Clean Label: how the natural products trend is transforming the industry

After the trend of Plant-Based products, that is, those made from plants, another strong trend has been emerging in the global food and beverage market.

These are Clean Label products, or “Free Label”, a trend that involves the manufacture of food and beverage products with as many natural ingredients as possible, restricting the use of preservatives, sweeteners, colorings, texturizers, flavorings and other components. artificial substances found in the food production industry.

The trend arises from changes in the population’s habits and their desire to reduce the consumption of processed or ultra-processed products, which require a greater quantity of chemicals for their conservation. A survey carried out by Innova Market Insights reveals that in Latin America, 45% of Brazilians seek to reduce the presence of artificial ingredients in their food. Furthermore, another survey by the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Fiesp), still in 2018, showed that 71% of Brazilians said they were willing to pay more for these types of products.

Knowing that this is a growing trend and that its consumers are looking for Clean Label products, shall we learn more about it in today’s content?

Read also: 10 packaging technologies for food industries

Is Clean Label just about natural products?

The Clean Label movement emerged simultaneously in Europe and the United States, driven by consumers’ search for more natural and sustainable foods, as well as a more informed diet.

But it is not restricted only to the requirement for a correct description of the list of ingredients and inputs present in the products. The movement also demands greater transparency in relation to production chains, aiming for more conscious and responsible consumption.

This transparency also involves the traceability of the entire manufacturing process, to know whether the production of that merchandise had, directly or indirectly, any type of relationship with harmful practices that violate rights, such as deforestation, labor exploitation, animal abuse, environmental pollution, among others.

How to define when a product is Clean Label?

Brazil does not yet have specific legislation on Clean Label, but, since 2022, several nutritional labeling rules on food and beverages have been updated by ANVISA (National Health Surveillance Agency), which aim to require greater transparency in the packaging of products made available for the public consumption.

One of them concerns the identification of products that have a high content of added sugars, saturated fats and sodium, for example.

In the United States, where the regulation of what is actually Clean Label is already more advanced, the rules take into account guidelines such as:

• Natural ingredients: ingredients must be natural and without the addition of artificial substances.
• Reduced processing: products must be minimally processed.
• Short and easy to understand list of ingredients: the list of ingredients must be short and easy to understand by the general public.

Read also: How to avoid bottlenecks in the food industry in the packaging process

How can packaging help a product to be Clean Label?

We have already talked several times about various modern food packaging and packaging technologies that make the process more sustainable, and that also help to ensure better product conservation during the storage, transport and distribution processes.

But with no doubt, one of the most important for the adoption of trends such as Clean Label is Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP).

With the forming tube, an optional accessory available on automatic packaging machines adapted for injecting inert gas into the package, it is possible to inject harmless nitrogen gas or some mix of gases to expel oxygen immediately before sealing, preserving the food.

After the gases are introduced into the packaging, it is hermetically sealed, keeping the atmosphere stable and offering a prolonged shelf life.

Therefore, products preserved in packaging like these ensure that their physical-chemical, nutritional and sensory characteristics are preserved for longer, avoiding the need for so many artificial components.

Furthermore, technologies for monitoring and traceability present in packaging guarantee the necessary transparency so that consumers can understand the manufacturing process in more depth, from the beginning to the end of the chain.

Read also: Laminated packaging for food: learn about the types and their applications

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