According to new data from Innova Market Insights, getting back to basics with food is a dominant industry trend, with the use of simple, wholesome ingredients with minimal processing as a goal of food manufacturers. The company’s data says the marketing of new products with the following statements is growing in popularity:
- like grandma made
- from the cupboard
- home made
- homestyle
- natural
- preservative-free
The trend toward simpler, cleaner ingredient labels bodes well for food products using honey, an all-natural sweetener that is labeled simply as “honey.” Honey’s familiarity, taste and functionality make it the ideal sweetener in a variety of foods, ranging from candy and salted snacks to yogurt and bakery foods.
“The simplicity trend creates a new challenge for the ingredients industry, as manufacturer’s look to shorten the length of ingredient labels.” Lu Ann Williams, Innova Market Insights’ Head of Research, says.
Other key facts presented by Innova include:
- Use of the words “pure,” “purity” or “purely” in products grew from 3,013 in 2008 to 5,705 in 2009.
- There were 2,137 new US products marketed as “natural” or “preservative free” in the first four months of 2010, up slightly from the corresponding period in 2009, and dramatically up from the 1,155 recorded in the same period in 2008.
For more information on cleaning up your ingredient label by incorporating honey into your products, please contact the National Honey Board.
National Honey Board