DD Williamson: EU potential for US organic ingredients

The firm launched a certified organic annatto powdered yellow/orange colouring at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Expo 2012 in Las Vegas, adding to its range of organic ingredients.

Campbell Barnum, vice president for branding and market development, told FoodNavigator its organic products would do well: “Following the treaty in Europe, there is a potential export market for these products.”​

Jennifer Guild, global food science and regulatory manager, added: “After the US/EU equivalency agreement came into force on June 1, DD Williamson can now supply US NOP (National Organic Programme) certified organic products to the EU market, meeting organic label requirements.”​

Import permits would be in the order of $35, said Guild, although she had yet to confirm the precise amount. “We are capable of offering organic certified caramel and annatto colourings.”​

Market about to be untapped​

In addition, the US Department of Agriculture had recently disallowed standard annatto to be termed organic, said Barnum. This meant organic food and drink manufacturers would be forced to turn to certified organic annatto, such as the product it was launching, he said. “Everyone would have to switch to certified organic variations, so we are meeting a need in the market that is about to be untapped.”​

He added that DD Williamson was considering substantially expanding its organic range as a result of the ensuing demand created by the regulatory changes. “There are plenty of other natural colours that are not available in a certified organic form.”​

Other launches​

DD Williamson's other launches at IFT 2012 included an acid-proof class one caramel colour for North America and an oil-dispersable caramel colour. “In our newest innovation we have incorporated caramel colours into water-based systems, which enable us to support butter or margarine products, for example,”​ said Guild.

The company was also working on a natural chocolate compound coating for products such as confectionery cereal bars, she said. “It’s a potential replacement for synthetic brown.”​

DD Williamson had recently invested significant sums in expanding its application laboratories in Kentucky in the US and Cork in Ireland, said Barnum.