23 May 2023
Nowadays, consumers increasingly care about their health and overall well-being. In our Taste Tomorrow consumer survey, we have seen that smaller portions and healthy alternatives are equally preferred routes to a healthier diet. Indeed, one of the main ways that people can restrict calorie intake, after learning to avoid the highest-calorie foods, is to simply eat less. At the same time, more than ever, consumers are asking for functional foods and are screening the market for healthier and more nourishing products.
A stunning 91% of Taste Tomorrow respondents claim to read, at least occasionally, package information and base their purchase decision on it. However, finding the healthier options among the overwhelming number of products on shelves is not always an easy task and nutritional fact panels do not always help to navigate around the complexity of information. (1) For this reason, in the past years, with the aim of helping consumers in their effort to improve their diets, several Front-of-Pack schemes (FOP) have been created worldwide.
For example, the Keyhole symbol was introduced as a Front-of-Pack labelling scheme in Sweden as early as 1989 to identify nutritionally favorable options within certain product categories. Since then, many other schemes have been developed and implemented around the world. Today in about 40 countries food companies have adopted different FOP labels on a voluntary or mandatory basis. For example, the usage of Traffic Light in the UK, Nutriscore in France are highly recommended, while warning Labels in Chile are mandatory.
What does it mean for food manufacturers?
Nutrition & health claims and Front-of-Pack nutrition labels start to drive consumer purchasing behavior, as a result, became a criterion for the innovation pipeline for manufacturers. The policy objectives of FOP nutrition labelling are typically twofold: to provide additional information to consumers and help them make healthier choices; and to encourage the industry to reformulate products towards more nutritionally balanced options.
Front-of-Pack labels are mainly based on packaged food macronutrient content (carbohydrates, sugars, fats, fibers, proteins), salt content and overall energy value. By increasing the amount of “positive” ingredients such as wholegrains, seeds or fruits or decreasing the amount of ingredients such as sugar, fat or salt, food manufacturers can improve the nutritional profile of their products giving consumers a wider range of healthier options and helping them improve the quality of their diet.
Bake a difference already today!
More than ever before, consumers understand that the first wealth is health. Each bite, each snack, and each meal is an opportunity to improve people’s health and well-being. Every day, our products are used to feed hundreds of millions of people globally. Together we have an enormous potential to help people across the globe live a better life. We can help you satisfy this consumer demand and create products that support consumers’ holistic health needs.
(1) Malloy‐Weir, Leslie, and Marcia Cooper. "Health literacy, literacy, numeracy and nutrition label understanding and use: a scoping review of the literature." Journal of human nutrition and dietetics 30.3 (2017): 309-325.
