Consumer demand for natural food and beverage as well as organic products continues to grow in the United States. Influential millennials are gaining buying power and they are changing the way that all consumers look at the food and beverage industry.

Here at Symrise, we wanted to learn more about consumer demand and how they perceive "naturalness" and what drivers are pushing their purchasing behavior in different food and beverage categories.

We conducted an online survey of 300 consumers asking for their feedback on the idea of ‘naturalness’.

Of the respondents, 100 offered detailed feedback on the categories listed below. Participants were from the United States and feel within one of these 6 categories, over 18 years old, identifying as the main food purchaser of their household, ‘natural’ shoppers who read labels and actively sought organic products. The majority of respondents in each category were women above the age of 40.

The survey showed that consumers are more likely to purchase products with labels featuring natural, local, fresh, and certified organic. While natural and certified organic ingredients are crucial, we also found out that consumers are more likely to buy products free of additives, preservatives, and artificial flavors. Also, the majority of the respondents said that chemicals and additives are a sign that products are unnatural and, in most categories, the freshness of the ingredients is also a sign that products are natural.

Check out our Naturalness Infographic below to see more detailed results of the way consumers perceive the food and beverage industry today.

To learn more about our study, contact Symrise HERE.

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