Think pink: the colour that keeps on giving

When you think of food, do you naturally think ‘pink’?

It seems that Instagrammers do: last month #pinkfood was tagged 66.2K times. From chocolate to gin, the colour is everywhere in our lives, even if we don’t realise it.

The popularity of the colour pink started trending some years ago, but enthusiasm for it amongst leading food and drink brands continues.

In 2017, global chocolate manufacturer, Barry Callebaut, launched Ruby Chocolate, billed as “…the biggest innovation in chocolate in 80 years”, and “the fourth type on chocolate”. With big brands like Nestlé’s KitKat quickly adopting it, it’s unlocked a new future for chocolate confectionery.

In 2020, Del Monte Fresh Produce launched the Pinkglow Pineapple – a pineapple with pink flesh, retailing at premium prices of $29-$49 (circa £21 – £35). In the same year, so called ‘pink Prosecco’ (Prosecco DOC Rosé) was made available in the UK for the first time and it’s quickly become a standard in the BWS aisle of most UK supermarkets.

Prosecco isn’t the only alcoholic drink getting the pink treatment, however. “Globally, pink gin launches continue to be on the up. 2020 saw the highest number of launches but 2021 looks set to be even higher,” says Chris Brockman, Mintel EMEA Director of Food & Drink Content.

Just last month, premium Salcombe Gin Rosé Sainte Marie (pictured) scored number 2 on GQ magazine’s ‘The 100 best gins for the perfect gin and tonic’ list.

So what’s the next food or drink to get the pink treatment? “The product that’s really driving the numbers now in ‘pink’ launches, is pink Himalayan salt,” adds Brockman. 

Whether the enduring popularity of easy-on-the-eye pink can be put down to the growing influence of social media on NPD, society’s changing understanding of femininity or because it represents hope in uncertain times, is difficult to pinpoint. But pink looks set to remain influential in the design, branding and ingredient lists of food and drink products for some time to come.