The global demand for more natural and transparent foods is driving a strong trend toward product reformulation. In 2025, manufacturers are aiming to reduce artificial additives and offer cleaner labels without compromising quality or flavor.
In this context, garlic stands out as a key functional ingredient. At The Garlic Factory, we’ve been supplying wholesale garlic in all its formats for over 100 years: garlic powder, garlic flakes, garlic paste, peeled garlic cloves, granulated garlic, garlic cubes, garlic extract, and black garlic. We work with 100% Spanish raw materials, ensuring full traceability for consistent safety, quality, and availability.
This article explores how garlic can be part of effective and natural reformulation strategies in the global food industry.
Why Are Brands Reformulating Their Products in 2025?
In 2025, clean label is no longer a choice—it’s a market requirement. Consumers seek products with recognizable, natural, and minimally processed ingredients.
This shift has led manufacturers to eliminate synthetic preservatives, artificial flavor enhancers, and non-natural colorants, replacing them with functional alternatives like garlic.
At The Garlic Factory, we supply solutions tailored to this trend: formats like garlic powder, garlic extract, or garlic paste naturally enhance flavor while meeting current consumer expectations without sacrificing quality or production efficiency.
Stricter Regulations and Reduction of Artificial Additives
Food regulations in Europe, North America, and Asia are tightening control over artificial additives and encouraging the use of natural ingredients. This regulatory pressure is prompting manufacturers to revise their formulas and opt for ingredients that provide proven functionality—such as preservation, flavor enhancement, or texture improvement—while being well-accepted by both consumers and health authorities. Garlic meets all these criteria, making it a safe and effective choice for product reformulation.
Thanks to its antimicrobial and natural preservative properties, garlic is being used as a substitute for certain synthetic additives. Our garlic cubes, granulated garlic, or garlic flakes help maintain flavor, extend shelf life, and comply with international regulatory standards.
Innovation in the Food Industry: Less Is More
Today’s innovation focuses not on adding ingredients, but on smartly reducing them. Leading brands are simplifying ingredient lists to boost transparency, efficiency, and brand positioning. The result is a reformulation that improves both consumer perception and operational profitability.
For example, Nestlé* has reformulated thousands of products to eliminate artificial additives, simplifying ingredient lists and replacing them with natural alternatives.
Similarly, Unilever* has replaced synthetic colorants with recognizable options like beet juice for color and vinegar for preservation.
Kraft Heinz* has committed to removing artificial colorants from its U.S. products and will no longer launch new products with these additives as part of its clean label strategy.
At The Garlic Factory, we work with producers of ready meals, sauces, vegan products, and processed meats who use our garlic products—such as peeled garlic cloves, black garlic, or black garlic paste—to reduce artificial ingredients while adding functionality, flavor, and value in a single component.
Garlic as a Clean and Functional Ingredient
In food product reformulation, garlic stands out not only for its culinary versatility but also for its technical qualities.
It’s a natural ingredient with multiple properties that address current industry challenges: it extends shelf life, enhances sensory profiles, and provides nutritional benefits, all without the need for artificial additives.
Antimicrobial Properties and Natural Preservation
Garlic contains active compounds such as allicin, known for their antimicrobial and antifungal capabilities. These properties make it an effective alternative for preserving food without artificial preservatives.
In clean label reformulation, garlic helps maintain shelf life and microbiological safety in sauces, ready meals, cured meats, and other meat products.
At The Garlic Factory, we offer industrial formats like garlic powder, garlic extract, or garlic cubes that allow manufacturers to incorporate these functional properties consistently and effectively in their production processes.
Flavor Enhancer Without Synthetic Additives
One of garlic’s major advantages is its ability to intensify flavor without using monosodium glutamate or other synthetic additives. Garlic adds depth, intensity, and character to a wide range of foods, from vegan to meat-based products, without affecting clean labeling.
Garlic paste, flakes, and granules are ideal for seamless integration into industrial processes, ensuring consistent and natural flavor in every batch.
Nutritional Value and Garlic’s Healthy Reputation
Beyond its technical function, garlic has a strong health-oriented reputation. It is known for its antioxidant compounds, cardiovascular benefits, and contribution to balanced diets. These traits enhance the perceived value of the final product, reinforcing brand positioning among health-conscious consumers.
Using ingredients like peeled garlic cloves, black garlic, or even black garlic paste not only improves product formulation but also adds unique value for brands committed to natural innovation.
Industrial Garlic Formats for Reformulation
Choosing the right garlic format is key to efficient reformulation. Each type of industrial product requires specific technical solutions in terms of taste, texture, preservation and ease of integration into production processes. At The Garlic Factory we offer a wide range of industrial formats adapted to the challenges of today’s food industry.
Garlic powder, flakes, paste and freeze-dried: which one to choose?
- Garlic powder is ideal for dry mixes, snacks, seasonings and bakery products, thanks to its easy dosage and long shelf life.
- Flaked garlic retains a more intense and natural flavour profile, making it an excellent choice for dehydrated soups, ready meals and gourmet blends.
- Garlic paste is perfect for sauces, marinades and chilled products, as it integrates easily and provides a homogenous texture without additional processing.
- Freeze-dried garlic preserves the sensory and nutritional properties of fresh garlic to the maximum, making it the ideal choice for high-end formulations or products with low moisture content.
Each of these formats is available in bulk, with consistent quality and guaranteed year-round supply.
Garlic Use in Sauces, Meats, and Plant-Based Products
Garlic adapts to multiple industrial applications:
- In sauces and dips, as a flavor enhancer and natural preservative, particularly in garlic paste or garlic extract form.
- In meat products and cured meats, garlic powder, granules, or cubes help reduce synthetic additives and enhance texture and aroma.
- In plant-based alternatives, black garlic and black garlic paste bring umami, complexity, and a healthy profile that appeals to younger generations.
Garlic’s versatility makes it a key tool for reformulating various product lines.
Technical Advantages of Garlic for the Food Industry
Besides its organoleptic and preservative functions, garlic provides key technical advantages for industrial production:
- High thermal stability across most formats.
- Easy integration into automated lines thanks to its versatile physical formats (powder, paste, cubes, etc.).
- Lower waste and improved yield compared to unprocessed fresh garlic.
At The Garlic Factory, we control the entire traceability chain—from 100% Spanish raw materials to final packaging—ensuring consistency, food safety, and continuous availability for our B2B customers.
Global Trends: How Garlic Fits International Markets
Although the clean label movement is global, its application varies according to the cultural, regulatory and consumer context of each region. Garlic, thanks to its functional versatility and universal acceptance, is easily adaptable to the different requirements and preferences of the international market.
Clean label in Europe, USA and Asia
- In Europe, regulations require transparent labelling and prioritise natural ingredients of local origin. Garlic, especially when working with 100% Spanish raw material as in The Garlic Factory, responds perfectly to this demand for authenticity and traceability. Our formats such as garlic flakes, freeze-dried garlic or black garlic are valued for their clean and gourmet profile.
- In the US, demand is focused on the reduction of ingredients ‘with unpronounceable names’. Here, garlic is seen as a functional and natural flavour solution, both in garlic paste and garlic extract, ideal for ready-to-eat or plant-based products.
- In Asia, garlic is a traditional ingredient with a high level of cultural acceptance. Innovation is geared towards practical formats for modern industry, such as frozen garlic cubes or organic peeled garlic cloves, which we offer in bulk with a stable supply all year round.
Growing Demand in Plant-Based and Ready-to-Eat Products
The fastest-growing global segments—plant-based and ready-to-eat meals—require ingredients that provide flavor, functionality, and stability. Garlic meets all three needs:
- In vegan dishes, black garlic and black garlic paste are standout ingredients due to their umami profile and premium image.
- In prepared meals, garlic paste, peeled cloves, or garlic cubes allow for quick, standardized, and safe dosing.
The rise of these products in supermarkets and delivery platforms is boosting demand for industrial garlic formats tailored to high-efficiency processing.
Real-World Applications in Reformulation
Cada vez más marcas reformulan sus productos para ajustarse a las nuevas More and more brands are reformulating products to meet new market demands. Real-life examples include:
- Reformulated premium cured meats in Europe, where granulated garlic replaced synthetic preservatives while adding flavor and natural appeal.
- Gourmet vegan lines in the U.S., using black garlic as a standout ingredient in sauces and cooking bases.
- Heat-and-eat meals in Asia, featuring peeled cloves and frozen garlic cubes to ensure consistent flavor without extra processing.
Thanks to its wide range of formats and functionalities, garlic has become a flexible solution for diverse international reformulation strategies.
Conclusion: Garlic as a Strategic Ally for 2025
As the food industry faces the challenge of eliminating artificial additives without compromising flavor, functionality, or safety, garlic proves to be one of the most effective and versatile ingredients. Its technical value, natural sensory profile, and healthy reputation make it a top choice for clean label reformulation strategies worldwide.
At The Garlic Factory, we’ve been supplying wholesale garlic in all its formats—powder, flakes, paste, cubes, peeled cloves, extract, granules, and black garlic—for over a century, adapting to the needs of manufacturers and distributors across five continents.
We work with 100% Spanish raw materials, offer stable year-round pricing, and ensure complete product traceability.
If your company is looking for natural, safe, and efficient solutions to reformulate its products in 2025, we are ready to be your trusted garlic supplier.
Sources consulted
* Nestlé: FoodNavigator. “Nestlé reformulates thousands of products to meet clean label demands.”
* Unilever: FoodNavigator. “Unilever ditches artificial additives in global product lines.”
* Kraft Heinz: Kraft Heinz Newsroom. “Kraft Mac & Cheese goes artificial color-free as company cleans up labels.”