SALT SUBSTITUTES MARKET ANALYSIS

Salt substitutes are food ingredients that can be used as a substitute for table salt. Increasing urbanization and sedentary lifestyle have resulted in increased salt intake among consumers. This has resulted in high prevalence of obesity across all age groups.

Global salt substitutes market was valued at US$ 1.09 Billion in 2021 in terms of revenue, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.67% during the forecast period (2022 to 2030).

Drivers

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2020, around 39% of adults across the globe were overweight. Furthermore, in the same year around 41 million children below age of 5 were found to be overweight. Overindulgence in food and beverage products that are high in sugar and salt content is major cause of disease progression. High consumption of salt is associated with the onset of lifestyle diseases. For instance, consumption of food products with high level of sodium results into high blood pressure. Increasing awareness among population regarding food ingredients coupled with increasing concerns for preventive healthcare has led to consumers taking keen interest in the constituents of any food they consume. Rising healthcare expenditure has urged consumer to adopt healthy diet, which is propelling demand for salt substitutes.

Increasing processed food consumption, globally has led to higher demand for salt substitutes in savory snacks. Manufacturers are using salt substitutes instead of salt and marketing these ingredients for better market positioning. Increasing work pressure has also led to serious health concerns, driving the market for salt substitutes. Yeast extract and hydrolyzed vegetable protein are used to a greater extent by most of the manufacturers in various processed food sector.

The global pandemic of COVID-19 disease is becoming a major impediment to the global economy and has an impact on the growth of the food and beverage industry. Food manufacturers have reduced production of major food products. Furthermore, as people seek solutions to improve their overall health and well-being, there is a rapid increase in demand for less salty and immunity-boosting products  because of the COVID-19 pandemic, most health-conscious customers have turned to low-calorie or salt-free foods. As a result of rising health consciousness and high demand for salt-reduced solutions among the global population, manufacturers and product formulators have been forced to use salt substitutes.

Figure 1. Global Salt Substitutes Market Value Share (%), By Region, 2021

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Market Restraints

Excessive salt substitute consumption can lead to serious health problems such as type II diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and in some cases can led to cancer. The decreased availability of salt substitutes, combined with the development of artificial sodium replacements, has shifted consumer preferences toward artificial product, limiting market growth.

Market Trends

The growing demand for savory snacks, owing to its easy availability and taste. However, various snack base products are unappetizing without added seasonings. Salt being the original, and most common seasoning. Snack manufacturers have searched for product line extensions, and development of flavored products has been an obvious choice. Salt substitutes are compounded to add taste to improve consumer appeal of the finished product. Increased health awareness has led to reduced use of salt and the use of salt substitutes instead. For instance, Cargill’s FlakeSelect is its patent-pending technology, where sodium chloride and potassium chloride are combined using a roller application and smashed together.

Figure 2. Global Salt Substitutes Market Value Share (%), By Application, 2021

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Recent Developments

• In July 2020, Tate & Lyle, a British-headquartered, global supplier of food and beverage ingredients to industrial markets launched the VANTAGE sweetener solution design tools. It is a collection of new and innovative solution design tools, as well as an education programme, for creating salt-reduced food and drinks with low-calorie salt replacements.
• In October 2022, Fooditive, a Dutch ingredients start-up, launched a product called LowSalt as a salt substitute which is less salty than the conventional salt.
• In June 2022, Jungbunzlauer, a producer of biodegradable ingredients of natural origin introduced zinc gluconate and monomagnesium citrate as new mineral salts. These high-purity zinc sources are used to neutralize gluconic acid to produce zinc gluconate.

Competitive Section

Major players operating in the global salt substitutes market include Cargill Inc., Nu-Tek Food Sciences LLC, Koninklijke DSM N.V., Montana Indusrie Holding A.G., Angel Yeast Co. Ltd., Tate & Lyle Plc, and Innophos Holding Inc.