Cardea – colouring food for "Cleaner Labels"

Consumers in developed countries are increasingly aware of what and how much is on the list of ingredients. According to Mintel, 63% of people in Europe prefer to buy a yoghurt with a short list of ingredients. In the USA, as many as 62% of those surveyed are convinced that the shorter the list of ingredients, the healthier the food. This means that not only Clean Label but also Short Label are trendy among consumers.

Colouring foods are concentrates and extracts of foods which are used for their colouring properties and are not to be declared as additives. The Cardea product range from Sensient Food Colors Europe can even be declared as an ingredient, e.g. a beetroot juice. They do not contain any additives (declarable or, with the "carry-over" rule, not declarable). For example, lemon juice concentrate is used instead of citric acid (E 330) to stabilize the color pigments.

The products of the Cardea Range are usually naturally heat-stable and acid-tolerant. Therefore, these colouring foods can be used in many applications:

• Beverages 
• Soups, sauces & dressings
• Dairy products
• Confectionery
• Convenience & Snacks
• Pasta
• Baked goods