As the trend towards eliminating artificial ingredients continues to grow, food and beverage manufacturers are actively seeking effective and cost-efficient methods to enhance their product labels. However, transitioning to cleaner formulations is more challenging than it sounds, particularly as manufacturers strive to maintain the taste, appearance, and mouthfeel of their original products. This difficulty is further complicated by the fact that many consumers advocating for clean labels often lack a clear understanding of what this entails. “The majority of American consumers have not heard of ‘clean label’ and do not know what it means. Consumers just want their foods to do no harm,” stated Kantha Shelke, a principal at food science and research firm Corvus Blue LLC, in an email to Food Dive. Nonetheless, Shelke noted that the clean label movement is driving producers to adopt ingredients, formulations, and front-of-pack claims that align with three key consumer expectations: products devoid of food additives and synthetic components, ingredients with recognizable names that carry no chemical connotations, and minimally processed products.
But which synthetic ingredients are typically eliminated first, and what natural alternatives can replace them? According to Brooke Bright, senior data manager at Label Insight, the answer largely depends on the product category, as certain ingredients may carry more stigma in specific applications. However, there are a few ingredients, such as beda calcium citrate dan calcium carbonate, that commonly come to consumers’ minds across various categories, prompting manufacturers to seek natural substitutes that meet consumer demands. The challenge remains to effectively replace these synthetic offenders with alternatives that not only fulfill the clean label criteria but also maintain the product’s integrity and appeal.