There are some interesting trends and movements when it comes to ingredient trends both locally and internationally. We share with you the top ingredients and foods as forecast by Kerry Trendspotter™, an artificial intelligence tool powered by IBM Watson that predicts trending food, ingredients and flavours. 1. Hyper local foods: Local ingredients packed with taste and nutrition will remain a big space for innovation, given the wide variety and potential. Think unmodifie

A food bulking agent is a food additive that increases food volume or weight of food keeping its utility or functionality intact. It only increases the bulk of food and does not affect its nutritional value. Bulking agents are non-nutritive additives. Soluble fibres such as guar gum and psyllium husk are some of the most common forms of bulking agents. Other common bulking agents include: - Carnuba Wax - Mannitol - Maltitol - Glycerin – -

Food safety and food hygiene are important as they ensure that the food you handle and produce is safe for consumption. If food safety and hygiene are not maintained, consumers can become seriously ill with food poisoning and foodborne illnesses. What is food safety? Essentially, it relates to a series of standards that measure the acceptability of a consumable item for sale. If both food safety and hygiene protocols are ignored, then foodstuffs may become contaminated and ma

Consumers today are all about convenience, but they also want food that is fresh, tastes good and can be made at home. This is also true of baked goods – both sweet and savoury. This has created both a challenge and an opportunity for the baked goods industry and for retailers who now had to find solutions to satisfy this need. The frozen bakery and par-baked sector has seen significant growth in recent times. This has led to more large-scale production of frozen and par-b

Over the past year, snacks have taken on a new significance for consumers. What were once simple indulgences have become sources of much-needed comfort and security during a troubling and uncertain time. Snacks also played a role in breaking up the day for those working from home. One October 2020 survey of US consumers by The Hartman Group found that distraction played a role in a whopping 40% of snacking occasions, while 43% of respondents said they snacked to cope with bor

Many consumers are looking to reduce their consumption of meat and animal products as part of a “plant-based” diet. These consumers are not only driven by the desire to improve their own health, they are often weary of the industrial food system, concerned about animal welfare, and worried about the threat of climate change. Not to be confused with vegans, who eliminate all animal products from their diet and food, plant-based diets do not necessarily eliminate animal product

Food preservation has been an important part of food manufacture and production for decades. Food was first preserved using salt on meats and fish. Later, sugar was used in canned foods and vegetables were pickled using vinegars. Whilst these simple methods do the job, modern chemicals have made preserving food both more effective. Some chemicals are controversial and are not recommended for use in some countries. However, there are many benefits to food preservation, such as

Chocolate remains the ultimate comfort food. The chocolate confectionery market was estimated to be worth over $100 billion in retail sales globally in 2020 and it expected to continue growing. Reports indicate that chocolate remained the top snack during the pandemic, although the industry is being pushed to innovate due to consumers demanding healthier and more sustainable options of their favourite indulgence. Barry Callebaut, the world's leading manufacturer of high-quali

Dairy or dairy based drinks may not immediately spring to mind as the obvious choice for sports drinks. We are generally more accustomed to seeing isotonic type drinks being used by athletes, however dairy offers many benefits to athletes. Rehydrating is key for sustained athletic performance and for effective rehydration, fluid needs to be taken in adequate volumes to replace sweat losses. This amount will vary between individuals and depends on factors including the type of

Dr Suess wrote about green eggs and ham. The character said “I WOULD NOT EAT THEM HERE OR THERE. I WOULD NOT EAT THEM ANYWHERE. I WOULD NOT EAT GREEN EGGS AND HAM.” Well, the reason why may well be linked to the fact that green is not the colour we expect eggs to be and green tends to have very different flavour connotations – green is probably more commonly associated with an apple flavour, or perhaps mint – at worst it if it is a sort of grey-green the link may be to food t

A sugar substitute, or artificial sweetener, is a food additive which attempts to duplicate the effect of sugar or corn syrup in taste, but often with less food energy. An important class of sugar substitutes are known as high intensity sweeteners. These are compounds whose sweetness is many times that of sucrose; accordingly, much less sweetener is required and energy contribution often negligible. The sensation of sweetness caused by these compounds (the "sweetness profile"

Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, is widely used in baking thanks to its leavening properties – in other words – it causes dough to rise by producing carbon dioxide. But aside from its usefulness in cooking, it has a number of other uses and benefits. Here are just a few: 1. Neutralise fridge odours Have you ever opened your fridge and been hit by a foul smell? Chances are that some foods in your fridge have overstayed their welcome and started spoiling. Even onc

There are four big food and drink trends likely to explode next year—spurred on by the pandemic—which seem unlikely candidates at first glance, but they offer reliable, practical market solutions to an industry which has suffered under Covid-19 and is ready for a little disruption. According to Forbes.com columnist Alex Ledsom, there are the four main things that we’ll be doing differently in 2021 in regard to what we choose to put into our bodies. Insects Insects are high in

Plant-based eating and plant-based food alternatives have been hot news for a while now, and questions have been raised as to whether this trend is here to stay or just another passing food fad. Industry experts and researchers, however, seem unanimous in their thinking that plant-based is anything but a passing fad popular only amongst ecowarriors and health fanatics. The plant based food market is currently valued at $4.5 billion and is reportedly growing at a rate of five

The food industry, including the baked goods sector is being driven by consumer’s demand for products that deliver on all fronts including flavour, quality and variety. On top of this is the expectation for convenience, healthfulness, a clean label and social and environmental responsibility. Now more than even the ‘baker’s job’ has become even harder as they try and deliver on all these expectations. According to an article published on THE BAKER’S TAKE , these challenges al

Preservatives are added to food to prevent food spoilage caused by bacteria, moulds, fungus, and yeast. Preservatives can keep food fresher for longer periods of time, extending its shelf life. Food preservatives also are used to slow or prevent changes in colour, flavour or texture and delay rancidity. They are also often used in used in convenience and snack foods. Preservatives can be made of “natural” chemicals such as salt or alcohol. They can also be man-made, or synthe

Dark Circles, puffy eyes and bags under the eyes are some of the leading concerns for many women (and men). Every year millions are spent on cosmetic treatments to address these common concerns, but not everyone understands the differences between them and this is quite important in order to ensure that the skin care solution chosen is the right one for the job. Dark circles under the eyes are primarily as a result of genetics although the intensity and prominence of the circ

Health and wellness have become a major focus globally. This coupled with the focus on the environment and our impact on it is driving the food industry in a new direction with the demand for protein alternatives leading the way. It is no longer just about salt, sugar and fat and more about the positive attributes of ingredients, such as nutritional benefits or sustainability. Protein Alternatives Gain Popularity Proteins have become an important consideration for many consum

There are several trends that are driving changes in the world around us. For example, the rise in environmental awareness and sustainability is forcing the beauty and fragrance market to become more transparent, source ingredients more ethically and offer recyclable or better packaging solutions for the products we all love to use. Other trends include a move away from using gender to define both fashion and fragrance, with the focus being on the individual and personality.

The impact on the global economy has been significant and the effect will be felt in all markets including the food industry. Consumer spending is expected to be curtailed which will have a knock-on effect on the types of food and drinks that are being consumed. Forecasters have therefore adjusted their trend predictions accordingly. In a recent article in Food Business News, the following trends were noted: - The big trends for 2020 included growth in the markets for healthi