The Center for Food Integrity held their 2023 Transparency Summit at Rosemont, IL. on November 14^th.  Various speakers raised issues of concern to consumers:-

• Consumers are concerned over additives and wish to be informed of their function as  preservatives or to enhance quality
• There is acceptance of FDA-approved preservatives including antioxidants and antimicrobials
• Manufacturers should take responsibility for sustainability and provide realistic information on progress
• Transparency in labeling is considered an important purchase consideration with appropriate substantiation of claims
• Wasteful packaging is a growing concern among consumers

At the end of the day, consumers appear to be influenced to a high degree by price and are accordingly embracing private label products.  Although there is evidence that many shoppers are reading labels there is a question as to understanding of the values depicted. Attributes such as sustainability and corporate image are subservient to cost in the purchase decision except for the affluent, health conscious and environmentally concerned.