SUSTAINABLE INGREDIENTS
seeking traceability information on package, food or production process. They also look out more for local foods and drinks and, according to FMC Gurus, they are willing to pay more for products with zero carbon footprint.
Stepping up
According to James Ede, Global Sustainability lead, Cargill Sweeteners, Starches Texturisers (CSST), while consumers have started taking accountability, they still expect companies to step up their sustainability efforts too. This means that confectionery manufacturers are going to need to be more transparent about their sustainability story – regarding both their goals and what they have already accomplished. It is important that organisations stay true to their promises as 66% of global consumers say that companies care about the environment but that their actions fall short of their word, according to a 2021 Dynata consumer survey. “For the majority
of the sweeteners and texturising
solutions used in confectionery applications, Cargill in Europe is now sourcing verified wheat and corn as raw materials to create value-adding ingredients like starches, polyols, and glucose syrups,” says James. This is benchmarked at silver level according to the SAI Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) – an industry-recognised benchmarking system that supports good agricultural practices in various essential sustainability areas such as soil conservation, biodiversity conservation and water quality. To reach the SAI Silver benchmark, farmers are independently audited based on standards that go beyond European regulations and allow for credible sustainability claims.
Cargill has also been sourcing sustainable stevia through the implementation of the Stevia Sustainable Agriculture Standard, which was initiated in 2010. “All partners must adhere to this standard which covers no less than 137 control criteria in 13 categories, with special focus on major criteria such as worker health and safety. A third-party auditor ensures compliance, and there is comprehensive oversight at manufacturing locations from Sedex. Benchmarking globally versus SAI FSA 3.0 is ongoing, and results are expected soon,” adds James. Valérie Le Bihan, Head of Global Marketing, Food Specialties at Roquette pointed out that recent data from NielsenIQ showed that 72% of people are willing to pay more for products that claim to be sustainable. “Given this change in consumer values, it is critical that confectionery producers focus on running sustainable businesses, including the sustainable sourcing of ingredients,” she says.
As all of the contributors to this article point out, sourcing sustainable ingredients is becoming more of an ‘imperative’ than a ‘nice to have’. Sustainability should run through every area of the business – from the operational departments, where energy consumption and waste are becoming key considerations – right through to sourcing sustainable ingredients. As our authors have highlighted, in addition to being the right thing to do, it can also pay huge dividends as a confectionery product with sustainable credentials is considered a premium product by consumers today – for which they are willing to pay more. They are also more likely to weather the storms created by inflation and supply-chain disruptions that swirl around us today.
18 Kennedy’s Confection June 2022
Gelatin has been used as multi-purpose ingredient for almost 8,000 years. It is a natural protein derived from animal bones and skin and is used in the confectionery sector in a wide range of candies, including gummies, marshmallows, jellies and specialty products like Turkish Delight.
“Besides the versatility that gelatin brings to candy formulations, its status as a natural, eco-friendly ingredient means it is also suitable for confectionery brands hoping to address consumer demand for sustainable sweet treats,” argues Caroline Brochard-Garnier,
Communication
Director at Rousselot. The global food industry is at an interesting crossroads. On the one hand, shoppers are becoming more aware of how their consumption habits affect the environment and are looking to make more sustainable choices – an example of this is the trend for cutting or reducing meat consumption (a sector which has been shown to cause high greenhouse gas emissions). At the same time however, total meat consumption worldwide is expected to rise by 14% by 2030, particularly in developing countries, as the sector prepares to cater to the needs of the two billion people predicted to join the global population in the next three decades. So, solving the challenge of creating a more sustainable food ingredient supply chain is not as simple as just cutting out animal-derived products and confectionery manufacturers can make an impact by harnessing the potential of ingredients derived from by- products. In this way, they can ensure these ingredients are properly valued for their versatility and nutritional value, while also helping to create a circular, waste-free food system. With origins as a pure protein, gelatin is well positioned to address the demand for clean label products – even in confectionery. Gelatin is entirely natural and it fulfils several formulation functionalities in one ingredient – helping to keep labels sort. By acting as bulking agent to replace sugar, gelatin can also enable sweets brands to formulate healthier confectionery.
Gelatin: a sustainable ingredient
KennedysConfection.com
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