Natural Growth

Over the last few years, we’ve seen the concept of “natural” foods firmly take hold in the marketplace. And even though the term still has little to support it in terms of official stances, the masses have spoken and more natural foods continue to hit store shelves.

In the absence of official stipulations for natural foods, a variable set of generally recognized criteria has begun to emerge via common-sense self regulation—and sometimes the courts (particularly when it comes to high-fructose corn syrup, but that’s a subject for another day…).

One area that’s pretty clearly black and white is preservatives. Consumers see these food-safety additives as interlopers in natural territory. Nevertheless, natural foods—just like any other product—should strive for the safest possible formulations.

Bridging this gap is the realm of natural preservatives. I recently dove head-first into these waters via a project for Purac I edited, which is now available as an e-book. The article, penned by none other than the fearless editor-in-chief of Food Product Design, Lynn Kuntz, serves as a great jumping-off point for anyone looking to expand their natural foods portfolio while still getting the most out of shelf life and maintaining peak food safety.