06 Dec 2019 --- This week in sustainability news, Givaudan joined the global movement of companies committed to set 1.5°C science-based emissions reduction targets aligned with a net-zero... Read More

20 Nov 2019 --- Kerry Group and IBM recently launched a predictive artificial intelligence (AI) tool to forecast future trends in food and beverage and guide the development of winning... Read More

18 Nov 2019 --- Plant-based ingredients producer Ojah BV, well-known for its chicken-alternative Plenti, will launch the world’s first vegan ribs in December, during the Food Ingredients... Read More

15 Nov 2019 --- UK-based Galaxy chocolate brand is launching its first vegan alternative to milk chocolate. The Mars Wrigley-owned brand says that a hazelnut paste will create the same smooth and... Read More

13 Nov 2019 --- Ireland-headquartered Kerry Group has released the findings from a comprehensive study on the plant-based movement in the US, which identifies five significant barriers to... Read More

The whole area of health and wellness through food & beverage is becoming of key strategic importance to Kerry as a global taste & nutrition company. “We see that consumers traditionally looked to pharma and supplements for prevention, but we increasingly see consumers look to food for wellness,” says John Quilter, Vice President of Business Development – Wellmune/Ganeden BC30 at Kerry. “We think that we have a very interesting proposition within the food & wellness space, as we have a global food & beverage applications infrastructure throughout the globe, from dairy to nutritional beverages, nutritional snacks, to various food end use markets throughout the globe. We see consumers now becoming a lot more educated on what they consume. They are very digital savvy and keen on the label of the products that they consume,” he notes.

Kerry made their debut at VitaFoods Asia this week as the company is exploring untapped opportunities in the Asian healthy foods space. Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Laura Collins says: “We are here to very much center on Taste & Nutrition. Asia is a developing market and is expected to be up by 25 percent in 2050. There are many platforms in which we see opportunities such as protein, digestive and immune health. There are many new ways to mainstream innovative protein applications on the market, from a global perspective, delivering on health and wellness platforms.”

Kerry used IFT 2018 to highlight their TasteSense flavor modulation technology. “TasteSense is our answer to the sugar reduction challenge. It is a molecule that was developed by our research team and has now been brought to the US market. It is a clean label ingredient that can be labeled as ‘natural flavor.’ We have been working on some sensory validation of carbonated soft drinks, using our TasteSense technology as well as tea and apple juice. We have also done some sensory research with savory applications such as BBQ sauce and ketchup,” says Renata Ibarra at the company.

In the ready meals space, convenience and taste have always been key. But increasingly, consumers are stepping up their demands to make sure that these convenient meals are also as authentic and healthy as possible. The challenge for manufacturers revolves around delivering taste within the right nutritional and authenticity constraints. FoodIngredientsFirst spoke with Grace Keenan, Marketing Manager at Kerry, about the company's 'Great Culinary Taste' ready meals solutions, which aim to help customers tick all the right boxes in the prepared meals space.

2018 is going to be a big year for sugar reduction, with sugar taxes coming into effect in Ireland and the UK. “Sugar brings many challenges, and the first and foremost is around taste,” says Albert McQuaid of Kerry. Consumers have become very accustomed to a very sweet taste profile in a lot of products, and changing that brings challenges to the food industry in terms of how to deliver them. To that end, Kerry is showcasing its sugar-reducing TasteSense technology, which has been developed to allow sugar manufacturers to reduce sugar levels by about 30 percent.

12 Nov 2019 --- Healthier choices and food safety are dominant issues in the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Food Ingredients companies are responding by looking into alternative sources. 

01 Oct 2019 --- Suppliers in the bakery and snacking segments give their forecasts. What are consumers looking for, and why? What innovations are most likely to succeed, and how can suppliers meet market demands?

14 Jun 2019 --- How the meat industry will remain relevant in the face of stiff competition from alternative protein sources was the biggest question at the recent IFFA 2019 in Frankfurt.

29 Apr 2019 --- Personalized health platforms have expanded beyond gut health to encompass anything from sleep quality to cognitive health.

19 Feb 2019 --- New consumer dynamics presents opportunity for a company positioning itself as being “at the intersection of the art of taste and the science of nutrition.”

Naturex CEO Olivier Rigaud last week unveiled the company’s three-step approach-which includes intuitive nutrition, fortification and nutrition with purpose.  Speaking during HiE, Rigaud said: “We see a lot of opportunities in the fruit and vegetable derivatives, this is one of our four key strategic categories. There is a very high demand, primarily in the US today to move to raw foods, raw products, and unpasteurized, slow processed, to really keep all the nutrients in the product - this is one of the big, heavy trends that we see.”

DuPont Nutrition & Health has announced a significant investment to expand their probiotics production capacity in the US. The investment is the second phase of a broader probiotics expansion project due to the rapidly growing global demand for probiotics. The second phase which is scheduled to span over two-years, represents an investment of approximately $100 million, and increases the company’s probiotics production capacity by an additional 70 percent. Other companies mentioned are Kraft Heinz, Unilever and Ornua. 

Tyrrells, the UK-based crisp brand, has been purchased by US company Amplify Snacks, which owns SkinnyPop popcorn in a $390m deal. Amplify plans to increase US sales of Tyrrells products which include parsnip crisps and sour cream flavored tortillas with poppy seeds. Other companies mentioned are Bayer, Unilever and Kraft Heinz. 

Ball Corporation said that it and Rexam had agreed to sell a number of assets in Brazil, Europe, and the US to the packaging company Ardagh Group for $3.42 bn to satisfy regulatory concerns about Ball's takeover over of the British maker of aluminum cans. Other companies mentioned this week are Tesco, Glanbia and Kerry Group.

The aging population is the fastest growing segment of society. Increasingly longer lifespans mean many of us will be elderly for longer than being middle-aged or a child. As longer life brings great opportunities, it also brings great challenges. The aging process is different for everyone, while nutrition and exercise are key factors that can impact the quality of aging. During the Kerry Health and Nutrition Institute Webinar, experts in this space reviewed current and emerging nutrition research on active aging and provide insights on the evidence around the role of nutrition.

Consumers are often unaware of the energy density of the foods they consume, making them vulnerable to excess calorie consumption.  As a result, initiatives to reduce the number of calories in foods and beverages are emerging globally, either voluntarily or government-led. Watch this webinar to learn how specific sensory cues can support calorie reduction and maintain the sensory appeal of food and beverage products, and how this comes to life in real product applications.

There can often be a disconnect between what consumers perceive as healthy in a food or beverage, what science shows is healthy, and what claims can be made. How can you deliver on-trend foods with a strong health halo, while ensuring consumers get the health benefit they expect from a product? Watch the Kerry Health and Nutrition Institute ‘Proactive Health’ webinar, where we share original research.

Digestive discomfort and its links to wellbeing, the gut-brain access, mental health and social confidence mean that consumers across all psychographics and life-stages are seeking better digestive wellness. Yet the media and store shelves are flooded with many quick fixes, which may or may not be supported by science. In this webinar, learn about established claims and dive into what consumers are seeking out in each region from Stephen Quinn, and get a crash course on the background and scientific merit of some popular digestive health solutions such as probiotics and prebiotics from Dr Mary Ellen Sanders.

Nutrition science is making itself heard in the beverage category. Protein coffees, probiotic juices and turmeric teas are common sightings as the demand for convenient, functional foods increases with consumers. This leaves many of us asking the questions like: “What is the future of nutrition for beverages?” and “How can products continue to be differentiated?”In this webinar, learn about up and coming nutrition ingredients and how sensory science can be used to influence food intake across age groups.