James Smart, Strategic Insight & Planning, Bord Bia – Irish Food Board
The rise of the ‘you are what you eat’ mentality amongst consumers has led to an increase in demand for ‘Food Minus’ and ‘Food Plus’ products (GlobalData, 2017).
The term ‘Food Minus’ refers to products that are produced without certain ingredients. Examples of such foods include gluten free and dairy free products. Such products have come to dominate the food market with a quarter of new products launched in 2017-2018 being gluten free. In fact, 68% of global consumers find the concept of a product formulated with the lowest number of ingredients possible appealing (GlobalData, 2019).
The term ‘Food Plus’ refers to products that are produced with added functionality. This added functionality usually refers to vitamins and minerals that are added to products to provide consumers with “lifestyle benefits such as mood enhancement, energy boosts, feeling fuller for longer, or enhancing brain abilities such as memory or focus”. The popularity of such products stems from about 2/3’s (64%) of consumers agreeing with the statement that food and drink can provide the same or better health benefits as vitamin or mineral supplements (GlobalData, 2017).
The rise of ‘Food Plus’ and ‘Food Minus’ products amongst consumers reflects the popularity of Health and Wellbeing as one Bord Bia’s consumer lifestyle trends. The growing digital connectivity between consumers is making them more aware of ingredients and their impact on nutrition. As a result there has been a demand for Irish food and beverage manufacturers to engineer goodness by rediscovering natural ingredients (Bord Bia, 2019) The pressure to provide consumers with great food with natural ingredients stems from the fact that 37% of people tend to avoid products if they contain unrecognisable ingredients (Bord Bia, 2019- What does clean mean?).
When considering adding or subtracting ingredients from products, Irish food producers must be cautious that they do not alter the taste or texture of their product. While ‘Food Plus’ and ‘Food Minus’ attributes incentivise people to purchase certain foods, consumers still rank taste and consistency as the main drivers for their purchases For example, Trix decided to stop using artificial coloring in its cereals in favor of all-natural ingredients such as radishes, purple carrots, and turmeric. However, people complained that the cereal tasted like salad which ultimately forced the brand to revert back to its previous recipe (Mintel).
A simple way Irish producers can capitalise on the ‘Food Plus’ and ‘Food Minus’ trends without drastically altering their recipes is clean labeling. 41% of consumers say they are confident they can tell a food is healthy by looking at the label. Thus, it is crucial for Irish food and beverage manufacturers to highlight the true health benefits of their products. Below are some tips from a Bord Bia insight session on how your organisation can achieve clean labeling.
Always be ”Insta”-clean – Use social media to demonstrate transparency and easily explain your brand
Build ingredient power – Make ingredients visible on packaging and highlight ingredients of general interest
Crack the semiotic code for clean – Observe other brands to see how they communicate clean through colors, symbols, imagery, and language
Develop for Tech Transparency – Use technology to communicate information about your product and its ingredients
Embrace the challenge – Commit your brand to going clean and stick with it!
Fix those weasel words – Simplify your ingredient list and avoid “ites”, “ates” and “x’s”
(Bord Bia, 2019)
By evaluating your portfolio and utilising the acronym above your company will be able to successfully and honestly respond to consumers’ demands for healthier and natural foods.
Sources:
Buech, Julia. The Future of Clean Label. Retrieved from Mintel
Bord Bia. (2019). Health and Wellbeing. Retrieved from https://www.bordbiaconsumerlifestyletrends.ie/trends/health-wellbeing/
Bord Bia. (2019). What does clean mean? Retrieved from
Felgate, Melanie. (2019). Ingredient Insights: Free From- Responding to growing demand for food and drink products free from gluten or dairy allergens. Retrieved from www.globaldata.com
GlobalData. (2017). Trendsights Analysis: Added Functionality- Exploring consumers’ search for new experiences and efficacy provided by new technology. Retrieved from www.globaldata.com