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As UK consumers lean towards natural, authentic flavours, the flavour industry is evolving to meet demands for sustainability and health. Janis Sinton, vice chair of the UK Flavour Association, discusses key trends like masking for low-sugar products, sustainable sourcing and clean labels, highlighting how innovation is driving flavour development to support healthier, eco-friendly choices.

What trends are you currently observing within the food and beverage flavouring industry?

Authenticity, natural, botanicals and masking flavours for functional products. We’re also seeing the continuous development and progress in the field of sustainability, with company led enterprises to support this. There’s also a trend for familiar and less familiar taste fusions in products, which flavourings can help support.

How are you seeing innovation in flavourings supporting demand for healthier and more sustainable food products? Are there any particularly exciting developments you are noticing in this area?

Flavouring’s key role is to impart or modify taste, which provides the flavour industry with exciting opportunities to collaborate with customers to support healthier trends.

In particular, we’re noticing masking and different types of masking. For example, using flavours to reduce salt, sugar and fat in high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) foods. Sourcing sustainable raw materials to support this is key, particularly when flavours replace actual materials such as orange, vanilla and cocoa. Any changes are a reflection of customer demand.

Sustainable diets are also encouraging a reduction in meat and dairy, and flavourings can improve the taste of alternative food products, too.

How is the flavourings category working with the wider food and beverage industry to respond to the demand for natural and clean label products? Do you foresee this to be a growing trend?

The flavouring industry is producing natural aroma materials from common crops and this helps us produce natural flavourings that have the profile the customer requires without being reliant on the traditional source, such as vanilla, various fruits, cocoa, etc. This feeds back into the sustainability point made earlier on, which is long established for our industry.

This approach helps industry meet demand for trends which otherwise may put pressure on the supply chain for traditional sources and is increasingly important. With the concept of ‘ultra-processed foods’ being discussed more and more, this is likely to be a growing trend.

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What steps are being taken to address consumer concerns regarding artificial flavourings?

Non-natural or artificial flavours are sometimes perceived as ‘bad,’ which isn’t the case. Flavourings – no matter the source – are highly regulated in the UK and European Union, as well as other global markets.

As an international industry, and via the International Organization of the Flavor Industry (IOFI), we collaborate closely with government bodies such as FSA and EFSA in providing information and dossiers for flavouring substances, which ensure that any flavouring used is safe for the consumer.

The industry produces both natural and non-natural flavourings and these normally use equivalent materials. For example, the character impact chemical of vanilla, vanillin, is found in matured vanilla beans, but it can also be made from other natural sources. If non-traditional processing is used it cannot be called natural despite being derived from a natural source. The aroma of the vanillin in a flavouring in the end food or beverage is the same. We are driven by, and respond to, our customers, and especially so as the trend for natural flavours continues to increase in the UK.

Are you observing any interesting emerging flavour profiles gaining popularity within the UK food and beverage market?

We are noticing that flavours linked to health and wellness, such as active botanicals and essential oils, or flavours that are from sustainable sources, such as ‘wonky fruit’ are gaining popularity. We’ve also noticed that flavours promoted by the media and on social media can become hugely popular, for example beetroot with blackcurrant and raspberry and rose combinations.

What are the biggest sustainability challenges currently faced by the flavour industry?

Sourcing raw materials, especially when flavours replace actual materials such as orange, vanilla and cocoa, is a challenge the industry is constantly facing and finding solutions for. Thankfully, there are some incredible farmers and suppliers who grow and create sustainable and flavourful products that we can use.

A great example of this is the relationship that many of our members have with farmers around the globe that grow the source materials. They continue to support local farmers by improving their livelihood and community, help overcome challenges that climate change brings and ensure that the end product is as sustainably sourced as possible.

We are also working with food producers and supermarket chains to utilise 'Surplus Food' – extracting flavour from remnants and cuts, not otherwise used, then re-using this flavour in new food products. For example, taking the ‘wonky fruit’ not deemed suitable for supermarket sale, and reworking it into other food as an ingredient in beverages.

The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) and the IOFI, together with their members, have developed the IFRA-IOFI Sustainability Charter to address the key sustainability issues in the industry, from reducing greenhouse gases, addressing deforestation and producing ‘safe and sustainable by design’ materials.

How have regulatory developments and the demand for transparency in flavour sourcing impacted the industry in recent years? How do you expect this to evolve as time goes on?

More clarity is being requested from customers for ingredients contained within flavours. This has an impact on technical teams as their workload increases and also becomes more in depth. We provide more supply chain details depending on what the customers require.

For example, if the flavouring has provenance or is derived from a specific plant or fruit, then details to ensure the authenticity of the product through the supply chain is provided, which is important. As an industry in the UK, we are trying to demystify both the industry and the products and contribute to the work of our European Association, EFFA, to increase transparency.

What kinds of natural flavours are gaining popularity and trending within the plant-based food and beverage industry in particular?

Flavours are being developed in all areas where plant based food is produced. Everything from beef flavours for plant based burgers and synthetic meat substitutes, to the fish flavours for the imitation tuna and salmon made with oat proteins.

How can the industry help consumers feel encouraged to experience novel flavours, and how will this tie into the transition toward more sustainable and plant-based diets?

Exposure to the consumer on trending/new flavours through the media will really help this. Promotion through major global events such as the Olympics has a huge impact and helps promote novel flavours to consumers who might not have normally tried them – the promotion of yuzu and matcha tea during the Tokyo Olympics 2020 was a great example of this.

What kinds of advanced technologies are currently being leveraged by the industry to drive innovation in new flavours?

Precision fermentation allowing the production of natural aroma materials without using the traditional plant or fruit source. High efficiency distillation and separating techniques such as spinning cone and molecular distillation, help create new materials for flavour innovation and make the most from the natural and botanical resources we have access to. This has significant sustainability benefits too.

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How is the UK Flavour Association fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing between members to address current challenges and future opportunities?

UK Flavour Day is a fantastic example of the industry recognising and supporting collaboration on key topics such as sustainability. The full afternoon was dedicated to this subject, with significant representations from member companies amongst the speakers. We are keen to host similar events in the future, and collaborate with more academic instututions. It’s important to foster the next generation of flavourists, which is why it was brilliant to have students from the University of Nottingham showcasing their work at UK Flavour Day 2024.

Also, our technical committee meeting agenda always includes regulations and wider industry goals such as sustainability and health and safety, to aid sharing best practice and new developments among members.

What are your predictions for the future of the food and beverage flavourings sector? How will the role of flavour evolve in impacting food development and consumer choices?

Maintaining quality flavour profiles as food crops change will be crucial in the future, particularly with the challenges facing the agricultural sector at present such as climate change, reduction in pesticide use affecting yields and the desirability for local and seasonal foods, and by using flavours we give nature a helping hand to overcome these difficulties.

Helping consumers understand that the addition of a flavouring does not alter the nutritional profile of a food in itself, but can help in the production of food that meets consumers’ nutritional goals, be that a plant-based diet or a diet lower in fat, salt or sugar.

Without the use of flavour, the product may not taste good enough to eat and thus be consumed, then it doesn’t matter what the nutritional content is as practically it has no nutritional benefit.

Headshot image credit: TasteTech

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