When it comes to buying processed foods, there are many factors that consumers take into account.
These include topics such as health, sustainability and availability or dependency on other regions with certain products, which have become more of a focus due to the global crises over the last few years.
This increased, or more visible, complexity is also likely the reason why consumers are becoming more informed about the food they consume and are engaging more with the products being offered.
Figure 1: Consumers are increasingly informed on labelling / product information
For health reasons, European consumers are increasingly trying to avoid ultra-processed foods. According to Mintel, more than 75% of consumers in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland are trying to avoid such foods.1
There is an increasing focus on foods that contain less-processed or less-refined ingredients and are processed less.
Alongside the trend towards minimal processing, European consumers are looking more and more for products with natural and regional ingredients.
Figure 2: Important aspects for consumers to consume healthier ingredients / products
A survey by FMCG Gurus shows that almost 80% of European consumers look for 100% natural products and one in six pays attention to whether a food is less processed.2
Consumers mainly view natural products as less processed, and these are also considered healthier. Similarly, regional products and ingredients are often rated by consumers as healthier. Regional or Europe-produced products and ingredients are also gaining in importance as consumers consider topics such as sustainability, supply chain security, and dependencies on other regions when choosing products.
Thus, from a consumer perspective, there is a close link between naturalness, regionality and less processing.
Minimal processing and regionality
Almost two-thirds of consumers associate food labelled as natural with recognisable ingredients that can be sourced, and believe these are less processed.
Consumers are also becoming more and more interested in exactly which ingredients are used in the food they buy.
Figure 3: Consumers are increasingly interested in the ingredients used
That is why regionality is playing an increasingly important role for consumers, including when choosing processed foods labelled as natural. This is because regionally produced products and regionally sourced ingredients, as well as the traceability of the ingredients used, enjoy greater consumer trust.
For this reason, it makes sense to use natural ingredients that are grown and produced in Europe – or to replace ingredients that come from other regions of the world or may not be of natural origin with European ingredients, provided these are available.
What regionality means to consumers
There is no official, clear definition of regionality. There are different views among consumers. These range from products that come from the respective community or city to those that come from the respective country or even neighbouring countries – this can also be viewed differently depending on the ingredient or food. For many ingredients, consumers know that they are only grown under certain conditions and therefore cannot be available regionally.
Oranges, for example, can be grown in some parts of Europe (Spain, Italy, Greece), but not in Germany. The largest growing areas are outside Europe. Most consumers also know that cocoa beans are not grown in Europe and that cocoa therefore cannot come from Europe. However, when it comes to the final product, chocolate, European or regional producers are often preferred.
Processed foods containing sweeteners
What does this mean for processed foods that contain sweeteners? The first recommendation is to use natural sweeteners to cater to the trend towards naturalness. Consumers generally view these sweeteners as healthier. It even makes a difference what the sweetener is called in the list of ingredients, as can be seen in the graphic.
Figure 4: Importance of ingredient labelling
In terms of regionality, this means using natural sweeteners that are produced in European countries and whose raw materials are also grown in the respective countries.
Consumers are increasingly aware that beet sugar is produced in Europe and that the sugar beets from which the sugar is extracted are also grown in Europe. It may therefore make sense to use beet sugar instead of cane sugar or other sweeteners in products to cater to consumers’ needs for more regional products.
Closing the loop to less-processed products and ingredients, or less-refined ingredients, is more complex; to date, there have been fewer natural and European-sourced sweeteners that can be used in a wide variety of applications. Therefore, raw cane sugar is often used in processed foods. However, its non-European origin might discourage consumers from choosing the final product.
However, there is now a solution that also considers the importance of European origin. Südzucker’s Raw Beet Sugar has been available since November 2024 as an alternative to raw cane sugar. Raw Beet Sugar is also a less-refined sugar. Furthermore, it is derived from sugar beet grown in Europe and produced in Europe.
Raw Beet Sugar is the ideal sweetener for developing foods that meet the needs of European consumers:
- Less refined
- 100% from Europe
- Natural light-brown colour
Raw Beet Sugar has similar technical properties to standard beet sugar. It is easy to use in production; for instance, it has the same free-flowing properties.
It can be used to sweeten biscuits and baked goods, chocolates, breakfast cereals, snacks and bars, and it provides a nice, sweet twist in savoury applications such as marinade and sauces.
Find out more about Raw Beet Sugar, for instance what ‘raw’ means, or request a sample.
References
1. Mintel. Cultivating Change: Organic Food and Drink in Europe.
2. FMCG Gurus. Clean Label & Naturalness Survey - Q: What types of claims do you like to see on product packaging? - Filter: 100% natural, minimally processed.
