What is a Clean Label?

John Spacey, updated on September 24, 2016

A clean label is a product, usually a food item, that contains ingredients that are perceived as natural and chemical-free. The culture of clean labels also tends to minimize ingredients. For example, a label for apple juice might read "organic apple juice."

Some consumers have a strong preference for products with understandable ingredients that sound like basic food items as opposed to chemicals. An apple juice that contains a dozen ingredients including sweeteners, food colors, preservatives and flavorings may be actively avoided by such customers.

Regulations

Manufacturers may attempt to hide chemicals and highly processed ingredients with natural sounding names. For example, an application was made to the FDA in the United States to market High Fructose Corn Syrup as "corn sugar." The regulation of labeling is a complex ordeal that varies greatly from one nation to the next. In many cases, industrial interests lobby governments to prevent information about unpopular ingredients from being shared on labels.

Overview: Clean Label
Type	Food Sustainability
Definition	A product with ingredients that are perceived as natural with names that are easy to understand.
Value	A common consumer preference.
Issues	Industry efforts to hide artificial ingredients with natural-sounding names.
Related Concepts	Dollar Voting Right To Know Slow Food Organic Farming Sustainability