Natural/Clean Label

Sorting It All Out

Even with no legal definition in the U.S., the term “natural” is a designation consumers like to see on food product packages to make them feel good about the items they purchase. In a 2010 consumer survey sponsored by Datamonitor, 72% of respondents felt more favorable about grocery products claiming to be “natural.”

A “clean label” declaration usually involves the removal of both natural and artificial additives (known as E-numbers in Europe). A “clean label” is a simplified ingredient list food manufacturers use to make their items more appealing to consumers—who may rightly or wrongly think that fewer ingredients mean healthier products.

In spite of the gray areas, these trends confirm that consumers are making a real effort to avoid artificial and overly processed foods.