In response to this new landscape, Catalina Food Solutions presents its range of natural ingredients, developed to help manufacturers reformulate their products and meet new market expectations with effective, scalable solutions adapted to each production process.

The company offers solutions designed to address different needs across the food industry: higher yield and improved texture by removing phosphates, through functional systems of natural origin; extended shelf life without chemical preservatives, with solutions that help maintain food safety, stability and quality; and microbiological control solutions, aimed at strengthening product safety and helping inhibit the growth of microorganisms such as Listeria monocytogenes, always as part of an integrated strategy covering hygiene, processing, preservation and industrial validation.

Within this range, Nitrite-Free. For Real stands out as a solution developed for truly nitrite-free meat products, without using synthetic or vegetable sources of nitrate or nitrite. Its value proposition responds to growing demand for more transparent formulations, particularly in categories such as bacon, cooked ham, sausages, cured meats and marinated products.

In the United Kingdom, this trend forms part of a wider debate around transparency, ultra-processed foods and the use of additives in food. In this context, organisations such as SAFE, a member of the Coalition Against
Nitrites, have warned about the use of claims such as “uncured” or “no added nitrites”.

This shift in purchasing behaviour is already visible in the market. Sales of nitrite-cured bacon fell by 7.3% in value during the 12 weeks prior to 25 January, compared with the same period the previous year. By contrast,
nitrite-free alternatives grew by 21.7% over the same period, pointing to a growing preference for meat products formulated without nitrites (Worldpanel by Numerator 2026).

The debate has also gained momentum in the United States through the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative, which has placed the relationship between ultra-processed foods, additives, children’s health and food reformulation at the centre of the conversation.

According to the May 2025 MAHA report, around 70% of branded food products available in US supermarkets are ultra-processed. In parallel, in April 2025, the HHS and FDA announced measures to move forward with the phase-out of petroleum-based synthetic food dyes from the US food supply.

“The market is moving towards products with clearer labels, more understandable ingredients and natural solutions that perform under real industrial conditions. Our goal is to support manufacturers throughout this
transition, offering ingredients that enable reformulation without compromising safety, quality or the final product’s sensory experience,” says Federico Vera, technical director at Catalina Food Solutions.

With this range, Catalina Food Solutions strengthens its position as a technical partner for manufacturers of meat, fish and other food categories, offering solutions adapted to today’s market challenges: shelf life, texture, flavour, preservation, yield, naturalness and clean labelling. All of this is supported by its role as a manufacturer and fermenter of natural ingredients, with an in-house development model that enables the company to control innovation, production and quality throughout its solutions.