Expect to see more firms use ‘Simply’ instead of ‘all-natural’ this year

No conference on innovation would be complete without a session on what makes consumers tick, and Catherine Adams Hutt, PhD, RD, from Sloan Trends, gave delegates their money’s worth with a data-packed presentation focusing on clean label trends.

Some highlights:

• Younger consumers look for different cues vs boomers when it comes to ‘clean’ labels, responding well to all-natural, organic, free-range, hormone-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and shorter ingredients lists; while older consumers are more engaged by whole grains, no added sugar, no HFCS and low sodium claims. However, ‘no artificial’ claims appeal to all age groups.
• Expect to see more firms use ‘Simply’ instead of ‘all-natural’ this year. ‘Real’ is also gaining traction.
• The gluten-free trend is “not as valid as it seems on paper​”, given that “many consumers are just buying products they like anyway, and they happen to have a gluten-free claim”.  ​In other words, the size of the US gluten-free retail market (valued by Mintel at more than $10bn) may be somewhat inflated, she said.