The clean label trend: An ineffective heuristic that disserves both consumers and the food industry?

Abstract

What started around the late 2000s as the "Clean Label" (CL) trend has now become a meaningful segment of the food market, appealing to consumers who want foods made of a limited number of simple and recognizable ingredients.However, this description and tentative definitions of CL foods are vague, subject to multiple interpretations, and CL remains an informal denomination for foods, making consumers' demands and food manufacturers' offerings hardly compatible. Therefore, rather than attempting an illusory definition of CL foods, this narrative review aims to (1) show how CL appears to be a heuristic used by consumers to attempt to make safe and healthful food choices, (2) discuss how this heuristic overlooks many critical aspect of food safety and healthfulness and is consequently ineffective to guide consumers' choices, and (3) discuss the implications of the CL trend on the food chain's stakeholders and their relationships.

Motives, propensities and consistencies among Swedish consumers in relation to the food choice concept of clean eating

“…Importantly, regulating the use of clean labeling is associated with challenges (Negowetti et al , 2022), and it is not likely that misleading information on packages and websites can be eliminated (Ghaderi, 2022). Another venue for supporting consumers to identify products that are healthier is to increase nutrition literacy (Chen et al , 2022; Ghaderi, 2022). This study suggests that in the context of clean eating, there are large segments of consumers that do not value clean eating aspects, particularly the Moderately engaged and Unengaged latent classes.…”

“…However, the clean-eating concept remains undefined, although it is typically described by absence of certain ingredients and additives, "pure" and "real" food, and naturalness (Asioli et al, 2017;Grant et al, 2019;Ambwani et al, 2020). Importantly, while there is interest and demand among for clean eating among consumers, there is no scientific support for higher healthiness in such products, and the clean-eating concept may disserve consumers seeking a healthy diet (Chen et al, 2022). Targeting the discrepancy between the qualities that the consumers may seek (e.g.…”

“…With the increased interest and demand among consumers, clean eating is a concept that has gained much attention in industry and in food research, as well as in policy and regulation (Ingredion, 2014; Asioli et al , 2017; De Oliveira do Nascimento et al ., 2018; European Commission, 2019; Martínez-Zamora et al , 2021; Roobab et al , 2021; Trujillo-Mayol et al , 2021). Importantly, the clean-eating concept is not clearly defined (Asioli et al , 2017), although it is often described by terms such as naturalness, “real food”, healthiness and absence of certain ingredients and additives that are perceived as harmful (Ambwani et al , 2020; Chen et al , 2022). Despite the increased interest and demand for clean labeling, there is not scientific evidence of such products holding higher levels of healthiness (Negowetti et al , 2022).…”

“…Despite the increased interest and demand for clean labeling, there is not scientific evidence of such products holding higher levels of healthiness (Negowetti et al , 2022). Thus, the concept of clean eating and clean labeling of products may mislead consumers and be interpreted to hold qualities other than those that the consumers are seeking (Chen et al , 2022). Ultimately, unregulated clean labeling may even results in adverse health effects (Chen et al , 2022; Negowetti et al , 2022).…”

“…Thus, the concept of clean eating and clean labeling of products may mislead consumers and be interpreted to hold qualities other than those that the consumers are seeking (Chen et al , 2022). Ultimately, unregulated clean labeling may even results in adverse health effects (Chen et al , 2022; Negowetti et al , 2022). This is a particular concern for vulnerable groups at risk of eating disorders (Allen et al , 2018; Ambwani, 2019).…”