British consumers are ‘confused and worried’ about which food and beverage products are healthy.
New research conducted by consumer research platform, Attest, showed that out of 1,000 consumers, only 16% could identify the healthy cereal bar.
The majority – 78% – chose cereal bars with the second-worst level of nutritional value, while 6% selected the worst of the bunch.
The respondents cited packaging language as the reason for their wrong choice, with these bars containing health-related messages including ‘natural’, ‘protein-packed’ and ‘plant based’.
READ MORE: UK food and drink manufacturers leading the charge for healthier shopping baskets
The research also found that nearly half (48%) of shoppers worry that wellness products aren’t actually healthy, 40% stated they’re concerned that the health benefits of the ingredients haven’t been scientifically proven, while 36% worry that the amount of active ingredients included isn’t enough to make a difference.
“The Attest research shows that identifying real, healthy food and beverage products appears to be a significant difficulty for consumers when shopping,” Attest founder and chief executive Jeremy King said.
“As revealed by the data, packaging and product messages aren’t helping shoppers nearly enough to make informed decisions.”
King continued: “This is a clear call to action for the food and beverage industry to simplify how it sells its products.
“If the industry properly addresses this issue, it can unlock genuine consumer demand, especially as more than half of UK consumers are actively looking to buy products that support their overall health.”
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