Emerging health food trends in the pandemic

While the COVID-19 pandemic is gradually subsiding, it has already profoundly impacted lives and even awakened people’s awareness of a healthy lifestyle. As most people were forced to stay home during the outbreak and to have enough immunity to fight the virus, people have begun to consider the food they are eating and to take a long hard look at the ingredient list on the packaging.

According to the IFIC (International Food Information Council) Food and Health Survey 2020, about 85 percent of consumers have changed their diet and food preparation habits due to the pandemic and are particularly interested in labels such as “natural” and “non-artificial.” Consumers and food manufacturers have significantly reduced their demand for artificial additives and are shopping for “more natural foods with simpler ingredient lists” wherever possible.

Consumers are beginning to trace the source of their food and are increasingly demanding fewer additives

Clean Labels have been a major trend in the food industry for the past decade. The pandemic has pushed this trend to its peak, with consumers looking for brands they can trust that are health conscious.

According to Innova 2020, 60 percent of global consumers care about where their food comes from. The FMCG Gurus consumer survey states that 74 percent of consumers consider 100 percent natural foods and beverages important.

In pursuit of the UN SDGs, the Anti Additive Clean Label Organization (A.A.) has been actively developing an “additive-free” certification mechanism in recent years to enable consumers better to understand healthy, less-additive products at a glance and to act as a gatekeeper from food products to pet products and household products. The organization aims to provide the public with safe, additive-free, and reliable options with an additive-free certification mechanism.

A.A. certified brands meet the health needs of the market with enthusiastic response

The food brands that passed the A.A. certification in 2022 also reflect the healthy dietary trends under the pandemic, especially noodles that can be cooked conveniently at home, which are also leaning towards a healthier direction.

Hao Jing Dao Noodles, produced by leading Taiwanese food producer, Uni-President Group, is the only noodle brand in the Asia Pacific region to be awarded the A.A. Clean Label, the highest honor in the region for 100 percent additive-free certification, boasting no flavor-enhancing additives or additives to shorten the production process.

The goal of being 100 percent additive-free is achieved by simply using the highest quality single wheat and a short ingredient list with only flour, water, and salt. The overwhelming response from the market, with tens of millions of products sold, proves that consumers favor food products with “fewer additives or truly zero-additives” when shopping.

As health consciousness gradually grows, cleanliness, transparency, and fewer (no) additives will significantly impact consumers’ willingness to purchase, and an additive-free life will be something to look forward to in the future.

For more information: https://www.anti-a.org/