Are you looking for the word “natural” in the foods you buy? Nowadays, many do. Consumer demand is pushing retailers to place more “natural” products on the shelves of their stores.
Products that were once only available at health food stores or specialist retail outlets (such as Sprouts Farmers Market, Whole Foods or Natural Grocers) are now available in traditional supermarkets.
Natural label promotes sales
The International Food Information Council (IFIC) conducts annual consumer surveys on a variety of topics, including how different information on the label affects their buying behavior. According to the 2019 Food & Health Survey, more than 1/3 of consumers opted for a particular product because the product was labeled “natural”. This concept turned out to be more significant than “organic product” or “non-GMO product”.
Words have a powerful effect on behavior. Not only are consumers much more likely to buy a product with a “natural” label, they also attribute to this product a wide range of additional characteristics. IFIC asked consumers what, in their opinion, is more likely to bring greater benefits to their health: a product with the label "all natural" or the same product without a label? Amazingly, 70% of consumers surveyed chose the first answer.
It is easy to understand why consumers think that all natural products are healthier. Every day we see news about pesticides in our food and drinking water pollution. We are surrounded by chemicals and highly processed products (containing many artificial and synthetic ingredients). We worry about the health and safety of our children and want to change something in this situation. Eliminating artificial ingredients and synthetic preservatives and dyes seems to some people a good way to start.