27 Oct 2023 --- Tate & Lyle is reinforcing its commitment to healthier eating, scientific expertise and sustainability at SupplySide West (SSW) by presenting a range of concepts that deliver on taste, novelty and functionality. 

Nutrition Insight reports live from the trade show in Las Vegas, US, speaking to Jessica Wilford, VP for category planning and development, Tate & Lyle North America, who explains how the company is “transforming lives through the science of food to support healthier living.”

“We are all about making healthy food tastier and tasty food healthier. It’s what we’re really passionate about and what consumers today are looking for. Everyone’s looking for fun, creative ways to get more functionality into their food,” she tells us. 

Functional offerings 
Tate & Lyle is showcasing four different prototypes at the show, the first being a prebiotic raspberry cherry yogurt.

“This contains 6 g of soluble corn fiber and 11 g of protein,” says Wilford. “It’s a functional beverage with no sugar added and it tastes delicious.” 

“We’ve also got our butterfly pea lavender lemonade beverage, which looks beautiful. It contains no added sugar and 6 g of soluble corn fiber in this as well.” Wilford underscores that it is “super functional, an excellent source of fiber and features Tasteve Sol Stevia, which is 200 times the solubility of Reb M.”

What has been really crucial to Tate & Lyle while developing these concepts is formulating with stevia, which can be difficult, notes Wilford. “But now, we’ve cracked it. This concept has international patents and is a great example of what we love to do. We’ve also noticed a big trend in functionality of different types of health cognitive wellness,” she says. 

The company is also showcasing two other functional foods. One is its nutritional gummies, which focus on delivering delicious taste and texture with minimal sugar, added fiber and vegan-friendly ingredients.

“What a lot of people don’t know is that there’s about 6 to 7 g of sugar in the classic gummy,” notes Wilford, adding that this amount can “defeat the purpose of taking gummies, especially if you start taking a couple a day.”

“Our concept is completely sugar-free, it is also pectin-based so it’s great for vegans and it’s really delicious. The texture is what is key here,” she says. 

The fourth and final prototype on Tate & Lyle’s stand is a caramel mocha soft-baked energy bar. “There is 80 mg of caffeine in this with no sugar added,” explains Wilford. “It’s also gluten-free, featuring our chickpea fiber.”

All the concepts speak to consumers on a personal level: “Consumers are looking for more functionality but at the end of the day, they want food to be delicious. They want it to be indulgent, enjoyable and people are also looking for food they can consume on-the-go,” highlights Wilford. 

“Additionally, consumers are driven to high protein and high fiber concepts, which is what we are displaying at SSW,” she adds. 

Sustainability driving trends
Tate & Lyle has set ambitions to become a recognized sustainability leader among F&B solutions providers. 

The company recently reached two important milestones: announcing its first site powered entirely by renewable energy and earning Prime ESG Corporate rating from Institutional Shareholder Services, putting the company in the top decile of the Food Products sector.

According to Wilford, sustainability is something Tate & Lyle takes “very seriously.”

The food industry is one of the leading contributors to GHG emissions in the world. “And we’re not okay with that,” she stresses. “We’ve got science-based targets to reduce all of our GHG emissions, as well as sustainable agriculture programs.”

Tate & Lyle has also committed to being net zero by 2050, and “all of our sites will be 100% renewable energy by 2030,” Wilford tells us. 

In the year ahead, the company plans to further showcase its brand, which is all about “science, solutions and society.”

“That’s something we really want to keep pushing,” Wilford notes. “And as we work with our customers, it is really all about helping them find great ways to get that texture, fortification or sweetness profile into their food, for example.” 

“So we’re focusing more and more on nutrition, focusing on functional beverages. Those are two big pillars for us,” she concludes.