Natural Colours In Confectionery: Shattering The Myths

Christiane Lippert, Head of Marketing (Food) at Lycored, discusses recent research demonstrating that natural colours in sweets are appealing to parents and not a “deal-breaker” for kids. Not only that, but the company’s carotenoid-derived colors stand up well to the rigors of confectionery production.

Growing concerns about artificial colours Recent growth in demand for natural colours has largely been driven by concerns about health, particularly that of children. And while consumers may not be fully aware of all the details of the scientific studies, they have certainly got the message that artificial colours are associated with health risks.

The case for switching from artificial to natural colours is clear in most food sectors. But how strong is it in confectionery markets, where the opinion of kids matters, and health is perhaps less likely to be a driver of product choice? At Lycored, we set out to understand the way kids and their parents respond to natural and artificial colours in sweets, and the impact it has on liking and purchasing decisions.

Meanwhile, there is a perception that natural colours may be harder to work with. So in addition to our consumer research, we carried out separate stability trials testing the performance of Lycored’s colours in Vitamin-C enriched gummies and hardcoated candies.

Natural v artificial colours in sweets – what kids and their parents think

Our expert researchers conducted realtime, face-to-face interviews with ten US children and their parents. All were regular purchasers and consumers of gummy sweets. Each parent-child pair was sent an unbranded bag of gummies coloured naturally with Lycored’s carotenoid-derived colours. They were also given another bag of gummies made by the same manufacturer but coloured artificially. The gummies with Lycored’s colours were fortified with Vitamin C, which subjected them to extra stress. The interview participants were then asked to examine the two bags and answer questions about them.

For kids, “candy is candy”