Consumer desire for natural food and drink products shows little sign of slowing, according to market researcher RTS.
High profile food scares, increasing retailer power and the need for consumer reassurance are all combining to create significant opportunities for natural ingredients, RTS said. The global market for natural ingredients in food and drink has grown by $3.6 billion over the past five years and is now worth $12.9 billion. Incredibly, natural ingredients now account for almost one third of the total $39 billion global food and drink ingredients market. While seasonings and flavors are the largest markets, it is natural flavors (8.7% per year), natural colors (11.3%) and coloring foodstuffs (13.6%) that have seen dramatic growth.
“There is considerable interest in natural ingredients. It is one of the fastest growth markets of the whole food and drink industry,” said Jamie Rice, RTS research director. “Coloring foodstuffs and natural colors have benefited from the natural trend and despite issues of sustainability and an increasingly fragmented market, we expect to see growth in naturals continue.”
