An Evolving Industry
and Profession
Pursuit of Wellness and Naturalness
For those who love a challenge, it is certainly an interesting time to be in the food industry, as change seems to be the continuous norm. Consumers are scrutinizing ingredients more than ever before and putting pressure on brands to reformulate or launch ‘better-for-you’ offerings made with simpler, more natural ingredients. Large consumer packaged goods companies are making strategic acquisitions of smaller brands and even making early stage investments in startups in order to stay relevant to millennial shoppers.
For the Food and Beverage color business, the shift away from artificial colors to colors from natural sources has gone mainstream, with major food retailers like Aldi and Walmart leading in a way they have not in the past. We expect more retailers and brands to convert to natural colors and coloring foods over the next several years. According to data from Mintel, natural color use has significantly surpassed that of artificial colors in food and drink products launched in the last year (September 2015 to August 2016). This is a truly global phenomenon.
PENETRATION OF INGREDIENT GROUP IN GLOBAL FOOD AND DRINK LAUNCHES WITH A FOOD COLOR OR COLORING FOOD INGREDIENT, BY REGION, SEPTEMBER 2015- AUGUST-2016
Europe continues to lead in the use of natural color and coloring foods in product launches with Latin America closely behind. I expect these numbers to increase even more in the coming year.
A Culture Looking to the Future
While the changing landscape of the food industry brings challenges, it also creates tremendous opportunity to succeed in the marketplace. At Sensient, we are embracing the changing landscape and exploring new opportunities and products in a way that we never have. A key cultural pillar at Sensient is that we hire, nurture, and promote top talent. Now, more than ever, it is truly a great time to be at Sensient. Learn more about careers and culture at Sensient here.
