Entire meal flavours giving kick to snacks, report

The analysts, in the publication Food and Beverage Flavour Trends in Western Europe​ report that traditional British foods now represent sources of flavours in the crisps sector such as Welsh Rarebit, Beef Wellington and Builder’s Breakfast.

These satisfy ‘the growing consumer desire for fuller flavours with a strong and distinctive mouth feel,​’ note the market analysts.

And, although consumers are increasingly turning to healthier snacks, the researchers maintain that the flavour dimension is still an important consideration for many.

They report that the western European snack market has had considerable new product activity in terms of flavour development in recent years informed by growth in interest in ethnic cuisine with a preference for American, Mexican and Mediterranean flavours; and the researchers predict that flavours from Africa and Latin America will soon impact flavour developments in the sector.

The nuts segment, they report, has also thrown up a few notable flavour innovations such as marmite oven baked cashews, as well as a honey nut and mexican chili cashew mix and wasabi peanuts, an indication they argue that the flavours of this segment, like crisps, are likely to broaden beyond the basic favourites.

However, they stress that there remains an overwhelmingly preference for traditional flavours in the sector, and these account for the bulk of the sales in many countries:

“In the UK for example ready salted and cheese and onion varieties account for nearly half of sales, whereas paprika remains a favourite in Germany, mustard is popular in France and cheese and onion account for nearly 57 per cent of sales in the Irish market.”​​

The analysts found, though, that consumers are seeking an added dimension to these traditional flavours, with manufactures labelling their snacks with a specific type of ingredient such as balsamic vinegar or mature Cheddar, or rock salt or sea salt in order to generate a more upmarket feel for the product.

Snacks, bakery and confectionery account for a third of flavours consumption worldwide, while ready meals represent the largest segment for flavourings with a share of around 28 per cent. Global usage of flavourings by the food and drink industry was worth between $6.5bn and $7bn in 2008, having risen by around 2 per cent per annum in recent years, states the report.

And the researchers say sweet flavours account for two thirds of the flavours market compared with 33 per cent for savoury.