Clean label is the new benchmark

CLEAN label is now being regarded as the new standard for the food industry, notes market research firm Innova Market Insights.

A growing influence in product development where manufacturers are now highlighting naturalness and origins more than ever, the clean label standard has moved from niche area to mainstream. It comes in response to consumer demand for shorter and more recognizable ingredients, the research company said.

In 2014, about 20% of US products featured a clean label positioning, up from 17% in 2013, according to the company’s data. More products are incorporating natural ingredients such as stevia and monk fruit for sweetness, natural color from spirulina, elderberry and beetroot, and thickeners such as tragacanth and gellan gums.

To consumers clean label is associated with natural, sustainable, and organic. But the term natural itself has yet to be clearly defined as consumers, retailers, industry and regulators all drive the demand for more transparency in food labeling.

Innova Market Insights aims to tackle this and other issues at the Taste the Trend Pavilion (Booth #873) at the IFT Food Expo in Chicago to be held from 12-14 July 2015.

Lu Ann Williams, director of Innovation at Innova Market Insights explains: “This demand for clean labeling has now brought the need for clear labeling equally to the fore resulting in a move to clearer and simpler claims and packaging for maximum transparency and necessitating an industry response in terms of reformulation and new communication strategies.”

According to the company, “From Clean to Clear Label” is the topmost of its 10 trends for the year, moving up from niche area to mainstream for food and beverage.   

At the IFT Food Expo 2015, the company will also share key insights on the latest trends in food and beverages, with the eleventh instalment of its “Taste the Trend” presentations.