21 Aug 2024
Fun fact: 9 out of 10 consumers read packaging information according to our Taste Tomorrow consumer research. 47% of North Americans say clean labels have at least some impact on their choices, and 34% said they would also pay more for clean label products. The rise of more conscious shopping has resulted in brands focusing on producing more clean label products, resulting in over 39% of all new food and beverage products launched in North America from 2022-2023 carrying some kind of clean label claim. But what does clean label even mean?
What is Clean Label?
While clean label doesn’t have a definitive definition and tends to vary widely, it is generally seen as using as little ingredients that consumers would perceive as unnatural and overly processed to create a transparent and easy to understand eating experience. The consciousness of product labels stems from an original movement to avoid artificial additives such as preservatives, coloring, and sweeteners during the preparation of food. However, in recent times the meaning of clean label has evolved to represent a broader group of ingredients. According to Innova reports While 26% of consumers associate clean label with no additives, 21% associate it with organic production, and 19% to non- GMO ingredients.
Why is it Important to Offer Clean Label Products?
More than 1 in 5 consumers in North America tackle healthy eating by avoiding additives and preservatives as much as possible, creating a core demand for clean label products. On top of that 46% of consumers prefer healthier options and not to compromise on consumptions or occasions. At Puratos, we take pride in understanding consumer preferences and incorporating them into our innovations. More and more consumers want to reduce ingredients perceived as undesirable such as additives, artificial colors, and flavors. Puratos offers clean and clean(er) label alternatives allowing for a shorter, clearer and cleaner ingredient list of the finished products.
Puratos Clean(er) Label Commitment in Sweet Goods and Bakery
In order to commit to the growing consumer audience, Puratos is evolving to expand clean label offerings in sweet goods and bakery. Spanning across the entire range of sweet good and bakery products, from mixes and fruit fillings, to bread improvers and softgrains, ingredient lists are being shortened and more transparent. The clean(er) label evolution at Puratos isn’t just about going full clean label by removing all additives. It is a journey of benefits and compromises depending on the function of each additive, the finished good type, and logistics. Every ingredient has its reason to be, leading our team to rework, reduce, and align where possible, so there is no compromise on taste, texture, safety, and overall functionality.
Why Are Additives Used in Sweet Goods products?
According to Taste Tomorrow surveys over the course of years, customers and consumers have been asking for products with an increased quality, especially requesting higher volume, lighter density, or softer and more moist texture. On top of that more convenience is desired, with customers wanting an increased shelf life. To achieve those requirements, the usage of additives has become increasingly more common. This increased use of additives has led consumers to generally perceive all sweet goods as ultra-processed. According to a 2024 Innova survey, when asked which categories they associate most and least with ultra-processed foods, consumers identified cakes, pastries, sweet goods, and sugar confectionery as the most ultra-processed.
Why Are Additives Used in Bakery Products?
Similarly to sweet goods, consumers preferences have been growing and evolving to expect more out of products. This pushes bakery producers to often use improvers to help create a higher quality, more consistent, and longer shelf stable finished good. Where bakery stands out from patisserie, is how the process of baking bread is dependent on many outstanding factors. Just to name a few, the type and origin of the flour, weather conditions, and Ph balance all play a large role in the final outcome of bread, causing bakers to heavily rely on additives to create a consistent product.
What types of additives are common and how are they used?
- Baking Powders (sodium bicarbonate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, mono calcium pyrophosphate) Increase volume and improve the shape of finished goods.
- Emulsifiers (mono and di-glycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate) Help achieve a good oil emulsification in the batter and reduce the starch crystallization while baking.
- Modified Starches and hydrocolloids (guar gum, xanthan gum, cellulose gum) Control batter viscosity, carry inclusions, and obtain cakes with a moist texture.
- Humectants (glycerol, sorbitol, propylene glycol) Reduce the water activity of the finished goods thus preventing microorganisms from growing and spoiling finished goods.
- Preservatives (potassium and calcium sorbate) Prevent microorganisms from growing and spoiling finished goods.
What is Whole Foods Compliant?
Several cleaner label products carry the Whole Foods Compliant claim; what does that mean? The health focused grocery store holds one of the strictest no-no lists, banning over 300 ingredients from food they sell, spanning from colors, preservatives, sweeteners, hydrogenated fats, high fructose corn syrup, and aspartame.
Puratos Cleaner Label No No List
With the help of our R&D team, Puratos has developed it’s own no-no list in our efforts to provide customers and consumers with better-for-you, clean(er) label products.
- Bleached Flour
- Artificial Preservatives
- Artificial Flavors or Colors
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Partially Hydrogenated Oils
- Titanium Dioxide
- Trans Fat
