European manufacturers and consumers alike continue to demand more natural, authentic flavours, yet what does ‘natural’ really mean? Symrise says the factors influencing demand for natural products are extremely diverse, even just within Europe

Increased awareness of ingredient provenance, desire for more comprehensible ingredient lists, and changes in food legislation to improve transparency are driving the ongoing trend toward more natural foods and drinks – and all of these factors need to be balanced with demand for affordable products.

“There is enormous complexity and we have to deal with that,” said Alexander Lichter, VP Sales EAME at Symrise.

Headquartered in Germany, Symrise is one of the world’s biggest producers of flavours and fragrances, controlling about 12% of the global market. It has always derived many of its ingredients from natural products, but it has been crystallising its efforts around the trend toward natural sourcing in recent years. In 2014, for example, it acquired Diana Group, one of the leading manufacturers of natural flavours, and it introduced an initiative called ‘Code of Nature’ in 2016.

Consumer preferences vary by region

Researchers for Symrise interviewed consumers from around the world to find out which aspects of naturalness they found appealing, and then combined the results with expert analysis.

“It is getting more and more granular,” said Lichter. “Taking the UK as a market, Code of Nature has had a lot to do with provenance. We have to react to that with our raw materials that we use to develop and create our flavours.”

This means having a deep understanding of which fruits, spices and herbs consumers associate with their own country, and which they associate with other regions. That might mean differentiating between what a consumer expects from a Valencia orange flavour compared to a Florida orange flavour, for example.

This knowledge can then influence the development of region- or country-specific products that echo consumers’ flavour expectations and taste preferences. Globally, many consumers are looking for greater variety than mainstream products provide.

“We are decoding nature and making sure wherver we are providing solutions for the industry we are bringing in natural tastes and flavours to meet consumer demand,” Lichter said.

Demand for natural ingredients continues

Demand for foods and beverages with natural ingredients remains strong. According to a recent Nielsen survey, nearly a third (31%) of European consumers say they would be willing to pay a premium for all-natural products.

“I would certainly expect this trend to continue,” Lichter said. “Consumers, and especially those in Europe, want to have absolute transparency and clarity about what is in their products. They want fully understandable declarations on food.”

He acknowledges that creating all-natural foods often is difficult for manufacturers, but says the natural flavour element itself is less problematic.

“For the flavour industry, it’s not a big challenge because we create taste out of natural raw materials. It’s in the nature of our business to create natural flavours,” he said.

Apart from cutting out synthetic ingredients, food and drink manufacturers face additional pressures, such as reducing sugar and salt, or producing allergen-free or gluten-free products, while also retaining authentic taste and mouthfeel.

“We are like the spider in the web when it comes to all those different influencing factors,” Lichter said. “Because we create taste, our customers also expect us to get them through that enormous maze, and I think we do that very well when it comes to all these major trends.”