Natural pigments bring everything back to its original 'authenticity'

Since the introduction of synthetic pigments, their safety for the human body has been questioned by multiple research institutions worldwide, with the most profound impact on the industry being the Southampton Six Color Incident that occurred in 2007. The University of Southampton in the UK has found that the intake of six synthetic pigments and preservatives, including E102 lemon yellow, E104 quinoline yellow, E110 sunset yellow, E122 acid red, E124 carmine red, and E129 allure red, can exacerbate ADHD in young children and young children. Subsequently, global food manufacturers began to use natural pigments instead of synthetic pigments, especially in candy products that primarily consume children.
According to market data from Innova Market Insights, the global use of natural pigments increased in 2016, with a compound annual growth rate of 11.5% from 2015 to 2016. From the global launch of new food and beverage products containing natural pigments in 2016, the most widely used products are baking products (13.6%), followed by instant meals, candies, beverages, and dairy products. In addition to food and beverages, animal feed and textile industries are also the main applications. Ancient people first began dyeing textiles with plants, minerals, etc. With the emergence of synthetic pigments, this traditional method began to be replaced. Based on consumers' return to nature, natural pigment textiles have ushered in a new development climax.
Black color or the next trend
Among the numerous colors, red, yellow, green, orange, and blue are the mainstream in the natural pigment market, especially red pigments. The Chinese people's favorite color is "red", which has also evolved into a symbol of cultural symbols. In contrast, black pigments appear to be less attractive, and their market application and market share are relatively poor. However, these factors do not affect the future development of black pigments. According to market data from Zhitiqiao Media, the sales of black pigments have increased significantly in recent years. Currently, plant charcoal black and cuttlefish black are widely used in domestic and international markets. Plant charcoal black can be applied in candies, pastries, biscuits, and frozen drinks. Although there are not many black products in the market at present, black has become one of the trends in the food and beverage industry. At the end of 2015, a "BLK" black water worth 169 yuan in the United States went viral in China, and this black beverage became a focus of industry attention at that time. These two days, Pizzahut, in order to welcome the arrival of Halloween in 2017, produced another "black pizza", and also invited stars to do publicity. Several high quality black products have been launched in the US market, such as black coffee, black ice cream, black biscuits, black bread, etc. Although they may appear dark and cold, they have a fatal appeal to people, especially in the current post-90s and 2000s era, where black is fashionable and cool. In this era where everyone likes to 'self deprecate', the food and health industry is also keeping up with the trend. Little Damage in the United States is the founder of dark ice cream, which has sparked a craze since the launch of black carbon ice cream. The editor himself was fortunate enough to taste plant carbon black ice cream at the 2017 Shanghai CPHI exhibition, and the sales and taste were indeed attractive enough! In addition to the black products themselves, many product packaging is also becoming increasingly black. Wang Laoji launched a "black can herbal tea" in the summer of 2017, mainly to cater to the preferences of young consumers. Overall, black is a color that is very unconventional and distinctive, and may create the next trend in the food and health industry.
80, 90 prefer natural pigments
A study conducted by Mintel in 2016 found that 43% of millennial mothers (1984-2000) were interested in products with natural coloring claims, with only one-third of the US consumer group being interested. The millennial generation, also known as the post-80s and post-90s generation, as a new generation of consumer groups, has their own shopping preferences, grew up in the internet environment since childhood, and is willing to try new things. Their attitude towards health is also not inferior. Consumer attitudes towards health are not directly proportional to age. Compared to the middle-aged and elderly population, millennials pay more attention to their own health, especially those who are new mothers. This type of consumer group will pay more attention to the natural properties of products when choosing products, especially when choosing children's products such as dairy products and candy, mainly because chemically synthesized pigments can pose a potential threat to children's health. In the past year, the number of candies/pastries with natural pigments added to the global market has increased by 15%, mostly targeting children. Meanwhile, dairy products such as ice cream and yogurt are also beginning to shift towards natural pigments. A survey conducted by Lycored, an Israeli company, shows that millennial mothers place great importance on whether natural pigments are used in dairy products, and the candy market is also an area of concern for them.  
The millennial generation in China has become the mainstream consumer group, and relevant data shows that the consumption of young people under the age of 35 accounts for 65% of the consumption growth. The new generation of mainstream groups are more generous and highly personalized in terms of consumption, pay more attention to product experience, and pay more attention to a healthy lifestyle, especially under the influence of a healthy China environment. The millennial generation has too many distinct characteristics and personalized trends of the times, which poses higher product challenges for manufacturers. How to integrate elements of the era such as the internet, personality, fashion, convenience, experience, and health into one. China's consumption model is also changing with the emergence of the millennial generation.
Emerging markets' Asia Pacific 'have more development potential
In the past two years, the global natural pigment market has developed rapidly. According to Grand View Research market data, the global natural food coloring market is expected to reach $2.5 billion by 2025. With consumer concerns about the health risks of synthetic pigments, the demand for natural pigment products will continue to increase in the coming years. In terms of the global natural pigment market, North America and Western Europe dominate the natural pigment market, with a market share of over 60% in 2015, mainly due to the increased demand for natural pigments in the food processing industry in the region. The Asia Pacific Circuit (APEJ), excluding Japan, had a market size of $320 million in 2016, with a market growth rate of 7.7%.  
Although the market size of natural pigments in the Asia Pacific region is currently smaller than that of synthetic pigments, the growth rate of natural pigments in the region has exceeded that of synthetic pigments due to consumers' preference for natural products. According to Nielsen's 2016 survey, 61% of global consumers said they would try to avoid using products containing artificial colors, while about 65% of consumers in the Asia Pacific region said they would avoid using artificial colors, a higher proportion in other regions of the world. At the same time, 8/10 consumers in the Asia Pacific region expressed concern about the health risks caused by long-term use of artificial additives, which is also higher than other regions around the world.  
Consumers have demand, and the market development will be smooth. Grand View Research market data predicts that the natural pigment market sales in the Asia Pacific region will account for 29% of the overall sales in 2025, mainly benefiting from the increase in natural pigment containing food and beverage products in the region and the rise of middle-class consumer groups. At present, the annual launch of new products containing natural pigments in the Asia Pacific region is steadily increasing. According to the 2016 Market And Markets survey, although the demand for natural pigments is increasing globally, the Asia Pacific region has a compound annual growth rate of 5.3%, which is expected to lead the way. Consumers' willingness to purchase natural products also varies in terms of their health attributes. In emerging markets such as Asia Pacific and Latin America, people are more willing to pay additional fees for "pure natural food", while consumers in North America are more inclined towards "non genetically modified" and "organic products".
Dairy products, the next innovation point of natural pigments
According to market data from Innova Market Insights, from 2012 to 2016, the global development of dairy products showed a very strong trend, with new product launches maintaining an average annual growth rate of 11%. Although there is a certain gap between the Asian market and the global growth rate, it still shows an upward trend, with Japan and China being the most obvious. Consumers have high expectations for the taste and color of dairy products, and dairy manufacturers are constantly innovating to meet the needs of market development. For example, Arla launched a pink Sparkling Milk in September 2017, which includes natural pink juice, which increases the appearance and health of the product and also stimulates consumers' desire to purchase, Because teenagers feel that this product is very cool.
Natural pigments also face industry challenges in dairy products. Christine Lippert, Director of Food Marketing at Lycored, stated that dairy products have a unique set of coloring challenges, such as some pigments that cannot be well matched with high fat formulas and are also affected by pH values. However, the biggest challenge may come from manufacturing and storage conditions. Many dairy products need to withstand extreme temperatures and ultraviolet radiation, and under these conditions, many pigments cannot remain stable. In response to the challenge of natural pigments in oil soluble product formulations, Kohansen launched a new sweet natural oil soluble pigment in the North American market in 2017, which ensures its easy solubility in oil and stable mixing with other oil soluble pigments.
The reason for the rapid growth of the natural pigment market is closely related to consumer preferences. Mintel's market research data shows that more than one-third of American consumers express interest in the concept of not containing artificial pigments, accounting for 31% and 43% of the younger generation of parents, respectively. "Cleaning labels" are also an important factor driving the development of this market, and more food manufacturers are paying attention to this trend. Natural pigments such as lycopene, lutein, anthocyanins, carotenoids, etc. can themselves dye food. At the same time, these pigments also have some nutritional properties. While improving the appearance and flavor of the product, they can also increase the nutritional properties of the product itself.
Recently, the 2018 Food and Beverage Trends Report released by Yingminte has a clear feature of "Transparency". Consumers are increasingly concerned about product information, including origin, raw materials, production methods, types of additives, and sales methods. The ultimate goal is to understand the transparency and authenticity of products. The application and promotion of cleaning labels will also increase the transparency and traceability of food and beverages, creating a sense of trust among more consumers. The foreign market has started to take the path of natural pigment market, while the development of the domestic natural pigment market is still relatively slow. It is still difficult to find children's products made of natural pigments in second and third tier cities. I wonder when the era of children's right to enjoy natural pigment food in China will come?