Lynn Dornblaser, a client adviser with the Chicago-based market researcher Mintel, once defined clean label as “using things you’d find in your grandmother’s pantry.” Today, the meaning has become more complex and not only encompasses ingredients, but processing methods, packaging materials and marketing claims.

The concept of clean label is associated with foods that do not contain ingredients perceived as artificial or are not easily understood by average consumers. But clean label is about more than ingredients; it’s about the manufacturer’s commitment to providing cleaner food solutions with clear and transparent information to help consumers make informed choices.

Clean label principles are fundamental to the business practices of Atlanta-based Yaza, a maker of labneh. The plain variety of the high-protein, tangy dairy spread is formulated with two ingredients: cultured milk and salt. Flavored varieties include the sources of flavor on the ingredients panel.

“Growing up in Lebanon, labneh has always been a staple in my diet,” said Karim Khalil, founder of Yaza. “Upon moving to the US, I realized labneh was hard to come by, and when I could find it, it was nothing like what I grew up eating as it was filled with preservatives and sugars.”

Yaza labneh is manufactured by straining pasteurized cultured milk and thickening 100 gallons of milk into 25 gallons of labneh.

The ingredients are clean, as is the manufacturing process, but Khalil did not stop there.

“We firmly believe in the authenticity of our food, emphasizing both flavor and ingredients,” Khalil said. “Yaza’s commitment to sustainability begins at the source. Our milk is sourced from local dairy farms in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. The journey from these farms to a nearby creamery, just a few miles down the road, ensures freshness and significantly reduces our carbon footprint.

“Even our ingredients used for flavoring are carefully selected from the surrounding area, further minimizing environmental impact. Given the inherently low ecological footprint of our product, the choice of packaging was a natural extension of our commitment to sustainability.”

A cardboard wrap on the cup provides stability, so the cup may be produced with thin plastic walls. By using less plastic, it provides a reduced carbon footprint. The cup and wrap may be easily separated, which is important for recyclability. As the cup is always white or transparent, it produces recyclates that are not contaminated by inks.

The three P’s of R&D

Khalil is taking a clean label approach to the three P’s of research and development, which were the cornerstone of innovation at Kraft Foods in the 1980s and 1990s. It’s product, process and package, with the latter two now becoming a larger part of clean label. That’s because focusing on ingredients — the product — is not enough in today’s marketplace. The process and package also need to be perceived as clean.

While recyclability and reduced carbon footprint are important components of clean label packaging, food contact chemicals (FCC) are entering the conversation. A study published on Sept. 17 in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology said there are about 14,000 known FCCs in food packaging, of which 25% have been found in the human body, whether in samples of blood, hair or breast milk. The FCCs include metals, volatile organic compounds and per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAs), also known as “forever chemicals.”

Many FCCs are of concern for human health because they have hazard properties, such as carcinogenicity, infertility, mutagenicity and more, said the lead researcher, Birgit Geueke, PhD, senior scientific officer, Food Packaging Forum Foundation, Zurich.

PFAs have been making headlines during the past couple of years, and the conversation is quickly going mainstream. In May 2024, Consumer Reports published results from its investigation into PFAs in milk. The study was conducted on 50 samples of whole milk in five states with known PFAs in groundwater. The PFAs were found in 6 of the 50 samples.

The findings were meant to highlight possible shortcomings in how federal food safety agencies and manufacturers monitor milk and other food for harmful chemicals, said James Rogers, PhD, head of food safety testing at Consumer Reports. The findings do not mean anyone needs to stop drinking milk, he said. Rather, more research is needed on PFAs and whether health-protective limits need to be set.

When it comes to process, the conversation today is focused on degree of processing and potential negatives associated with processed foods. On May 6, The New York Times reported on ultra-processed foods. Editor Alice Callahan wrote about how scientists associate the consumption of ultra-processed foods with different health problems, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and mental disorders.

Three and a half months later, on Aug. 28, Time published “Why one dietitian is speaking up for ultra-processed foods.” In the article, a registered dietitian explained that stigmatizing ultra-processed foods was bad and confuses consumers, since there is no definition of what “ultra processed” means. One nutrition researcher quoted in the article said, “You end up with a system where gummy bears and canned kidney beans aren’t treated so differently.”

So, while the degree of processing has become part of the clean label trend, consumers continue to learn more about ingredients to determine the simplicity of a food.

“What we’re seeing with the term ultra-processed food is a shift,” said Julie Johnson, president, HealthFocus International, Des Plaines, Illinois. “Consumers are becoming savvier about differentiating variations in — or the extent of — what ‘processed’ means. They recognize that while a three-ingredient cracker and a can of precooked beans are processed, they may still fit into a healthy lifestyle.”

Jim Jones, deputy commissioner of human foods with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said at IFT FIRST in July that the agency is staying away from defining, clarifying or even addressing the conversation about ultra-processed foods. Jones said there’s not enough research about the topic; however, the items the agency is focusing on, such as nutrition and the safety of food ingredients, indirectly address ultra-processed foods. The efforts include updated sodium reduction targets, defining the term “healthy” and providing guidelines for front-of-pack nutrition content claims.

“While the ultra-processed dialogue may be confusing, it is likely to ramp up,” said Sherry Frey, vice president of total wellness, NielsenIQ, Chicago. She said to expect “an increased focus on specific food ingredients.”

Formulating for appealing labels

The focus soon will be on reducing ingredients that contribute to sodium, added sugar and saturated fat levels, which are the three nutrients to be flagged with front-of-pack claims. It also will be about eliminating ingredients that prevent a product from being labeled healthy once the FDA issues its guidelines. And lastly, it will focus on eliminating ingredients banned due to federal and state regulations and laws.

Jones said such emerging technologies as artificial intelligence and machine learning are enabling the FDA to revisit the safety of ingredients in the marketplace. If findings show an ingredient to be unsafe, the agency plans to take regulatory action on a national basis, rather than the current state-by-state legislation; however, state laws, namely those in California, are fueling some product reformulation efforts.

Last year, California banned four food additives: potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, propylparaben and red dye No. 3. Titanium dioxide also was on California’s original list, but the European Union-banned whitening agent remains approved for use in The Golden State.

Other states are planning similar bans. Some proposals are expanding the list of targeted additives.

GoCoCo, a mobile app that helps consumers identify foods perceived as unhealthy and ultra-processed in supermarkets and suggests healthier alternatives, recently completed a data analysis of more than 550,000 commercial products in the app. Results showed that more than 70,000 products contain at least one additive facing scrutiny. That equates to 13% of the food and beverage products in the market.

Claims for clarification

Identifying clean label processing methods and packaging attributes in product development is complex. For the time, formulators may choose to focus on ingredients.

A new report, “Tapping into the global consumer well-being opportunity” from Circana, Chicago, stated that “clean ingredients” continue to be a priority for the health- and wellness-seeking shopper. Keeping in mind there is no definition of what qualifies as a clean ingredient, and marketers take many different approaches to communicating the “cleanliness” of a packaged food.

For some, a certified organic claim is the gold standard. Organic has nothing to do with avoiding a high degree of processing, nor does it have any impact on packaging materials. In fact, organic does not have much to do with a product’s nutrient density. An organic claim is about sustainability, and a desire for foods free from pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, preservatives and dyes.

Hometown Food Co., Chicago, for example, now offers Birch Benders organic ultimate fudge brownie mix. The certified organic – just add water, oil and eggs – boxed dry blend consists of five ingredients: cane sugar, wheat flour, cocoa powder, salt and natural flavor. The company claims it is the first organic brownie mix featuring a clean ingredient list. But it’s still a sweet treat. When prepared according to instructions, one serving contains 14 grams of added sugar.

There are other claims to help consumers identify foods that are void of ingredients they want to avoid. Some even dabble in processing methods. Hickory Nut Gap, Asheville, North Carolina, for example, is introducing grassfed beef uncured hot dog.

For Hickory Nut Gap, clean ingredients mean using grassfed and grass-finished cattle that are raised without the use of antibiotics or added hormones. It also means Hickory Nut Gap hot dogs are minimally processed with no preservatives, fillers, artificial ingredients, added nitrates or nitrites, gluten, lactose or monosodium glutamate, according to the company.

Formulating with authentic ingredients plays into clean label for Bachan’s, Sebastopol, California. The Japanese barbecue sauce brand uses a cold-fill process without the use of preservatives or any artificial ingredients.

More companies are getting on board, as they recognize clean label is here to stay. It’s important to the growing number of consumers who want to know what they’re putting into their bodies and how it impacts the world. Brands can win consumer trust by being transparent with product, processing methods and packaging, and, if possible, adding sustainability efforts and sourcing into the communication.