to do so in the future, with the fluctuations being particularly pronounced in certain emerging markets. Changes in exchange rates between these local currencies and the U.S. dollar will affect the recorded levels of sales, profitability, assets and/or liabilities. Along with other macroeconomic uncertainty we are experiencing such as a highly inflationary global environment and supply chain disruptions discussed elsewhere in these risk factors, we have experienced and continue to expect volatility in global foreign currency exchange rates. Changes to interest rate policy as managed by the Federal Reserve Bank to counter inflationary trends and potential changes in trade policy may further impact such exchange rates. Further volatility or unfavorable movements in currency exchange rates may adversely impact our financial condition, cash flows or liquidity. Although we employ a variety of techniques to mitigate the impact of exchange rate fluctuations, including sourcing strategies and a limited number of foreign currency hedging activities, we cannot guarantee that such hedging and risk management strategies will be effective, and our results of operations could be adversely affected.