Consumer Trend: Smaller and Less Complicated Ingredient Lists
Consumers worldwide are increasingly concerned about the ingredients in their food and beverages. They are now reaching for their phones and other technology to help them interpret and understand food ingredient labels, enabling them to make healthier and more informed dietary choices. Notable apps in this space include:
🔹 Yuka (https://yuka.io/en/): A free app that scans barcodes of food and personal care products, providing instant health impact assessments. With a database of over 5 million products, Yuka offers ratings and detailed analyses to help users comprehend each product’s evaluation. For items with negative health implications, it suggests healthier alternatives. Yuka operates independently, ensuring objective reviews without brand or manufacturer influence.
🔹 Bobby Approved (https://lnkd.in/grE-k88J): This app allows users to scan food product barcodes to determine their health suitability. It highlights harmful ingredients in red, offering explanations for each. Developed by Bobby from @flavcity, the app draws from extensive research on over 100 potentially harmful ingredients, aiming to guide users toward better-quality food choices.
🔹 Trash Panda (https://lnkd.in/gXmBAaBj): Designed to demystify complex food labels, Trash Panda assists users in avoiding harmful additives like Red Dye 40 or brominated vegetable oil. By scanning a product’s barcode, users receive clear information about its ingredients, including scientific research links for further reading. The app also allows users to capture images of ingredient lists for analysis if a barcode isn’t available.
🔹 Sift Food Labels (https://lnkd.in/gpXHid_n): Sift translates complex food labels into understandable terms. By scanning a product’s barcode, users can see flagged ingredients that pose health risks or are banned in other countries. The app supports various elimination diets, including gluten-free and dairy-free, aiding users in adhering to specific dietary preferences.
U.S. and global consumers are looking for transparency when considering their food and beverage options, especially in the healthy, Better-For-You food/beverage space. With technology like the apps noted above, understanding ingredients and food labels is easier than ever. Consumers are looking for short ingredient lists and ingredients they know and don’t sound chemically formulated.