Creating clean-label confectionery with black carrot-based reds

Color is crucial to creating appealing confectionery – and red is a particularly popular choice. In fact, Mintel research has found nearly a third of confectionery products created in the United States have been red.¹ Studies show that red attracts attention and stimulates the appetite², while red and pink have been found to enhance perceptions of sweetness.³

In today’s market, though, consumers also expect their products to come with clean labels. Globally, 68% of shoppers consider it important that food colors are natural and 65% say the use of “real” ingredients influences their purchase decisions.⁴

Our black carrot-based EXBERRY® Coloring Foods allow confectionery brands to achieve vibrant reds, pinks, and purples while maintaining clean and clear labels. EXBERRY® Shade Vivid Red, for example, can be described on ingredient lists within the EU and UK as “Coloring Food (concentrate of carrot and blackcurrant)” or “carrot and blackcurrant concentrate.”

Available in liquid, powder, organic, and HP (hard-panning) formats, they can be used for a vast array of applications including high-boiled candies, fruity jellies, aerated gums, and hard- and soft-panned products.

GNT pioneered the use of black carrots in Coloring Foods in 1995. Ever since, our team of agronomists has intensively screened all potential crop varieties to make sure we’re growing the most efficient and reliable varieties for our requirements. We harvest the carrots at peak maturity and process them using only gentle, physical methods. As a result, our concentrates offer excellent color consistency and high color content. Maximizing the color intensity increases sustainability as it means we need to grow fewer crops to achieve the same results. Crucially, it also delivers quality performance and makes them more cost-effective for the customer, too.

At GNT, we’re committed to offering Coloring Foods that deliver the highest levels of confidence and consumer trust to help your confectionery shine.

Download the factsheet now to find out why EXBERRY® shades are the perfect choice for today’s demanding consumers. 

1 Reader’s Digest ‘There’s a Scientific Reason Why Pink and Red Candies Are So Irresistible’ (2022) 2 Singh, S. ‘Impact of color on marketing’ Management Decision (2006) 3 Spence, C. et al. ‘On tasty colours and colourful tastes? Assessing, explaining, and utilizing crossmodal correspondences between colours and basic tastes’ Flavour (July 2015) 4 FMCG Gurus ‘Global & Regional – Clean Label & Naturalness survey – Q2 2021’

Lorraine Jansen
Content Marketing Specialist