Spirulina pralines. Photo: GNT Group
When it comes to themed confectionery, whether black bat-shaped fruity gums, bright orange sugar pumpkins or blue ghost lollies, many consumers try to avoid any kind of artificial additives.
This is a finding of a pan-European survey conducted by the market research institute Innofact AG on behalf of the GNT Group, a global provider of colouring foods.
According to the study, sweet lovers not only pay attention to taste and flavour, many specifically care about the ingredients in their confectionery products. 37% of Europeans look for sweets free from artificial additives. Italian consumers are the most critical, with more than half of them paying attention to non-artificial ingredients (53%), followed by the French (36%), Germans (34%), Spanish (34%) and the British (27%).
At the same time, even the most critical candy lover seeks appealing sweets with vibrant colours. Here, naturalness is a key factor to influence the purchase decision. The majority (58%) of Europeans – among them 70% of Italians – state that they are prepared to pay more for products that don’t contain any artificial additives, especially colourings (47%). Fairtrade, organic or vegetarian product qualities have less impact on the willingness to accept a higher price.
Only 9% of Europeans think it’s acceptable if additive colourings are used in food.
“Also, less than 17% of British consumers approve such an ingredient,” said Paul Collins, board member of the GNT Group and managing director GNT UK. “The majority, instead, believe food and drink should only be coloured with other foods, such as fruit and vegetable concentrates. With colouring foods, manufacturers can fulfil consumer demands and offer vibrant confectionery coloured in a completely natural way, providing a natural choice for every season.”
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