Consumer expectations continue to evolve along the simple and natural spectrum, often being bundled under the growing clean label umbrella. This can be seen in the growing number of on-pack messages, news articles and books focusing on topics like clean label, kitchen ingredients, locally raised or sourced, no antibiotics ever, farm fresh, etc. There are a number of factors that are driving these expectations ranging from the ethical treatment of animals and the land, lack of trust in the food supply or the desire to put only real food in our bodies. Meat and dairy are two categories where this is especially clear and extremely important.
We’ll explore some of the challenges flavor companies are experiencing such as: limitations around their ability to deliver the essence or flavor of meat or dairy or the ability to derive flavor components with the clean and simple story that manufacturers and retailers want.