FLAVOURS AND COLOURS


THE POSSIBILITIES WITH PLANT-BASED COLOURS HAVE EXPANDED HUGELY SINCE GNT WAS FOUNDED IN 1978. WE CAN ACHIEVE A COMPLETE SPECTRUM OF VIBRANT, STABLE


SHADES IN THE MAJORITY OF CONFECTIONERY APPLICATIONS NOW


Like Clara, Dieuwertje says switching


to plant-based colours isn’t a simple process and it does require expertise. She says: “Artificial colours are highly concentrated, extremely stable and chemically identical from batch to batch. The natural pigments in fruits, vegetables and plants, on the other hand, can be sensitive to factors like pH, heat and light. That means it’s important to consider the most suitable raw materials for the specific project requirements. One example is turmeric concentrates, which are often used to achieve yellow shades in confectionery. The pigment is sensitive to light, so that means it’s not suitable for products with transparent packaging and a long shelf life. “We use more than 30 different


raw materials across the EXBERRY® portfolio. We work closely with our customers to identify the ideal solution to ensure they achieve attractive, stable shades throughout their products’ shelf life. In many cases, we can deliver hues that are as vibrant as artificial colours.”


Sustainability shapes development Sustainable colours are becoming increasingly important for several


reasons. Consumers want products that are sourced responsibly and with care for the environment. Many companies have their own sustainability targets that they need to meet as well. “With plant-based colours, sustainability is also about being able to maintain raw material supplies responsibly for decades to come. Climate change is making it more challenging to grow fruits, vegetables and plants reliably, so manufacturers need reassurance that quantity and quality can be maintained,” says Dieuwertje. “We recently secured an EcoVadis


Platinum award for our sustainability performance, with a score that puts us among the top 1% of companies in the food manufacturing industry. Our approach to risk management was an important aspect of that,” she clarifies. “It includes ensuring we’re assessing the most suitable sourcing areas for specific crops and that we’re sowing colourful and resilient crop varieties that are adapted to the local conditions. We also work with most of our farmers on long-term contracts, training them in sustainable agriculture to support agricultural approaches that will deliver successfully over the long term.”


Stability and shelf-life and transparency Dieuwertje says: “With artificial colours, you’ll get around a six-year shelf life under a wide range of storage temperatures. Plant-based colours can’t compete with that, but they will generally deliver excellent performance throughout products’ shelf life. We’ll sometimes suggest tweaks to enhance stability, such as adding an antioxidant for heat- or light-sensitive colours such as beetroot.” We live in a digital age and today’s


consumers are very information- hungry. With food colours, there’s been so much media attention over a long period of time that there’s naturally a lot of interest in what they’re made from and how they’re produced. Dieuwertje agrees and says: “It can be very beneficial for brands to share positive stories about their ingredients on their website and in marketing materials. We’ve had customers visit our sites so they can create content for social media showing how we grow our fruit, vegetables and plants and use natural processing methods to create EXBERRY® colours.” Natural colours are very much the


industry standard in Europe already, and the tightening regulations in the US are accelerating the same shift in other parts of the world as well. Plant- based colours are the obvious choice for the industry because they allow brands to futureproof their recipes against evolving consumer attitudes and regulatory change.


JUNE 2026 • KENNEDY’S CONFECTION • 19


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