ADM's President Of WILD Flavors And Specialty Ingredients Talks Trends In Asia

On 24 January 2018, Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) officially opened its flavour and ingredient creation, application, development and customer innovation centre, also known as Wild Flavors & Specialty Ingredients (WFSI) Technical and Application Center, at Biopolis, Singapore. The facility houses skilled flavourists, food scientists, as well as marketing personnel. The WFSI Center, with its cutting-edge technology and accomplished staff, will serve to enhance ADM’s portfolio within the region and around the globe. 

Do you see a difference between F&B consumer trends in Asia and the rest of the world?

We see a lot of global trends that encompass Asia and the rest of the world. When you think about healthy, when you think about what’s good for you—you think clean label but there's different regulatory requirements by region. Eventually, what it keeps coming back to in Asia is not only the consumer demand for those clean products—yes, they have to be healthy but also taste great. That’s when the demand increases within the region.

What is one trend that you find noteworthy in Asia?  

One thing I see more in Asia than anywhere else is food vending, which is a rapidly growing area in food service. Consumers here are demanding convenient food options that must taste good.

Another key concern for Asian consumers is catering to the growing ageing population—as such, health and wellness products like prebiotics and probiotics are in high demand. We also see the need for more fortified foods for healthy ageing and aim to create great tasting fortified food products for the ageing palate. Soy is also another key focus but the challenge is in creating great tasting nutritional soy products that appeal to the older generation. 

How are your natural sweeteners different from other brands on the market?

Let’s think about it in terms of natural sweetening solutions—the ability to take sweetening ingredients, modify the technology and put a balanced package together. Generally, what consumers get from other places are products that are blended together with maybe one or two ingredients. However, at Wild Flavors, we can take multiple ingredients, flavours, colours or sweeteners and put it all together, balance it, make it taste good. The flavours are also more intricate and delicate than just two flavours thrown together.

What's really important, especially around our natural sweetening solutions, is that they're labeled as natural flavour or natural ingredients. So there's no artificiality, which is a rare claim with other brands. 

ADM has a strong presence in Asia, with labs in Japan and China as well as sales offices throughout the region. With its newest launch in Singapore, ADM has established a food and flavour analytic lab, a sensory evaluation facility and a customer innovation centre.