Sea Salt Aligns with Consumer Trends
Sea salt inclusion in new products has remained consistent during the past few years.
Sea salt inclusion in new products has remained consistent during the past few years. In 2016, nearly 4,800 new food and beverage products included sea salt, which was up nearly 8 percent from the prior year, according to Innova Market Insights.
Overwhelmingly, new snacks have included sea salt more than any other food and beverage category. Last year, more than 800 new snacks included sea salt, which was up nearly 7 percent from 2015. Through the third quarter of this year, nearly 600 new sea-salt containing snacks have launched, which is down about 8 percent from the inclusion in new snacks for the first three quarters of 2016.
Another large category, new bakery products has included sea salt as an ingredient 475 times through the third quarter of 2017, and new cereals have included sea salt 362 times during the same time period.
The continued popularity of sea salt in new products is likely because even at-home consumers are looking to use more than well-known table salt to season foods. Among all spices and seasonings available, consumers are searching for unique flavor combinations from exotic sources—moving past basic flavorings. Sea salt fits the bill. Crystalline and flaked sea salts are also available. Size and shape affect how crystalline and flaked salts enhance foods they are added to.
Sea salts usually are unrefined and coarser grained than traditional table salt. As a flavor benefit, sea salts also can contain minerals from where the salt was gathered. From processors’ and chefs’ standpoints, sea salt offers a complex flavor profile along with a different mouthfeel and bigger flavor than table salt. Sea salt also can be blended to create a new range of ingredients from savory to sweet, including vanilla, sumac, smoked paprika and wine flavors.
. Cargill's Sea Salt Offerings.
https://www.cargill.com/food-beverage/na/cargill-sea-salts
Innova Market Insights. Go to: http://www.innovadatabase.com
Prepared Foods, “Salt and Spice,” By Didi Davis. April, 12, 2017. Go to: https://www.preparedfoods.com/articles/119678-salt-and-spice?v=preview
Real Simple, “6 Types of Salt and How to Use Them,” by Maureen Callahan. Go to:
https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/cooking-tips-techniques/cooking/six-types-salt