Consumers seeking complex foods with a short and simple ingredient list are being encouraged to visit the 2015 Food ingredients Europe & Natural ingredients event.
Approximately 60 per cent of European consumers look at the ingredient list and claims on the back, suggesting that they are demanding shorter and more recognisable ingredient lists on the foods they buy.
Lu Ann Williams, Director of Innovation at Innova Market Insights, said “This demand for clean labels has now brought the need for clear labelling equally to the fore.”
For a product to be marked as “Free from artificial ingredients”, producers tend to incorporate as many natural ingredients as possible –highlighting the naturalness and origin to the customer.
By reformulating products to explore new avenues of communication, Williams believes that the broader industry will be encouraged to move to clearer and simpler claims and packaging designed for maximum transparency.
Although there are no standard labelling applications in place in the industry, ‘a clean label’ that signifies the removal of ingredients from the formulation can ensure that the product ranges meet quality standards without compromising the brand.
Williams claims that customers will soon have the potential to turn to the company for possibilities to replace cost-intensive ingredients such as fat or proteins with starch from the Clean Label Range.