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Additive-free tops
beverage claim list
22-Apr-2008 -
Preservative and additive free knocked low sugar off the top spot of
leading beverage claims in 2007, according to the Mintel Global New
Products Database (GNPD).
Widespread concern about exposure to cocktails of preservatives and
additives has intensified over the past year, pushing manufacturers
to begin removing them from their products.
Preservative and additive free products boom
Scanning last year's Mintel GNPD data showed that 1166 of the 8966
beverage launches surveyed in 2007 fell into the 'no
additives/preservatives' category.
This is a significant increase on 2006 when only 579 of the 6904
product launches sampled carried such claims.
The substantial increase reflects rising consumer hostility towards
preservatives and additives and follows the publication of studies
suggesting that they may have adverse health effects.
Receiving particularly extensive media coverage was a study
conducted by the University of Southampton linking certain colorants
and the preservative sodium benzoate with hyperactivity in children.
The fall in the number of new products packed with preservatives and
additives on supermarket shelves was complemented by an increase in
organic and natural products.
These product categories both climbed several places in the claims
chart with organic and natural launches increasing to 12 percent of
the launches surveyed in 2007 from 8 percent in the previous year.
Traditional health concerns slip down list
Consumers are embracing drinks made without synthetic ingredients
pushing traditional nutritional concerns from the foreground.
Products advertising low sugar levels, low calories or fortification
with vitamins and minerals all slipped in the top 10 product claims
list.
Low sugar and fortification were the top two claims in 2006 but were
edged from the top spots in 2007 coming in second and fourth
respectively.
Meanwhile ethical claims made their debut on the list as 230
products boasting their moral credentials hit the shelves in 2007,
according to Mintel.
Manufacturers are waking up to the ethical shopping trend which has
hit the headlines with the fair trade concept that attempts to
redress the power balance between growers, manufacturers and
retailers.
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