There’s little doubt consumers are looking for free-from foods. It’s a trend that has become more and more evident in the last ten years, whether we’re looking at vegan, gluten-free, palm oil-free, GMO-free or lactose-free. In general, we’re witnessing a global demand for more natural ingredients. In this context, what can manufacturers do to respond?
Free-from, which does not yet have a generally accepted definition, seems to refer to the preference for products that do not use unnatural preservatives or do not contain allergens. Due to the changing market, the food industry faces a huge challenge to create free-from that offer the same texture, sensation and taste that known products offer. This aspect is extremely important, as the final consumer isn’t ready to sacrifice either the taste or texture. Therefore, the introduction of successful alternatives can be difficult, with some ingredients being harder to replace. A successful example comes from the dairy market – here, there are many alternatives, such as soy or rice milk. It should be mentioned that while there plenty of
alternatives and efforts to develop them in case they are missing, not all ingredients can currently be replaced. As such, clean labels become extremely important for consumers, as they can show what has been used and where those raw materials come from.
According to the International Food Information Council’s (IFIC) “From ‘Chemical-Sounding’ to ‘Clean’: Consumer Perspectives on Food Ingredients” report, nearly 2 in 3 American respondents (64%) say they try to choose foods made with clean ingredients. When these consumers were asked how they define clean ingredients, “not artificial or synthetic” was the top choice of 22%, while 16% chose “organic,” 15% chose “fresh,” 14% cited “something they know is nutritious” and another 14% selected “natural.” At the bottom of the list, 6% cited the following options as their top choice: something with a familiar or recognizable name, something that doesn’t have a chemical-sounding name and something with a name they can pronounce.
Similarly, consumers were asked about clean eating. Nearly half (46%) consider themselves to be clean eaters—with 21% ranking “eating foods that aren’t highly processed” as their top definition of the term (nearly half, 49%, ranked this in their top three). Another 14% of self-described clean eaters defined it as eating foods found in the fresh produce section, 13% as eating organic foods, 11% as eating foods with simple ingredients lists and 9% defined it as eating foods with ingredients they just consider to be “clean.” Of the American consumers who choose foods and beverages with clean ingredients, a quarter said their top motivation for doing so was seeking out health benefits from foods and beverages with clean ingredients, while 21% are looking to avoid the possible harmful effects of chemical-sounding ingredients, 18% who most want to avoid the possible harmful effects of unfamiliar ingredients, 18% who want to be familiar with what goes into the foods and beverages they choose and 17% who think foods and beverages with clean ingredients are more nutritious.
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