Moms in the U.S. have a new mission: purchasing healthier foods for their families. These multitasking consumers have less time than ever to shop, cook and research the attributes of new products but are still faced with the challenge of cutting down on food expenses. Processed foods are often used to help accomplish their meal-planning goals.
To explore what shoppers think about processed food, research companies HealthFocus International, St. Petersburg, Fla., and Innova Market Insights, Duiven, the Netherlands, partnered to explore this topic in a session at the Institute of Food Technologists' annual wellness conference in late March. The session included highlights from the HealthFocus International Processed Foods study of 5,000 shoppers, which explored how shoppers define processed foods; the factors they consider when determining whether a food or beverage is processed or unprocessed; and which brands do the best job of communicating "healthy" and unprocessed.
Perception of 'processed'
As it turns out, the perception of "processed" has more bearing on moms' choices than does actual "processing." For example, foods that went through processing by food industry standards, such as heating or canning, are not necessarily considered processed. Few shoppers (16 percent) identified Progresso canned tomatoes as processed. Even fewer said Silk soy milk was processed (15 percent).
The study's shopper product assessment revealed diverse opinions on different products in the same categories that were swayed by the perception of healthiness, purity and clarity of information. Consumers think low-calorie frozen meals are less processed than frozen meals in general. The same is true for whole-grain bread compared to white bread; frozen potatoes rather than fast-food french fries; and organic yogurt instead of regular yogurt. Even in categories like snack foods, products using premium ingredients can be perceived as healthier although they are not necessarily less-processed.
Choose five foods
For the conference session, a panel of five shoppers - Betty, Kathy, Lizette, Margaret and Rebecca - with kids of varying ages was recruited to do some homework and share their definitions, perceptions and concerns regarding processed foods. Despite varying levels of knowledge about nutrition, the moms on the panel all try to serve healthier meals. "Healthy" is often determined by other moms' opinions and Web-based research. Participating moms of different ages and economic status were asked in advance to choose five very processed, processed and less-processed foods from the grocery store. No fresh fruits and vegetables or refrigerated meats could be chosen; only frozen, refrigerated and shelf-stable foods were allowed.
Betty, with three children living at home ages 20, 19 and 15, chose Girl Scout Thin Mints, Newman's Own bottled pasta sauce, Campbell's Chunky canned soup, Old El Paso Taco Shells and Honey Kix cereal as most-processed. Kathy, with five children ages 18, 16, 13, 11 and 7, identified Jif peanut butter, Honey Nut Cheerios, Cheez-It Baked Snack Crackers, Quaker Chewy Granola Bars and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner as most processed. With a two-year-old, Lizette's most processed foods included Annie's Shells and White Cheddar, Oscar Mayer Center-Cut Bacon, Eckrich Beef Smoked Sausage, Prego pasta sauce, International Delight coffee creamer and Jif peanut butter. Margaret, who has a seven-year-old and a six-month-old, chose Rold Gold pretzels, Yoplait yogurt, Rice-A-Roni Rice Pilaf, Quaker Instant Oatmeal and Kellogg's Pop-Tarts. With two children, ages 8 and 7, Rebecca chose Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Baked Snack Crackers and Tyson Chicken Nuggets as most processed.
On the less-processed front, Betty's choices were Triscuit whole grain crackers, Amazing Egg substitute, private-label popcorn and Blue Diamond Roasted Nuts. Kathy chose Snyder's Dipping Sticks pretzels, Barilla Plus Angel Hair pasta, Smucker's Natural peanut butter and Nestlé Juicy Juice. Lizette cited private-label canned black beans, Tropicana 100 percent orange juice, Jewel Penne Rigate Whole Wheat macaroni, and Häagen-Dazs Five ice cream. For Margaret, New York Style Bagel Crisps, V-8 Fusion, Ocean Spray Sparkling Cranberry juice and Boursin Light spreadable cheese were chosen as less-processed. Rebecca named Lay's Classic potato chips, Mott's apple juice, Bertolli bottled pasta sauce and Cascadian Farm Organic granola cereal.
All five moms said they read labels, particularly on cereal boxes and snacks, and purchased more foods with whole grains, namely cereal and bread. They eschew foods with high-fructose corn syrup, which one mom believes has been banned in Europe. The challenge they face is that while they may prefer simple, fresh or even organic foods, price is an issue and their children and husbands may prefer more processed and tasty options. They are looking for balance and compromise. Concerned they are not doing as good a job as they should be in providing healthy food to their families, sometimes they buy foods that simply make them feel better about their choices - like organic foods.
Created their own definition
Although the FDA does not define processed as it relates to food, shoppers have created their own definition for it. According to the study, almost three-quarters of shoppers think the term "processed" food or beverage is negative to some degree, although a number of them also see a need for processing related to convenience, cost and even safety. They define a processed food as one no longer in its natural state. And when they read an ingredient label, which most shoppers do to some extent, they try to avoid products with additives, preservatives and artificial ingredients. But, while adding some ingredients is a negative, they think adding desirable ingredients or nutrients to healthy foods - such as calcium to orange juice - is positive. Shoppers tie their opinions about processed food very closely to health so that those they perceive as "less healthy" also tend to be "more processed."
Of the 59 food categories and 250+ individual products, consumers identified quick-meal mixes like Hamburger Helper, hamburgers from a fast-food restaurant and pre-packaged meats like bacon and sausage as the top three most-processed categories. Fish, chicken, beef and 100-percent fruit and vegetable juices are considered the least processed.
Innova found examples in its database of how food companies are approaching the issue of highly-processed foods and negative perceptions. In 2010, Heinz Tomato Ketchup was reformulated to remove high-fructose corn syrup from the ingredient list and was rebranded Simply Heinz. In fact, many major food manufacturers have added the word "simply" to their brand on front-of-pack labels like Pillsbury Simply Buttermilk Biscuit. "Simply" on the label indicates the naturalness of the products and emphasizes the "no artificial colors, flavorings or preservatives" claims, helping consumers to make quick purchasing decisions. At the same time, many labels now say what their products do not contain: MSG, high-fructose corn syrup, trans fats and other perceived less-healthy ingredients.
Less is more
New product launches from Nestlé, Heinz, Sara Lee, Unilever, General Mills, Barilla and Häagen-Dazs, to name a few, are keeping it simple and R&D departments are scrambling to accommodate consumers' standards. Less, in terms of unnecessary or possibly unhealthy ingredients, is certainly more desirable for consumers in the foods they serve their families. But more, in terms of ingredients they recognize or perceive as healthy, is also desirable.