Clean and simple ingredients

Simplify labels and satisfy consumers with clean label ingredients

Consumers want products that are closest to nature — made from ingredients that are recognised, 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.

As the pioneer in clean and simple ingredients, Ingredion has 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.

Learn more about why manufacturers look to clean label ingredients to grow their business.

Defining clean and simple labels

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, which has been widely accepted as the industry standard by both suppliers and manufacturers. This definition 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.

The need for an additional definition — one that embodies the next level of clean label – has all the characteristics of clean label plus the following for “simple labels:”

• 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)

Explore our broad portfolio of clean label solutions

Ready to advance your brand with clean and simple labels that deliver value to your consumers and your business? Our comprehensive range of ingredient solutions includes functional native starches, multi-benefit citrus fibres and naturally derived emulsifiers so you can replace what consumers perceive as undesirable and develop new products with shorter lists of consumer-preferred ingredients.

Clean and simple ingredient FAQ

Which clean label claims make the most sense?

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.

Can I charge more by using clean and simple ingredients?

For many consumers, clean and simple 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, based on our proprietary ATLAS consumer data.¹

How can I make sure my clean and simple products stand out?

Formulation expertise, category knowledge and unique consumer insights together help drive success. Ingredion is the expert in clean and simple and can collaborate with you meet your business objectives. Count on us for:

• Extensive portfolio of clean and simple ingredients to help meet your specific formulation needs, including process tolerance, shelf stability and cost-in-use
• Diverse offering of multifunctional ingredients that shorten ingredient declarations and provide “simple” labels
• Proprietary data and insights to identify ingredients and claims that will create differentiated products
• Expert formulation, product innovation support and an expanding network of manufacturing locations to get you to market faster
• Available cost-stability solutions to help protect margins against supply uncertainty

_{¹ ATLAS, Ingredion Proprietary Global Consumer Research, 2023}