October 6/New York/Nielsen -- An international consumer survey among 5,000 respondents finds that today’s consumers prefer natural over artificial colors in their food and beverages.

Consumer researcher Nielsen has conducted a survey -- on behalf of Chr. Hansen -- among 5,000 consumers in 10 countries regarding natural colors.

Among the overall findings are:

  • 86% answer that they pay attention to news stories regarding the use of artificial vs. natural colors in foods
  • 92% answer that they are concerned about artificial colors
  • 88% state that natural colors add value to food and beverages
  • 78% are willing to pay a premium price for foods with natural colors

The survey was conducted among consumers in the U.S., U.K., Mexico, Brazil, France, Poland, Russia, India, China and Australia in May and June 2011. A total of 5,000 consumers were involved in the research via online omnibus; 500 consumers from each market and among them, 50 from each target group defined by age and gender.

From the October 6, 2011, Prepared Foods' Daily News.