The natural food industry and consumers needs are evolving when it comes to natural. As this area of the food industry continues to grow, product developers need to anticipate—and effectively react to—changes and create products consumers crave while delivering on the expectations of “natural.”
What exactly does the term “natural” mean? While it would be great to have a clearly delineated message and definition for the term, so far the regulatory agencies have yet to fully define it. While no formal definition exists, in direct response to consumers’ request for a definition of what exactly constitutes the term “natural,” the FDA delivered a response in 2016. The FDA considers the term “natural” to mean that nothing artificial or synthetic (including all color additives regardless of source) has been included in, or has been added to, a food that would not normally be expected to be in that food.