Natural and blue hues: “Shades of Aqua” poised for success in 2020, says GNT

04 Dec 2019 --- “Shades of Aqua” will be a key food and beverage color trend for 2020, according to a forecast made by GNT Group. Vivid blue and green hues in food is set to drive innovation as consumers seek products that “reconnect them with nature,” says the supplier of Exberry Coloring Foods. “We see an increased need for natural ingredients that are clean and clear label,” Maartje Hendrickx, GNT’s Market Development Manager, tells FoodIngredientsFirst at Fi Europe 2019 in Paris. The demand for Shades of Aqua will also be powered by a quest for holistic wellbeing and a demand for new and unique food and beverage experiences that will stand out when shared on social media, says GNT.

Innova Market Insights has pegged “Storytelling: Winning with Words” as its top trend for 2020. The market researcher underscores a growing consumer affinity for products backed by a compelling narrative. According to Hendrickx, this trend taps into the company’s “Shades of Aqua” theme, because “customers and consumers alike, want to know where their products are coming from, and which ingredients are being used,” she explains.

To enable F&B companies to harness the appeal of Shades of Aqua, GNT has developed a range of green and blue Exberry Coloring Foods. “In the past, artificial colors have had negative associations, but with our natural shades of aqua, a story can be told and that story is that we are only using water to process the raw materials,” Hendrickx says. 

Every year GNT has a color of the year. Last year, the company tipped the broad “sunshine spectrum” of colors ranging from bright yellow to deep orange to stimulate colorful food and beverage development for 2019. 

To enable food and beverage companies to harness the appeal of Shades of Aqua, GNT has developed a range of green and blue Exberry Coloring Foods with a clean-label appeal. They are made from spirulina, an algae that contain phycocyanin, a naturally occurring coloring component. According to GNT, these “are the perfect replacement for artificial colorants, including brilliant blue and patent blue, and other additives such as copper chlorophyllin.”

For the coming year, Hendrickx affirms that Shades of Aqua stands for “naturality and the earth and oceans.” 

“These shades are related to nature and therefore, nature can give you a good feeling about sustainability and freedom, for example. Consequently, we often combine color with mood and how color can influence your mood, and we thought blue or Shades of Aqua would be the best fit for this,” she notes. 

“Shades of Aqua evoke marine environments and mountain landscapes, conveying a sense of health and wholesomeness and strong links with the outdoors. Green is rooted in nature. It is a positive identifier for nutrition and signifies freshness and organic goodness. Blue evokes the ocean garden. It conveys a sense of relaxation and calm and is impactful on social media,” Hendrickx further explains.

Color is king
In the past, on Instagram, for example, it has been all about flavors, states Hendrickx. “But now, it’s not so much about the taste, it’s much more about the color and the look and feel of the products or dish we see on social media platforms,” Hendrickx asserts. 

According to Hendrickx, blue and green food colors can be used in almost every application. “For instance, pasta and noodles, confectionery, savory, dairy and ice cream applications all have potential for our Shades of Aqua.Blue and green food colors can be used in almost every application. Above is a blue Iced Latte.

“Also, vegan trends, in combination with health-conscious consumers, are driving Millennial consumers who want to try new flavors. Therefore, blue and green colors are a good fit for these market demands,” she adds. 

“We see these trends developing mainly in mature or developed markets such as in Europe and North America,” Hendrickx continues. “However, the aqua-colored noodles that we have developed, specifically for FiE, are made in Singapore with our applications team. There is definitely potential in Asia for Shades of Aqua, with Singapore and China standing out,” she highlights. 

For 2020, GNT will present new launches with blue and green hues, in line with their Shades of Aqua theme. GNT’s food and beverage color prediction is aligned with the influential Pantone color forecast, which also places greens and blues center-stage. Pantone’s forecast singles out Nature Remastered – “mossy wild and yellowy greens” – and Mineral Patina – “Indigo dyes seep and stain textiles with tones of blues.”

Shades of Aqua Coloring Foods will be at the heart of GNT’s new Love Color with Exberry initiative for 2020. 

By Elizabeth Green, with additional reporting from Gaynor Selby in Paris.