Survey: Food Companies to Focus R&D on Developing New Products, Clean Up Existing Ones

In their 45th Annual R&D Survey, Food Processing asked manufacturers about what they’re focusing on in 2016. Here’s what they had to say.

R&D Focuses

• “Really new” product development will continue to be most important for R&D efforts this year, followed by “cleaning up” current products.

• Food safety will continue to have the most impact on R&D strategy, followed by preventive health and organic/natural.

Ingredients

For the current product clean-up, manufacturers plan to:

• Remove added sugars (28%), sodium (21%), trans fat (15%), and saturated fat (11%).

• Add fiber (15%), fruits and vegetables (22%), and vitamins (11%).

• Replace refined grains with whole grains (15%).

GMOs

GMO labeling

• 41% of respondents are in favor of mandatory GMO labeling, whereas 11% are opposed.

• 17% say we need a national policy right now, while 48% say they will go along with it if it becomes law.

GMO ingredients

• 36% of respondents are mildly or strongly supportive of GMO ingredients.

• 27% are mildly or strongly opposed.

Non-GMO certification

• 35% of respondents have or are seeking non-GMO certification, up from 23% last year.

Clean Labels

When asked an open-ended question about what they’re doing to make cleaner labels, manufacturers said they are:

• Focusing on health and authenticity

• Using stevia and natural colors

• Taking out artificial flavors and colors, as well as chemical-sounding ingredients

• Taking out fillers, binders, coloring, and unnecessary chemical additives

• Exploring ways to be shelf-stable without preservatives

• “Identifying ingredients that are banned for our company”

2015 Dietary Guidelines

When asked how important the Dietary Guidelines are to their plans:

• 53% of respondents said they are “reasonably important.”

• 12% said they are “huge.”

• 35% said they will have little or no effect.

For more details and additional findings, download the full report.