Key Interview: Symrise Addresses Premium Indulgence Trend in Savory

25 Apr 2017 --- As a result of globalization, consumers’ social and culinary horizons have broadened considerably over the past years. Increased exposure to new cultures and cuisines has whet consumers’ appetites for novel flavors, textures and food combinations, and this culinary curiosity, in combination with increased awareness and expectations of the healthiness and sourcing of food products, is putting suppliers’ skills to the test.

Keeping an eye on the latest consumer demands for exciting and responsible food products, Symrise‘s Flavors business division aims to supply “innovative products that provide the market with new impulses and help the industry to tap into the full potential of its brands and products.” Represented in over 40 countries across the globe, Symrise is placed among the leading companies in the global flavors and fragrances market. At €2,903.2, the flavors and fragrances supplier‘s 2016 sales figures exceeded its target for the fiscal year, with sales in the Flavor segment increasing by 4% to €1,015.9 million from €980.2 million in 2015.

Speaking on the topic of savory and ready meals, Simone Ehbrecht, Director Marketing Category Culinary EAME, Symrise Flavors Division, identifies health and naturalness as salient consumer trends driving development in the sector.

“Natural is the prerequisite when it comes to food and drinks. People increasingly scrutinize products, demanding natural and sustainably sourced ingredients. Quality and taste perception are directly linked to sourcing and processing,” Ehbrecht says. “Healthy eating has transformed from niche to mainstream and has become a lifestyle subject. Consumers demand healthy and tasty products; healthy food is becoming more creative, pleasurable and delightful. What people (don’t) eat is defining their identity and gives them orientation. Thus, healthy eating becomes more fragmented, and different nutritional niches such as vegan, paleo, keto and Low FODMAP are growing.”

Increased Consumer Awareness
“Increased awareness of issues such as sustainability is causing consumers to up their demands in terms of food and flavor quality,” Ehbrecht notes. With foodie culture maturing, “expectations towards premium indulgence are rising and quality ingredients become a prerequisite. Creativity paired with craftsmanship does not only mean quality ingredients but also chef-skilled preparation, special serving and packaging.”

A love for good food is at the forefront of many consumers’ minds, driving demand for more specific, authentic and natural ingredients, with consumers especially “embracing the variety of new food offerings that promise guilt-free eating and maximum indulgence,” Ehbrecht says.

In response to these trends, Symrise is targeting consumers’ different needs by “making products healthier, more natural and sustainable, and at the same time more affordable and impactful,” using leading technologies and capabilities to deliver effective and consumer preferred natural taste solutions and optimizing flavor perception and delivery, Ehbrecht notes.

Flavor Trends
In terms of flavor trends and culinary products, (regional) cuisines, rather than single flavor trends, are gaining favor with consumers. 

“Those upcoming cuisines are e.g. Portugal, Georgia, Laos, Burma, Malaysia, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indian Thali, Brazilian and Mexican regional (Yucatan). Of course, migration streams bring new impetus that lets people discover unknown cuisines (influences from countries such as Afghanistan, Syria, Nigeria),” Ehbrecht says. “North African and Middle Eastern spices and condiments such as sumac, saffron, harissa, baharat, ras el hanout and Indian rending curry are becoming more and more trendy and finding their way to Europe and the US.”

Globalization continues to influence consumer preferences, leading to the remixing and combining of disparate cuisines, techniques and ingredients. New and interesting fusion cuisines include “East Meets East,” e.g. combining Korean and Polish cuisines, and “East Meets West,” e.g. fusing Italian and Chinese cuisines, she adds.

Sustainability More Accesible
Meanwhile, consumer expectations regarding the health and sustainability aspects of their meals are increasing and the clean and clear labeling of ready meals and marketing around sourcing and sustainability are becoming a pre-requisite. “Sustainability has long been an abstract concept, hard to grasp and related to special markets in Western Europe. Now, people want to know where their food comes from and how it was made – transparency takes center stage. They also pay more attention to reading food labels.”

People are increasingly recognizing the inter-connectedness and limitations of our world, the impact of their consumption behavior on both the planet and their own bodies, and that they can make a difference, Ehbrecht notes. 

“This is expressed e.g. in the ‘zero food waste’ movement, but also in the more conscious handling of meat consumption,” Ehbrecht says. “‘Free from’ is linked to clear labeling: dairy-free, gluten-free and additive-free, etc. Healthy nutritional styles such as clean eating, vegan, paleo, low FODMAP, low carb/high protein and raw, etc. offer new guidelines and rituals that give people’s lives a sense of direction. The own body is seen as a temple and supermarkets as shrines of ‘clean eating,’ a faith that promises happiness, health and energy.”

Suppliers are responding to this demand for healthier, convenient products through, for example, food reformulation. “[Symrise has] more than 10 years of experience in successfully rebalancing the taste profile of e.g. salt reduced products by considering our entire Symlife product portfolio of authentic and consumer preferred taste solutions. Together with our industry partners we make actual products healthier and more natural to meet today's consumer's expectations,” she concludes.

By Lucy Gunn