Consumers are shopping more for healthy alternatives in the grocery aisles and food packaging can make it easier for them. According to the 19th annual FMI survey “Shopping for Health”, consumers are becoming more informed on eating healthy and they’re reading food packaging for claims that support their health concerns.
The top health claims that attract consumers to particular food brands and products are varied. The top concern is heart health (73%) , followed closely by wanting more energy (71%), digestive health concerns (66%) and improving mind/brain function (65%). The more prominent these claims, substantiated by product ingredients, the more that consumers appear to be influenced by on -pack claims. Not that long ago, consumer surveys suggested that food and beverage product choices were being influenced more by claims of what was not in products… sugar -free, no trans or saturated fats, etc.
Food and beverage marketers need to pay particular attention to consumers responses to packaging and prominence of product claims. Most consumers indicated that they do read food labels, but that audience share has dropped from 71% in 2007 to 64% in this recent survey. Interestingly, consumers may be reading labels less, but they are buying more food products with certain label/packaging characteristics, primarily what is in the product versus what is not in the product. This proactive approach to food and nutrition is evidenced by what consumers say they are looking for on food packaging:
- Over 50% claim they are buying more whole-grain products and seek out those on-pack claims.
- Over 40% are looking for reduced/low sodium products.
- Low fat (41%) and lower/reduced/zero calories (28%) are the next most sought after claims.
- All natural is a claim that 28% of consumers are seeking, in spite of the fact that there is no established FDA definition of this claim.
- Approximately 20% of consumers indicated that they have seen front-of-pack nutrition information. Of the total survey respondents, 61% indicated that front-of-pack nutritional information would be an improvement over such information remaining on the back of packaging.
Packaging design has always been an important element in the branding and marketing of food products. These survey results help point food marketers in the right direction in terms of the packaging information that consumers are looking for when they grocery shop and where on packaging they expect to find it.