Parents will pay a premium for naturally sourced colours

Kalsec, a producer of natural flavour extracts, colours, antioxidants and hop products for the food and beverage industry, has released the results of a consumer study.

More than 80% of UK and US parents with a child between the ages of 3 and 12 indicated they are more likely to purchase a food product for their children if it contains a naturally sourced colour instead of a synthetic colour. Seven of every 10 parents surveyed indicated they would be willing to pay a premium for food products containing naturally sourced colours instead of synthetic colours.

“We see parents gaining more knowledge and interest in the ingredients and claims made regarding the food and beverages their children consume,” said Gary Augustine, executive director, market development.

During 2014, Europe had the highest global percentage of natural colour vs synthetic colour use (83% vs 17%) in children’s new product launches, according to Innova Market Insights.

Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East also formulated more frequently with natural versus synthetic colours. Meanwhile, in North America, synthetic colour use slightly exceeded natural colours (51% vs 49%) in children’s new product introductions for the same time period.