World first: Dutch start-up launches zero-chemical additives and sweeteners

22 Oct 2018 --- Rotterdam-based start-up, 7th Circle BV, has launched their new range of natural, healthy additives called Fooditive. The launch heralds the introduction of the world’s first zero-chemical additives to the food and beverage market. The new Fooditives are derived from wholly food waste and include emulsifiers, sweeteners, thickening agents and preserving agents.

“The products help companies in the food and beverage industry to use additives with no chemicals, allowing their products to be completely natural and able to stand on the supermarket shelves without risk of harm to human health,” says 7th Circle BV’s Founder and Food Scientist, Moayad Abushokhedim.

Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Abushokhedim explains: “Our blends are made from 100 percent natural products, we use only fruits and vegetables to produce them.”

“We truly rely only on those items,” notes Abushokhedim, “And we use some types of heat and machines that we have developed to create a new process that allows us to generate such ingredients, add to that that each process and each blend is different.”

“Fooditive can be used in all kind of ready to eat food and drinks or prepared food, either frozen, canned and dairy products. Our sweetener is already in use with some brands in the beverage industry.” 

The natural additives are derived from food waste to promote sustainability and build a circular economy. The emulsifiers are derived from potatoes, the sweeteners are derived from pear and apple skins, the thickening agents are derived from banana skins and the preserving agents are made from carrots. The food waste is sourced directly from partnering farmers and supermarkets.

The natural sweeteners are also zero-calorie, making them safe for individuals who have diabetes or eager to lose weight.

“All of our products are made from fruit and vegetable waste to create a one hundred percent sustainable and circular economy, and we believe that our commitment to the environment gives us back a great thing – health,” states Abushokhedim.

“Formulating great-tasting foods with reduced- or zero-calorie sweeteners will help the world cut down on consumption of sugar. Fooditive, therefore, does not contribute to obesity-related conditions including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer.”

7th Circle BV also has an extensive system for ensuring food safety that includes testing for heavy metals and pesticides to make the highest quality products. To improve their sustainability portfolio, 7th Circle BV also power their production with renewable energy.

The use of additives and sweeteners is highly prevalent and essential in today’s food and beverage industry. Current sales of Fooditive products are exclusively business-to-business. Meanwhile, 7th Circle BV hope to grow awareness that natural, healthy additives exist and that there is a market for them.

“Consumers want to understand what they eat,” claims Abuskhokhedim. “At 7th Circle BV, we specialize in the production of all-natural additives and sweeteners because we believe that is what consumer desire and what the environment needs.”

“Now anyone can enjoy their favorite, sweet items without feeling guilty or becoming physically unwell.”

“We worked for six years on R&D with the University of Jordan, with some support from Wageningen University, until May this year, which then allowed us to start the company and production,” he adds. 

“The product is now in pre-sales process, we are dealing with high potential clients starting in the Netherlands and we are expanding into Sweden and UK in 2019,” he reveals. 

7th Circle BV is located in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, with the plan of having the same manufacturing process in Southampton, UK and Stockholm, Sweden sometime in the future.

Abushokhedim also notes that the company is welcoming investors to help to take this project to the next level. The initial funding has come from personal investors and 7th Circle BV is also launching a crowdfunding campaign with Fundedbyme.com in Sweden this month.

By Elizabeth Green