71% of U.S. moms agree: Food and happiness go hand in hand

Leading food ingredient company, Chr. Hansen, Natural Colors Division, commissioned the “Thought for Food” survey to learn what U.S. moms look for in food labels and gauge their perceptions of natural ingredients. While moms rely on personal insight gained from Google searches, news segments and social media discussions, most of their purchasing choices are made by reading food labels.

“One significant outcome from the survey found 83 percent of respondents wish there were more naturally derived food offerings from U.S. food companies. This insight drives product development to help our customers meet consumer needs,” said Mary Bentley, senior vice president color sales and commercial development, Natural Colors Division, Chr. Hansen. “It’s also interesting to note 80 percent of moms are more likely to purchase a product if it contains naturally derived ingredients, which demonstrates strong purchase intent that will position those products as market leaders.”

Other key findings include:

• 57 percent of moms are purchasing more foods containing naturally derived ingredients today than 10 years ago.
• Nearly 2 in 3 moms (63 percent) claim to read food labels always or most of the time prior to purchasing a product.
• 71 percent of moms are willing to pay 5 percent or more for naturally derived color food products.

“Findings also revealed U.S. moms are very knowledgeable and active in the natural ingredient conversation,” said Bentley. “Our strategy to be Nature’s #1 drove the “Thought for Food” survey. We hope that by sharing our findings, it can serve as a benchmark for future studies as interest in natural ingredients continues to gain momentum as a leading consumer trend.”

About the research
In May 2014, a national online study was fielded to collect information on U.S. moms’ food shopping behaviors and perceptions of synthetic and naturally derived colors in food. The study was conducted via a systematic random sample of 1,873 U.S. moms using sample obtained from Qualtrics. Moms were screened to be 18 or older, to have at least one child under the age of 18 in their household and to be the primary grocery shopper or to equally share this responsibility with another individual in their household. An ending sample of 1,140 U.S. moms participated in this research.

ABOUT CHR. HANSEN
Chr. Hansen is a global bioscience company that develops natural ingredient solutions for the food, nutritional, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. The products include cultures, enzymes, probiotics and natural colors, and all solutions are based on strong research and development competencies coupled with significant technology investments. Revenue in the 2012/13 financial year was EUR 738 million. The company holds a leading market position in all its divisions: Cultures & Enzymes, Health & Nutrition and Natural Colors. It has 2,500 dedicated employees in over 30 countries and main production facilities in Denmark, France, USA and Germany. Chr. Hansen was founded in 1874 and is listed on NASDAQ OMX Copenhagen. For further information, please visit www.chr-hansen.com.