It was former US President Harry S. Truman who said “not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.”
And how about those consumers reading food and beverage product labels? Might they be leading the next wave of new product development? The post-Pandemic world we're segueing into finds consumers’ existential stresses receding. Yet after several years of at-home eating, more consumers are understandably focused on health as well as product nutrition labels.
The International Food Information Council’s 2021 Food & Health Survey of more than 1,000 consumers (ages 18-80) found that more than 50% of Americans consider foodborne illness from food a top food safety concern, including 26% who say it is issue No. 1. Nearly 50% also consider carcinogens and chemicals found in food a top issue, with chemicals slightly edging out carcinogens for the prime spot.
According to IFIC, last year also revealed a dramatic increase in familiarity with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, with the percent of consumers knowing at least a fair amount nearly doubling from 23% in 2010 to 41% in 2020. Perhaps boosted by the late-2020 release of the 2020-2025 edition of the Guidelines, the number continues to rise, with 46% now saying the same in 2021.
Twenty-five percent of consumers say that the Total Sugars information on the Carbohydrates portion of Nutrition Facts labels has the biggest influence on their purchases. Twenty-one percent say the same about Total Carbohydrates information, and only 13% say this about Added Sugars. Overall, the number of Americans limiting or avoiding sugars in their diet has remained stable (72%) since 2020 but remains down vs. 2019's 80%.
Food and beverage product development has always been a matter of combining taste with technology, sizzle with science. What’s clear now is that consumers will continue scrutinizing product labels, and that the difference is in the details authenticated by laboratory instruments, analyzers, and services.
In this section, we offer detailed listings for suppliers of instruments, analyzers, lab tech, and services. Click below for references by company name, headquarters and website.
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