Discover Clean Label and Compliant Colouring Solutions for Confectionery
The European confectionery manufacturing industry is a highly dynamic, large exporting sector. In fact, Europe’s exported confectionery accounted for more than half (52.5%) of global total candy exports. With Germany, Spain, Belgium, Turkey, Netherlands, and Poland, six of the Top 10 candy sweets exporting countries in terms of dollar value are European.(1)
The United States is the biggest confectionery and snacks market worldwide. It comes to no surprise that the largest import shares – following Mexico and Canada – come from Germany (9.36%), Turkey (5.97%), and Spain (5%). US consumers love their sweets, as the US National Confections Association reports: 81% of consumers see chocolate and candy as a fun part of life, and 72% of Americans say chocolate and candy are an important part of their emotional well-being.(2) (3)
So, confectionery should be colourful and fun, yet also should cater to the physical and emotional well-being component consumers desire. In both the EU and US, the food and beverage industry has been talking about clean labelling in products and the evolving to clean eating behaviors for years. 1/3 of consumers somewhat or completely agree that colour is an important indicator of the nutritional value of a food and drink product and pay attention to consume clean label products. Evidence suggests that clean labels enhance consumer willingness to pay a higher price and foster loyalty. We observe strong signals that the clean label trend will play an ever-increasing role for the ingredients business.(3)
71% of consumers are willing to pay extra for existing brands that have undergone formulation to support claims about the naturalness of their ingredients.(4)
Clean Label in the context of Food Regulations
Markets become more international and the confectionery segment, almost like any other, is looking for ways to increase the usage of natural ingredients vs. food additives. Despite the fact that regulations and labelling may be quite different, food manufacturers, regulators and consumers in both markets share a vested interest in high-quality, safe, and, of course, regionally compliant products. Working in the global food and beverage marketplace following an ever-increasing, ever-changing series of national, international, and regional health and safety regulations can be quite a challenge.(4)
A recent example for changing regulatory status is titanium dioxide. Despite having been used safely for decades, the European Union banned titanium dioxide as a food additive in 2022. In other regions, such as the United Kingdom and Canada, status differs and “there is no conclusive scientific evidence that the food additive is a concern for human health.” It remains manufacturers’ choice whether they would like to formulate with or without titanium dioxide.
A second prominent example for a changing environment is Erythrosine, or Red 3 in the US. It is commonly used in North America to impart bright pink and red hues to confectionery, yet consumer advocacy groups…
If you are interested to see options to replace Erythrosine in confectionery products for e.g. the US market, request a consult here.
As we value customer service, Sensient’s #1 goal is to ensure that our customers have solutions that enable them to meet regulatory requirements and delight consumers at the same time. Working with many of the world’s leading food and beverage brands, Sensient takes pride in providing expert regulatory support and service to ensure customers receive high-performing natural colouring solutions with clean label status across regions. We provide a rainbow of natural solutions for confectionery applications that are suitable for both US and EU markets.
Contact our team of experts in colour laboratories across the globe and benefit from our expertise to provide you with the global regulatory support you may need. We love to talk about colour, and we’re here to help you with a consistently service focus to best serve your market needs.
