FOOD
INGREDIENTS NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND MARKET TRENDS IN THE FORMULATION OF FOOD & BEVERAGE PRODUCTS
Making bold statement with food colors The first few seconds after a buyer sees a product is a moment of truth; as it can be love at first sight convincing the buyer to add it to their basket or make them trudge forward in search of an alternative that is more appealing. By Catherine Wanjiku
C
olor is a major part of a buyer’s decisionmaking process, and not just because it’s visually stimulating, it can also tease anticipated flavours or give impression about the freshness or quality of a product. Food colouring is therefore a very important tool for food producers as it acts both as a quality control sign and as a marketing tool to create temptation for the consumer. According to a study by Emerald Insights, 90% of shoppers decide whether or not to buy a product solely
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based on color and perceived taste. “We ‘eat with our eyes’ and if it looks good, we expect it to taste good and do us good. Each color has its own set of associations and meanings depending on the context, and small variations can make all the difference in how something is perceived,” says Nathalie Pauleau, global product manager for natural colors at Givaudan. Originally, food colors were used to correct loss, variations or enhance colors in food products. The rise in food processing coupled with consumer preference MAY/JUNE 2022 | FOOD BUSINESS AFRICA
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