Page 30 - Food & Drink Magazine July 2018

FUNCTIONAL FOODS
Tweaking the recipe
A major movement toward product reformulation is underway among manufacturers in the race to win consumer favour, writes Kerry’s Parth Patel.
WITH consumers worldwide – including throughout Asia – in the market for healthier products, reformulation is quickly becoming the new battleground for the food and beverage industry, with manufacturers revamping products to meet consumer demand.
Brands that can reduce sugar, salt and fat without compromising taste or texture will be best placed to succeed.
Fortified products will also play a big role in the future marketplace, with consumers looking for even better-for-you foods and beverages.
In the food and beverage industry, reformulation, or the process of reducing salt and calories from sugar and saturated fat in processed foods to improve diet quality, isn’t new. Starting with the war on fat in the 1970s, manufacturers worldwide
have adapted their products to provide healthier alternatives
in line with diet fads and health trends. But, while reformulation was once embraced by just a handful of brands intent on
offering more choices, the current trend of reducing sugar, fat and salt is happening across applications, from beverages to instant noodles.
Changing consumer expectations, health recommendations and even governmental policies are applying pressure to reduce
more than three-quarters of respondents said they were unwilling to sacrifice food and beverage taste. Yet, nearly a third (31%) of respondents said they currently consumed fewer soft drinks than they did three years ago, due to health concerns, and more may follow suit as a number of sugar taxes
30 | Food&Drink business | July 2018 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au
“ Manufacturers are faced with the challenge of altering the amount of sugar, salt and fat in a product while ensuring changes in flavour are undetectable.”
these ingredients in the marketplace. Success may come quickly for companies debuting healthier formulations of popular or known products.
As you navigate your way through the reformulation process, here are three points to consider to appeal to the Asian market.
1. TASTE IS STILL KING
In a recent Kerry survey of more than 1,000 APAC consumers in India, Indonesia, China, Australia and the Philippines,
are phased in or proposed throughout APMEA.
Products high in fat and salt are also facing scrutiny from consumers and public health groups including the World Health Organisation. Yet, knowing the negative effects of certain ingredients isn’t often enough to automatically change the flavours people crave. Consumers want to eat and drink healthier foods and beverages, but it’s clear they don’t necessarily want these items to taste healthier, or less sugary, salty or rich.