Since I started in the food ingredients business over 10 years ago, more often than not, I have been at McCormick Place for The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) in mid July. Chicago was my hometown for 20 years, so I was really excited to be back for IFT Food Improved by Research, Science, and Technology (First) as the first major trade show I would attend with Kudos Blends.

The show is focused on food technology and seemed like it would be the perfect venue to introduce some of the unique and innovative solutions that our leavening agents and baking powders can provide. Our leavening products can provide unique benefits such as shelf-life extension & colour enhancement, which can translate to reducing cocoa and preservatives in recipes. Of course, these were hot topics at IFT, so I was eager to discuss these topics during my meetings. However, one of the most interesting topics of the week was sodium reduction.

The FDA deputy commissioner of Human Foods gave a keynote speech, focusing on sodium reduction initiatives in the United States. In 2021, the FDA initiated a voluntary sodium reduction initiative targeting around a 12% reduction in sodium across numerous categories. While the initiatives were voluntary, the results so far have been promising and it was announced at IFT that a paper for new sodium reduction guidelines is in the works and could be released before the end of the year. Not only were further sodium reduction targets discussed, but there were also some innovative new initiatives proposed, such as a voluntary ‘healthy food’ labelling claim that can be made if a product meets certain health food criteria, one of which is sodium levels.

Kudos Blends offers numerous solutions to address sodium reduction. Our KODA™ potassium bicarbonate is a unique bakery grade leavening agent that can replace sodium bicarbonate in baked goods. KODA™ offers characteristics not found in a standard potassium bicarbonate; as it is free flowing and repels moisture, which eliminates challenges such as clumping and spotting, both of which had previously made replacement of sodium bicarbonate difficult in bakery applications. With sodium reduction at the top of mind for so many food manufacturers, it was important that we connect with our distribution partners at IFT and spend some quality time discussing KODA™ and how it can benefit their customers.

We were able to collaborate with our new partners at Arm & Hammers Performance Products and their team at the expo. Having recently announced that Arm & Hammer has begun to offer KODA™, IFT First set the stage for us to introduce our unique potassium bicarbonate solution with their team and customers.

In Canada, manufacturers will be seeing a similar push for sodium reduction, with mandatory front of package labelling required for products deemed to be high in sodium. We met with our longtime Canadian distribution partners for KODA™, Quadra Group, to understand how we can support the opportunities for growth in Canada.

While KODA™ is one way Kudos Blends are able to support bakers with sodium reduction, our ZEUS™ products provide another avenue for achieving these goals. ZEUS™ is phosphate-free, meaning it doesn’t use some of the common sodium based acidulants found in almost all baking powders. ZEUS™ is a full baking powder that can be offered as up to 100% sodium free, when KODA™ is included in lieu of sodium bicarbonate. Not only can manufacturers achieve their sodium reduction goals, but this unique product can also solve some of the other hot topic issues discussed at IFT such as cocoa reduction, shelf-life extension, and aluminium-free leavening at the same time.

IFT First really was the perfect event for me to connect with the North American food industry and introduce my new role at Kudos. The latest developments and trends in food technology are very much aligned with solutions that Kudos Blends are able to offer. It was exciting to connect with so many folks, new connections and old friends and start important conversations. I am already looking forward to the upcoming IFT suppliers nights this fall, where I can continue to support manufacturers overcome their challenges. I hope to see many of you at these expos in the future.