As consumers strive for healthy, natural beverages, clean labels and products with simple, recognizable ingredients, natural flavors and colors are dominating the beverage aisle. Yet, the complexity of the clean-label category and the term itself can mean something unique to each consumer, experts note.

“Clean label is a broad claim that can be defined in a number of ways, depending on the consumer and what’s important to them,” says Vicky Fligel, senior product manager of Beverages at Chicago-based Glanbia Nutritionals.