Consumer assurance: Creating cleaner label products

With 60% of the consumers in the US associating ‘clean’ claims on products with greater ‘healthfulness’ of the products, as well as lower environmental impact, it’s no wonder that there’s been an increase in consumer focus not only on the ingredients listed on product labels, but also on those that food producers prefer not to mention…

From pesticides and heavy metals to plasticisers in food, there’s a lot to consider when building or reformulating a sustainable or ‘clean’ brand of food product.

Over the years there has been steady growth in the number of consumers concerned about chemical contaminants in their food.

Although pesticides, heavy metals, additives, colourants and other ‘nasties’ are all necessary to some extent, it is the over-utilisation thereof that is cause for concern as this may lead to long-term effects on food safety and health.

Most food safety systems revolve around the prevention of microbial and allergen contamination, as this poses the most immediate risk to consumer safety. This is generally monitored through process-based audits, which cost a fortune to comply with and implement.

Where regulations on the testing of these contaminants are lacking, why would a company want to take on the added testing burden of ensuring their products are free from harmful levels of contaminants?

There are two main reasons:

1. To ensure consumer safety in the long term, and protect the brand of the company.
2. To gain a competitive edge in the marketplace by implementing procedures and programmes that result in a more environmentally sustainable and ‘cleaner’ product.

There are several approaches companies take to try to limit the presence of contaminants. The first is to develop a more proactive approach to dealing with suppliers, by using more stringent product specifications. This can be followed by supplier audits, with more focus on the purity of the ingredients and not just the processes followed.

Another way that companies can work towards creating consumer assurance could be by developing testing schedules that consider the contaminants that their consumers may be concerned about, not only by testing final products but also exercising due diligence by testing products from their suppliers.

Progressive companies recognise that by putting some of the above in place, they will align their companies with values consumers care about, with their added focus on long-term food safety.

FACTS’ sweet spot is assisting clients with development of testing schedules and consumer assurance programmes to fit their need to move towards a more sustainable future. As with most things in life, it is what’s inside that counts. Contact us for more information