Dive Brief:
- The International Food Information Council is attempting to combat consumer rejection of processed foods with an interactive educational website that explains the benefits of modern food production.
- The advertisement encourages consumers to "process" the different benefits that widely used technology yields, including creation of gluten-free and protein-rich products, as well as food safety and disease prevention.
- The page also highlights that food waste can be greatly diminished by processing fresh foods into frozen, dried or canned varieties, and that precision agriculture and GMOs can help feed a growing world population.
Dive Insight:
Processed food products have been getting a bad rap for years as health-conscious consumers move toward fresh, whole food options. The term "processed food" covers all manner of CPGs, from healthy whole grain cereals to traffic-cone-orange snack chips. Not all processed foods are created equal when it comes to nutrition, but they’ve all gotten a black eye from increasingly negative public perception.
With its new campaign, IFIC is attempting to show consumers that many of the goals they want their food products to attain and the nutritional benefits they seek can be achieved through modern food processing.
It will be interesting to see how effective this tool proves to be, especially since so many manufacturers and retailers are racing to align themselves with labels like "non-GMO," "all-natural" and "fresh." Even if the campaign is able to broaden consumer perspectives and foster acceptance of at least some food processing methods, it's unlikely to put a dent in the anti-processed food trend. Fresher foods with simple, clean labels and production methods hold premium status for many consumers, especially millennials. Still, younger demographics are also the most interested in mission-based food claims, so it's possible that these shoppers could be receptive to information about food processing's role in reducing world hunger and food waste.
Manufacturers that use traditional processing methods may want to take a page out of IFIC's playbook. A company that makes heavily-processed, shelf-stable products like cereal or soup will have a hard time positioning itself in the same category as ultra-fresh, refrigerated products. Instead, these brands may want to try making the hard-to-pronounce ingredients and processes that concern consumers approachable. If the purpose and function of these ingredients and processes was made clear — either through explainers on product packaging or a web campaigns like IFIC's — it's possible that consumers could better understand the underlying issues.