Bell Flavors & Fragrances
Bell Achieves 12th Excellent Safe Quality Food Safety Rating
Bell Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. has completed its annual SQF Food Safety Program Audit conducted by the Safe Quality Food Institute. This past year marked the 12th consecutive audit resulting in an Excellent rating (96/100) achieved at its headquarters in Northbrook, Ill.
Each of Bell’s global locations, including Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Germany, Singapore, China and New York undergo this rigorous audit annually. Bell’s additional North American sites – Canada (96/100), Mexico (100/100) and New York (98/100) – also obtained the highest rating of Excellent.
“The SQF Food Safety Program is well-known across the food industry, utilizing a food safety and quality standard that is internationally recognized and emphasizes compliance in the application of HACCP for food safety hazards. Preparation required preparation and collaboration from various Bell departments, including Operations, Production, Quality Control, Safety and more, to ensure that all documents, systems and equipment are compliant to the SQF standard, and we’re proud to be continually recognized for our achievement,” said Kathleen Hoppie, senior quality system manager.
The program, as part of the Safe Quality Food Institute, is a “rigorous and credible food safety and quality program that is recognized by retailers, brand owners and food service providers worldwide. Recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative, the SQF family of food safety and quality codes are designed to meet industry, customer and regulatory requirements for all sectors of the food supply chain – from the farm all the way to the retail stores” (SQF Institute, 2023).
A variety of SQF Programs are available for implementation at the supplier level (e.g., SQF Fundamentals Program and SQF Ethical Sourcing Program), with Bell actively participating in the three-day audit spanning key categories such as waste disposal, water treatment, ventilation, food defense and more.
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Bell Flavors & Fragrances Completes Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit
Bell Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. has finalized its 2020 Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit at corporate headquarters. As a signatory member of the IFRA-OIFI Sustainability Charter, the company closely tracks five focus areas including: 1) Responsible Sourcing, 2) Environmental Footprint, 3) Employee Well-being, 4) Product Safety, and 5) Transparency. Bell is focused on improving its business value chain via responsible and sustainability-forward practices.
“As an active Sedex Corporate B member, Bell Flavors & Fragrances is committed to being a responsible business, sourcing with critical impacts in mind and improving ethical standards and working conditions within the supply chain. Having Sedex’s tools and services at our fingertips allows Bell to continually implement and improve sustainable business practices,” said Diego Darquea C., vice president of global flavor & fragrance quality, compliance and safety.
Sedex is the largest and most recognized ethical data exchange platform and audit program with over 55,000 members in 180 countries, across 35 industry sectors, including food, agriculture, financial services, clothing and apparel, packaging and chemicals. The program’s voluntary, global certification is renewed annually, with Bell required to undergo a SMETA performed at five site-specific levels, including Illinois (corporate headquarters), New York, Mexico, Canada and Germany.
SMETA is one of the most widely used social audits in the world, conducted to understand labor and human relations conditions, such as the health and safety of workers. Through ethical trade auditing, Sedex focuses on three key areas, including: 1) Standards of Labor, 2) Health and Safety, and 3) Environment and Business Ethics. Customer and suppliers with access to the Sedex platform are able to view Bell’s full audit report, which has been added to the 40K+ SMETA audits uploaded to the platform annually.
Bell is proud to partner with suppliers and focus on sustainability and responsible sourcing in order to provide solutions for customers and consumers that demand transparency. From tracking its carbon footprint using the GHG Protocol to taking measures to minimize waste and handle disposal in a safe and regulated manner, Bell takes an active approach to maximizing positive environmental and social impacts on both a local and global scale while minimizing our footprint worldwide.
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Bell Flavors & Fragrances Takes Citrus Collection on the Road
Bell Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. is hitting the road to exhibit its citrus collection at the Institute of Food Technologists’ 2022-2023 Regional Section Suppliers’ Events spanning coast-to-coast. IFT’s Regional Sections offer a way for networking with professionals steeped in the science of food to make strategic connections at a local level. These engaging events provide the opportunity for networking and education, and allow suppliers to debut their latest products and services supporting the science of food community.
Bell recently exhibited at the Minnesota Section IFT Annual Suppliers’ Expo and the Intermountain Section IFT Symposium and Suppliers Night, showcasing menu items with bold fruit and spice flavor blends, including Urfa Chili Meyer Lemon Snack Mix, Caviar Lime Nimbu Soda, Ponzu Togarashi Popcorn, Chocolate Hazelnut Brownie Bites and Caviar Lime and Dragonfruit Taffy. Following recent events, the Bell team will be heading to upcoming 2022 IFT Regional Section Suppliers’ Events to debut their new citrus-infused menu:
- Nov. 1: Chicago Section IFT (CSIFT) Annual Suppliers Expo and Symposium (booth #308)
- Nov. 16-17: Longhorn Section IFT Suppliers Expo (booth #242)
“The Bell team is excited to embark on our Regional IFT Roadshow to connect with fellow industry colleagues and release our new menu featuring citrus flavors, like Ruby Red Grapefruit and Calamansi. Consumers continue to gravitate toward food and beverage items that contain natural flavors given a rising interest in clean label. And, with the stress of current events, they’re gravitating toward comfort and products that provide an uplifting mood boost. Given their vibrant colors and sweet-tart tastes, citrus is typically associated with feelings of joy, and we’re delivering a bit of happiness and a boost of flavor bite by bite, said Benjamin Stanley, CRC, corporate chef – sweet applications manager.
Bell will be joining exhibitors on the Expo floor to showcase a new citrus collection, educational resources and a team of culinary experts. Across the globe, consumers continue to lean into citrus, with 52% of U.S. consumers indicating that they like or love it and one-quarter (25.7%) of U.S. menus featuring it. Citrus flavors resonate particularly well among those looking to support their immune systems and increase their vitamin C intake. Bell offers iconic, natural flavors in its citrus collection, such as Grapefruit, Mandarin Orange and Meyer Lemon in addition to specialty citrus flavors, like Buddha’s Hand and Meiwa Kumquat. These flavors can be added to a multitude of applications, including confectionery, sauces and dips, beverages, snacks, sweet goods and more.
Inspired by consumer preferences and marketing data, Bell will showcase the following refreshing, citrus-flavored menu items:
Sudachi Snack Mix
This snack mix features Bell’s Sudachi flavor to lend tart and fresh notes of a Japanese Sudachi lime. Sudachi is a small, round, green citrus fruit and is a specialty of the Tokushima Prefecture in Japan. Given its natural sourness, it’s not typically eaten as a fruit, but rather used as a flavor in place of lemon or lime.
This delicious mix also features Bell’s Wasabi flavor to impart a heat-driven spice while Bell’s Kokumi technology makes the snack mix more rich and complex.
Citrus Slice Gummy Medley: Buddha’s Hand, Calamansi and Blood Orange
Buddha’s Hand: Bell’s Buddha’s Hand flavor has a distinct flavor profile, boasting notes of lemon and yuzu with a sweet, lemon blossom aroma and offering a unique spin on the classic fruit slice candy.
Calamansi: Bell’s Calamansi flavor displays blended notes of tart lemon, lime and orange. This citrus fruit is commonly used in Filipino and Southeastern Asian cuisines and can range from green to yellow to orange in color.
Blood Orange: Bell’s Blood Orange Citrus flavor has notes of navel orange with hints of tartness and floral fruits and is usually less acidic than a traditional orange.
Pink Limoncello Champagne Spritz Mocktail
Whether savored on a hot, summer day or enjoyed during a cozy dinner party with friends, this mocktail is sure to be refreshing and provide a mood boosting pick-me-up. The mashup of Bell’s natural Champagne Type flavor, Pink Lemon Type flavor extract and Lemon flavor (Sorrento type) deliver sweet-tart citrus notes with a hint of bubbly.
Ruby Red Grapefruit IPA Popcorn
This seasoned popcorn features Bell’s natural Ruby Red Grapefruit, IPA, and Hop flavors, which blend together to impart notes of fresh squeezed grapefruit and hoppy IPA beer. A refreshing spin on an everyday snack, this popcorn will inspire memories of sweet summertime and sipping on a cold beer.
Kumquat Madeleine
These mini madeleines are a condensed version of a traditional French madeleine. They’re flavored with Bell’s Kumquat and Vanilla flavors, giving them a distinct citrus note that is sweet with notes of sour and tang. Vanilla rounds out this sweet treat to elevate the cookie.
Bell’s presence at IFT’s Regional Section Suppliers’ Events will foster strong brand awareness and spark interest in delivering food and beverage products that spotlight its citrus collection. In tandem with citrus-infused samples, discussions around Bell’s proprietary technology capabilities and annual Spark trends will drive successful commercial connections among prospects and customers.
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