On average, flavor is the single most important factor in consumers’ food and drink choices. So it is no wonder that innovators continue to play around with taste profiles in order to deliver novelty and satisfy increasingly discerning taste buds.
Ironically though, taste is not necessarily king in the land of flavor innovation and it must share its throne with flavor’s role as a marketing tool. Flavor can be extremely useful in helping to accentuate a product’s image, mood or even health profile, so there is far more to flavor development than simply making things taste good.