Hotter, bolder, bitterer are some of the trending flavor characteristics seen in newly launched confectionery and snack products. Compared with last year’s flavors — maple syrup, nuts and honey — these flavors seem dialed-up, in your face, not unlike our raucous political climate.
And this year there is much more flavor name calling! The product’s primary flavor ingredient is being outed. Labels now shout, “Made with Meyer lemon” or “blood orange”; sweeping away yesteryear’s bland “Made with natural flavors” announcement. It’s as if candy and snack makers, like pollsters, are drilling down into their product’s DNA, providing its hometown provenance and assuring us of its clean, virtuous upbringing.
But that is what consumers are looking for in their choice of candy and snack candidates. Tired of Big Food’s spin room pitches, they want to know exactly what they are eating and that their choice might offer added benefits.
Is the industry responding to consumer sentiment for clean, clear and sometimes organic labels? You bet. Here are some typical responses.
“We are seeing significant interest in our flavor portfolio given the growing consumer demand for authentic, natural flavors,” notes Donald Wilkes, president of the natural flavor and ingredient company Blue Pacific Flavors. “This portfolio is based on our unique geographical access to the fresh fruits material supply chain so we can create natural flavors with whole fruit extractives as the primary ingredient.”
At IFC Solutions, a leading supplier of natural and organic ingredients, President David Dukes reports “We are seeing a significant amount of interest from existing and prospective customers across our entire product line.” To meet this demand, the company recently released organic sunflower lecithin and non-GMO / identity preserved soy lecithin, both products in liquid and powder form.
In addition to the stampede to clean labelling, what flavors seem to be trending?
Each year, I put this question to leading flavor houses, whose research serves as oracles for divining tomorrow’s new confectionery and snack products. I also interview key industry ingredient suppliers, retailers and gurus to get a cross-section of views and opinions.* From all this guidance, which is sometimes contradictory, I distill out those mega-trends that I believe will or currently are influencing new product development.
My list this year contains eight trends: hot & sassy, citrusy, bold, bitter, some world cuisine hot spots, salty, coconut and smoked. For added reader enjoyment, I included several flavors that have matured to middle-aged usage or could be relegated to the ash heap of yesterday’s news.
A special thanks to these companies for kindly contributing their time and expertise to my research: Bell Flavors, Blue Pacific, Firmenich, FONA International, Givaudan, IFC-Solutions, Kalsec, SaltWorks, Sensient Flavors and Symrise. Also Mark Christian (C-Spot), Paul Edward (Chef Rubber), Lior Lev Sercarz (La Boîte) and Mark Bitterman (The Meadow).