Finding the right ingredient
The ingredients sector is constantly under pressure to deliver new flavours, experiences, and sensations. It's also expected to lead the way on health and sustainability. Consumer demand, amplified by social media, has led to a surge in new food trends in the last few years, and ingredients companies have had to react swiftly to support these needs.
In the latest podcast Table Talk / Food Matters Live sat down with four experts to discuss how ingredients companies manage to respond to these changing trends, and to get their views on what will shape the future of food and drink. Listen to Tayab Haq of Brenntag Food & Nutrition UK participate in a panel discussion about the use of innovative ingredients to meet changing consumer tastes and demands. During the discussion, Tayab offers insight on the importance of innovation to retailer customers he has dealt with during his 18 years working in the food manufacturing sector. He identifies gaps where there is a need for ingredients that can survive robust processing conditions; such as heat stable natural red colours for UHT processing in flavoured milks.
Tayab also challenges the use of subjective terms like "processed" and "store cupboard" ingredients, arguing the point that additives can play a crucial role, directly impacting the cost and availability of the food we buy. Looking forward, Tayab predicts that ingredients made from by-products/waste streams of processing will become more influential as those ingredients will be inherently viewed as having less environmental impact/more sustainable. In addition, the challenge to grow ingredients indoors via hydroponics will be more important as climate change and more frequent flooding impacts arable farming.