Are you resolving to eat or serve “cleaner” food in 2019? Consumers are increasingly mindful about the foods and beverages they consume. Demand for “cleaner” ingredients in food is here to stay. Millennials are largely driving the change, asking food manufacturers and food service establishments to be more transparent about what is in their items.
“Clean label” is difficult to define, as it is a catchall description that covers a variety of label claims and trends. It means different things to different people, such as all natural, minimally processed, non-GMO, organic, antibiotic free, free from artificial ingredients, gluten free, sustainable or fair trade. The most obvious aspect of clean label is reducing the number of ingredients, particularly ingredients with long, unidentifiable or difficult-to-pronounce names, those perceived to be artificial or synthetic and those that serve no obvious nutritional or functional benefit.
Consumers are looking for labels and descriptions on the foods they order and purchase to answer three critical questions:
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What is it made from?
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Where does it come from?
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Who made it?
So, how do you get on the clean label trend? Know your crowd and your target audience. What is most important to them? What are other restaurants and businesses around you doing to meet the trend? Come up with some ideas and goals for what you see your establishment focusing on in 2019 and beyond. Finally, be ready to periodically review your goals and your progress so you can keep moving towards the future.
Sustainability is also becoming more and more important to consumers. Many believe that people and companies have a responsibility to take care of our planet and the people who inhabit it.
To that end, companies like Martin Bros. have taken efforts to do things such as conserve energy and natural resources by reducing harmful emissions from their operations and more.
