How is “naturalness” in food perceived by consumers, used by manufacturers, and regulated by food authorities? A descriptive pilot study.

Veronique Chachay, Julijana Markoska,Peter Williams, Anne McMahon, Sara Grafenauer

Funding: Smart Foods Centre

Background

"Natural" is a term often used on labels

Labelling of foods as "natural" is not regulated by enforceable legislation or regulations in Australia

Misleading and deceptive conduct prohibition (Trade Practices Act) only consumer protection

Consumers are powerfully influenced by the marketing of foods as "natural" and by related natural claims

Consumers expect a level of quality of foods labelled as natural

Background: “natural” definition

Definitions of "natural" exists in guidelines:Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (2006)Food Standards Australia & NZ (2002)Australian Food & Grocery Council (1995)

The definitions require that a ‘natural’ food or ingredient should not:contain any additives;have any constituent or fraction thereof removed;be significantly altered from its original physical, chemical or

biological state.

Aims

Review the definitions and regulations of the term "natural" in Australia and overseas

Examine the use of "natural" on product labels, and the ingredients used in these products

Explore consumer perceptions & expectations of "natural" foods and ingredients

Ethics approval was granted by the UOW Human Research Ethics Committee

Methods: regulations

Internet searchLegislation – government websitesGovernment food authority websites

Literature searchUOW database subscriptions

LimitsEnglish languageFull text

Data analysisTabulation

Methods: regulations

Databases Searched Websites Searched Search Terms Annual Reviews  APAFT BioMed Central PubMed  Cambridge Journals Online Cinhal Cochrane – all Expanded Academic ASAP Health Reference Centre Academic Health Sciences: A SAGE Full-Text Collection

FSANZ NSW Food Authority Codex Health Canada Canadian Food Inspection Agency Bureau of Food Safety and Consumer Protection European Food Safety Authority United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service Food Standards Agency UK

natural label food standard legislation regulation guide health claim definition representation agency UK USA

Table 1: Search strategy for regulations of the term ‘natural’

Methods: product survey

Food groups with “natural” Food groups without “natural”

Dairy, soy product, ice cream Meats, seafood, eggs

Baby foods Frozen products except ice cream

Soft drinks, mineral water, juice Sauces, dressings, oils, herbs, spices

Jams and confectionary Flour, sugar

Breads and crackers Rice, instant soup, noodles & pasta

Cereals, muesli, fruit & breakfast bars, other grain products

Potato crisps, biscuits

Dried fruit and nuts Honey, tinned fruit, fruit juice

Health food products Fresh fruit & vegetables

1.Initial food group scan in supermarket

Methods: product survey

2. Convenience sampling of local food outlets General supermarkets (n=9) Health food stores (n=3)

3. Surveying of all food products with front of pack "natural" claims (n=353)

4. Data analysis: frequency tabulations of ingredients use, natural claims & associated claims

Methods: questionnaire

Questions developed from results of food product survey

25 common ingredients representative of extracts, concentrates, additives, colours and flavours listed

Response options: Yes, No, Not Sure

Open ended question on perceptions of "natural" food ingredients

Question on how often ingredients list on food label is read

5 point Likert scale ranging from ‘never’ to ‘always’

Methods: questionnaire

Convenience sampling method with 119 participants sourced fromWeight Loss Clinic client base (n=27)Credit Union staff (n=40)Staff from a call centre workplace (n=47)University of Wollongong general staff (n=5)

Data analysisQuantitative data: SPSS (v. 14) descriptive analysis

and Chi-Square testsQualitative data: manual thematic analysis

Methods: focus group

1 hour focus group (n=5)

Participants source: UOW general staff (by email)

$15 Meyer voucher handed out to each participant

Open ended questions developed from literature review and with supervisor advice were discussed

Food products with “natural” claims were shown to the group and discussed

The conversation was recorded on digital equipment and transcribed for analysis

Data analysis: preliminary manual thematic analysis

Methods: focus group questions

What do you think of when you hear the word “natural”?

Thinking about food, what foods do you think are natural foods?

What sort of things would you expect in a food that was labelled “natural”?

What sort of foods do you think should not be called “natural”?

What rules, if any, do you think manufacturers or food suppliers should have to follow when they use the term “natural”?

Results: regulations

Country/

Region

Natural definition - guideline

Natural definition –

legally enforceable

Misleading & deceptive

representation regulation

Australia/NZ Yes No Yes

Canada Yes No Yes

UK Yes No Yes

USA No Yes – specific products only

Yes

European Union Yes – partial No Yes

Codex No No No

Regulations & definitions of "natural" in Australia and overseas

Results: definitions

Common requirements of all definitions are that “natural" foods or ingredients should:

not contain any additives not be significantly altered from original state be minimally processed

Canada & UK: ‘natural’ vs ‘natural ingredients’

Manufacturers should not rely on technical definitions & should have regard to what consumers would think (FSANZ 2002, ACCC 2006)

Legend

Natural ingredients

Natural style

Natural source (nutrients/goodness)

Natural flavours/colours

Brand and product names

Miscellaneous

Figure 1: Uses of the term "natural" on foods products

Results: product survey (n=353)

21%

9%

23%2%

31%

14%

Results: product survey

2. Associated claims Related to type of product rather than “natural” claim No identifiable trend linked to "natural" claims

3. Ingredients used Wide variety (n=686) Some clearly inconsistent with definitions: eg. gluten Common ingredients found in "natural" products include:

canola oilsugarpreservative 220 (sulphur dioxide)citric acidadded vitaminsemulsifiers

yeastwheat starchfruit pureesjuice concentratesmilk solids

Percentage of participants who indicated that the listed ingredients would be suitable for inclusion in a product labeled ‘natural’

Ingredients

Frequency (%)

Yes No Not Sure

whole meal flourvitamin Cpear pureeyeastcanola oilsugarnatural flavourapple juice concentrateglucose syrupglutenmalt extractguarana extractwhey powderwheat starchgelatinesoy lecithinfood acid citricnon-fat milk solidsvegetable gumhoney powdermaltodextrinhydrolysed vegetable proteininulincolour caramelcolour 129 (allura red)

807367636258454441393734312928282625181615111082

11121622223130364234353333352346423835513048207276

7131515161023161526263135304724293545305340682022

Results: questionnaire

Results: questionnaire

Colours, flavours, additives, preservatives and anything that "is not found in nature and has to be manufactured" or "synthesised in a laboratory" were regarded by consumers as unsuitable for inclusion in foods labelled as "natural".

Key themes Level & type of food processing Quantity of ingredient important, eg sugar generally considered a

‘natural’ ingredient, but not if added to food in high quantities

Results: focus group

“The consumer takes it for face value that ‘natural’ makes a product superior [to other products in quality]”

“The lack of understanding of additives makes one doubt about the effect they have, and makes it impossible to make a decision about a product. Numbers make me think that a product is not natural”

“With foods that are foods we have had in the diet for a long period of time, eg. bread, we feel comfortable with the label natural. New products are not as well trusted”

Results: focus group

“Natural’ makes me pick it up, then I read the list of ingredients and often change my mind”

“I get suspicious of the term natural actually- it’s more like an advertisement slogan, they say its natural but they can say its natural even if it only has a few natural ingredients”

“ I do hope that “natural” means that it is a better

product!”

Results: focus group themes

Natural and healthy were often seen as similar

There was caution about the use of the word natural in consumers because of a lack of trust in food manufacturers

Food fortification was generally not perceived as natural

The lack of knowledge and familiarity with food ingredients, their processing methods and reported effect, made consumers dubious

Discussion “Natural" wasn’t frequently used on products that were clearly natural: vegetable

and fruit, fresh meat, eggs... The use of the term “natural” is an effective marketing tool and often attracts the

consumer’s interest Consumers thought that regulation and monitoring of “natural” should be applied,

and were surprised to hear that nothing was already in place Consumers were extremely confused about ingredients, especially when code

numbers were used

Brand & product name use of "natural" is potentially misleading Not covered by AU/NZ guideline Compare UK Food Agency Food Labelling Regulations 1996: guidance notes

Limitations

Convenience sampling methods for participants and food outlets (not representative)

Small sample sizes: We cannot report the prevalence of natural claim use Only 1 focus group was run. The aim is to run another 3 to 4

groups Questionnaire response rate: 24%

Conclusions

“Natural” is extremely appealing and meaningful to consumers

Consumers expect that ‘natural’ is representative of a standard of quality, however they are unclear about what qualifies as ‘natural’

Current definition of ‘natural’ is unclear & unenforceable

Clearer definitions & guidance on use of ‘natural’ (as in UK) would be useful for consumer protection & industry guidance

Creating clear guidelines will be difficult given the lack of consumer consensus on the meaning of ‘natural’, particularly regarding the level of processing of ingredients

Contact

A/Prof Peter WilliamsSmart Foods Centre, University of

WollongongEmail: peter_williams@uow.edu.au