Elevate your game in the Nutri-Score race with Cargill’s expert guidance and comprehensive portfolio of ingredients.
The Nutri-Score label was first introduced in France in 2017 to provide information on the nutritional value of food & beverage products (including bakery) by attributing a score to them. The aim of the system was to help the consumer adapt his/her diet and draw attention to the fact that products with a rating “E” should only be consumed occasionally. It’s been gaining significance across Europe ever since as a high-profile front-of-pack labeling system. At the end of 2023, the Nutri-Score algorithm was adapted to implement the latest scientific findings and adopt a stricter approach for better differentiation between products, including within the bakery category.
Seeking out the best of both worlds
Amid this Nutri-Score backdrop, it’s important to acknowledge that consumers want the best of both worlds – indulgence and better nutrition. New consumer research shows that nutritional information is in the top 3 purchase criteria for cakes & patisserie: 1) Price (75%); 2) Flavor (69%); 3) Nutritional Information (67%). Aside from this, 74% of bakery consumers say they check the nutritional labeling “sometimes” or “most of the time.”*
In line with this trend, Cargill’s Sweet Delight research** reveals that even though indulgence remains a key purchase trigger, consumers want the best of both worlds. Beyond indulgence alone, they are looking for:
• Tasty products with a healthier profile.
• An energy boost without the sugar crash.
• Portion control.
Cargill prepares bakers for the Nutri-Score race
Nutrition is clearly a key opportunity space for the bakery category. As part of this trend, Cargill is committed to improving the Nutri-Score rating of our customer’s cake applications through reformulation. As a one-stop-shop bakery partner with a comprehensive toolbox of holistic solutions, our unparalleled portfolio of ingredients is further boosted by our deep technical and applications expertise. It is this combination of portfolio and expertise that enables our customers to achieve the best of both worlds: a nutritionally improved recipe with an indulgent experience.
Brownies: The first entry in the Nutri-Score race
Brownie applications are not traditionally associated with more nutritionally balanced indulgence, never mind being able to sport a positive Nutri-Score rating. In fact, most brownies currently on the market have Nutri-Score rankings of D or E.
As a partner for bakery success, we wanted to offer our customers holistic solutions to address the growing consumer need for better nutritional profiles in cake applications, including brownies.
To demonstrate the possibilities, our applications experts were able to achieve what once seemed impossible through their dedicated reformulation work. They succeeded in developing three delicious prototypes with an improved Nutri-Score C (30% sugar reduction; low sodium; high in fiber), B (85% sugar reduction; low sodium; high in fiber) and even A (85% sugar reduction; low sodium; high in fiber)!
The three secrets to the improved Nutri-Score brownies are:
- Reducing/replacing sugar is key.
- Delivering a delicious chocolatey color & taste is required.
- Achieving the right texture balance is crucial.
The options have been validated by our internal R&D and sensory experts, while a consumer test has proved consumer acceptance of the concepts.
A future for nutritional improvement
So where do we go from here? Moving forward, the most obvious Nutri-Score gains can be made in other sweet bakery applications that contain a lot of sugar, chocolate, and fat. However, Nutri-Score upgrades in bread are possible too. Traditionally, breads will start from a better rating to begin with, but we believe that a Nutri-Score A rated brownie proves that virtually anything is possible with the right ingredient solutions and know-how!
Cargill is the partner in enabling bakery products with a better nutritional profile. Whether our customers are looking for an improved Nutri-Score rating, or undergoing a silent reformulation strategy, we’ll help them succeed.
