Building upon the company’s proprietary insights on clean label, Kerry, the Taste and Nutrition Company, has identified specific consumer segments and will release a deep dive report on Friday, March 9th at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, Calif.

Kerry surveyed more than 700 consumers to understand their opinions on nutrition, ingredients and sustainability and how these factors influence their opinions of clean label. The consumers were behaviorally segmented into five specific groups, each with a unique outlook on clean label. The report details the five segments and their respective demographics, adoption stage, relationship with clean label, their ingredient focus and avoidance patterns.

Kerry’s five identified clean label consumer segments are:

• Label Seekers: Young, affluent and educated Millennials making conscious improvements to their lifestyle by staying on-trend and informed about their food and beverage choices.

• Lifestyle Shoppers – Older Millennials and younger Gen X parents who lead a busy lifestyle. Their food and beverage choices are predominantly influenced by the natural and specialty stores they shop at and the brands they purchase.

• Wellness Watchers – Most concerned with their health and weight, these consumers read the ingredient statement and nutritional panel carefully, trying to make informed choices that are good for their health.

• Thrifty Traditionalists – Least concerned with clean label, they prefer to live on their own terms and will make changes to their food preferences out of medical necessity.

• Casual Investigators – Representing a wide range of demographic groups, these mass consumers are starting to pay extra attention to the food they purchase but are less aware of clean label definitions.

Readers may reserve a copy of the consumer segment report, which will be released the morning of Friday, March 9.

“Consumers are at differing levels of clean label adoption, from the forward-looking label seekers who are quick to adopt new claims, the cautious investigators who seek to learn more before jumping on the wagon, to those that are indifferent to clean label,” notes Soumya Nair, director of marketing insights for Kerry. “Each segment has differing nutritional and functional priorities that drive their purchase behavior.”