• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Savory foods don’t have to play it safe – Beyond orange and yellow lies a world of color

Asia Food Journal
  • Home
  • Latest News
  • Channels
    • Packaging
    • Processing
    • Ingredients
    • Industry
    • Automation
    • Guest Posts
    • Market Trends
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Event Calendar
  • Contact Us
    • Submit Guest Posts
Share
Leaderboard of Asia Food Journal




Savory foods don’t have to play it safe – Beyond orange and yellow lies a world of color

November 28, 2024 by Asia Food Journal

Beyond orange and yellow

Courtesy of Oterra

The survey commissioned by Oterra reveals that consumers are ready to explore a broader color palette, hinting at exciting opportunities for creative product development.

“Orange and yellow are traditional favorites among consumers. But our survey has shown greater nuance in consumer tastes that could be converted into new, creative products – and more sales”, says Phil Cook, head of strategic marketing for Oterra.

Leaderboard of Asia Food Journal

Colors have long been known to influence flavor perceptions, creating excitement, and driving purchases. However, the survey opens the way for food and drink manufacturers to create products that will appeal to consumers in new ways by matching color preferences to regions with the associated emotions and combining that with consumers’ ages, genders and lifestyle.

The survey asked consumers from around the globe about their color preferences, from overall appeal to associated flavor expectations and the emotions they triggered.

“The most interesting results of the survey were the regional variations between perception of colors – with regions preferring different colors for the same types of products,” adds Carel Soo, head of regional marketing for Oterra.

It also revealed that untraditional combinations of colors and products tempted consumers.

​“Pink and green sauces were surprisingly popular among consumers, who found them very appealing,” adds Carel Soo. “And red and purple were popular in foods such as noodles and even burger buns.”

One of the surprising facts to come out of the survey was that the same colors provoked different emotional reactions depending on the region, and the intensity of the color.

Orange was the most appealing shade for seasonings globally, followed very closely by yellow and pink. However, yellow was rated more appealing in Brazil, France, and India.

Black ranked at the bottom of the pile in appeal. Whilst many felt black seasonings were unappealing, they did note them for their elegance and air of mystery.

Consumers love a colorful sauce!

The most appealing color globally for sauces is yellow, but as with seasonings, there are regional variations. Among the top five colors, red stands out for the US and Europe, purple for Latin America and pink for Asia. While black is still bottom of the pile for sauces, it has the highest acceptance in this application versus the others.

The final category included in the survey was a group of savory products that are usually not colored. This included puffed snacks, burger buns, noodles, and gyoza dumplings.

“What’s really interesting with the products that aren’t generally colored, is that there is a strong acceptance for colors in them,” adds Soo. “There are, of course, regional variations in shade and strength, but there are real opportunities here for manufacturers looking to stand out from the crowd.”

The results of the survey have been made available in a web-based app that uses augmented reality to allow marketers and food and beverage developers to have some fun and experiment with colored products to test.

Ten countries were surveyed (Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, United Kingdom, United States) with at least 1000 respondents in each. They were asked questions about 10 savory applications: burger buns, burger sauces, dumplings, French fries, noodles, nuggets, potato chips, puffed snacks, salad dressings, and savory dips in different colors.

Other Topics: Color, Food Color, Industry, Ingredients

Related Articles

  • Plant-based snacking

    Courtesy of Planteneers

    The snacking category goes plant-based: Growth through new product ideas 
  • limited edition Pocky durian and Pocky ondeh-ondeh flavours

    Courtesy of Glico

    Pocky launches limited edition Pocky durian and Pocky ondeh-ondeh flavours to celebrate Singapore’s heritage
  • Fi Europe Awards

    Courtesy of Fi Europe

    Fi Europe 2025 Awards entries open
  • Ayurvedic wellness

    Courtesy of Gonmisol

    Gonmisol, K. Patel join to bring Ayurvedic wellness to Europe
  • Starbucks Taiwan

    Courtesy of Starbucks

    Starbucks Taiwan unveils its largest flagship store at Dream Plaza, Taipei 
  • low-carbon operations

    Courtesy of CP Foods

    CP Foods equips SMEs for global markets with low-carbon operations
Leaderboard of Asia Food Journal

Primary Sidebar

Stay Connected

Your browser does not support the video tag. Learn More

Trending News

  • Kerry Jakarta officeKerry expands innovation footprint in Southeast Asia… Kerry, a global leader in taste and nutrition, officially opened…
  • sustainable sourcingBeverage solutions brand DaVinci Gourmet drives… In a first among global food service beverage brands, DaVinci…
  • Fi Asia Thailand 2025Fi Asia Thailand 2025 registration opens:… Organisers expect a record-breaking showcase of ingredient innovations from 17-19…
  • Singapore’s most beloved local F&B brands revealed: foodpanda unveils first-ever Local Foodie Heroes Hall of FameSingapore’s most beloved local F&B brands… A delicious tribute to Singapore’s iconic local eats to mark…
  • Starbucks TaiwanStarbucks Taiwan unveils its largest flagship store… A one-of-a-kind destination blending coffee exploration, culinary innovation, and sustainable…
  • Restaurant Asia 2025Restaurant Asia 2025: F&B industry gathers at… Co-organised by the Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS) and IEG…
  • AoFrio iQAoFrio iQ: Unlocking full-fleet intelligence in… AoFrio, a global leader in commercial refrigeration technology, has unveiled…

Subsribe to Our News Letter

Subscribe To
Our Newsletter


By submitting this form, you consent to receive marketing emails from Asia Food Journal. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email.

© 2025 Harvest Information. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.

Disclaimer: Translations on this website are automated using Google Translate. While we strive for accuracy, please be cautious, as machine translations may contain errors. For critical or sensitive content, consider seeking professional human translation. We are not liable for any reliance on the translated content.

Become an F&B industry insider

Your go-to resource for all the latest trends, innovations, and news about the food and beverage industry!

 

By submitting this form, you consent to receive marketing emails from Asia Food Journal. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email.