Ronan Moloney
The challenges and opportunities facing Kerry and the flavours manufacturing industry stem from increased consumer interest in health and nutrition. Consumers scrutinise pack labels, demanding transparency in nutritional content. Kerry’s Greg Leader, commercial director, New Zealand and ANZ food service brands lead, and Ronan Moloney, VP of strategy and commercial enablement in the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, have seen a shift toward proactive health choices, with consumers open to fortified food and beverages. Despite this focus on health, taste remains non-negotiable.
"Kerry is well positioned to help manufacturers tackle these challenges, and we continue to invest in local and regional Taste and Nutrition research and development capabilities that enable manufacturers to capitalise on these trends," said Leader.
According to Moloney, the Asian market also reflected trends in sustainability, demand for Instagrammable dishes, and a critical need for affordability, all while there being no compromise on taste and health.
More consumers are looking for hyperlocal or microlocal tastes and flavours. It can take time to identify what authentic flavour is. A popular national dish can vary from region to province to city. It can change between restaurants as taste is personal, so a significant challenge to brands is the ability to give consumers authenticity in flavours.
Moloney and Leader said that the emphasis on sustainability was accelerating, and many consumers are influenced by sustainability when making food and beverage purchases.
"The definition of sustainability is evolving, and consumers are blurring the lines between sustainability and health and nutrition," said Leader.
Regardless of how it gets defined, sustainability is top of mind, with many consumers changing their behaviour to reduce any negative impacts on the planet.
People are also turning more to local products, added Moloney. National pride is growing; with it, the preference is to buy locally produced and sold products. Add to this, consumers expect so much more of everything: from nutrition to sustainability, affordability, taste and experience to more food and beverage options that meet their personal needs. It is a demanding landscape, and the industry needs to be agile and quick to adapt to continue being innovative while giving more excellent value to consumers.
"We are also working with customers to tackle the growing issue of food waste with our food protection and preservation solutions in meat and bakery products, maintaining great quality, delivering an extended shelf life of products, and enhancing food safety while not compromising on taste and nutrition, " said Moloney.
Leader added these technologies include fermentation, plant extracts, and buffered vinegar, and Kerry offers specialist technical support to help customers solve their food waste challenges.
Among New Zealand consumers, Leader shared that fresh and authentic food is increasingly important. Single-origin extracts that enable provenance claims are also becoming increasingly popular with consumers.
Greg Leader
Moving into 2024, Kerry has invested in Taste capabilities within ANZ and the Asia Pacific region to service its customers where they do business, developing locally relevant savoury, dairy and sweet taste solutions to bring consistently delicious, quality beverages, meat and food innovations to market. Kerry’s broad range of technologies is focused on authentic, natural extracts that are sustainably harvested and processed. For example, its Simply Nature range delivers the authentic taste of cocoa, vanilla, citrus, coffee, and botanicals as intended by nature.
"Our Tastesense solutions use plant-derived ingredients with high-performing flavour modulation, mouthfeel and masking properties to significantly reduce sugar and salt while still delivering great taste," said Leader.
Other critical focus areas include nutritional technologies that deliver on the various consumer need states, such as women's and infants' health, digestion, cognition immunity, and joint support.
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