While consumers are more health-conscious than ever, less than half of them actually read labels before placing food products in their shopping carts. Marketers everywhere are now scratching their heads, because
food labels are not just an informative medium subject to ever
changing regulatory compliance rules but also a chance for brands to
boost sales. So what do food labels have to include in order to
meet consumer needs and expectations these days? According to Mintel’s
Food Packaging Trends: Spotlight on Food Labeling report, much depends on the demographic makeup of the target audience.
- Good to know: Esko’s Dynamic Content plugin enables you to quickly replace nutrition facts tables with 2018 FDA compliant tables.
Older consumers look for a list of ingredients
As
seventy percent of consumers read food labels in search of a list of ingredients, it certainly pays for brands to highlight these lists on their packaging designs and to make sure they’re adequately legible. Remarkably enough, most consumers who attach importance to a
clear list of ingredients belong to an older age group.
Millennials, by contrast, are more persuaded by
reassuring product descriptions like “
free from”, “organic”, “natural”, “with real”, …
Millennial consumers care about corporate identity
While twenty-five percent of the older consumers surveyed by Mintel found it unnecessary for food labels to mention
product or brand history, the majority of Millennials do attach importance to sustainability and knowing where their food purchases come from. They also admit to relying on
third-party certifications and seals to decide whether a brand’s values and corporate identity are in line with their own.
Food labels: cheap shoppers prioritize expiration dates
Contrary to what is usually expected from consumers who are always on the lookout for a bargain, more than half of this type of consumers
favor name brand products as they believe their expiration dates to be more reliable. Probably a little less surprising about this consumer demographic is the fact that two thirds of them feel that food labels should, of all things, feature
clearly placed and legible expiration dates.
Inspired by Packaging Digest
Related posts
