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Clean label concerns may ebb and flow. Perhaps a sharp consumer focus may switch from avoiding azodicarbonamide to avoiding aspartame. Yet one category keeps riding a constant wave of sales growth. U.S. organic food sales reached $45.2 billion in 2017, a 6.4% increase from 2016, according to the Organic Trade Association, Washington. U.S. organic food sales have more than doubled from $20.4 billion in 2008. About 31% of U.S. respondents said they were consuming organic foods or beverages daily or weekly in a 2018 organic and natural report from The Hartman Group, Bellevue, Wash. Another 14% said they were consuming such products monthly. The percentages compared to 2008 percentages of 19% for daily or weekly and 8% for monthly. Pak Group North America, Pasadena, Calif., has taken note of the organic growth and expanded its organic ingredient portfolio through its North American brand, Bellarise. This year the company launched Bellarise BellaSponge Organic, a dough conditioner. Other ingredients in the portfolio include BellaSoft organic bread softeners and Bellarise organic gluten replacers. “By earning organic certification for our continually expanding lineup of custom Bellarise dough conditioners and softeners, we opened a door for industrial and commercial bakeries to take clean label even further and bake breads that resonate with the U.S. market’s evolving set of values and preferences for organic foods,” said Cam Suárez-Bitár, marketing and public relations manager for Pak Group North America. “As millennials and Generation Z take a more prominent role in driving the U.S. consumer economy, the role of organic foods will only increase over time. So it made sense for us to develop premium organic dough conditioning and softening systems that help our customers bake top quality organic breads, snacks, rolls and buns.”

 

Pak Group formed global partnerships with enzyme producers, which allowed the company to formulate organic Bellarise ingredients and test them in a variety of applications. “Finding the right producers involved a thorough vetting process by which we judge enzyme quality and dependability, thereby allowing bakers to focus more on baking and less on quality control and consistency challenges,” Mr. Suárez-Bitár said. Ingredion, Inc., Westchester, Ill., in June launched Novation Prima 309 and 609 functional native corn starches that are certified organic. The starches are designed to perform in organic products that undergo harsh processing conditions and require high freeze/thaw stability. Savory foods, alternative-dairy products and baby foods are examples. Ingredion featured the Novation Prima 609 organic starch in an organic sweet corn eloté soup at IFT18, the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual meeting and exposition held July 15-18 in Chicago. “Consumer demand for clean label organic products, especially organic baby foods, continues to grow at a strong pace,” said Pat O’Brien, senior manager of marketing for the Wholesome springboard at Ingredion, Inc., North America. “With a large number of corn starches on the market derived from conventional sources, having certified organic, clean label functional corn starches available with Novation Prima 309 and 609 is a significant benefit for manufacturers and consumers. The starches perform even in cold temperatures and maintain stability throughout freeze/thaw cycles to create appealing flavors and textures, making the products an indispensable part of the product developer’s tool kit.” – Source: Food Business News.

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