Ocado has launched a dedicated ecommerce ‘aisle’ that features a curated selection of products made with ingredients customers are likely to recognise.

The supermarket aisle is titled Simple Ingredients and has over 350 branded products which were created with recognisable ingredients and no artificial additives such as colours, stabilisers or flavours.

This launch comes as research revealed that there is rising demand for simpler and more transparent food choices, with close to three quarters (74 per cent) of UK shoppers preferring containing ingredients they recognise.

Ocado’s new section aims to simplify shopping for customers to identify products which can be used in their own kitchen.

The data found that 65 per cent of respondents said shopping would be easier if they could find foods with fewer added ingredients, while over half (51 per cent) find it difficult to know what ingredients have been added to what they buy.

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This comes after Ocado’s search data shows growing interest in healthier foods, with searches for ‘unprocessed’ increasing by 178 per cent year on year, while ‘wholefood’ surged by 133 per cent.

Charlie Parker, senior nutritionist at Ocado Retail, said: “Customers increasingly want to know what is in the food they buy, but navigating ingredient lists can be difficult and time-consuming.

“We have checked the back of every pack so customers do not have to, bringing together products made with recognisable ingredients in one dedicated aisle, while leaving them to make an informed choice about what works for them as part of their overall diet.”

The new aisle will be available all year round and upgraded seasonally and spans across frozen pizzas, burgers and ready meals, snacks and treats.

The data found that 57 per cent of consumers are looking at ingredient labels more closely than they were a year ago, while 48 per cent have changed what they buy based on information about ingredients.