Baking & Snack - April 2019 - 24

HEALTH & WELLNESS

sumers seeking fat-free, sugar-free, and less salt, carbohydrates and calories.
Version 2.0 focused on the quality of food, and this
increased the purchases of all-natural and organic foods.
But with the rise of version 3.0, consumers want details.
"This appears to reflect a growing desire among consumers to move past general claims of 'all natural' to
more specifically understand the kind of food their buying, and being free of added chemicals tops the list of
sought-after attributes," the authors stated.
Additionally, version 3.0 introduced clean label and
the tie between health and transparency, which includes
fair trade, local sourcing and non-GMO in addition to
antibiotic- and cage-free claims. "It used to be that consumer interest coalesced around a handful of on-trend
claims. Not anymore," the report noted. The authors described consumers as committed or casual supporters of
about a dozen health and wellness claims; this has increased by 20% from two years ago.
Why are consumers interested in the details? Because
health-and-wellness is increasingly less about weight
management and more about how a consumer feels.
"Consumers will say, 'I tried all these diets, and it's really
not so much about me losing weight and then eventually
putting weight back on, but it's about my energy levels,' "
Ms. Abbott explained. "It's about inflammation. It's
about digestion. It's also about food sensitivities."
While consumers are focused on specific ingredients,
diet-based snacks and baked goods provide a simpler
and faster way to buy what they want. Accurately labeling a product as being part of a diet gives consumers the
confidence to know a product is "good for them" without them having to pour over the details and figure it out
themselves. This can ultimately tell them whether they'll
feel good eating it, too. For example, The Hartman
Group discovered that consumers often use Whole30 -
a 30-day diet that highlights whole foods and eliminates
sugar, grains, legumes, soy and dairy - more to identify
food sensitivities as opposed to using it for weight loss.
This ingredient-based mindset also merges multiple diets within an individual's overall wellness plan.
"Consumers might start off the morning with protein
for a more paleo-oriented breakfast or a breakfast-like
snack. For lunch, they might want to do a holistic plantbased diet, so there's going to be more vegetables. And
then toward the evening it might be more Mediterranean
to fit the rest of the family's lifestyle," Ms. Abbott said.
Mintel's "2018 Global Food & Drink Trends: How
Did We Do?" reflected on consumers' actions and perceptions throughout the year. The firm found that they
prioritize self-care and are flexible with dieting by creating their own rules to manage their physical and emotional wellness.

24 Baking & Snack April 2019 / www.bakingandsnack.com

Are package callouts still effective?
Many consumers have read up on diets
and know what ingredients they want
to seek and avoid. This can make them
wary of the bold claims on packages -
especially when it comes to "all natural."
Only 15% of Americans trust this claim,
18% never trust it, and 67% sometimes
trust it, according to Nielsen's 2017 sustainability survey.
"This is something we've found this
last quarter that's really fascinating,"
said Melissa Abbott, vice-president,
retainer services, The Hartman Group.
"The consumer base is becoming more
suspicious of callouts. They see a callout
and think, 'They're trying to sell me
something.' "
With highlighted claims, consumers
are looking for more detailed information about the natural ingredient itself,
Ms. Abbott noted. Instead of plant-based
protein, they want to see whole plantbased protein. Instead of good fats, they
want to see good fats from grass-fed
butter or fats from avocado oil.
"[There's] a growing desire among
consumers to move past general claims
of "all natural" to more specifically
understand the kind of food they're buying," LEK Consulting management stated
in its report "Consumer Health Claims
3.0: The Next Generation of Mindful
Food Consumption." The study also said
callouts like antibiotic-free, no added
chemicals and cage-free should do well
on product packaging.
However, consumer skepticism
doesn't mean all callouts should be
changed. For example, highlighting a
specific diet using keto- or paleo-friendly
is beneficial to purchasers, especially
those who are on the prowl for products
that fall into a specific diet.
Consumers that aren't as familiar with
health and wellness need a little more
coaching. "There are consumers who
don't have the time for health research
but are on a journey to be better,"
Ms. Abbott explained. "They want to see
they're made with whole food ingredients but are really clean, too."

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Baking & Snack - April 2019

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