Taste for natural foods drives $5.8bn additives market
Daniel Granderson of market intelligence outfit Packaged Facts told FoodProductionDaily.com consumers are looking for natural foods, preferring them over foods with attitudes they perceive as “unnatural.”
“A growing number of consumers are looking to avoid certain longtime categories,” he said. “Flavor enhancers (particularly MSG and other glutamates), preservatives, and artificial color additives top the avoidables list for additives.”
Natural tastes fueling product creation
Packaged Facts research director David Sprinkle said that food manufacturers should expect to see preference for natural additives driving product development.
“The current climate toward additives is driving new innovations, especially but not exclusively for new natural formulations,” he said. “Natural color additives, flavor enhancers, carbohydrate and protein-based fat replacers, and preservatives are critical areas for new additive research, testing, and development.”
Potential impact factors
One trend helping shape the future of the food industry: low-fat foods. According to Packaged Facts, while consumer interest in low-fat edibles had dissipated to some degree in the early 2000s, consumers are once again looking to pick up packaged foods with little or no fat.
Granderson advised that regulatory activity coming from the US Food and Drug Administraiton (FDA) also could impact the food additives market. Evolving review procedures, changing attitudes toward artificial ingredients and other factors could impact the food industry in coming years.
