Along with sodium reduction, the deal also makes available Kudos Blends’ Pell brand of controlled release baking powders that can be used to determine the rise and finish of doughnuts, crumpets and cakes.
UK-based Kudos Blends’ portfolio of potassium-based ingredients that are distributed by Univar, tap into an established trend in the European market that sees a host of food manufacturers switching to low-salt alternatives in their products.
“We consider trends in the bakery segment to be categorised into health, social and environmental,” said Abigail Dillon, EMEA product and marketing coordinator for Univar Food Ingredients, “All of which are booming in the bakery sector today.
“Health wise, there is gluten-free, sugar, salt, fat reduction and clean label with social trends extending towards authenticity, on-the-move, convenience and premiumisation and indulgence.
She added that environmental trends included plant-based solutions, which for bakery meant replacing eggs and dairy fats.
Low salt targets
News of this distribution agreement, which began operating in the UK and Ireland, extends beyond providing low-salt ingredients with the European region in the midst of a concerted health drive.
In March 2017, Public Health England released a report into salt reduction targets in the UK, where a reduction in average adult salt intakes to six grams (g) per day were outlined with lower targets set for children.
The targets published in 2014 – which were to be achieved his year– were originally developed under the Public Health Responsibility Deal.
Sugar levies too have been a major talking point with countries such as the UK and Ireland, Hungary and now Romania becoming the latest European country to introduce a sugar tax, ingredients suppliers have now factored this legislation into their thinking.
“Sugar reduction has been a very important driver for Univar this year, and with further European regions adopting sugar taxes (Estonia recently announced plans to tax sugary drinks), we foresee this gaining more and more momentum into 2018 and beyond,” commented Dillon.
“As such, our sugar reduction portfolio has grown and now includes a wealth of solutions, which paired with our in-house technical experts, can support reformulation for manufacturers across Europe.”
A spokesperson for Kudos Blends added that consumers are becoming aware of how foods are made and what they contain.
"This puts more pressure on manufacturers and retailers to offer healthier choices to consumers," they said. "The industry is faced with a target to reduce the sugar content of baked goods by 20% by 2020 – we are launching an exciting new range of leavening agents in early 2018 which will make sugar reduction in baked goods considerably easier."
As well as its PELL baking powder range, Kudos Blends also make available a gluten-free baking powder that is suitable for bakery products specifically for those with cealiac disease, or those who prefer a gluten-free diet.