Clean eaters might tolerate processed foods.
Kansas City According to surveys conducted by HealthFocus International, St. Petersburg, Fla., consumer concerns have changed over the past five years, moving from primarily wanting to know what’s in a product to taking a more holistic approach and also wanting to know how the product affects the environment, animals, and consumers’ health.
In a Food Business News webinar on August 23, Julie Johnson, president of HealthFocus International, referred to it as a shift from clean label eating to clean-conscious eating. When it comes to eating clean, processed foods might have a place.
“However, there is a bright side to consumers’ perceptions of food processing, and that is the application of science and technology in the food and beverage industry,” Ms. Johnson stated. “What once seemed a little strange and unsettling to some may find widespread acceptance among customers who recognize the benefits that technological advancements in its production can bring.”
In 2023, a study conducted by HealthFocus International asked American consumers if they would find it acceptable to use science and technology to produce foods and beverages if it could enhance the product in some way. 64% of respondents said that the product should be free of harmful ingredients like hormones and antibiotics; 63% said that the product should support food security by providing dependable access to cheap and wholesome food; 59% said that the product should be more ethical by using animal welfare as an example; and 58% said that the product should be more environmentally friendly and sustainable.
Assuming they can offer something to make them necessary, unrecognizable ingredients have actually become less stigmatized in recent years, according to Ms. Johnson. “They cannot simply be added to a product at random and expect people to accept them more readily. It must provide some kind of advantage or have a purpose.
According to her, interest in eating healthily has peaked.
That’s mainly because, according to Ms. Johnson, consumer demands for foods and beverages have evolved into something much more holistic in recent years.
According to a HealthFocus International survey, 52% of participants in 2022 said they read the labels on food packaging, which is a decrease from 63% in 2014 and the same percentage as in 2018. In 2022, 47% of consumers said it was very important or extremely important that products not contain artificial sweeteners, a decrease from 52% in 2018. The percentages for both the absence of artificial flavors or colors (45% in 2022 compared to 48% in 2018) and preservatives (43%) decreased from 51% in 2018 to 43% in 2022.
Additionally, according to HealthFocus International, 45% of respondents in 2022—up from 34% in 2020—said that knowing what is in a product is extremely important or very important. Knowing whether a brand supports regenerative agriculture and soil health is important or very important, according to 32% of respondents in 2022, up from 20% in 2020. In 2022, 37% of respondents indicated they would like to know the background of the brands, up from 28% in 2020.
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One Degree Organic Foods’ gluten-free sprouted Cacao Os were provided by Ms. Johnson as an illustration of how to include information on packaging that consumers want to know. Customers can discover the source of all the ingredients, including garbanzo beans, cacao, brown rice, and oat flour, by scanning the QR code on the front of the package.
“The idea is the company is not afraid to tell you where everything in their package comes from, inherently meaning that they are proud of it or at least not ashamed of it,” she said. “These specifics are not necessarily important independently, or even for what they are.”
Clean-conscience eaters might see that strategy favorably.
According to Ms. Johnson, “clean has evolved over the last 15 years from what is in a product or what isn’t in a product—like no artificials, less processed, organic, natural, pure, and recognizable—to now what a product represents.” “It includes all the same elements of clean label, plus ethical food, interpersonal relationships, brand accountability, and transparency.” Really, the transition is from clean label to clean-conscious choices.