The dots don’t seem to connect: Consumers cast a dubious, untrusting eye about the legitimacy of packaged-food labels, and yet most are willing to pay more for foods and beverages that feature specific health-related claims.
According to Nielsen’s recent Global Health & Wellness study, 63 percent of global respondents, or less than two-thirds, said they trust health claims on food packages, with the percentage dipping to 56 percent in North America.
Despite these concerns, packaged-food health claims are meaningful to most North American consumers: Eighty percent indicate they will pay a premium for products that feature such claims.
Polling more than 30,000 people online in 60 countries, the study revealed that the packaged-foods industry has an obligation to step up the transparency about the contents and source of foods—providing stronger scientific support for health claims, according to Nielsen.
Meanwhile, the global sales of products featuring “natural” and “organic” claims have grown 24 percent and 28 percent, respectively, over the past two years.
GMOs (genetically modified organisms) follow high-fructose corn syrup as an ingredient to be avoided: sixty-one percent of U.S. consumers indicated that it was very or moderately important to seek labels touting GMO absence.
Read full, original article: Consumers Wary of Label Legitimacy
