New Food Products Popular Labels

"Gluten-free” and “No trans fats” are proving to be popular labels on new food products.

“Gluten-free” and “No trans fats” are proving to be popular labels on new food products. According to the Economic Research Service, over 7,000 new food and beverage products (including reformulated ones) appeared on grocery store shelves in 2010. 3,134 of them carried health- and nutrition-related claims on their packages, such as “low sugar” or “high fiber”. The claims with the biggest increases though were those that related to gluten, trans fats, and calories. For example, in 2001 just 1% of new products claimed to be “gluten free” in 2010? 12 percent of new products claimed to be “gluten free,”! Increases in claims related to calories, fiber, and sugar marked a reversal from previous trends during the 1990s. For example, the percent of new products showcasing their fiber contents, which had been falling since 1989, began to increase in 1998. Such an emphasis on health and nutrition claims, is a reflection of consumer interest and increased coverage of health & obesity topics by public and private sources and the media.