Low-cal and exotic foods offer flavour openings
others, see growth in exotic fruit beverages along with an
innovative palette for low-calorie foodstuffs.
Growing at a steady, if far from stellar, 3.3 per cent, the €4.38 billion global flavours market in the past year witnessed a wide range of influences from flavourings associated with healthier cuisine to ethnic and exotic ranges.
The trends are set to continue into 2005 with market tracker Mintel reporting on new products on supermarket shelves that reflect these influences.
Chinese firm Beijing Huiyuan Food & Beverage rolled out a mango and vegetable juice onto the market in January as part of its Vita-Plus brand line.
Agroindustria Saturno has launched a papaya flavoured drink onto the Chilean market under its Saturno brand. Also available in a 'light' variety the product contains a range of juices from sea buckthorn to celery.
Mango flavour once again hits the market, this time in Mexico as Sociedad Cooperativa Trabajadores de Pascual launches a new repackaging of its Boing! Fruit brand and Brazilian firm Produtos Alimentícios Superbom launches a natural mango juice onto its home market.
Finally passion fruit and pineapple flavours feature in the Swedish Liva Ananas Passin fruit drinks brought to shelves by Procordia Food.
Reduced calorie foods remain a key segment for food makers and offer opportunities for flavour players. Into the desserts and ice cream category on the German market Campina launched, under its Campina brand Optiwell pudding, a pudding which claims to be the first with only 0.1 per cent fat.
With both chocolate and vanilla flavours, the product has 53 calories per 100g and a chocolate variety, which has 55 calories per 100g.
Savoury flavours cheese, chicken and tomato are a feature of Tesco's low-calorie positioned chicken, tomato, and mascarpone bake available in the UK since 5 January.
The product claims to have less than 3 per cent fat, and contains only 468 calories per serving.
In the low-fat soups domaine, vegetable and goat's cheese are the flavours of a soup launched by Campbell Liebig onto the French market. New under the Liebig brand, Légère Légumes du Sud & Chèvre Doux, is positioned as a low calorie vegetable soup with soft goats cheese, enriched with vitamins.
