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Food Formulation Trends: Ingredients Consumers Avoid, 2nd Edition
A host of consumers are avoiding certain foods and food ingredients for several reasons. For some, avoidance is the result of having allergies and/or intolerances to specific foods or food ingredients. For others, it is a broader desire to avoid ingredients they consider as detrimental in some way to their health and well-being. In addition, there are consumers who choose to be avoiders of some foods or ingredients out of humanitarian, environmental and/or religious concerns. The products that find favor with these consumers as a whole have, to a large degree, become identified by the food industry and the media, as well as by many of the consumers themselves, as “free from” foods.
Food Formulation Trends & Opportunities
The term covers a wide range of foods and beverages. To begin with, it includes products that are absent the eight most common food allergens: wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish, and shellfish. It also includes products that are identified as one or more of the following: “Certified Organic”, “Non-GMO Verified”, “Gluten-Free”, “No Antibiotics Ever”, “No Artificial Preservatives”, “Cage-Free”, “Grass Fed”, etc. And, of course, there are products that bear more traditional “free from” labels such as “Fat Free”, “No Sodium”, and “No Sugar Added.”
Packaged Facts’ report Food Formulation Trends: Ingredients Consumers Avoid, 2nd Edition looks at the current state of food and ingredient avoidance in the U.S. It covers consumer attitudes and action. It also reviews some of the specific ingredients that consumers avoid because of a variety of health and wellness reasons, as well as some food production processes and packaging materials that many consumers choose to avoid.
In addition, the report looks at recent efforts by government and industry to deal with consumer “free from” demands in such as areas as the labeling of foods with genetically modified ingredients, the humane treatment of animals, and the use of antibiotics for non-medical purposes. The report also examines several of the products recently launched by marketers eager to top the “free from” trend.
Report Scope & Methodology
Data sources consulted and used for Food Formulation Trends: Ingredients Consumers Avoid, 2nd Edition include public information provided by food producers, retailers, and foodservice operators in a broad range of categories from baked goods to meat and poultry, as well as the trade associations representing these categories, such as the Grocery Manufacturers Association. In addition, data from consumer organizations engaged in various movements related to ingredient avoidance, such as the Celiac Disease Foundation was used along with information from government agencies including the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.
Packaged Facts also draws on a proprietary Packaged Facts National Consumer Survey, conducted in November 2015, with a sample size of 2,000 U.S. adults age 18+. The sample composition is representative of the national population by gender, age bracket, geographic region, race/ethnicity, household income bracket, and presence of children in the household. In addition, the report draws on data from the Experian Marketing Services, Summer 2015 Simmons NCS Adult Study 12-Month. Further, the report uses, with permission, the Food and Health Survey 2015 of the International Food Information Council Foundation.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Ingredients Consumers Avoid: Sweeteners
Table | Consumers Cutting Back on Foods Higher in Added Sugars, 2014-2015
Ingredients Consumers Avoid: Sodium
Table | Consumers Cutting Back on Foods Higher in Salt, 2014-2015
The "Free From" Environment
Health and Well Being
Consumers Shift to Health Over Diet
Table | Foods and Ingredients Avoided, 2015 (percent of U.S. adults)
The Non-Avoiders
Table | Prefer Hearing What To Eat Over What To Avoid, 2013 vs. 2015
What Consumers Are Avoiding
Thinking About Ingredients
Table | "Over the past year, how much thought have you given to the ingredients in your foods and beverages?
Homemaker Want to Know About Ingredients
Table | Demographic Indicators for Agreement with Health Attitude Statements, 2015 (index in relation to U.S
Demographic Groups Avoiding Artificial Ingredients
Table | Demographic Indicators for Agreement with Food Attitude Statements, 2015 (index in relation to U.S.
Women Top Men as Free-From Consumers
Table | Demographic Indicators for Types of "Free From" Foods Bought When Watching Diet, 2015 (index in rela
Food Avoidance Motivates Diet Watchers
Table | Demographic Indicators by Reasons for Watching Diet, 2015 (index in relation to U.S. adults overall)
Consumers Willing to Pay for Better Health
Table | Attitudes About Health, 2011-2015 (percent of U.S. adults)
Table | Demographic Indicators for Agreement with Health Attitude Statements, 2015 (index in relation to U.S
Seniors Care Most About Nutritional Value
Table | Demographic Indicators for Agreement with Food Attitude Statements, 2015 (index in relation to U.S.
Shifts in Consumer Approach to Health and Diet
Table | Households Using Sugar Substitutes, Low Fat/Fat Free, and Organic Foods, 2011-2015 (percent of U.S.
More Diet Watchers
Table | Reasons for Watching Diet, 2011-2015 (percent of U.S. adults)
Table | Types of Foods Bought When Watching Diet, 2011-2015 (percent of U.S. adults)
Attitudes About Food Trending Toward Health
Table | Attitudes and Opinions About Food, 2011-2015 (percent of U.S. adults)
Fear of Unsafe Foods Drives Change
Consumers Hold Manufacturers Responsible for Food Safety
Table | Opinions About Role of Private Sector/Government in Food Safety, 2015 percent of U.S. adults)
New Diet Guidelines Touch on Avoidance
Vegetarian Guidelines Included
Table | Healthy Vegetarian Eating Pattern from Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020
The Information Revolution
Consumers Confident About Finding Information
Table | Consumer Confidence Regarding Food Information Sources "If there was something I wanted to know abou
Information Sought on Panels
Table | Information Consumers Seek on Nutrition Facts Panel in Order Presented on Panels, 2015 (percent of U
Seeking Safer Foods as Avoidance Measure
Confidence in Food Safety
Table | Consumers Confidence in Food Safety, 2013-2015
Key Food/Ingredient Categories: Fat
Consumers Awareness of Fats and Oils
Cutting Back on Fat
Table | Consumers Cutting Back on Foods Higher in Solid Fats, 2014-2015
Table | Consumers Cutting Back on Full Fat Dairy and Replace with A Low- or No-Fat Alternative, 2014-2015
Reversal on Fat
Processed Meats Still Given Thumbs Down by Nutritionists
Table | Percent of Menu Appearances by Meat Type, 2015
Key Food/Ingredient Categories: Sweeteners
Artificial Sweeteners
Opinions Vary on Relative Importance of Low Calorie Sweeteners
Table | Consumers Low-Calorie Sweetener Opinions: "To what extent do you agree or disagree with the followin
Sweeteners and New Dietary Guidelines
Almost 70% of Consumers Cutting Back on Added Sugar
Table | Consumers Cutting Back on Foods Higher in Added Sugars, 2014-2015
Nearly Three-Fourths Concerned About Their Sugar Consumption
Table | Concerns Over Amounts Versus Types of Sugars and Carbohydrates Consumed
Uncertainty About Sugar Increases
Table | Attitudes Regarding Sugar in Healthy Diets
Key Food/Ingredient Categories: Sodium
Salt and Health
Current Consumption Generally Too High
Table | Daily Sodium Goals for Age-Sex Groups Based on Dietary Reference Intakes and Dietary Guidelines Reco
Avoiding Salt in Food
Table | Consumers Comparing Sodium in Foods Like Soup, Bread, and Frozen Meals, and Choosing The Foods With
Salt Content a Significant Consideration for Majority of Consumers
Table | Consumers Cutting Back on Foods Higher in Salt, 2014-2015
Key Food/Ingredient Categories: Agricultural Production
Avoiding GMOs
Divisions on Non-GMO Purchasing
Table | Avoidance of GMO Grocery Products, 2013 vs. 2015 (percent of U.S. adults)
Questioning Agricultural Product Safety
Table | Concern About Meat/Poultry Safety and GMOs, 2015 (percent of U.S. adults)
Specific Plant Protein Use Highest for Consumers Age 25 to 39
Table | % U.S. Adult Consumers Purchasing or Consuming Various Protein Sources, Past 30 Days
Other Food/Ingredient Avoidance Categories
Foods Consumers Avoid
Sweet Baked Goods
Table | Demographic Indicators for Agreement with Statement: "I am cutting back on sweet baked goods," 2015
Salty Snacks
Table | Demographic Indicators for Agreement with Statement: "I am cutting back on salty snacks," 2015 perce
Meat
Table | Demographic Indicators for Agreement with Statement: "I avoid meat," 2015 (percent of U.S. adults)
Calories
Table | Consumers Cutting Calories by Drinking Water, Low and No Calories Beverages, 2014-2015
Table | Consumers Choosing Smaller Portions, 2014-2015
Table | Consumers Balancing Calories to Manage Weight, 2014-2015
Caffeine Awareness Is Mixed Bag
Table | Consumers Caffeine Awareness: "I know the amount of caffeine that is in the foods and beverages I co
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