Food Matters Live Rotterdam 2025: Ingredion navigates clean label challenges with egg-free and cocoa reduction solutions
29 Sep 2025 | Ingredion
Annika Reinecke, marketing specialist at Ingredion, discussed the company’s clean label prototypes, including ketchup, egg-free mayonnaise and cocoa-reduced brownie, emphasizing that while consumers demand clean labels, they won’t compromise on taste, texture, or nutrition. She also highlighted the challenges of removing ingredients like eggs and E-numbers to maintain clean label standards, particularly amid fluctuating ingredient prices like cocoa and eggs.
This is Missy Green with Food Ingredients first at Food Matters Live in Rotterdam.
I'm here with Anika, who's a marketing communication specialist at Ingredient.
So welcome, Anika.
Thanks for having me.
So tell me about what Ingredient is presenting here at Taste for Better.
First of all, what is the taste for Better format?
Food Matters Live and what did Ingredient bring here today?
Yes, sure, so the taste for better basically is for Food Matters Live, the event here, the suites, so we are in the suite right now, meaning that we have an audience in a separate room at this event which is.
Different to other events where you have a big hall with various different companies presenting in that in that big room altogether so we had the opportunity to talk to some people pretty privately, just have a conversation, have a bit of a presentation, but also a tasting.
So yes, that's basically what the taste of better is this format here and what were the potential customers here tasting so we actually had The idea to base everything on consumer preference.
We were starting with recognizing that clean label is very much preferred by consumers these days.
So it's one of the key trends that we see in the market.
And so we decided to present prototypes that were focusing on clean label, but the market also shows that consumers are not willing to.
Just because they want clean label to compromise on everything else, so compromising on taste or texture or their vegan lifestyle or other things like nutrition and stuff like that.
So basically what we did is we showcased with our samples today that it's definitely possible to combine clean label with such other consumer preferences and so our concepts that we Showcased were a currywurst, a plant-based currywurst, a ketchup, mayo, some fries, and a beverage, and we presented them in a style where we showcased the clean label version versus the non-clean label version.
So to really show that there doesn't need to be a big difference if you go clean label in terms of all these other things in terms of taste, texture, nutrition, and such things.
So yeah, that's that that's what we showcased for the first dish actually and then we had a dessert as which was a brownie and a caramel sauce and you had the the people here who tasted it vote if they thought it was clean label or with traditional ingredients that was really interesting to see actually.
So with every session there were some people that were really sure which one was clean label and which was not, and they were right.
Sometimes, but sometimes they are wrong.
So that was really interesting to see their reaction or to also hear their feedback why they thought it was clean label or not.
And then it was really interesting how the room was divided.
I think it never really happened that the whole room was unanimous on which was clean label and which was not.
So yeah, really interesting to dive into the conversation afterwards then.
Yes, so that's a good sign if they can't tell the difference.
Yes, exactly, because that's what we showcase, right?
So we really prove to them by that that clean label also on affordability and such things, it doesn't need to be a step back.
Consumers want clean label.
So going that way comes with challenges obviously.
So for example, taking certain ingredients out when you go plant-based, because plant-based in the areas of meat alternatives, for example, usually comes with added E numbers and then removing these E numbers again to then also serve the clean label trend.
It is quite a challenge.
So showcasing that we can achieve that, and we do not have any step back in terms of texture for that specific prototype, for example, that is what we wanted to showcase and so yes, it's definitely a success if they couldn't really tell the difference, yes.
And in the brownie there is also a cocoa reduction that was featured.
Yes, so can you tell us a little bit about what's driving the cocoa reduction trend?
Yes, so that's also really interesting.
We look at a lot of factors in the market, not only consumer preference or, you can say that it's actually based on consumer preference because it's then based on the affordability trend.
Which is not really like any new kind of trend, but of course there's also like always in the market there's different different products.
So you have the affordable products, you have premium products on the indulgence side, and so on.
So the thing is that for clean label, a lot of the products actually go into a bit more expensive direction most of the time.
So with reducing cocoa.
We actually achieved to lower the price a little bit because cocoa at the moment is a very volatile pricing in the market just like egg and such things, so with increased pricing, then of course the affordability for consumers takes a hit, and we want to be able to also find a solution for that.
Everything, or, you know, a lot of things we do is based on finding solutions for customers, for consumers, you know, yeah, and so the, the mayonnaise is also egg-free, right, so this is also part of the making things more affordable, yes, yeah, exactly.
So, that's actually, we showcase two mayonnaises, as I, I mentioned before, I like to compare.
And they were both egg free, so you could, you could say that you know why compare those, but as I said, one is clean label, one not, and the challenge is there as that if one has one is egg free, it needs to be like other ingredients need to be included.
Those tend to be in numbers or other.
Ingredients so you know offering also there a clean label version then again is is you know speaking to the market preferences.
So yes, those were both egg free, which was also a result of fluctuating egg prices which are just a bit crazy these days actually.
So to keep it on a price level that is affordable.
Yeah, that's, that's a challenge to, to, you know, for with one solution to take the egg out then.
