7 ingredients European food manufacturers are quietly falling out of love with
7 ingredients on the decline: overview
But the transition comes at a certain rate. Because dough chemistry is sensitive, changing the emulsifier can affect everything from loaf volume to crumb structure and processing. That can mean more complicated formulations and potentially higher costs.
Still, working alternatives already exist. Lallemand, a Canadian biotechnology firm, for example, has demonstrated that its enzyme system can replace 0.3% DATEM in wholewheat bread while maintaining loaf volume, oven spring and dough machinability.
‘Plus and minus’: Why clean-label success goes beyond removing components 30-Jul-2026 By Audrey Yow Markets across Asia Pacific are increasingly shaping clean-label innovation – what can European and US trades learn from the region?
Modified starches - too industrial for a clean label
For food formulators, modified starches have long been something of a workhorse. They thicken, stabilise and improve texture, while shrugging off the heat, acidity and mechanical stress that can send ordinary starches off course. The trouble starts when this behind-the-scenes workhorse becomes visible to consumers on the component list. The very word “modified” can make an otherwise familiar element sound artificial and heavily processed – matching precisely the kind of terminology that clean-label shoppers increasingly want to avoid. In addition, there is an key labelling distinction: chemically modified starches are treated as additives and can carry E-numbers, whereas native or enzymatically modified starches can be declared simply as ‘starch’ from the relevant source. The available alternatives are surprisingly varied. Manufacturers can turn to functional native starches de
Cocoa – too expensive to take for granted
Historically, cocoa was one of those elements food manufacturers simply had to work around. If you wanted chocolate, there was no obvious alternative. But the element manufacturers once treated as indispensable is rapidly becoming a source of pain. In recent years, cocoa rates have been on a rollercoaster. Prices that traded around $2,500/t in early 2023 surged above $12,000/t in 2024, following several back-to-back poor harvests in key producing countries, including Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Although the quotation situation has somewhat stabilised, cocoa was still trading at around $6,000/t in August 2026 – more than twice its pre-crisis level. These rate swings resulted in a new formulation question: how much cocoa does a product really need? Manufacturers are exploring ways to reduce the amount of cocoa powder or cocoa solids, looking into alternatives and extenders like carob, roa
Carrageenan – too useful to lose, too controversial to keep
Carrageenan has quietly been holding food products together for decades. Extracted from red seaweed, the hydrocolloid can thicken, stabilise and gel products, helping give a long list of food products such as dairy desserts the creamy, consistent texture manufacturers want. It is remarkably effective at doing all of this, often at very low concentrations. But carrageenan is increasingly facing a reputational problem. E407 is exactly the sort of unfamiliar, chemical-sounding element that clean-label reformulation is designed to eliminate. The replacement toolbox is surprisingly broad. Pectin, native starches, xanthan gum and other hydrocolloids can reproduce some of carrageenan’s functions, depending on the application. But, despite years of work, the food sector increasingly acknowledges that there is no universal one-for-one substitute. Cargill, which has been suggesting pectin as
Lecithin – when even a natural emulsifier is problematic
Lecithin is one of the food industry’s most versatile emulsifiers. Since it is plant-derived, it has traditionally fitted comfortably into the clean-label toolbox. But even lecithin is not immune to the reformulation squeeze. Sunflower lecithin, in particular, has become a supply-chain headache in recent years, especially after disruptions in Eastern Europe sent prices to record highs. At some point, the cost of liquid and de-oiled sunflower lecithin powder has went up by three to four times, sending shockwaves along the supply chain. Kerry developed a clean-label system specifically to replace sunflower lecithin in plant-based beverages. The firm cited supply challenges and quotation instability as the rationale behind the initiative. The problem with lecithin is not limited to sunflower. Soy lecithin can raise allergen and GMO concerns, leading some manufacturers to switch to sunflowe
Calcium propionate – the price of a longer-lasting loaf
Another victim of the clean-label movement, calcium propionate has long been widely used in the industrial bread and bakery sector to suppress mould and extend shelf life, particularly in packaged bread. But consumers increasingly associate a long chemical-sounding additive name with a highly processed product, even though calcium propionate is an established and permitted food preservative. The irony is that removing calcium propionate, which is believed to be completely safe, can potentially undermine one of the trade’s sustainability goals. If the replacement shortens shelf life or raises costs, manufacturers must weigh a cleaner label against more food waste and resource use. On top of that, removing it from formulation proved to be technically difficult. Bread is particularly vulnerable to mould and simply eliminating the preservative can shorten shelf life markedly. Compa
Gelatine – the animal ingredient under siege
Few components are as versatile as gelatine. It gives gummy sweets their bite, sets desserts and creates textures that alternatives struggle to match. Yet gelatine is becoming an awkward element for European food manufacturers. Derived from animal collagen, it does not fit easily with the growing marketplace for vegan and plant-based products. Besides, its animal origin can as well create halal, kosher and consumer-positioning considerations – something that food manufacturers have to increasingly take into account. Pectin, agar, starches and other hydrocolloids can reproduce some of gelatine’s functions, but none is a straightforward drop-in replacement. These options can alter texture, processing conditions, savour release and shelf life. From a clean-label standpoint, the situation is a bit paradoxical. Consumers want simpler, more natural labels, but some gelatine alternatives can actua
DATEM – effective, familiar and increasingly unwanted
Few buyers have heard of DATEM – diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides, or E472e – but industrial bakers know exactly why they use it. The emulsifier is particularly effective at strengthening dough, improving gas retention and giving packaged bread the necessary volume and texture. Its technical performance, even so, is increasingly competing with its rather ugly name, which sounds more like a chemistry experiment than something buyers want on their plate. The challenge is that replacing it is not simply a matter of finding another emulsifier. Bakers may turn to lecithin, enzymes, ascorbic acid or other dough-conditioning systems, often combining several components. But the transition comes at a certain quotation. Because dough chemistry is sensitive, changing the emulsifier can affect everything from loaf volume to crumb structure and processing. That can mean more
