Bracknell, IRI: 19 September 2018. Food manufacturers need to get serious on nutritional labelling or risk losing control of the issue entirely according to analysis by IRI, the big data and technology expert for consumer industries.
Health and wellness, closely linked to nutrition, is an issue that Europeans are very focused on. IRI’s European shopper survey showed 50% of EU shoppers said wellness was important to them, over a quarter were looking to lose weight while 15% were mindful of health problems.
Whilst the European Commission has made back of pack nutritional labelling mandatory for pre-packed foods, front of pack nutritional labelling remains voluntary. Implementation is extremely varied across countries and brands.
Olly Abotorabi, Senior Regional Insights Manager said: “Nutritional labelling offers a real opportunity for manufacturers to help consumers make healthier choices, but at the moment this is not being taken. It is in fact private label that is, in a lot of cases, providing the clearest, more consistent information. Finding the right balance between full transparency and ensuring labels can be simply compared is essential. A consistent labelling template would allow European shoppers to more easily contrast and identify the right product. Looking forward, greater acceptance of front of pack nutritional labelling could prove influential in bringing healthier products to store and result in boosting brand equity with shoppers.
One example of a brand manufacturer taking the lead is Fleury Michon, an early adopter of the French Nutri-score system. In doing so, they’ve made themselves more of an authority on healthy eating, demonstrating the opportunity that is currently available for first movers in this space.”
It’s not only the threat of losing control on the type of nutritional labels which is a threat to brands. Shoppers have more information at their disposal by way of smart phone consumer apps. Yuka, available in France, comes with guidance and recommendation on healthy products at the scan of a barcode, helping influence consumers’ choices at fixture or on screen.
With the guideline daily amount (GDA) already a uniform label across EU, opportunity exists to agree a unified approach. For brands, the time to act on this issue is now – they need to own it, or risk falling irretrievably behind.
IRI are well positioned to partner both manufacturers and retailers in evaluating the impact of macro nutritional values via IRI Liquid Data technology (ILD). The revolutionary big data platform gives FMCG players the ability to segment the market like never before and illuminates new business opportunities, based on the product attributes that matter most to today’s consumer.
About IRI
IRI is a leading provider of big data, predictive analytics and forward-looking insights that help FMCG, OTC health care, retailers and media companies to grow. With the largest repository of purchase, media, social, causal and loyalty data, all integrated on an on-demand cloud-based technology platform, IRI guides over 5,000 clients globally in their quests to remain relentlessly relevant, capture market share, connect with consumers and deliver growth. www.IRIworldwide.com. Follow IRI on Twitter.
For further information please contact:
Amanda Hassall
Eureka Communications
Email: amanda@eurekacomms.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1628 822741; Mob: +44 (0) 7855 359889
Anne Lefranc, Marketing Director at IRI
Tel : +33 (0) 1 30 06 23 62 ; Mob: +33 (0) 6 71 62 81 00
Email: anne.lefranc@iriworldwide.com