Speaking with FoodNavigator at FIE in Frankfurt last week, Kokke said demand for clean labels had been increasing over the past decade, but the horsemeat scandal had led to even greater consumer concern about transparency and traceability, leading to further demand for ‘simple’ ingredients – like the company’s starches.
Kokke said the company’s own research had shown consumers were looking for products that were free from additives, with short, simple ingredient panels with recognisable ingredients.
Over the past year, the company has introduced a range of new clean label, starch-based products, under the Novation brand name.
Its Novation Indulge product, for example, aims to tap into a growing interest in Greek yoghurt.
Despite the name, the Greek yoghurt trend really took off in the United States, and differs from traditional Greek yoghurt (from Greece) in that it is much lower in fat and often higher in protein. Several low-fat Greek-style strained yoghurt products have already been introduced in the UK, and Kokke said he thought other European countries were likely to follow suit.