NATURAL INGREDIENTS
rather than on the broader promise of an ingredient’s category or a general natural positioning.
• Treat regulatory and claims review as parallel work to formulation, not a final sign-off step. By the time a reformulation is locked and in production, it will be costly and disruptive to discover a claim you were planning to use isn’t actually usable.
• Invest in supplier-level traceability early. It will support the compliance paper trail and the ability to defend any claim made if it is ever challenged.
No straight swops Clara Faustina, Senior Marketing Manager, Sweet Goods and Bakery EMEA at ADM, warned that ingredients derived from natural sources are often sensitive to light exposure, heat, and pH variations, which can impact flavour integrity, visual appeal and overall product stability. She says: “Because of this, moving to ingredients derived from natural sources in confectionery will rarely be a direct one- for-one swop. So, it is important to consider how each ingredient interacts with broader formulation conditions and the desired sensory experience.” This is particularly true when transitioning
away from synthetic colours and flavours. Technical challenges can include variation in shade, maintaining colour stability, managing cost-in-use and ensuring compatibility across different formulations. Colours derived from natural sources can also introduce off-notes or off-aromas, requiring development teams to take a more holistic approach to reformulation. “Depending on the application, it may be necessary to combine colour solutions to achieve the desired visual impact or incorporating flavour modulation solutions to maintain the intended sensory profile,” advises Clara. Clara also touched on the issue of supply
chain considerations, highlighting that the availability and consistency of ingredients derived from natural sources will often be influenced by climate and agricultural conditions, making reliable sourcing and scalability critical to successful reformulation. “ADM combines formulation expertise with vertically integrated sourcing and global supply partnerships to manage and mitigate raw material variability and support scalable operations for clean-label solutions,” she said. “Robust application
testing to evaluate how ingredients from nature may perform in the formulation can also help support smooth reformulations.”
Colour it right When looking at making a move towards natural colours, it is important to focus on what you want to achieve. If maintaining a distinctive colour for brand recognition is important, then achieving the closest possible colour match will be the priority. “In such cases, Givaudan can offer solutions that closely match artificial colours,” says Katie Rountree, Regional Product Manager for the Americas at Givaudan Sense Colour. “For example, Amaize Orange Red is a close match to Red 40 without the off-notes often associated with red radish, while Everzure Galdieria is a strong match to Blue 1 in confectionery applications.” Katie highlighted some of the technical
DEPENDING ON THE
COLOURS USED, YOU MAY NEED TO THINK ABOUT FACTORS INCLUDING PH LEVELS, HEATING REQUIREMENTS, LIGHT
EXPOSURE AND INGREDIENT INTERACTIONS
and compliance challenges that go hand-in- hand with clean-label reformulation. “The main factors to consider when switching to natural colours are formulation and
22 • KENNEDY’S CONFECTION • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2026
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
