What Consumers Want—and Don’t Want—on Food and Beverage Labels

From Certified Organic and USDA Inspected to Kosher/Halal, No Trans Fat, and GMO Free, labels speak volumes about a product to the consumer. With more than 13,000 new food products introduced last year, maximizing the appeal of a product’s label is critical to success.

Food Technology Magazine | Article

A. Elizabeth Sloan

Aside from the package itself, about the most important decision a marketer has to make is what to put on the label of a food product, such as the graphics, the claims, the call-outs, the names. Amazingly, nearly three-quarters of consumers say they can’t think of any information “not currently included on food labels” that they would like to see added (IFIC, 2003a). As consumers become more convenience directed and health/safety concerned, product information and customer service must keep pace…

Fig. 1—Consumers’ purchase decisions are influenced by the statements that appear on package labels.


Table 1—What consumers want on food labels.a



Fig. 4—Hain Celestial Group’s CarbFit line appeals not only to consumers on a high-protein, low-carb regimen but also to those seeking products that are all-natural, kosher, and gluten-free.


Fig. 5—What consumers don’t want their stores to carry (percentage of general population agreeing completely/somewhat that “It is important for my store to have foods that are . . .”). From NMI (2003).

Fig. 6—What consumers don’t want in their healthy beverages (percentage of wellness consumers who say certain items do not belong in a healthy beverage). From Hartman Group (2003).




Fig. 10—Lifeway Foods’ La Fruta, a yogurt-like milk-andjuice beverage packed with calcium, protein, and probiotics, is being distributed in Hispanic neighborhoods nationwide.

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In This Article

  1. Food Categories
  2. Fermented Foods and Beverages
  3. Food Business Trends
  4. Consumer and Marketplace Trends
  5. Food Processing & Packaging
  6. Food Policy

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