Girl dinner? Regular dinner? Breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Cereal is a ubiquitous and timeless treat that’s here to stay, and the industry continues to showcase innovation through colourful variations.
With a 93% reported consumption rate among U.S. shoppers, cereal is a favoured household staple, due to its perceived affordability and easy-to-prepare nature.
Younger consumers are optimistic about increasing their cereal consumption, too, with 31% of Gen Z and 36% of Millennials expecting to eat more cereal in the next year (Mintel 2023).
43% of cereal consumers report eating cereal for more than just breakfast,
38% are snacking on cereal more often, and 50% eating it for breakfast more often (Mintel 2023).
71% of US consumers say they like things that remind them of their past and more than 20% of consumers who expect to eat more cereal say they are motivated by nostalgia (Mintel 2023).
One of the best ways to elevate the experience of food is through colour. Food and drink products need to look as good as they taste, and colour can play a role in both the perception of health benefits and the flavour experience of cereals. Visual cues, such as vibrant colours, enhance the sensory appeal of food products and make them more attractive, especially to younger consumers who value the photogenic quality of their food for social media sharing.
A quarter of consumers consider natural ingredients to be an important purchasing factor for cereal (Mintel 2023).
When looking to make the switch to natural colour in cereal, be sure to keep certain key considerations in mind.
Whether it’s extrusion-based, frosted with icings, or filled with marbits, cereal needs an expert take when natural colour gets incorporated.
Not all colours can survive the harsh processing, but some are ideal for withstanding these conditions. To achieve the desired colour, opt for heat-stable natural colours. Sensient has a portfolio of heat-stable colours across the rainbow, like Marine Blue™ or Uberbeet™.
Many natural colours require a higher ratio of product in order for the colour to remain vivid. Sensient offers solutions like highly concentrated Suprared™ that gives the right hue without overdosing and compromising on texture or flavour. Other colours like Paprika or Radish can contain off-notes, so Sensient offers Pure-S™ technology to mitigate any issues.
Colours like caramel, Red 3, and titanium dioxide are coming under question. Sensient’s Sienna™ and Avalanche™ portfolios are perfect solutions for brands that want to get ahead of any necessary regulatory changes.
For cereal, heat-stable natural colour options in red or pink are radish and beet. Sensient offers unique technology and strong natural colours that help these colours survive and increase pigmentation at lower usage rates than the typical beet or radish.
Paprika, annatto, turmeric and beta carotene are excellent choices for achieving a range of orange and yellow shades. If solubility is a concern, Sensient offers our proprietary AET™ technology for oil-soluble colours in any product.
In cereal, greens can be achieved through the right combination of natural blues and yellows. Sensient offers the world’s most heat-stable spirulina in our Marine Blue™ portfolio, and well as our novel colour source Butterfly Pea Flower Extract for bright purples.
For cocoa replacers or vivid brown shares Sensient’s Sienna™ solutions can offer natural browns that working in a wide variety of cereal applications.
If titanium dioxide is a colour to avoid, our Avalanche™ color range can provide the necessary whitening agents in any cereal ingredients including frostings.
Because cereal is experiential (and fun!) food, there are many options to upgrade the appearance of cereals or cereal toppings with our inclusions. Try Sensipearl™ for a shimmery surprise or Spectraflecks™ for added bursts of colour and flavour.
