Coming Clean

With nearly half of consumers in the 2013 Health & Nutrition Survey from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) saying they thought a lot about the ingredients in their foods and the safety of their foods, it’s not surprising that the clean label movement is center stage. Chemicals are the top consumer food safety concern, according to IFIC, followed by foodborne illness and imported ingredients.

Clean label attributes rank third behind a “good source” nutrient claim and “free-from” health claims as top attributes that make foods and beverages healthy, according to the Hartman Group’s 2013 Reimagining Health and Wellness survey. Clean label attributes rank higher than local, seasonal, and organic. 

While there is no legal or regulatory definition for a “clean label,” the term generally refers to foods that are minimally processed and devoid of artificial flavors, colors, and sweeteners, synthetic additives, and unexpected allergens. Clean label conveys notions of quality, trust, and transparency to consumers. 

What is disconcerting is that in the absence of a formal definition, retailers including Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Safeway, and Kroger are by default setting industry standards by imposing in-store or brand bans for specific food ingredients. For example, potassium bromate, sodium benzoate, and sorbic acid are unacceptable ingredients for any food sold in Whole Foods stores.

While U.S. consumer concern/action over food additives peaked in 2008, according to Innova Market Insights, food manufacturers should undertake a contemporary and targeted review of their labels and eliminate or replace ingredients that do not fit within consumers’ perceptions of a clean label.

Clean labels may not provide a substantial and immediate boost to sales, but demand is strong enough to warrant action. The benefits of clean label solutions clearly include better consumer appeal and can include formula and operational simplification, quality improvement, and cost reduction.

According to Multi-Sponsor Survey’s 2013 Gallup Study of Clean Food & Beverage Labels, one-quarter (23%) of U.S. adults are serious clean label advocates; 70% said they’ve purchased foods/beverages they perceive to have a clean product label.

Those who seek attributes of clean labels are most likely to be female, and interest increases with age. Younger adults are more attracted to clean label attributes including all natural, organic, hormone-free, a shorter list of ingredients, free-range, gluten-free, and dairy-free, according to Gallup. No artificial ingredients and no artificial colors are attributes that appeal equally across all age groups. Nearly all clean label attributes are more important to mothers of young children than any other demographic.

Likely due to recent class action lawsuits and the legal/regulatory complexity of all-natural claims, the number of new foods/beverages carrying natural claims is declining, according to Datamonitor’s Product Launch Analytics, 2013. Other terms (e.g., “pure,” “simple,” and “wholesome”) are being used in the brand name or on front of pack to convey a natural positioning without making a natural claim. 

In 2013, one-third of adults strongly agreed that minimally processed foods were a healthier food choice, which is double the number in 2012, according to IFIC. When buying foods/drinks last year, 46% considered whether the product contained preservatives; 39% tried to limit or avoid preservatives entirely, per IFIC. Six in 10 adults don’t think that manmade and natural food ingredients have the same properties, according to IFIC.

In 2013, high fructose corn syrup and salt/sodium were the most avoided food ingredients (50% of adults); four in 10 avoided artificial sweeteners saccharin and aspartame, and one-third avoided sucralose. One in five consumers avoided natural sweeteners, Hartman reports. 

“Made with simple and real ingredients” is important to 56% of consumers, according to Hartman. “Real” was the top claim on the best-selling new better-for-you foods in 2012, according to IRI’s 2013 New Product Pacesetters. 

Gluten-free is a claim associated with clean labels. In 2013, 15% of consumers reported they ate gluten-free, per Mintel’s Gluten-free Foods—U.S., a 2013 report. Some clean labels voluntarily list no GMOs. One in five adults is very concerned about GMOs, reports Packaged Facts’ 2013 Non-GMO Foods. 

According to Beverage Industry’s 2014 New Product Development Survey, 59% of R&D executives reported increasing their use of natural flavors in 2014; 52% increased natural colors. Clean label has also affected the foodservice market; Wendy’s is the first fast food restaurant touting a clean label (on its new Asian Cashew Chicken Salad.) 

A. Elizabeth Sloan,
Contributing Editor
President, Sloan Trends Inc.,
Escondido, Calif.
[email protected]