It was cheering to see around double the number of innovations in comparison to previous years.
I then met with Gregory Delattre of Belgian dairy Corman, known best for its milk fat and ingredients technology. On display were Balade spreads, some with omega-3.
“Our aim is to provide families with pleasurable products with a focus on healthy nutrition,” he explained.
The company’s original chocolate spread made with Belgian chocolate launched in 2010, followed by Hazelnoot in 2011 and Melklait in 2012. Based not on fat but on milk, it’s a healthier product with 50% fewer calories than many alternative spreads.
Later, I interviewed John Talbot, VP global market development for The Almond Board of California. Nuts were certainly big business at Sial, with many of the country pavilions showcasing nuts and a number of new almond milks around, too. Apparently, this is the largest growth sector among dairy alternatives such as rice milk and soy milk.
“Almond sales have doubled over the past five years,” said Talbot, “and are now worth around £2bn each year. This is due mainly to the growth of the snacking trend and ‘eating on the go’, with sales of the 200g and 300g and 500g packs all increasing worldwide.”
Geographically, the biggest growth sector for almonds (by far) is China: “There are over 170 cities with a population of over a million people,” said Talbot. “In the US, there are only 30 cities of this size, which gives you an idea of the scale of the opportunity. Almonds already have a great reputation and a tradition as a healthy food. They are part of the culture in China, and as income levels rise, this type of food becomes an affordable treat.”
Around 30% of global almond sales are in the US, and here are the new flavours: roasted, salted and spiced are popular. Almond paste is also doing well in the confectionery sector.
One big opportunity looking down the road is Brazil – there’s just a little competition here with the Brazil nut, but Talbot is sure that, as the almond contains more vitamin E, fibre and protein than any other nut, that little conundrum can be cracked.
Claire Phoenix is FoodBev Media managing editor – magazines.
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