BY ALEX CLERE IN FRANKFURT, GERMANY
Food Ingredients Europe is drawing to a close here in Frankfurt, although for a show of its size it almost feels as though it could go on for another week!
On day three we’re focusing on clean label. As I said to one person earlier in the week, I defy you to find a single exhibitor in the halls of Messe Frankfurt who isn’t, in some way, either making or enabling clean-label products.
It isn’t just about natural ingredients either: consumers are still very much concerned by taste, so ensuring that characteristics such as bulk, sweetness, mouthfeel and of course flavour are retained when taking out artificial ingredients is crucial.
We know from yesterday’s FiE blog that consumers actively seek out healthy ingredient decks, so reformulating such that ingredient panels are shorter, more familiar and easier to read is a must-do.
And it reaps benefits too: yesterday I spoke with Kerry, whose research into consumer understanding of the term ‘clean label’ has shown that, in some categories, more than half of consumers are willing to trade up to more premium products if they meet the public’s clean-label expectations.
Kerry also found that most consumers don’t know or use the term ‘clean label’ – it is still industry jargon – but they do want food and drink that is healthier and more natural, so their demands are aligned with the industry’s clean-label efforts.
You can read the rest of that Kerry interview soon on FoodBev.com. If you’ve been attending FiE we’d love to hear your experiences, and have a fruitful rest of the show.
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