“A straight line from field to fork”: DDW expands natural and traceable color portfolio

18 Dec 2019 --- DDW The Color House is tapping into the demands for natural colors with a story through its expanded portfolio, as presented at the recently concluded Fi Europe 2019 in Paris, France. FoodIngredientsFirst learns firsthand from the show floor how consumer appetite for natural food colors is taking the industry by storm, as demand for traceable and transparent products is adjunctly propelling NPD in the clean label space. Increasingly spotlighted this year, plant-based shades are continuing to see traction on the market while artificial colors are gradually phased out of product offerings.

Following the acquisition of DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences natural color division this summer, DDW has added a carbon black and chlorophyll green to its line of natural colors. The move broadens the 150-year-old company’s portfolio whose origins are exclusively in brown and caramel colors. These new color additions join the company’s established Emulsitech and Amaize colors which were also showcased at Fi Europe.

The rise of social media and consumers’ increasing interest for clean label products have created the perfect storm for the proliferation of the natural colors trend. Platforms such as Instagram have given the color and appearance of food extra gravity and industry is making strides to optimize their offerings targeting planet-aware consumers living and eating in an “Instagrammable” world.

When natural is not enough
The next generation of “natural” seems to be “transparency,” Dr. Connie Sandusky, Global Marketing Director at DDW, tells FoodIngredientsFirst. “While this isn’t possible with all color sources, where we can, DDW makes an effort to draw a straight line from field to fork.”

Carbon Black is one of DDW's newest colors on offer.The new chlorophyll green, for example, is fully traceable to the site it is grown in the UK. Sandusky notes that DDW’s chlorophyll green stands out from others in the market as it comes from only approved edible plant material source for chlorophyll derivatives – Lincolnshire grass. Meanwhile, the carbon black comes from vegetable carbon, which the company maintains is unmatched in color and pourability.

The Amaize anthocyanin red is another feather in its cap for traceability and naturality in colors. The Amaize coloring comes from a non-GMO, traditionally bred corn hybrid. “We developed and grow the hybrid. You can trace it directly to the farmer and ultimately deliver a product with a responsible story to the end-consumer,” adds Sandusky.

Taking the leap to go beyond “just natural” into full traceability, food manufacturers gain an opportunity to tell a compelling story to the consumer about the origins of the colors. “A transparent supply chain helps manufacturers ensure the quality and safety of what they are producing and create premium brand positioning,” affirms Sandusky.

Telling the story behind a product’s raw materials, processing and additives is a powerful way to connect to today’s conscious consumer and is increasingly relevant for food manufactures. This is reflected in Innova Market Insights’ number one trend for 2020 as “Storytelling: Winning with Words.”

Synthetic dyes losing steam
As artificial colors have come under fire for alleged health risks, consumers are looking for naturality. Sandusky notes that the University of Southampton’s study on the link between hyperactivity in children and the intake of artificial colors mixed with sodium benzoate boosted demand for natural colors. “If a product is marketed to children, the importance of colors from natural sources is even more important,” she adds. 

Manufacturers across industry are aware of the shifting consumption patterns. In a bid to draw attention to the potential danger of artificial colors, snack company KIND discontinued its Fruit Bites line last September and created an art installation to draw attention to the use of synthetic dyes in the US. The decision came after KIND’s executives observed a preference among children to eat fruit snacks resembling candy gems versus the dried, whole fruit that the company uses in its products.

“Synthetic dyes are controversial and add no nutritional value to children’s diets,” says Stephanie Csaszar, Health & Wellness expert at KIND. “Typically, vibrant colors positively correlate to a food’s nutrition and taste quality; however, synthetic dyes counteract this thinking. The food industry uses them to their advantage to enhance visual appeal, enticing children into eating them and parents into buying them.”

The consumption of dyes increased more than five-fold since the 1950s, resulting in 43 percent of foods marketed to children now containing synthetic dyes, as highlighted in a report by the US Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). KIND is concerned that US kids are now accustomed to eating foods that are artificially colorful and less likely to try and enjoy foods that are naturally colored.

Adding vibrant colors without the “nasties” is one of the biggest challenges that fruit and vegetable purees and concentrate can address, explains Johan Cerstiaens, Commercial Director, SVZ, in an exclusive interview with FoodIngredientsFirst. “In today’s social media-driven world, color is an excellent differentiator in many categories and SVZ’s range of 100 percent natural coloring foods can leverage nature’s gifts to provide the hues consumers seek. Beets, for example, can impart peppy red vibrancy, or purple can be obtained with purple carrots or elderberry,” he says. 

By Missy Green