Clean and simple ingredients
Stand out with simple, clean ingredients
Deliver the authentic experiences that consumers are reaching for
Consumers want products that are closest to nature — made from ingredients that are understood, expected and authentic. They're counting on you to provide clean and simple labels with fewer yet familiar ingredients that are free from undesirable additives.
With Ingredion on your team, you gain a partner with unique experience in developing clean and simple ingredient solutions. Take advantage of exclusive consumer insights to plan your best moves. Leverage innovative ingredients to support today’s clean and simple lifestyles. Go from ideation to launch with full formulation and product innovation support. We help you bring it all together to make capitalising on the consumer demand more certain and effective.
Continue below for key facts about advancing your brand with clean and simple labels.
Powering profit with clean label
Ingredion's latest clean label research uncovered that food and beverage manufacturers around the world reported increased profit from clean label initiatives.
Download the Powering Profits report to see how your competition is using clean label to improve their brand loyalty and financial performance.
Setting the standards in clean label
As leaders in clean label technology and product innovation for more than two decades, Ingredion published the industry's first clean label definition in 2011. Widely accepted as the industry standard by both suppliers and manufacturers, it has evolved to describe clean label products as:
- Only made with ingredients that are recognised and accepted by consumers;
- Free of ingredients that are artificial-sounding or misleading;
- Containing no genetically modified ingredients (non-GM); and
- Having an ingredient listing that is consistent with the consumer’s understanding of on-pack claims.
Changing consumer tastes have led to an additional "simple label" definition — defined as having all the characteristics of clean label, plus:
- Only made with ingredients that are highly accepted and expected by consumers in the specific food or beverage
- Uses minimal number of ingredients to conform to culinary standards or traditional or authentic recipes
- May include trade-offs to achieve simplicity (e.g., visual appeal, texture, shelf life)
See more details about the definition of clean label.
Why clean label is important to business strategy
Our proprietary 2021 Global Clean Label Manufacturer research reveals the top five benefits of clean label identified by manufacturers across the world.
Results, delivered: Our latest clean and simple case studies
See examples of how our collaborative partnership can propel your clean and simple success.
Spoonable and drinkable yoghurt innovation
Challenge: A yoghurt brand in China needed to bring its new clean label drinkable yoghurt concept to life but wasn't familiar with clean label starches — and had trouble meeting functional, sensory and labeling targets.
Solution: Ingredion led the way with the optimal formulation that could address the need for storage stability without syneresis and deliver the great experience and clean labels they desired.
Result: The company's launch of two new SKUs was a success, leading to full commercialisation.
Healthier marinated chicken for foodservice
Challenge: A leading global foodservice operator was racing to develop a chicken marinade that was both clean label and able to provide stability over its shelf life, but they lacked the in-house expertise to achieve quick results.
Solution: Leveraging deep data from our ongoing global ATLAS consumer research, the Ingredion team created the winning marinade formula on a short timeline that could maintain succulence and texture.
Result: The customer was able to arrive to market faster with a chicken product that met the rising consumer demand for healthier options.
Gluten-free bakery product launches
Challenge: A rising brand wanted to make its mark in clean label gluten-free bakery products and needed help selecting the right clean label starches and formulation approaches.
Solution: We worked with the customer to convert their formulas from another product line to clean label, adjusting them to deliver just-right texture along with shelf-life stability.
Result: The brand launched two products — which turned out to be foundational in what’s now a leading gluten-free bakery range.
FAQs to make getting started simpler
There's a lot to know about creating clean and simple products, and the experts at Ingredion are always a quick click away for detailed answers.
Which factors drive clean label gains?
See what our latest study of global manufacturers reveals about the clean label efforts that outperform the norm in key business metrics — and pick up some new ideas that can position your business for success.
Q: How do I reformulate to clean label?
A: Be sure to start with a knowledgeable supplier. They can help look at the situation holistically to define your functional needs and then identify ingredients that will deliver on both your performance requirements and brand strategy. As part of this, you'll need to consider whether there are specific claims that you want to include and how the product will be positioned versus competitive products in the aisle.
Q: Which claims make the most sense?
A: In all regions, "natural" is one of most preferred claims1 — but you'll need to do your homework to select the right ones to fit the product, region and local regulations. Much like ingredients, consumer-preferred claims vary by region. Regardless of your chosen claims, be sure the front-of-pack claims match up with the back-of-pack ingredient lists for trust and transparency.
Q: Can I charge more by using clean ingredients?
A: For many consumers, clean labels offer extra value worth paying for — including recognised ingredients, lack of artificial ingredients and third-party verifications/certifications such as non-GMO and organic. In fact, consumers have indicated willingness to pay 10%-20% more for clean and simple labels, per our ATLAS consumer data.1
Q. Are clean label ingredient claims regulated?
A: While "clean label" as a claim is not regulated, the claims and attributes that comprise clean label are indeed regulated and vary by region/country and certifying agency. This includes claims that relate to the formulation, such as "no additives" and "no preservatives," and claims such as non-GMO, natural and organic, which rely on third-party certifications. Ingredion has invested in capabilities to stay up-to-date with the regulatory landscape and help our customers navigate the options for their products so that they can use their clean label ingredients confidently.
Q: How can I improve my clean label speed to market?
A: Know-how. Insight. Capability. Collaboration. Simply, Ingredion has the deep clean label understanding to help you meet your end-to-end needs. Count on us for:
- Broad portfolio to help meet your specific functional needs — performance, process tolerance, shelf stability
- Varied range of base materials for multifunctional ingredients that shorten labels
- Proprietary data and insights to identify ingredients and claims that will create differentiated products
- Expert formulation and product innovation support to get you to market faster
- Available cost-stability solutions to help protect margins against supply uncertainty
- An expanding global network of manufacturing locations to ensure product is available when needed
1ATLAS, Ingredion Proprietary Global Consumer Research, 2020
Get started on your clean label journey
Connect with one of our experts.