Food & Beverage Asia June/July 2022

34
ON THE TABLE
The greener side of life:
ADM delivers botanical additions
to brands and consumers
Good and green are the two main attributes consumers associate with
botanical ingredients. Lois Mo, marketing director, health and wellness,
Asia-Pacific, ADM, reveals how brands can leverage these advantages for
their products, and tap into a demand for herbs, spices, and everything nice.
By Agatha Wong
Botanicals and other plant-derived ingredients
have been enjoying a surge in popularity in
recent years, due to a growing concern
with health and a fad for naturally-derived
ingredients. According to a report by Mordor
Intelligence, the global botanicals extract
market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of
6.63%, from 2022-2027. It seems, then, that
this trend is here to stay, even as the larger
food and beverage industry emerges from
the pandemic and settles into a new normal.
“Botanicals can satisfy consumers’ increased
need for adventure by offering authentic
flavours and exotic sensory experiences.
As the body of scientific evidence on the
potential of botanical extracts to support
aspects of well-being continues to grow, it
builds credibility and makes botanicals even
more attractive than before,” affirmed Lois Mo,
marketing director, health and wellness, Asia-
Pacific, ADM. “Today, consumers associate
botanicals with being natural, trustworthy,
safe, sustainable and health-forward, and
they perceive them as having a ‘healthy halo’.”
With this, according to Mo, more people
are seeking out these naturally sourced
ingredients that are recognisable, such as
botanical ingredients, and wanting foods
that can help support aspects of health
and wellness, such as immune function,
cardiovascular and digestive health, with
attributes associated
with positive mood,
relaxation, and quality
sleep. Brands can therefore
tap into botanicals to meet the health
and wellness demands of consumers.
NOT SO EXOTIC
The potential for botanicals in the Asian
market is also significant. Botanicals are
no stranger to the Asian diet. The region is
home to traditional Chinese medicine, where
herbs are used to treat ailments and support
everyday wellness; likewise, Indian ayurvedic
medicine has had a long history of use in
the region. These forms of holistic medicine
have achieved mainstream prominence
not only in Asia, but in other parts of the
world, as ingredients for supplements.
“Over the years, botanical ingredients with
standardised composition have evolved
in tandem with consumers’ evolving
definition of health. For example, turmeric
is a spice that has become an integral
part of South Asian food, culture, and
traditional medicine. In Ayurvedic practices,
turmeric is thought to have many medicinal
properties,” noted Mo. “Turmeric has been
associated with multiple benefits linked to
its primary bioactive component, curcumin.
Curcumin is associated with antioxidant
and anti-inflammatory properties.”
FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA JUNE / JULY 2022