How to naturally colour food and drink products

CONSUMERS expect food not only to taste good, but also to look appetising – and colour ultimately makes a decisive contribution to this judgement. Visual appearance, in particular the colour, is one of the most important attributes which consumers use to gather information about a food or beverage, thereby creating expectations on other characteristics of that product such as flavour or mouth feel. Colour is arguably the first attribute perceived and this first impression has great impact on any buying decision.

Taking the example of sugar confectionery, we know that sweets with their vibrant and colourful appearance not only appeal to children but to adults, too. There are always individual preferences regarding colour; in fact choosing your favourite colour sweet is part of the fun! However, one principal remains constant: Children love sweets to be as colourful as a rainbow.

Parents of course have other considerations regarding the food and drink consumed by their children. They are increasingly conscious of the ingredients present, and in particular, additives such as artificial colours are to be avoided.

It is now possible for the food industry to meet the needs of both parents and their children. Colouring Foods provide the possibility to have vibrant and colourful food and drink whilst avoiding the use of artificial or chemically produced additive colours.

What are Colouring Foods?
GNT offers a range of "EXBERRY" Colouring Foods that provide a perfect alternative to artificial food colours. These concentrates of fruits, vegetables and edible plants are derived via physical processing without the use of synthetic additives or organic solvents. EXBERRY Colouring Foods are not additives but ingredients, and can even be eaten with a spoon. In fact, they don't even require E-numbers or warning notices, and can be labelled in a transparent and honest way, e.g. "Colouring Foods (concentrates of blackcurrant, carrot)" in Europe or "Fruit and Vegetable Concentrates (apple, pumpkin) for colour" in other markets.

With such simple and understandable labelling, the end consumer can easily recognise the ingredient that has been used for colouring purposes and just as easily identify the raw material source.

Growing trend towards naturalness
Long-term experience plays just as important a role as new findings from consumer research, since consumer perceptions have changed over the years. In the past food colours could scarcely be bright or loud enough, but today's consumers scan ingredients lists with a critical eye, especially when a product seemingly demands attention due to bright, vivid colours. This concern is stimulated by various negative media reports on food issues and changes in European regulations. Within the EU it is mandatory to put a warning notice on products using certain artificial food colours, which are Tartrazine (E102), Quinoline Yellow (E104), Sunset Yellow FCF (E110), Azorubine/ Carmoisine (E122), Ponceau 4R/Cochenille Red A (E124) and Allura Red AC (E129). Parents especially will refuse to buy sweets for their children when it is stated that these colours "may have an adverse effect on the behaviour and attention in children".

An independent pan-European consumer research
study, commissioned by GNT, clearly found that there
is great awareness and concern about artificial colours amongst consumers and that the avoidance of such substances is an important issue for them. It also showed that consumers are confused by product labels and descriptions of ingredients and additives that are difficult to understand. Consumers simply want colours that they perceive to be natural with easy-to-understand labelling.

This is not only a European, but also a global trend and in no uncertain terms now affects the Asia-Pacific market. Many products from the Asia-Pacific region are exported to Europe and theAir Jordans