Food & Beverage Asia February/March 2024

ON THE TABLE
Chase the rainbow:
GNT taps into Gen Z for the
future of colour
While one might not find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, there is a
world of opportunities to be discovered in choosing the perfect colour to
exemplify the goodness that a product has to offer. Agatha Wong finds
out how pop culture and social media can provide more than a drop of
inspiration for the next colour trends in the industry.
In line with wellness trends and surging
consumer awareness on brand activism,
GNT has identified colour trends which have
caught the eye and fancy of customers,
with Gen Z leading the way for bold and
brilliant palettes that complement their
support for impactful initiatives.
Drawing upon semiotics, social media, fashion
trends, and pop culture to define the colours at
the forefront of the industry, the Colour Futures
guide (the first of many to come) features a
kaleidoscopic array of “insights and inspiration
for food [and] drink futures”, Spanning across
128 pages, the book defines, as its key theme,
“Healthy Hedonism”, and how Gen Z as a
disruptive demographic is paving the way for
kind, considered, and nourishing lifestyles.
From cover to cover, the volume taps into how
this emerging demographic is tapping into
positive, radical change as part of their ethos
on well-being, and the ways it can inform food
producers through the use of vibrant colours
to spread their message of environmental
consciousness, transparency, and health.
“These young consumers are hugely passionate
about sustainability and want natural, healthy
products with clean labels. At the same time,
it’s also a very creative generation and many
of them are seeking out food and drink with
exciting colour combinations that can make a
real impact on social media,” shared Maartje
Hendrickx, market development manager at GNT.
“It’s a trend we’re very excited by because
it fits perfectly with our plant-based,
sustainable EXBERRY colours. We create
EXBERRY Colouring Foods from edible
fruits, vegetables, and plants using physical
processing methods such as chopping and
boiling. This means they support clean labels
but they can also be used to deliver a full
spectrum of vibrant shades in food and drink.”
The Colour Futures guide is divided into
three colour directions influenced by the
trends and analyses conducted by GNT: Soft
Play Pastels, which tap into soft, luminous,
tone-on-tone hues; Altered States, which
play with ombre, diffused shades; and
Riotous Joy, which incorporate clashing,
saturated colours. These directions bring
together the company’s expertise in natural
colours and the demand for “futuristic
brights and daring combinations”.
“We believe a one-size-fits-all approach to
colour is outdated in the modern market.
Some brands will find that certain muted,
earthy, and neutral colours are the best option
when creating products to appeal to their
specific target consumers. Today, though,
consumers don’t need to see earthy hues to
know that food and drink is natural because
it’s possible to achieve vibrant shades with
plant-based colours,” elaborated Hendrickx.
“The colour directions we highlighted as
part of Healthy Hedonism are designed to
36 FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA • FEBRUARY / MARCH 2024