Special report\ Distributors - N°66 Safic Alcan: the quest for new ingredients “A distributor must offer irreproa- suppliers”. This is almost a must for ring“vegetal and/or natural alterna- chable regulatory and technical ser- a distributor that relies on a cata- tives to controversial ingredients”: vices,” according to Jessica Marques logue of “original and high-valued” this gluten-free fl our rich in resistant (Marketing and Regulatory Affairs ingredients, whose producers are starches has texturing properties Health and Nutrition division of Safi c- positioned on innovation. Thisis the and can be used as a substitute for Alcan France). The reason is simple: case of Kappa BioScience(iamnivt magnesium stearate in food supple- “we are more and more involved in K2), Lesaffre Human Care (prbio-o ments. Clearly, these ingredients add the relationships between suppliers tics,yeasts), Biolie (platextrats),n c value to the markets looking for alter- and customers”. In fact, besides “this Innophos (different grades of mine- natives to traditional raw materials. role to play,” Safi c-Alcan (a distribu-rals - chelated, for instance), ADM In addition to the desire to develop tion specialist since its creation in (powdered or oil-form natural viamint the already referenced aictvites ofi 1847) has another duty: that of provi- E, algal DHA), Ethical Naurals (vee-t g their partners, “we are looking for ding information to its customers and table-sourced glucosamine), Iter-n other ingredients, as natural as pos- suppliers. To thisend, “our objective national AgricultureGorup (Grnee sible,” Jessica Marquès says. So as for this year is to organize a seminar Banana Flour). This latterlone illus-a to continue to maintain our “innova- for our customers by inviting several trates Safi c Alcan’s approch of offe-a tive positioning”. ■ Vivatis: being a source of value That being said, and insofar as the market maintains its dynamic pace and is in search of innovation, having a dif- ForYazan El Safadi, Managing Director of Vivatis France: ferentiation strategy is essential. In fact, the German group “there is no alternative to quality. We are responsible for theVivatis has made the strategic decision to constantly search conformity and quality of our products”. Another remark: for ingredients and/or producers willing to bring value to its “Transparency and traceability: the customer and the nal customers. 063 consumer must know where the raw materials come from Such an example is the exclusive partnership signed with the and under what conditions they were made”. This has the Japanese group Taiyo for Sunfi ber (soluble fi bre, 114 clinical effectof “raising the scienti c expertise: considering the spe-studies, approved by the FDA, a health claim in Canada, cer- cialization of the market, and the multiplication of the differenttifi ed Low FODMAP product), Sunphenon (green tea extracts forms of known ingredients, we must be able to explain why with different standardized concentrations), Suntheanine a given mineral or extract is more effective than another one,(natural or fermented theanine), SunActive (dispersible mineral explain its origin, its bioavailability, stability, mode of actionpowders, DHA, chia, Q10, lutein...), organic matcha, WGCP etc...”. These questions are asked by industrial customers as(green coffee with sustained caffeine release). well as consumers and the role of a distributor is to support itsIn addition, Vivatis continues to work on probiotics (Probi) partners on all these sides. Because this is a key factor for theirand objectifi ed natural extracts (from the Dutch company success and therefore for the distributor’s success as well.Bioactor).■ SEAH International focuses on organic Several new ranges of organic ingredients have been added to complement the distributor’s offering (mainly organic for- mulations, such as diversifi ed vegetable proteins and fi bers e.g. psyllium or chia seeds): macroalgae(fucus vesiculosus, ascophyllum nodosum, sea lettuce, kombu, wakame...), references of vitamins and minerals obtained from vegetable sources, a phycocyanin (via a partnership with Parry Nutraceuticals, which supplies organic spirulina and chlorella). Finally, please note the inclusion of a vegetable alternative to animal-origin chondroitin. The organic and natural offer will further expand this year, through the development of new organic-certifi ed references and the sourcing of exclu- sively natural ingredients. The activity will be developed internationally, particularly by attending trade shows, such as Biofach, Natexpo, FIE... Among the approaches displayed by the distributor, considering the increased quality requirements that it has from its producers, tighter quality controls to meet the requirements and specifi cations of its customers and support the deve- lopment of their ranges.Other key partners of SEAH International are: AstaReal (astaxanthin), CJ Europe (natural amino acids), Sacco / CSL: lactic ferments, Rosun (Orgavitaz natural vitamins and minerals), Panjin Hetian (RicePro rice® ® proteconcentate), Daesang (chorella), Cacus Herbsea (pant e acts). ■ News on Functional & Health Ingredients \ N°66 \ January - February - March 2019 \ ■