DSM Survey: Consumers Would Pay More for Clean Label Yogurt

03 Oct 2014 --- DSM has published a Global Insight paper, stating that consumers demand dairy products, such as yogurt, prepared with simple and familiar ingredients. Based on a survey, carried out in countries as varied as China, US, Brazil and Turkey, the results reveal that consumers are actively looking for these ‘clean label’ products, made with fewer, more natural ingredients and would consider paying extra for these attributes.

The paper, part of the Global Insight Series on yogurt, is based on the results of a DSM survey completed by more than 6,200 consumers in US, China, Brazil, Turkey, France and Poland. It reveals that today’s consumers place great importance on the natural and authentic qualities of the food as they look to balance great taste with an ingredient list free from artificial additives and preservatives. Our survey shows this aspiration is a top motivating factor for increasing yogurt consumption - one out of three consumers say a clean label would be a reason to eat more yogurt. Underscoring this desire, half of the consumers also revealed they would be willing to pay at least 10% more for yogurt free from artificial colors, flavors or other artificial preservatives.

Consumer preference for naturally prepared products is also reflected in the finding that more than half of those surveyed perceive organic yogurt to be ‘better’ than regular yogurt, led by Turkish (85%) and Chinese (77%) consumers. Also one in three consumers believe lactose-free yogurt is healthier than regular yogurt, increasingly positioning lactose-free dairy into the health and wellness mainstream.

“Driven by consumer demand for clean label declarations, we see that the growth of natural colors and preservatives in food has overtaken that of their synthetic counterparts” adds Jacob Bauly, Global Marketing Manager at DSM Nutritional Products. “The survey clearly reveals that consumers of today want authentic food products with clean and lean labels. And therein lies the challenge, as these clean label solutions need to perform as well as their artificial counterparts without negatively impacting product cost or quality.”

DSM’s dairy ingredients portfolio is responding to consumer demand for natural and authentic yogurt products by helping yogurt producers produce clean label and lactose-free dairy products. The range of ingredients varies from natural colors, preservatives and lactase, to starter cultures designed to stabilize yogurt or even help to reduce fat or sugar in yogurt.