< Previous20 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net FUNCTIONAL INGREDIENTS P ublic fascination with functional ingredients can be traced back to the 1980s, and the ever- growing demand for products that deliver benefits above their nutritional value speak to a very human desire to achieve fast, perceivable results with little effort or time. Whilst this desire has only grown over the last 40 years, functional ingredients are often “trend” based, meaning that consumer desire shifts over time. Social media has caused shorter trend cycles, which have meteoric rises in popularity but can quickly plateau. This means that they can be more difficult to predict and benefit from a manufacturing standpoint. So, here is a handy guide to the most in-demand functional ingredients of 2022, and how social media can be monitored (and utilised) for the influence of consumer trends. With COVID-19 remaining a concern for many, the key property that consumers are after is products with immune-boosting effects. Repeated lockdowns and lack of socialisation has seen many people report higher instances of colds and flu, with their bodies no longer being used to regular contact with common viruses. To this end, the close of 2021 saw a 50% increase in the demand for immune- supporting supplements. So, what are the most common ingredients people are using to enhance their immunity? Demand for ginger is on the rise, with its nausea preventing, anti- inflammatory, and digestive benefits becoming more widely understood. It also adds some welcome flavour to occasionally bland health-based products. The global ginger market is anticipated to reach sales of $4.8 billion this year, demonstrating the power of this superfood. Interestingly however, there is a noticeable gap in the market for products which incorporate genuine ginger root, as opposed to extract. It is medically understood that this provides much more potent effects. For example, Reed’s is one of very few brands known to incorporate the actual product within their lines and have seen such a recent increase in sales that they are now expanding their product line. Currently, there are no large-scale UK manufacturers taking advantage of this new consumer demand for genuine ginger-based products. Perhaps the most surprising consumer trend is for mushrooms. Mushroom consumption increases the body’s ability to produce antibodies; a prescient concern amid COVID-19. In fact, a study on Australian students demonstrated a 55% boost in antibody defence after just 1 week of eating a cup of mushrooms daily. There is a rise in mushrooms being incorporated into CPG products, such as bars. Whilst there is considerable scientific backing for the efficacy of mushrooms, this is an ingredient which has been verifiably Riding the waves of functional ingredients The consumer craze for functional ingredients is well known, but social media has made the ups and downs fast and unpredictable, making riding those waves a difficult and time-sensitive challenge. 20-23.qxp_Layout 1 25/04/2022 14:48 Page 1Food & Drink International 21 www.fdiforum.net FUNCTIONAL INGREDIENTS We specialise in Halal Certification of Food Ingredients, Beverages Dairy, Confectionery, Flavourings, Colourings, Pharmaceuticals, Toiletries, Cosmetics and other non-food items. We also certify Meat, Poultry, Slaughtering, Cutting, Portioning, Processed and Ready Meals for national and international markets. www.halalfoodauthority.com | info@halalfoodauthority.com | 0044 (0) 20 8446 7127 LONDON - IRELAND - BELGIUM GLOBALLY RECOGNISED SINCE 1994 Halal Food Authority SYMBOL OF TRUST & AUTHENTICITY influenced by the rise of social media. Mushrooms are traditionally used in Eastern medicine, and the ability of social media to extend beyond international borders has seen an increase of demand for overseas produce. A second trend is for Zinc and Iron, particularly amongst vegans. Zinc supports immune function, whilst Iron helps to oxygenate the blood, increasing energy supplies. They should be a vital element of the everyday diet. Red meat, seafood and dairy products are rich in these minerals, and it can be difficult to find an effective substitute. These minerals are most commonly being seen in cereal drinks and bars. Given the ever-expanding vegan market, there is huge scope for consumable supplementary products. Understanding these trends, what role does social media marketing have to play in the rising demand for them? Firstly, one cannot deny the allure of peer-to-peer marketing. Young people (the largest demographic of social media users) are more likely to be influenced by peers – or those they perceive as peers – than by expert opinion. Furthermore, young people are the core demographic for consumable health products. Therefore, this creates an intersection wherein the core 22 Á © stock.adobe.com/aamulya 20-23.qxp_Layout 1 25/04/2022 14:48 Page 222 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net FUNCTIONAL INGREDIENTS www.kanegrade.com Tel: +44 (0) 1438 742242 Email: info@kanegrade.com NATURAL FOOD INGREDIENTS demographic for consumable health products can be easily reached on a few platforms. Secondly, the rise of video-based social media, such as TikTok and Instagram Stories, means that concepts can be demonstrated for the consumer. Cooking videos are a staple of these platforms. Considering the dwindling attention span of the population, these provide easy, low-effort ways of providing engaging, emerging, and instructional content to the target market. Finally, successful social media marketers play to the algorithms. Social media platforms will suggest content that it thinks an individual might enjoy. So, if the person has watched content on nutrition in the past, they will be encouraged to watch more. Therefore, trends tend to accelerate on these platforms as people are watching a concentrated type of subject matter. So how does all this relate back to the rise in demand for functional ingredients? Understanding how social 20-23.qxp_Layout 1 25/04/2022 14:48 Page 3Food & Drink International 23 www.fdiforum.net FUNCTIONAL INGREDIENTS Ulrick & Short and Silverson Machines partner up for plant-based mayonnaise concept In the UK, consumer demand for plant-based products has boomed in the past few years, leading to an explosion in plant- based NPD across a wide variety of sectors. Ulrick & Short & Silverson Machines have worked together to demonstrate the manufacture of a plant-based mayonnaise application, utilising U&S’s latest clean-label egg replacement technologies, and Silverson’s high viscosity In-Line mixers. Ulrick & Short have developed a new ingredient specifically for plant-based mayonnaise & dressing applications. The ingredient, called ovaprox TM 11, is the latest addition to the company’s egg replacement range. ovaprox TM 11 has dual functionality, firstly acting to replace the emulsification function of egg in mayonnaise, and secondly acting as a stabiliser, meaning the product does not require the addition of hydrocolloids with less consumer-friendly declarations, such as like guar and xanthan gum. ovaprox TM 11 carries with it a clean- label declaration, as well as being non-GMO, and allergen free – ensuring consumer friendly ingredient declarations. Silverson’s range of high viscosity In-Line mixers has been developed for the manufacture of products such as sauces, including ketchup, mayonnaise and sweet sauces and for applications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and chemical industries. Silverson’s Flashmix powder/liquid mixers are also suitable for higher viscosity products where large amounts of powders need to be dispersed and hydrated. Silverson offer mixers suitable for the production volumes of mayonnaise from 10 to 500L. Lesley Smith, New Product Development Engineer at Silverson said “Using the innovative pumping rotor design, high viscosity products such as Mayonnaise can be successfully mixed on the new hygienic pilot scale mixer. Large enough to represent full scale production and producing sufficient batches for consumer testing, yet small enough to be bench-mounted and used in a test kitchen.” media draws people in means that it can be better utilised to market products. Here are 3 key suggestions on how to use social media to make the most of the trend for functional ingredients. Sponsorship. Do your research and find out who’s got the public’s ear on nutrition. You could approach them to promote the latest functional ingredient to their audience. Due to social media algorithms, this means that your product is being marketed directly to your core demographic. Whilst this might mean a small outlay for you in payment, it could see a huge return on sales. Information. As mentioned above, many now turn to social media for instructional advice. Ensure that your promotional material clearly (but succinctly) outlines the benefits of your product, and other vital information such as nutritional information and cost. Brevity. There’s no doubt about it, attention spans are getting shorter. Consumers need the most important information delivered quickly, and to the point. Consider a bullet point-style format, such as a Top 5 Quick Rundown. TikTok has a 60 second limit on each video, so use this as a guide for how long to make your informational material. The trend for consumable products with a functional element shows no signs of slowing down, only diversifying. Keeping your eye on social media (and perhaps dabbling in it yourself) will help keep your finger on the pulse of the ever-shifting trends of this market. © stock.adobe.com/nadianb 20-23.qxp_Layout 1 25/04/2022 14:48 Page 424 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net FROZEN AND CHILLED FOODS A s the cost of living continues to rise in the UK and other countries in Europe, frozen foods are finding their niche again, and with new emphasis on healthier ingredients, higher levels of traceability and renewed trust, are in a position to dominate supermarkets. With health crazes garnering ever more customers on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, it is doubtful this market will shrink any time soon, giving frozen and chilled foods fertile ground within which to plant their seeds. The challenge is in continuing to change old ideas about frozen food, and challenging misconceptions that they are less healthy, less flavourful or in some way inferior to their fresh and processed counterparts. Frozen food has long garnered the reputation of being economic and, ultimately, unhealthy food brought for convenience and affordability and not for nutrition. This was despite the numerous producers working within the frozen foods arena offering a variety of healthy frozen food options. There’s also the persisting notion that freezing negatively affects product integrity. In reality, the freezer and chilled aisles have undergone a radical change over the last decade and is now a cornucopia of healthy and vibrant food products alongside more traditional fare. In fact, the chilled ready meal market has taken full advantage of this – with more foods from across the world as well as ranges from brands such as Weight Watchers cashing in on healthier, and busier, lifestyles. Much of the negative connotations around frozen and chilled foods comes from its traditional range, and from scandals that were, at best, unrelated to the industry entirely. The horse meat scandal of 2013 cast a pall over the sector, but the simple reality is that the problem was a company using fraudulent meat, not an issue with frozen foods in the first place. Some seven years later, equilibrium has returned. Far from returning to the pre-scandal days, the industry has evidently evolved, with a greater emphasis on traceability between suppliers, producers and stockists, and nurturing a two-way relationship with consumers. This mirrors trends in fresh food as well and shows that frozen and chilled foods are following the same trends. Similarly, gone are the days when chilled and frozen foods were laden with unhealthy ingredients and preservatives, and in all honesty this trend existed in non-frozen foods as well. One of the persisting misconceptions regarding frozen foods is the high levels of preservatives. Changing minds Once seen as less fresh and less healthy, chilled and frozen foods are now surging back both for their convenience and value – but new tastes and new approaches are also letting them corner healthier markets as well. 26 Á 24-26.qxp_Layout 1 25/04/2022 14:49 Page 1Food & Drink International 25 www.fdiforum.net FROZEN AND CHILLED FOODS © stock.adobe.com/bodnarphoto 24-26.qxp_Layout 1 25/04/2022 14:49 Page 226 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net FROZEN AND CHILLED FOODS NewCold focuses on a sustainable distribution vision by commissioning 100% electric refrigerated trailers from THT New Cool As part of NewCold’s sustainability strategy the company is taking active steps to mitigate the effects of its operations on the environment. NewCold has commissioned several 100% electric, THT New Cool refrigerated trailers, which do not require a diesel engine to drive the refrigeration and as such, produce no CO2 emissions or particulates, while operating in complete silence. NewCold is working closely with its customers to improve their sustainable footprint and the New Cool trailer trials are a “very visible step” towards that outcome. One of the main components of New Cool’s 100% electric refrigerated trailer is an energy-producing axle. When the trailer slows down, energy is generated by the axle which is stored in an aluminium-encased battery pack. The energy is then transferred to the electric-powered refrigeration system to cool the load inside the trailer. According to NewCold, the positive environmental impact from using one electrically-powered trailer against its diesel-powered equivalent, has the same pollution-reduction effect as electrifying 141 passenger cars. Although budget ready meals still contain high levels of sugar that’s not to say that products need preservatives to be frozen. The freezing process itself often bypasses the need for such additives altogether. In the case of fresh produce, quick freezing often occurs shortly after picking, preserving the integrity and texture of the fruits and vegetables but also locking in nutrients. Studies have shown that food frozen immediately after it was picked and processed boasted more nutrients than their fresher counterparts as little as three days later. For this reason, many producers use this promised freshness and nutritional profile as unique selling points. Quick freezing also helps to sidestep freezer burns, a boon when it comes to specific textures and visual properties of, say, meat and fish. Aesthetics will assist in facilitating the market shift, as consumers begin their relationship with food and beverage products at a visual level – with an advertisement of the packaging itself. In all honesty, frozen foods don’t look particularly appealing, meaning they are reliant on packaging and design. Though fruits and vegetables are still packed and sold in PET bags – as is also commonplace for ice cubes and fried potato products – it is becoming more commonplace for fruit pieces to be packaged in plastic or even paperboard boxes. The best canvas for producers to convey nutritional information and appealing graphics, however, is through cartoning and sleeving applications – namely a plastic tray, topped with a film and sleeved in card. The difficulty lies in packaging and sleeving these products quickly so that the nutritional benefit of the foods inside is preserved. The frozen food industry is also a fertile ground for new product innovation. Given the freezer is twinned with the history of consumer convenience, it makes sense that convenience itself is still a major selling point. Convenience, however, isn’t synonymous with high salt and fat fare, and can instead be applied to healthier options. Supermarkets in the UK, for example, have started selling prepeeled and sliced avocados to tap into the persistent trend, while bags of frozen pomegranate seeds are now commonplace, meaning consumers can take advantage of the fruit’s nutritional profile without needing to peel and deseed it themselves. The nature of frozen foods is that they are caught in time, preserving their freshness and sensory profiles. That’s not to say that the frozen food industry itself is static, far from it. They are among some of the most market savvy and forward thinking in the food and beverage sector, riding the changing waves of consumer taste and quick to react to legislative changes. A case in point is the utilisation of the freezer and frozen foods as a means to circumvent the food waste crisis both here in the UK and globally. © stock.adobe.com/SerPhoto 24-26.qxp_Layout 1 25/04/2022 14:49 Page 3Food & Drink International 27 www.fdiforum.net CAPS AND CLOSURES Fixed in place Fixed in place T he continuing thirst for convenience has precipitated a huge spike in sales of bottled beverage products and on-the-go solutions such as plastic pouches. Sales of soda and other similarly sweetened beverages are on the decline, with better health awareness and government initiatives such as sugar taxes having a dramatic impact in consumer shopping habits. It was only in the last five years that sales of bottled water outpaced soda for the first time in US history. A trend that is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. By the end of 2024, the US bottled water market is expected to reach $22.226 billion. Of course, with this huge upsurge in the sale of bottled beverages comes the need for ever more innovative and functional caps and closures that balance the need for product innovation with recyclability. The bottled water industry has long been the driving force for innovation in the caps and closures segment. The sports cap is inseparable from the image of a water bottle and is a design that is continually being built upon and refined. However, despite the inherent functionality of the sports caps and similar closures, the shape can actually pose a struggle to some, especially older consumers. As a rapidly expanding market segment, it’s increasingly important that manufacturers target this demographic. For caps and closures this means utilising a more ergonomic design, such as ease of opening, more comfortable grips and built in straws. Coupled with this growing demand are rising concerns regarding product quality and, crucially, safety. The conversation surrounding bottled water and other beverages has been dominated over the last few years by the presence of Bisphenol A (or BPA, for short), which is used in the production of some plastic resins. The controversy stems from findings that the presence of BPA can disrupt hormones in children and be passed from pregnant mother to unborn child. Now more than ever, Driven by demand, and shaped by legislation and environmental concerns, the caps and closures market remains one of the most innovative. © stock.adobe.com/Hunor Kristo 28 Á 27-29.qxp_Layout 1 25/04/2022 14:51 Page 128 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net CAPS AND CLOSURES consumers are questioning the food and beverage products they buy, and that includes the packaging they’re contained in. Manufacturers are now turning to other options and using BPA-free as a selling point. Yet the other bug-bear faced by bottle caps is the issue of recyclability. If safety is the top most concern of consumers then surely environmental comes next. The recyclability of plastic bottle tops has been a contentious topic for years. There was no clear answer on whether bottle caps should be left on or off to be recycled, or if indeed they could even be recycled in the first place as some are comprised of both metal and plastic. The rules from place to place can differ wildly too, with local councils and governments having a different set of rules depending on where you are. The main issue here is that bottle caps are typically made from polypropylene, which has different properties and recyclability than that of the polyethylene terephthalate (or PET) of the bottles themselves. Along with their diminutive size, the different plastics make sorting bottle tops a difficult task. Now, however, the law is clear. The European Union’s Single-Use Plastics Directive includes a requirement for all single-use beverage containers to come with their caps attached by July 2024. This way, caps will be disposed of and recycled together with the rest of the pack. Ahead of the new legislation, many Make, use, reuse, repeat: a measured approach Do you need your products to be made in recycled plastic? With the focus on recycling plastic high on the agenda Measom Freer now manufacture and stock a Recycled Bottle range from 2.5ml to 2 litres capacity. Made from rMDPE rather than HDPE, making it a slightly squeezable bottle, rMDPE is a blend of 50% rHDPE and 50% virgin LDPE, derived from hot washed milk bottles and is off white in colour. Black and white 100% recycled polypropylene screw caps and nozzle caps are also stocked to fit, with printing and labelling available to complete the product. They can also manufacture any of their stock measuring scoops 0.5 – 150ml, hand scoops, spatulas, fasteners and a wide variety of closures including screw, tall, spouted, luer, dropper and nozzle caps and tubes in this material. All Measom Freer’s products are designed and manufactured by them in Great Britain. For more information on Measom Freer & Co Ltd call +44 (0)116 2881588 or email sales@measomfreer.co.uk. Buy online at www.measomfreer.co.uk 27-29.qxp_Layout 1 25/04/2022 14:51 Page 2Food & Drink International 29 www.fdiforum.net CAPS AND CLOSURES © stock.adobe.com/monticellllo We turn the world of caps and closures. manufacturers have already gone back to the drawing board, creating innovative cartons and bottles that already have the caps attached. To further create sustainability where bottle caps are concerned would require exploring bio-plastics as an alternative to polypropylene. For the foreseeable future, though, plastic remains the material of choice for caps and closures and it’s easy to see why. Plastic closures are much more convenient because, unlike metal ones, they do not usually require the use of a secondary implement such as a bottle- or tin-opener to operate. This means, of course, that they are easier to use on the move. Moreover, many can be repeatedly re-sealed. But the big advantage for manufacturers is that widely-used plastics and polymers such as polypropylene and high- density polyethylene (HDPE) are more malleable than metals and can therefore be put a greater variety of purposes. They are also more lightweight and easier to recycle, so manufacturers can pitch to the green market as well. The future of the caps and closures market will be driven by demand and sustainability. Where these twin concerns meet in the middle will result in the next- generation of innovative, attractive and functional closures which will boost shelf appeal and the overall environmental impact of a manufacturer. 27-29.qxp_Layout 1 25/04/2022 14:51 Page 3Next >