the peception of "naturalness" - dr peter williams
DESCRIPTION
A presentation delivered by Dr Peter Williams at the FoodLegal Natural and Superfoods Symposium, August 10 2009.TRANSCRIPT
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