
In 2007 the notorious Southampton study linked certain artificial food colourings to hyperactivity in children. Since then, confectioners have been under increasing pressure to replace some of the vibrant hues used in their products with natural alternatives. Trouble is, it’s not always easy to find suitable, stable sources for the natural shades they need.
02-Jan-2012 - EC regulations implemented last year that require natural flavouring substances to be identical to something found in nature will greatly impact the industry, according to a report assessing the new regulation.
15-Dec-2011 - Ingredients firm Wild has launched a range of natural brown flavours that it has claimed can help confectioners seize on natural flavour trends
13-Dec-2011 - Lyckeby Culinar AB has won an award for its small extruded crisp pearls that it has said can combine natural flavours and colours without affecting taste and slash costs in half when compared to using freeze dried fruit.
28-Nov-2011 - Ingredients firm Chr. Hansen has doubled the number of products in its fruit colouring food stuffs range, which it said will allow manufacturers to diversify sweet confectionery products and keep an e-number free label.
30-Sep-2011 - Marshmallow colour and flavour innovation and an extension of its red shade portfolio have been the focus of recent R&D work at natural ingredients producer Wild.
26-Sep-2011 - A newly developed natural food colouring made from beetroot extracts could be a solution to replacing carmine colours made from insects, according to ingredient producer Synthite.
06-Jul-2011 - The newly renamed Natural Colors Division was the star performer in Danish ingredients supplier Chr Hansen’s Q3 results, showing 34% organic sales growth for the quarter, compared to 5% for Cultures and Enzymes, and 9% for Health and Nutrition.
18-May-2011 - Baker Perkins talked hygiene innovation as a greater part of the buzz around Interpack 2011 was about technology that allows more rapid cleaning.
03-Nov-2010 - Redpoint Bio and International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) have achieved FEMA GRAS status for their Reb C sweetness enhancer, allowing it to be used in a variety of applications in the United States and elsewhere.
02-Sep-2010 - Food research group Leatherhead is in the final stages of a testing project on natural food colours, which it expects will provide clear guidance on the stability and shelf-life of the ingredients.
23-Aug-2010 - Suppliers of the food colouring carmine are taking a cautious approach to new customers, as the industry continues to feel the impact of supply shortages, which this year sent prices for the ingredient soaring six fold.
22-Jul-2010 - The perspective of food manufacturers and other stakeholders on the costs and benefits of enforcement provisions for the new EU Regulation on food flavourings is being sought from the UK Food Standards Agency during a three month consultation phase.
20-Jul-2010 - Ingredients firm Wild has expanded its natural food colourings range to help food manufacturers avoid certain artificial colours that now require warning labels.
06-Jul-2010 - The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) called for a ban on food colorings last week – but food industry experts insist there is overwhelming evidence of their safety.
25-Jun-2010 - French scientists continue to expand the potential of carrageenan films to encapsulate and control the release of flavors, with new data showing superiority over established options.
25-Jun-2010 - The European Food Safety Authority has published its final guidance for data required to assess new food flavourings, and is looking to build on experience gained during evaluations to establish a positive list.
21-Jun-2010 - ‘No-additives’, and ‘no-preservatives’ are the most popular clean label claims with consumers, while ‘natural’ struggles because of over-use and lack of definition, according to research.
18-Jun-2010 - ‘Natural’ has become a word consumers like to see on food product packages, while ‘clean label’ is an industry term to describe an E-number-free ingredients list. But exact definitions depend on who you are talking to, and what additive you are taking about.
16-Jun-2010 - While shoppers’ enthusiasm for low-fat, low-sugar or low-calorie claims (‘minus’ claims) or added functional ingredients claims (‘plus’ claims) has waned; their interest in natural claims has continued to grow, according to Mintel.
14-Jun-2010 - Consumers, observed Mintel’s David Jago at a Leatherhead Food Research conference on natural trends last week, want foods that are ‘wholesome’, ‘authentic’, and above all ‘natural’, although few of them can articulate what this actually means.
11-Jun-2010 - Peppersmith - the premium gum firm created by former Innocent Drinks executives Mike Stevens and Dan Shrimpton – has secured its first supermarket listing.
10-Jun-2010 - Symrise is planning a major increase in its capacity of synthetic menthol as demand from confectionery and oral care sectors is surging, especially in emerging markets.
21-Apr-2010 - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), in adoption of opinions on three further food colours used in bakery and confectionery products, has confirmed intake levels for one colour, halved the ADI for another and could not determine a risk assessment on the third.
01-Apr-2010 - Food and beverage companies should aim to address all their reformulation issues at the same time as replacing Southampton colours, say Campden BRI experts, as subsequent changes to the matrix can affect the stability of natural hues.
29-Mar-2010 - Spirulina, the blue colour from algae used in Nestlé’s Smarties, is one of 10 substances used to colour food that faces an uncertain future as its legal status is scrutinised.