Food manufacturers and processors looking for authenticity should certainly find something to inspire them in a new collection of coatings, says Witwood Food Products.

NPD manager Trudie Varney is spearheading the development of the new concepts at the firm’s European headquarters in Banbury in response to a growing focus on ethical shopping and the continued popularity of regional flavours and ingredients:
 
“We’re looking at provenance in a broad sense, she says.  “It’s not just about the authenticity of individual ingredients, but complete recipes.  We’re interested in incorporating regional ingredients into the kind of dishes for which they were originally intended, to create entire recipes that are completely authentic.”

Trudie says continued innovation remains a priority at Witwood, with a fifth of its 150-strong UK workforce currently working in NPD.  The UK team works closely with technologists in its Australian and Asian subsidiaries to share ingredient, food and flavour trends, taking development work to the next level and delivering new and innovative concepts for manufacturers and processors supplying the global foodservice and retail markets.

The results of this latest product development activity at Witwood include European-inspired Roma vine tomato and aged balsamic sardines; French shallot Camembert triangles; Spanish lemon and Serrano chilli prawns and English Mint on Welsh lamb.            

South American influences infiltrate the Mexican lime and Habanero Manchego triangles, and Witwood’s close links with the Far East are reflected in Vietnamese basil Basa fillets and Szechuan pepper duck slices.

“We’re challenging our suppliers to tell us where ingredients come from and we’d urge customers seeking true authenticity to do the same,” says Trudie. 

“The rush to register protected designations of origin (PDOs) and protected geographical indications (PGIs) late last year shows just how seriously the food industry is taking provenance and authenticity, and we are seeing the commercial benefits that this growing sector affords.”