French food tech company Dry4Good is scaling up production of its natural ingredients technology as manufacturers continue to seek cleaner labels, simplified formulations and alternatives to artificial additives.

The drive towards cleaner labels and simpler ingredient declarations is continuing to reshape food and beverage manufacturing, with investment increasingly focused on processing technologies that preserve the natural characteristics of raw materials rather than relying on complex formulation.

That trend has been highlighted by French food tech company Dry4Good, which has secured €5 million in new investment to expand production of its natural fruit, vegetable and aromatic plant ingredients. The funding will enable the company to increase annual production capacity from 50 metric tonnes to 800 metric tonnes, add two new production lines and create around 10 new jobs at its facility near Paris.

While the investment itself is significant, it also reflects a broader movement within the food industry as manufacturers respond to growing consumer demand for recognisable ingredients, increasing scrutiny of artificial additives and greater interest in reducing the level of processing in finished products.

A different approach to drying

Conventional drying methods have long presented challenges for food manufacturers. High-temperature processes can reduce flavour intensity, alter natural colours and diminish nutritional value, often requiring manufacturers to compensate through the addition of flavourings, colourings or other functional ingredients.

Dry4Good has developed an ambient-temperature drying process designed to preserve the sensory and nutritional characteristics of fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs while removing moisture. According to the company, the process concentrates naturally occurring flavour compounds, pigments and nutrients without the use of additives.

The result is a range of powders, granules and inclusions intended for industrial food production across bakery, confectionery, beverages, seasonings and prepared meals.

Romaric Janssen, president and co-founder of Dry4Good, said the technology addresses a longstanding challenge for manufacturers.

“One of the industry’s longstanding challenges has been finding dry ingredients that can truly reproduce the sensory experience of fresh products,” he said.

“Our technology allows manufacturers to use ingredients that deliver authentic flavour and colour while helping them move away from artificial additives and highly processed formulations.”

Processing innovation takes centre stage

The announcement reflects an increasingly important trend within food manufacturing: using advances in processing technology to improve ingredient functionality instead of relying solely on ingredient chemistry.

For manufacturers, this offers potential opportunities to simplify formulations while maintaining product quality and sensory performance. Technologies capable of retaining natural flavour and colour may also support reformulation programmes aimed at reducing artificial additives and responding to evolving consumer expectations.

The growing focus on processing innovation comes as food businesses continue to balance product quality, production efficiency, ingredient availability and regulatory compliance.

Supporting more resilient supply chains

Alongside formulation benefits, Dry4Good’s sourcing model is designed to strengthen ingredient supply chains by working with regional farmers and cooperatives while utilising fruit and vegetables that fall outside retail cosmetic specifications but remain suitable for processing.

By purchasing produce during peak harvest periods and converting it into shelf-stable ingredients, the company aims to provide manufacturers with year-round access to natural ingredients while helping reduce upstream food waste.

The approach also reflects wider efforts across the industry to improve supply chain resilience amid increasing pressure from climate variability, seasonal availability and fluctuating raw material costs.

A growing market

Demand for natural ingredients continues to expand as food manufacturers invest in clean-label product development across multiple categories.

According to figures cited by Dry4Good, the global natural food ingredients market was valued at approximately $21 billion in 2023 and is forecast to reach $32.7 billion by 2030, driven by continued reformulation activity and consumer preference for simpler ingredient declarations.

As manufacturers look for ways to deliver authentic flavour, colour and nutrition without increasing formulation complexity, investment in advanced ingredient processing technologies is expected to play an increasingly important role.

Whether technologies such as precision ambient drying become widely adopted remains to be seen, but the direction of travel sees innovation is increasingly focused not only on what goes into products, but also on how ingredients are processed before they reach the production line.