Natural, Organic and Low Sugar Top Consumer Priorities

A study has shown natural, organic and low sugar and fat claims have jumped to the top of the list of consumer wants when it comes to food purchases.

Market research carried out by Mintel has shown that interest in additives and preservatives had a large impact on the manufacture of new products last year.

Mintel looked at more than 88,000 new food and beverage product launches in Europe over the last 12 months, highlighting the 10 most frequently used claims made by producers in response to consumer priorities and purchasing habits.

A similar study carried out five years ago, looking at over 41,000 new products found low, no or reduced fat to be the most popular product claim, followed by premium and microwavable.

The UK had the highest number of product launches claiming to contain no additives or preservative, followed by Germany (2, 026), France (1,532) and Italy (1,132).

Organic was a claim most popular in Germany (2,180), followed by the UK (1,321), France (736) and Austria (573).