Coming clean: 5 tips for developing clean label food and beverages

1. Making clean label ingredients multitask

One of the key elements of clean label is a short ingredients list. Consumers want to understand everything they read on the label, and long lists give the impression of a highly processed product. This means brands need to make their ingredients go further, choosing options which offer multiple functionalities in one to keep labels short. Here, ingredients that can be used as replacements for multiple artificial additives play a big role. Cocoa, nut, or spices ingredients can provide both color and flavor, removing the need for artificial additives. In Horchata drink powder premixes for instance, ground spices could replace the artificial vanilla or cinnamon flavorings commonly used to give drinks a richer taste profile, while nut flours can be added instead of industrial thickeners like Xanthan Gum for similar functionality with a plant-based protein boost.

Did you know that paprika extract was the second-most popular natural colorant used in product launches in 2020?² It’s great for adding a rich red color, whereas turmeric introduces a pop of yellow. Dairy products also offer a range of clean label benefits. The protein content in dairy offers excellent water binding, whipping and gelation properties, as well as emulsion, caramelization and color.

² Natural Colors Innovation. Food Ingredients First. [Report]. 2021.

3. Functional, not artificial

Artificial additives often fulfill a functional purpose, like increasing shelf life or stability. These are required to make a product not only fit for surviving longer supply chains, but also appealing to consumers. But these qualities are commonly provided by chemicals or other ingredients that consumers won’t recognize. Fortunately, there’s a clean label solution – cocoa butter. It’s a plant-based fat that can replace non-clean label fats in confectionery and baked goods.

4. Have your (chocolate) cake and eat it

No matter how hard you try, some clean label ingredients just don’t have the same taste, texture or color as the traditional ingredients. Take cocoa powder, used in several applications we all know and love. Cocoa powders with vibrant color and rich flavor are generally ‘Dutched’ (also known as alkalized) – or processed using an alkalizing agent like potassium or sodium. Although a very common practice, consumers may find the word “alkalized” a bit scary and look for clean label options. In the past, clean label cocoa (which hasn’t been through this process) didn’t offer the same level of color or flavor. However, ingredient manufacturers, like ofi, have been working to solve this challenge.

ofi invests heavily in research dedicated to developing high-quality, clean-label ingredient options that consumers love. As an example, our deZaan TrueDark cocoa powder goes through a proprietary process to achieve the desirable dark color and rich flavor typical of Dutched products, without the need for alkali. This solution for indulgent, clean label chocolate and confectionery innovations means you can have your chocolate cake and eat it, too!