Flavours: Tasting Success Through Innovation (Part Two)

More than just taste

Flavour is far more than just a way to alter taste. Specific flavour types can also serve a variety of marketing roles, helping to position products, to target specific demographics and to add excitement or value to finished foods and drinks.

Naturals: Both threat and opportunity

While natural flavours are in significant demand, growing use of flavouring foodstuffs in place of flavour compounds could also pose a threat in the future.

Natural focus for health and wellness

Changing attitudes to health and wellness mean that, while flavours are still important for adjusting taste in “better for you” and functional/fortified products, there is a growing emphasis on using flavour to enhance a naturally healthy image.

Targeting customers through flavour

Flavour is also used to help direct products to the right customers. It can increase appeal to specific consumer groups (e.g. age, ethnicity, gender), target specific seasons or occasions or improve authenticity for more discerning customers.

Adding value to the taste experience

Premiumisation is a significant theme in the modern food industry and flavour is a key part of this, with specific tastes delivering specific types of added value, whether it be in the form of authenticity, indulgence, nostalgia, escapism, etc.

Specificity

Adding specificity to flavour choices is a significant focus for innovators, with type-and region-specific flavours proving highly prevalent in food and drink new product development and instantly adding value to a product’s image.

Specific growth areas

Within key food and drink categories, there are a few flavour types that have been showing particular strength in recent times, including coconut, other exotics, alcohol, vegetables, spices, herbs and florals.