In general, center-of-store products are perceived to be less fresh than those found elsewhere. But there are steps you can take to freshen up your foods and beverages in the eyes of consumers—and stand out in the aisle.
Front-of-pack product claims, while important to signal freshness, can be confusing if there are too many. Claims should be chosen carefully and used sparingly.
Icons communicating a product benefit, such as NO ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS or MADE FRESH can improve perception.
“All-natural” should be emphasized on the front-of-package, ideally through an icon.
Updated back-of-pack labels and claims can move your foods along the continuum of fresh perception.
Vegetable juices are the ingredients consumers most want to see in shelf-stable soups. 1
Consumers see these ingredients as the most clean and natural in frozen meals: 1
Consumers consider the order of ingredients on the deck when determining if they perceive a shelf-stable salad dressing as “fresh.” They do not want to see “scientific” or “unknown” ingredients. 2
Consumers are more vocal about ingredients that they don’t want to see as opposed to ingredients that they do. A shorter ingredient list will win.
There is a correlation between cleaner labels and products being perceived as fresher by consumers.
The eating experience is one of the last steps in a consumer's determination of how fresh a product is, and texture is key. Expected, home-style textures indicate freshness.
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