Food Preservatives Market Report

The growing preference for natural and organic preservatives among city dwellers is on the rise, driven by their hectic lifestyles and limited time for food preparation. Processed foods, which are quick and easy to prepare and widely available in supermarkets, have become a popular choice. This trend has prompted many companies to develop new conventional techniques that use biopreservatives to kill harmful pathogens. For instance, in September 2022, Solvay introduced Delica, Alta, and Sublima natural vanillin flavours, made through a bioconversion process using ferulic acid and rice bran. These offer a high-quality, non-genetically modified, and cost-effective natural alternative, based on Rhovanil Natural CW contributing to, healthier, tastier and natural products and driving the growth of natural food preservatives market.

However, developing biodegradable and easily producible packaging for fruits and vegetables is essential for preservation, as low-grade packaging, harms food quality due to reaction between food items and packing material and can potentially affect an individual’s health. Market players are constantly innovating new preservation methods tailored to the unique requirements of various food products, with a focus on enhanced transparency and prolonged sustainability. For instance, in November 2022, Prinova introduced PlantGuard, a plant-based artificial preservative that prevents the growth of yeast, mould, and bacteria, delaying rancidity and preserving flavour and shelf life, providing qualities such as heat stability, neutral taste of preservative and can be used for dairy, vegetables, cereals, meat, fruits, fish, and juices.

The rising health concerns linked to high levels of synthetic preservatives in food are impacting the market growth. For instance, in November 2023, the FDA declared a ban on using brominated vegetable oil as preservative in foods, due to its potential health hazards when consumed in large quantities. However, it was permitted to be used in small quantities to preserve the desired citrus flavour. Moreover, a sharp increase in cases of reproductive health issues and liver damage among men and women, attributed to the excessive use of PFAS, CBD, THC, melatonin, and caffeinated alcoholic drinks, led the FDA to publish a list of unapproved food additive chemicals believed to pose health risks. Additionally, in February 2024, the FDA worked with CDC to prevent the sale of queso fresco and cotija cheeses produced by Rizo Lopez Foods, Inc., due to a rise in Listeria monocytogenes infections, among other products including cheese, yogurt, and sour creams, also produced by Tio Francisco, Rizo Bros, Food City.

Another reason behind the hampering of market growth is the rising cost of raw materials, rapid transportation, and efficient logistics, to prevent product spoilage, are increasing operational expenses for manufacturers and distributors, making products unaffordable for low-income consumers. Nevertheless, the increasing need for natural preservatives is expanding market and lowering dependence on artificial preservatives.

The growing adoption of natural food preservatives with improved shelf life quality products is driven by the increasing awareness of organic food, as well as the rising demand for convenient and readily accessible food options with no preparation time, especially in busy lifestyles. In order to comply with regulations on natural preservatives, companies are creating advanced technology products to improve food safety and lower health risks. For instance, in May 2023, Nixie introduced USDA certified organic Black Cherry Lime sparkling water made using reverse osmosis, and verified as non-GMO without synthetic solvents, carriers, artificial sugars, sodium, or calories, and without any toxic chemicals and to reduce the harmful impact of plastics on the environment, aluminium packaging is produced.

Moreover, increasing urbanisation and the advancement in packaging technology are enhancing the safety of food and growing preference for less processed, expensive but fresher and healthier options enriched with bioactive elements such as antioxidants, moisture absorbers, and antimicrobials, all without the use of chemicals. For instance, in July 2023, BioVeritas introduced clean-labelled a mould inhibitor product, designed to maintain the texture and flavour of food through a unique proprietary process of upcycling and fermentation. This innovation provides bread loaves and tortillas with 30% longer shelf life and maintains their flavour without using any non-petroleum-based ingredients and toxic solvent or mineral acids.

Developed countries such as North America having highest per capita income and large working population leading to busy life style and increasing demand for processed food significantly increases the market growth. However, health concerns mount due to synthetic chemical content in processed foods, a large segment of the population is moving towards natural preservatives for a healthier alternative. For instance, in June 2023, CHINOWA BIOWORKS expanded its production of natural preservatives called Chiber obtained from white button mushroom by utilizing upcycling process. It is primarily composed of 96% chitsan and 5% beta-1,3-D-glucans (mushroom fibres). These fibres improve the texture and quality of food products, increasing their durability and heat stability, which is effective up to temperatures of 6.5 degrees Celsius and resistant to bacterial, yeast and expanding food preservative market. Furthermore, the food preservative market is continuously witnessing augmented demand in European countries due to increasing demands of natural and clean labelled dairy products, snacks and processed meat such as PlantGuard a new alternative of antimicrobial preservatives based on natural plant extracts with antioxidant properties and extended shelf-life. In addition, in January 2023, Royal Dsm-Firmenich and Foundation Earth patterned together to promote eco-labelling food, enabling companies to access transparency in supply chain of food and drink products produced from animal protein such as fish, eggs and meat to improve environmental impact.

In addition, the expansion of Asia-Pacific market is being propelled by increasing hybrid working patterns and demand of plant-based, sustainable ready-to-eat food products that are environmentally friendly. This inclination is seen in the launch of products by many food industries aimed to fulfil the growing consumer demand for high nutritional value and no chemical additives. For instance, in May 2022, Plix launched 100% plant-based snacks free of additives to overcome the nutrition loss challenge resulting in increasing market opportunities.