Clean Label or clean labeling, what should you know?

In another of the previous entries we talked about the growth in the market of “clean labels”, which in Spanish would be translated as “clean or simple labeling”.

These are taking force in the market to meet the demand for products made with natural ingredients and with hardly any additives.

In short, what Clean Labels aim to be is an indication of transparency and a synonym for responsible products to generate greater trust, credibility and, therefore, loyalty in consumers. In this way, we will discuss four aspects that you should know about this type of labeling.

1. There is no official regulation or certification for Clean Label. While this is true, there are organizations that provide information to meet this challenge. For example, the National Center for Technology and Food Safety reports alternatives for packaging or preserving food, as well as European legislation has a regulation on food information that must be provided on the label to the consumer.
2. Companies still have the challenge of adapting their food to this new consumer demand. It is no longer a fad, there are more and more responsible consumers, who want less plastics in the package, less additives, more natural preservation methods, less ingredients and more pure. This means a renewal in the ethics and knowledge of food companies that not all are willing to face.
3. Consumers distrust the ingredients and terms they don’t know. There are terms like “natural” or “extract of” that have greater acceptance than, in contrast, BHA or E. The latter generate more rejection. According to a survey by the Nielsen company that provides market information, 2 out of every 3 consumers are willing to pay more for foods that contain recognizable ingredients. In addition, the same report indicated that many Europeans eat a diet limited in fats, sugars and sodium, as well as 44% of Europeans surveyed have a special diet.

Consumers distrust the ingredients and terms they don’t know. 69% of consumers look at the labeling and this affects their purchase decision, according to a C + R Research study. The study also indicates that 1 in 4 consumers read the label and look for specific components.

The report also notes that Millennials are the generation that most concern about labels and are more interested in vegan, gluten-free and fair-trade products.  Generation X is more focused on ingredients and additives, and Baby Boomers base their purchase decision more on sugars and fats. Therefore, the term clean label takes more strength. More and more companies are asking us how to make their labels and products clean label.

We specialize in product labels. We analyze each product or food supplement to adapt it, depending on what it is, to the applicable regulations.