Cargill promises improved flavour and taste as it unveils three sustainable food and drink ingredients at Food Ingredients Europe 2024.
Cargill, the food and beverage manufacturer, based in Minnesota, US, is unveiling three sustainable innovations at Food Ingredients Europe 2024.
They include a sugar reduction solution, a confectionary alternative to chocolate and plant-based solutions.
A Cargill spokesperson said: “We are thrilled to be showcasing our partnership with Voyage Foods at FiE.
“Together, we’re offering delicious alternative solutions to cocoa, hazelnut and peanut-based products for bakery, chocolate confectionery, ice cream and cereals. Experience a new era of indulgence with our sustainable solutions.”
Hitting the sweet spot
The first product is EverSweet, a next-generation stevia sweetener.
Cargill says: “Consumers are looking to reduce their intake of sugars without compromising on taste or label friendliness.
“Fortunately, next-generation stevia solutions are here to truly hit this market sweet spot.”
It adds that:
- 64% of consumers claim to avoid sugar when shopping for packaged food & beverages
- More than 1 in 3 consumers actively avoid artificial sweeteners.
EverSweet – a product of Avansya: a joint venture of Cargill and dsm-firmenich – is now approved for use in the UK.
Following a positive safety opinion by The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), it is also expected to be authorised in the EU at the beginning of 2025.
The product uses advanced fermentation techniques to enhance stevia’s sweetest elements – steviol glycosides Reb M and Reb D.
Cargill says: “With EverSweet, you can make significant sugar reductions to your food or beverage formulations without compromising on taste.”
It also has sustainability side-effects, the company adds: “An internal lifecycle analysis highlights improved environmental performance in key metrics such as carbon footprint, water use and land use impact compared to production from leaf or bioconversion, or traditional sugar.”
It looks like chicken, but…
Cargill is also unveiling ABUNDA mycoprotein – a fermented protein that enables the production of tasty alternatives to chicken and fish.
The company says: “The growing meat alternatives market in Europe is shifting focus from red meat alternatives to white meat alternatives and fish and seafood alternative categories.
“As a result, today’s consumers have more choice and are expecting more from their chicken and fish alternatives in terms of taste and texture.”
It adds that consumers are less satisfied with the texture of the chicken and fish alternatives that they are able to buy today.
“This presents market opportunities for improved texture and meat mimicking products.
“At Cargill Meat & Dairy Alternatives, we co-create tasty and nutritious products together with our customers, by leveraging ingredient solutions from our broad portfolio and those of our strategic partners.”
ABUNDA mycoprotein is made alongside Cargill’s strategic partner ENOUGH and is a “more sustainable and scalable alternative protein source that is label-friendly and nutritious”.
Cargill, whose carbon-cutting efforts are led by Pilar Cruz, tells producers: “It offers labelling advantages for your products and enables you to meet your consumers’ demands for tastier, healthier and more sustainable foods.”
Future-proofing our favourite foods
How can a consumer get maximum taste with minimum damage to the planet?
It is a question that taxes the minds of all food and drinks manufacturers.
In terms of chocolate, Cargill believes it has part of the answer.
It says: “We need to develop a future-proof food model that is capable of efficiently replicating consumers’ favourite food products.
“While consumers love indulging in treats, they don’t want to compromise the planet. Over 50% of consumers want to incorporate more sustainable foods with a reduced carbon footprint into their diets.”
“76% of the consumers want to buy more sustainable chocolate or cocoa-based products but are unsure how to go about it.”
Its answer is Cargill Indulgence Redefined, an alternative solution to cocoa, hazelnut and peanut based products for bakery, chocolate confectionery, ice cream and cereals, developed in partnership with food technology company Voyage Foods.
The confectionery alternative to chocolate is sourced from plant-based ingredients including grape seeds and sunflower kernels, with the potential of using other raw materials in the future.
Cargill says it offers benefits including:
- Up to 95% lower water footprint
- Up to 90% lower land-use-related impacts
- Up to 61% reduction in carbon footprint.
