Two Trends In One by Clean Label Snacks

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Asia recorded the largest number of snack product launches of any region last year. There were 13,786—almost double the number launched in Western Europe. It’s safe to say that Asia has quite the appetite for sweet and savoury snacks! And where competition is booming, innovation and trends are sure to follow. The biggest of those trends is “clean label.”

Clean label claims, such as organic, no preservatives and all natural, are some of the fastest growing in the region, indicating that no additives/preservatives was the leading health claim for Asian dairy products and the number three positioning overall in 2017, used for 16 percent of launches. However, the clean label trend goes beyond just removing additives and preservatives. It has become an all-encompassing term that can mean different things to consumers and companies. Even more confusing—it can vary by country or region. CP Kelco recently documented “seven ways to clean up your label”. Solutions included reducing the number of ingredients in your formulation to using ingredients better recognised by consumers, to using vegan, organic and gluten-free ingredients, to reducing sugar and fat.

Maybe a better way to decipher clean label is to look at what’s trending in new products. According to a July 2019 confectionery report the following claims are popular in product launches in these countries:

China—Novel and fun, digestive/gut health, no additives/preservatives

Japan—Immune health, novel and fun, traditional, chocolate with high fibre

Malaysia—Natural, vegan, novel and fun (36 percent of products feature Halal positioning)

Philippines—No additives/preservatives, sugar free

Indonesia—Gluten-free, low sugar, immune health, organic chocolate with antioxidants (62 percent of products feature Halal positioning)

It’s obvious that the clean label mega trend is having an impact on this industry—with even new concepts such as gut health being incorporated into snacks. To the Asian consumer, every bite counts—and not just at mealtime. In 2018, Halal and vegetarian claims jumped in Asia because of higher penetration and growth, according to one of the research. Together, they grew a combined 33 percent in all confectionery products launched.