International Delight’s Simply Pure, owned by Danone’s WhiteWave Foods, Broomfield, Colo., added a new flavor, Sweet & Creamy, to its clean-label coffee creamer line.
Milk is clean, but what about those other ingredients in yogurt or ice cream? Is there such a thing as a clean-label nut, chocolate or inclusion? We asked a few experts.
Moviegoers don’t flock to the latest installment of their favorite superhero franchise for deep musings on the human condition. By that same token, consumers don’t dive into salted-toffee truffle sundaes to jumpstart their diets. They do it because it’s fun.
Certain ingredients allow ice cream to travel farther and recover from heat shock. But that doesn’t matter to the label-reading consumer. Here are some strategies for ice cream manufacturers to deliver a cleaner label.
Consumer interest in clean labels (that is, the use of ingredients perceived to occur naturally in foods) has created a challenge to ice cream formulators.
Dairy processors need to keep an eye on their clean label and clear label practices. These are global trends, according to Innova Market Insights, a research firm based in Arnhem, The Netherlands.
Clean-label formulation can’t come at the expense of functionality. Those in the R&D lab need to consider the ramifications of swapping out traditional ingredients for alternatives.
If you were hoping that this clean label thing would have blown over by now, you can keep hoping. Or just throw in the towel and accept it. Market researchers Innova found that in the dairy sector, items with one or more clean-label claims accounted for 49% of 2016’s launches to date, up from 41% in 2015. Innova counted claims related to natural, organic, non-GMO or no-preservatives/additives.
As more dairy processors are answering the call for cleaner labels, retailers are adding more shelf space for such foods and beverages. Also, consumers are increasing their purchases of organic products.
The clean label trend (which is dominating the conversation in the food industry) isn’t so much a trend anymore, but a “movement.” This is a common thing I’m hearing when talking to dairy processors and suppliers lately. With consumers making it very clear what it is they want, more food manufacturers are recognizing this movement and are answering the call with new product innovation, more transparency about what they use, changing the ingredients, or in some cases, all of these things.