USA – American multinational ingredient provider Ingredion has unveiled a new foodservice growth guide with insights on how operators can drive sustained clean label growth. 

Entitled Put profitability on the menu, the new guide explores the key trends underpinning clean label growth, how to capture the business value of clean label and how to extend menu options with ingredient innovation. 

Ingredion’s guide comes at a time when consumers are shifting to foods that are minimally processed and comprised of simple and recognizable ingredients.  

According to Ingredion, this change in preference presents a significant opportunity for foodservice outlets to accelerate business growth and returns. 

Ingredion outlines that foodservice operators that have switched over to clean label offerings saw an overall increase in revenue averaging 41%, an increase in F&B margins of 38% and an increase of 48% in prices to customers of 48%. 

“The global foodservice is currently forecast to reach US$3.2 trillion by 2023, based on a CAGR of 2%,” outlines Daniel Haley, global platform lead, Clean & Simple Ingredients, Ingredion. 

“What we are seeing is the potential for a rapid recovery as consumers act upon their pent-up demand for dine-out options, in turn driving stronger growth and creating opportunity within the sector,” he details. 

Even as the foodservice industry rebounds, Haley notes that there is sufficient evidence suggesting that the foodservice industry is largely adopting clean labels as a business strategy.  

During the transition, harsh processing conditions, like those typical in dairy applications, can often make clean label formulation challenging.  

However, new natural ingredients that perform under all types of production processes are opening up “new and exciting menu options.” 

From a creamy, slightly viscous cheese sauce to a rich meat gravy that doesn’t congeal, recognizable clean label ingredients such as tapioca starches and sustainably sourced rice flour are durable solutions in a culinary kitchen. 

Ingredion also highlights that process-tolerant, cold water swelling texturizers can now be used in bakery fillings to create products with improved stability that look good, are tasty and have a simple “corn starch” ingredient listing.  

To help foodservice operators in their transition, Ingredion recently partnered with The EVERY Co to distribute its animal-free egg white, called EVERY EggWhite, which is “brewed” using yeast and sugar. 

The supplier also recently launched its tool called the Clean Label Business Opportunity Simulator, which was created to help F&B industry members assess the business value in transitioning to cleaner, simpler ingredients during formulation. 

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