The clean eating impact

Health-conscious consumers are hungry for product information. They want to know what they’re eating and how it was made. And they’re looking to packaging for the answers.

Make no mistake. The clean eating trend is here to stay with consumers increasingly looking to eat as healthily as possible. A survey by flavour specialist FONA in 2017 found that 59% of dieticians believe consumers are choosing to eat cleaner, fresher and less processed foods. This means they are willing to conduct more research before buying a product and are studying packaging information more thoroughly. When shopping for clean products, consumers often have a clear set of priorities. The key consideration is product information. Here, 54% of consumers are looking for and choosing food or drinks with ingredients they can recognise, according to FONA. This is often to eliminate unwanted substances, such as gluten, sodium or sugar. In fact, 50% of consumers actively search for products with low sugar. 70% are attracted by the claim of ‘no added sugar’.

The feeling of transparency

This increased consumer awareness comes at a time when new technology is making it easier than ever to access production information, which in turn is placing greater expectations on food and beverage producers. A survey by Label Insight found that 94% of consumers believe it’s important for manufacturers to be transparent about what’s in their food and how it’s made. Furthermore, 67% think it’s a company’s responsibility to provide complete product information. Though challenging, these new consumer demands present new opportunities for producers. Label Insight also found that 75% of consumers currently don’t trust the accuracy of food labels. 35% admit to being confused about what these labels mean. Producers who provide more detailed and easy-to-understand product information can, therefore, gain a competitive edge. In fact, more than a third of consumers surveyed by Label Insight said they are willing to switch brands for better product information. This willingness to change correlates with an openness to new brand channels as 37% were nearly twice as likely to value access to this information through digital labels.

Enter the connected pack

To meet this demand for transparency and a willingness to use digital channels, SIG offers a range of Connected Pack solutions. These use new digital technologies and unique track-and-trace solutions so producers can offer fully connected and traceable products. This means every single pack and its contents can be connected to an individual data set, comprising detailed information on production, raw materials and even chemical results of quality lab testing. Consumers can access all of this by scanning a simple on-pack QR code with their smartphone. This ensures a whole new level of transparency that caters to clean eating demands. Want to know more about digital marketing possibilities or optimising the supply chain through data? Contact us now or read more about our Connected Pack solutions.