A new survey by UK consumer market research company Canadean has found that consumers aged 55 and older associate ‘natural’ products with a healthy, yet tasty, lifestyle and diet.
The July 2014 survey of 2,000 UK consumers found that 38% of those aged 55 and older are looking for ‘natural’ food choices. According to Canadean, this is because older consumers are taking more notice of their health and well-being: 60% of those who look for natural foods also describe themselves as seeking healthier food options.
'Older consumers often see ‘natural’ as a byword for ‘organic’, ‘healthy’, ‘fresh’ and ‘wholesome’,' said Catherine O’Connor, an analyst at Canadean.
'However, there are no regulatory criteria when it comes to the term ‘natural’, which leaves manufacturers more open to put the label ‘natural’ on their product.'
By contrast, products which claim to be ‘organic’ have to be produced using organic methods of farming which promote ecological balance, conserve biodiversity and do not allow for synthetic pesticides or additives. Similarly, in order to claim that it is ‘healthy’, a product has to contain a reduced amount of ‘bad’ ingredients, such as replacing sugar with natural sweeteners or by reducing saturated fat content.
O’Connor added: 'When we asked consumers about their dietary habits, we purposely avoided defining the term ‘natural’, meaning that the respondents were defining it for themselves. The resulting overlap in the use of ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ proves that many consumers are confused about the exact meaning of those labels.'
According to Canadean data, the desire for ‘natural’ foods also results from the search by older consumers for quality.
'Products marketed as ‘natural’ are currently more successful among older consumers than products featuring more explicit health claims,' added O'Connor.
'This is because older consumers think that ‘natural’ products are made with care and craftsmanship, whereas they fear that foods marketed around health alone may involve a sacrifice in taste that they are not eager to make.'
