Walk through any supermarket aisle today and you will notice a significant shift in consumer behaviour. Shoppers are spending more time reviewing ingredient lists, and looking beyond front-of-pack marketing claims. As health awareness grows and access to nutritional information is more transparent, recognisable ingredients become a major factor influencing purchasing decisions.
With a health-first mindset, today's consumers want to know exactly what they're putting into their bodies. Over half of global consumers are influenced by health claims on packaging (Food Ingredients 1st). Ingredients lists and back of pack have become one of the first places shoppers look when evaluating a product.
Several factors are driving this trend:
Consumers are increasingly linking ingredient choices with long-term health outcomes, which has encouraged closer examination of product labels across food, beverage, and supplement categories.
One of the strongest trends shaping purchasing decisions is the demand for natural ingredients. While consumers may define natural differently, there is a consistent preference for products made with recognisable, familiar ingredients.
Top influential claims include:
30% of product launches now include clean claims with the most common being no additives or preservatives (Food Ingredients 1st). Simple ingredient lists often create a sense of trust. Shoppers tend to view products more favourably when they can easily understand the ingredients without needing specialist knowledge or extensive research.
Transparency and simplicity are central to a brand's proposition in the market. 58% of consumers value honesty and transparency in their products (Food Ingredients 1st) and according to NielsenIQ , the importance of transparency in product information increased from 69% in 2018 to 76% in 2023. Consumers care about knowing the ingredients in their products and they also find great value in aligning themselves with brands that matches this ethos.
What was once novel has become a mainstream expectation. Consumers increasingly view clean labels as a baseline requirement rather than a premium feature.
In many diverse food and beverage categories shoppers often compare ingredients as a key purchase driver. Almost three quarters of consumers say they reconsider purchases based on ingredient lists (Innova Market Insights). Products with shorter, more recognisable ingredient lists can benefit from stronger consumer confidence and greater perceived quality.
Clean-label development is becoming a critical factor for brands challenging competition in a crowded marketplace.
Millennial and Gen Z customers are willing to pay a premium of 20%-30% more for products with claims including natural ingredients (Ingredion)
Millennials and Gen Z consumers are more likely to scrutinise ingredient lists, research product claims, and seek foods made with natural, recognisable ingredients.
Many factors play a role in these purchase decisions, one such factor is the health-first mindset prevalent in 45% of consumers (Ingredion).
Social and traditional media have amplified conversations around nutrition, wellness, and food quality. As a result, younger shoppers are often quick to reward brands that prioritize transparency and equally quick to question products that appear overly processed or difficult to understand. According to research from SPINS, 90% of of Millennials and Gen Z consumers actively avoid specific ingredients in food, beverages, or personal care products. Artificial sweeteners or colours among some of those actively avoided.
This generation's purchasing habits are encouraging brands to communicate more openly about what goes into their products. As these consumers gain greater purchasing power, their preference for transparency and simple ingredient lists is influencing product development across the food and beverage industry as well as the beauty and wellness industry.
As consumers increasingly seek products made with simple, recognisable ingredients, manufacturers are looking for ways to replace artificial additives while maintaining flavour, colour, functionality, and product appeal. This is where our malt extracts play an important role.
Derived from malted barley and produced through a natural extraction process, malt extracts are familiar ingredients that align well with clean-label product development. Rather than relying on artificial colours or flavour, food and beverage manufacturers can use malt extract to deliver naturally occurring colour, and flavour from a single easily recognisable ingredient.
Malt extract offers several benefits that support these expectations:
For consumers who carefully evaluate ingredient lists, recognising "barley malt extract" or "roasted barley malt extract" on a label is often more familiar than artificial or processed colours and flavours with unfamiliar names.
The interest in ingredient labels is here to stay. It reflects a broader shift toward informed, values-driven purchasing. Consumers want products that align with their health goals, lifestyle preferences, and expectations for transparency.
For food and beverage manufacturers, understanding these changing habits is essential. Brands that embrace natural ingredients, simplify formulations, and communicate openly will be better positioned to meet the expectations of today's increasingly ingredient-conscious consumer.
Ultimately, the ingredient label has become more than a regulatory requirement. It is now one of the most powerful tools for building consumer trust and influencing purchase decisions.