Consumer trust in ‘miracle’ food ingredients shrinks

By Nicholas Robinson

- Last updated on GMT

Return to vegetables
Return to vegetables

Related tags Immune system

Manufacturers of products offering consumers one ‘magic bullet’ health solution are wasting their time, as consumers opt instead for traditional health foods, a new report has said.

Consumers were distrustful of products that promised ‘miracle health cures’, such as a boost to the immune system or improved gut health and were turning to fruits and vegetables, according to Thomas Delaney, an analyst at Canadean.

Misleading or exaggerated

Seven out of 10 Brits surveyed by Canadean claimed such products were “misleading”​ or “exaggerated”​ and fewer than 4% of consumers said additional health boost labels were “completely trustworthy”.

The findings were reflected in UK sales figures, which showed fewer than one in 20 consumers bought products promoted as having additional health benefits, unless they were energy-boosting.

“The health food market is becoming saturated with new products that boast of new-found health benefits from relatively unknown foods or vitamin complexes,”​ he said.

“However, there is a growing consumer trend towards traceability, natural produce and clean recipes.”

Almost eight in 10 consumers asked by Canadean believed basic fruits and vegetables offered equal health benefits to additional supplements and that basic was better.

Counterproductive

Consumers also struggled to see products with many synthetic ingredients as being beneficial to health and instead feared they were counterproductive.

Some brands were already pursuing the increase in interest of traditional health foods, claimed Delaney, who cited the juice and smoothie company Innocent as an early adopter with its fruit- and vegetable-packed juices.

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