Study shows consumers want more information on food labels

According to a new survey by the International Food Information Council (IFIC), 24 percent of Americans want more information on food labels, mostly around the areas of nutritional data, ingredients and potential allergens and their side effects.

That number has shot up 18 percent from the IFIC’s last survey in 2010, said BusinessWeek. Despite nearly a quarter of Americans wanting more, many Americans still remain confident in the food industry.

“We see people wanting to know more about nutrition, and we saw a big jump in people who want to know more about food safety,” said Lindsey Loving, a senior director for the IFIC, to BusinessWeek. But, despite the safety scares, “the average consumer is still confident in the food supply.”

Much of this increase in skepticism can be credited to the revelation of “pink slime,” the ammonia treated beef scraps used as an additive to most ground meats, as well as transglutaminase, an enzyme consisting of different cuts of meat informally known as “meat glue.” In addition, the insect extracts found in many of Starbucks’ food coloring products were not very well received.

BusinessWeek also quotes North Carolina State University professor Dana Hanson – an extension meat specialist – saying that this reaction from consumers is a “draconian fear of the unknown.” Hanson explains that technology has changed the way food is processed, and, oftentimes, these changes do not get communicated to the public on food labels.

But, as recently reported by this blog, popular vintner Bonny Doon is adding all the ingredients used in the winemaking process to his wine labels, increasing consumer to manufacturer clarity and trust. If other processors or retailers wish to engage in this practice in transparency, they may want to invest in a custom label printer to create these consumer-friendly labels.