Clean labels on the rise

No longer just a trend, clean labeling is quickly becoming a standard within the food industry, stated Innova Market Insights, Arnhem, the Netherlands. In 2014, 20 percent of new U.S. products tracked by the company featured clean-label positioning, up from 17 percent in 2013.

Innova also tracked a significant rise in the use of clean-label ingredients. For example, the company noted a growing interest in natural sweeteners such as stevia and monk fruit; natural colors such as those based on spirulina, elderberry and beetroot; and natural thickeners such as tragacanth and gellan gums.

Since consumers are demanding shorter and more recognizable ingredients lists, manufacturers are responding by increasingly highlighting the naturalness and origins of their products, Innova Market Insights said. However, consumers are increasingly concerned over the lack of a definition of “natural.” Therefore, consumers, retailers and regulators are all driving the demand for more clarity, specificity and transparency in food labeling, or "clear" labeling.

“This demand for clean labeling has now brought the need for clear labeling equally to the fore, resulting in a move to clearer and simpler claims and packaging for maximum transparency," said Lu Ann Williams, director of innovation, Innova Market Insights, "and necessitating an industry response in terms of reformulation and new communication strategies.”.

Innova Market Insights identified “From Clean to Clear Label” as the No. 1 trend of their top 10 trends for 2015, indicating that it is no longer a niche area for the food and beverage industry.