The way food and drink products are flavored is changing. Consumer product companies across the globe are increasingly sourcing natural flavors (F-1 and F-2); however, the issue is often a lot more complex than simply replacing an artificial flavor with a natural alternative. Today, food and drink manufacturers expect their suppliers to offer a complete flavoring solution. The drive to clean-label, salt/ fat/sugar reduction, simple ingredient lists and using store cupboard ingredients has given rise to opportunities for flavoring materials, seasoning blends, industrial sauces and marinades, and rubs and glazes.
In addition, consumer’s palettes have become more sophisticated, increasingly seeking out spicier, hotter and more flavorful food coupled with a desire for new and exciting taste experiences— whether these are unusual flavor combinations, exotic cuisines or more authentic flavors. Meanwhile, despite the rise in naturals, artificial flavors are still widely used in many food and drink applications across the globe, and the market, while static, is not yet experiencing decline.
For this analysis the author has segmented the natural flavors market into natural flavors, industrial seasonings and flavoring materials (see sidebar for category definitions).
