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At an Oct. 28 Food Dive event, food industry speakers discussed how brands can respond to interest in clean-label foods as concern about ultraprocessed foods grows. Innova Market Insights research cited at the event suggests some consumers avoiding ultraprocessed foods focus on ingredients rather than processing methods, while reformulation must retain product quality and manage costs.
Food industry speakers at an Oct. 28 Food Dive event said brands responding to demand for clean-label foods face a challenge: consumers may judge products by familiar ingredients even when they say they are concerned about food processing. The speakers said reformulation also has to preserve taste, texture and affordability, rather than simply shorten ingredient lists.
Mimi Bonnett, senior director of insights at Innova Market Insights, said the company’s research finds consumers associate clean labels with natural ingredients and with claims such as no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. She said they may look for ingredients they recognize or can pronounce, rather than apply a consistent definition of “clean label.”
Bonnett said one in five consumers who avoid ultraprocessed foods, in Innova’s research, are avoiding particular ingredients rather than processing methods. The source material does not provide the study’s sample size or field dates, so the finding should not be read as a broader measure of all consumers.
Jay Bunte, senior director for Ingredion’s global product portfolio in corn and clean-label texture solutions, said ingredients serve functions including stability, texture, shelf life and processing tolerance. Removing them without replacements can affect how a product performs or tastes. He said ingredient count alone is a poor measure of how clean a food is, and that the type of ingredient matters.
Reformulation Beyond Ingredient Counts
The distinction matters for food makers because consumers can use “clean label” and “ultraprocessed” as if they mean the same thing, though they describe different concerns. Bonnett said shoppers may use ingredient familiarity to judge both. That can leave companies uncertain whether to change a product’s ingredient list, processing method, or the way they explain it.
Reformulation can affect the product people actually buy. Bunte said texture is often an early casualty of clean-label changes, while taste must remain consistent with consumer expectations. Products high in protein and fiber can be difficult to formulate without a gritty, chalky or dense texture, he said. For brands, those trade-offs shape whether a reformulated product meets consumer expectations as well as its label goals.
Cost is another constraint for shoppers and manufacturers. Bunte described a yogurt example in which a clean-label texturizer helped a customer rely less on expensive dairy fat, reducing the overall cost of reformulation. The example was offered by Ingredion’s representative; the event material does not provide a product name or cost figures.
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What Shoppers Mean by Clean
The discussion took place as concern about ultraprocessed foods grows, and more companies consider claims such as “nonultraprocessed.” The event’s central point was that consumers may interpret those claims through the ingredients they recognize, not through a detailed understanding of how food is made.
Bonnett said consumers can be more certain about what they do not want than what they do want, and described their understanding of food origins as unclear. She argued that companies can help by offering clearer ingredient information, whether or not a product is marketed as clean label.
The Food Dive report is a summary of takeaways from its Oct. 28 event on health and wellness innovation for consumer packaged-goods brands. It says a replay is available on demand; the supplied material does not identify the year of the event.
“Fundamentally [consumers] are equating clean label with nothing that they don’t recognize.”
— Mimi Bonnett, senior director of insights at Innova Market Insights
Limits of the Consumer Research
The event material does not give the sample size, survey dates or methodology behind Innova’s findings, including the one-in-five figure. It is not clear how those results vary by country, age group or product category.
There is also no single definition of “clean label” in the supplied report, and the speakers’ comments describe consumer perceptions rather than a regulatory standard. The report does not establish that all consumers who avoid ultraprocessed foods are responding to ingredient labels, or that a particular formulation will improve health outcomes.
The yogurt example does not include a named company, product, price comparison or quantified savings. The broader cost and performance effects of clean-label reformulation will depend on the product and its ingredients.
Brands Face Formulation Trade-Offs
Food companies considering clean-label or “nonultraprocessed” claims will need to decide which changes address their customers’ concerns and explain ingredients in ways shoppers can understand. The speakers’ comments point to a practical test: whether a replacement ingredient can perform the original ingredient’s job without undermining taste, texture, shelf life or price.
Food Dive says viewers can watch the event replay on demand. The supplied report does not announce a specific policy change, product launch or follow-up study, so the next developments for individual companies remain unknown.
Key Questions
What was the development reported?
Food Dive reported takeaways from an Oct. 28 event where industry speakers discussed consumer perceptions of clean labels and the challenges of reformulating foods.
Do consumers use “clean label” and “ultraprocessed” to mean the same thing?
Bonnett said consumers may evaluate both through ingredient familiarity, even though the terms relate to different concerns. The report describes this as a consumer-perception challenge, not a formal definition.
What did Innova’s research find about people avoiding ultraprocessed foods?
Bonnett said one in five consumers who avoid ultraprocessed foods in the research were avoiding certain ingredients, not necessarily processing methods. The supplied report does not state the study’s sample size or dates.
Why can’t food makers simply remove ingredients?
Bunte said ingredients can provide stability, texture, shelf life and processing tolerance. Removing them without suitable replacements may affect a product’s eating experience or performance.
Does a shorter ingredient list prove a food is cleaner?
No such conclusion is established by the report. Bunte said fewer ingredients can signal simplicity, but ingredient count alone is a poor measure; the type and function of ingredients also matter.
Source: fooddive.com
