Anticipate legislation to build consumer trust
Anticipate legislation to build consumer trust
A proposed change to EU legislation on acrylamide would introduce maximum acrylamide limits across countries in the Union. If your products exceed those limits, it’s likely that you’ll have to stop marketing them. They could even be recalled. Even if the legislation isn’t passed, it will raise consumers’ awareness of acrylamide. Find out how you could turn this challenge into an opportunity.
Increasing acrylamide legislation will raise consumer awareness
The legislation – if passed – could well come into force sometime in 2023. Even if it takes longer to pass, or doesn’t pass at all, it will impact European consumers’ awareness of acrylamide. Their interest in healthy eating was high before the Covid-19 pandemic. And a third of people polled in a recent European study said a healthy diet will matter even more post-pandemic. As the proposed legislation creates media interest around the topic, consumer interest will grow. There is also growing consumer interest in transparency in food production; consumers no longer see this as “somebody else’s business”. The end result could be a situation where health-conscious, highly engaged consumers control the online narrative around acrylamide levels. These same consumers will demand answers from European food manufacturers.
Acrylamide reduction: a chance to build trust and future-proof products
At first glance, this appears to be a challenge. But it could in fact be a great opportunity for your business. That’s because another recent study showed that less than half of European consumers trust food manufacturers. Consumers in the same study said that they want manufacturers to respond better to changing expectations. So if you can give transparent responses to consumers’ questions and show you’re getting ahead of legislation on this issue, you could win consumers’ trust. That will ultimately translate into market share. By doing everything you can to reduce acrylamide levels, you’ll also have future-proofed your products against legislative and consumer pressure and against losing access to retailers’ shelves.
Many acrylamide mitigation measures impact product quality
But from the addition of acids to changes in piece size, many acrylamide mitigation measures in Food and Drink Europe’s Acrylamide Toolbox involve changes to recipes or manufacturing processes. These can affect the food's final texture and taste. Loyal consumers don’t appreciate any changes to the flavor, consistency or appearance of the products they love. Many companies have experienced a consumer backlash after changing a recipe. And in the Social Media age, such backlashes can lead to a brand trending for all the wrong reasons. So your goal is to implement the acrylamide reduction measures that informed, health-conscious consumers demand, while maintaining the product quality they expect.
Get lower acrylamide levels with no change to your recipes
It’s possible to achieve that goal with the Acrylaway® family of products. They keep you well beyond compliance with acrylamide reductions of up to 95% in the broadest range of applications. All with no need for recipe changes. In many cases, no process changes are needed either. That keeps you ahead of changing legislation and the demands of health-conscious consumers and retailers, while allowing your final products to keep their great taste and texture. Acrylaway® products are the ideal solution for mitigating acrylamide levels in a consistent way, helping you stay within acrylamide limits.
Explore solutions for a range of food and beverages
Products in the Acrylaway® family are available in liquid and granulate formats and cover a broad pH and temperature range. This includes the high temperatures needed for breakfast cereals and other grain-based foods.
An essential tool to support your acrylamide compliance
Along with developing acrylamide mitigation solutions for a wide range of foods, we offer a range of ways to help you stay compliant. One example is our compliance checker. This allows you to check your products’ acrylamide levels against current benchmarks and the anticipated new EU levels. It also helps you find solutions to help you meet these levels.
