Newswise — CHICAGO- - Recent studies find shoppers are paying more attention to what they put in their bodies, therefore driving development and reformulation of products with cleaner labels. An article in the December 2011 issue of Food Technology magazine, published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), written by Barbara Katz, IFT member and President of HealthFocus International and LuAnn Williams, IFT member and Head of Research at Innova Market Insights, says that people tend to perceive foods with simpler labels to be less processed. The article explores how industry is responding to consumer demand for clarity around food labels.
The concept of a “clean” food label can be interpreted many different ways. Most often, formulating clean-label foods refers to eliminating chemical-sounding or artificial ingredients that indicate extra-processing. Another interpretation of a clean label is the statement of simplicity. Ingredient statements that are short and easy to understand such as a pint of ice cream that focuses on the simplicity and goodness of five ingredients—milk, cream, sugar, eggs and one flavoring ingredient. Transparency or informing shoppers exactly what’s inside a product is another clean-label attribute. For example a low-fat yogurt that discloses it has artificial sweeteners. Whether or not consumers chose to make good choices, they want transparency regarding nutrition information on food packages, grocery store shelves, menus and Internet.
Research has shown that consumers prefer to avoid artificial or overly processed foods. Yet, deciding what is highly processed varies by individual, creating challenge with clean-label formulating. Processed foods are best defined as foods that have been altered from their “direct from Mother Nature” state of being.
At IFT’s Wellness ’11 Conference this past March, a session titled “Processed Foods Through the Eyes of Shoppers,” featured a panel of Chicago-area moms who shared their opinions of what they considered were processed food items in their homes. All of the moms had varying views of what they considered was processed.
Survey findings show that the perception of processed has more impact on consumer choices than whether or not the actual product has gone through a lot of processing. This is where the concept of clean labeling comes into play, as people’s opinions are influenced on how healthy or processed they think an actual product is compared to how it is really manufactured. Language like “natural”, “pure”, “real” are increasingly appearing on product labels and suggests to consumers that these products are less processed than others.
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About IFT The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is a nonprofit scientific society. Our individual members are professionals engaged in food science, food technology, and related professions in industry, academia, and government. IFT's mission is to advance the science of food, and our long-range vision is to ensure a safe and abundant food supply, contributing to healthier people everywhere.
For more than 70 years, the IFT has been unlocking the potential of the food science community by creating a dynamic global forum where members from more than 100 countries can share, learn, and grow. We champion the use of sound science across the food value chain through the exchange of knowledge, by providing education, and by furthering the advancement of the profession. IFT has offices in Chicago, Illinois and Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit ift.org.
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