October is non-GMO month
Nielsen data shows clean label a mainstream trend
For me, October is a month full of celebrations. Whether it be visiting apple orchards and pumpkin patches to ring in the fall season, attending costume parties in anticipation of Halloween, or my annual guessing game of what to get my husband for his birthday, I am in celebration mode for most of the month. However, for some, this month isn’t just about celebration, it’s also about education.
For the Non-GMO Project, October is a special month because it is Non-GMO Month. As part of the annual celebration, more than 12,000 grocery stores across the United States and Canada are taking part in the month-long event to educate the public and spotlight Non-GMO Project Verified choices on their shelves, according to the organization’s non-GMO awareness website, livingnongmo.org.
This is the eighth year that the Non-GMO Project has dedicated October to non-GMO awareness, but this year the organization has made it even easier for consumers to get involved with a dedicated website, which includes a list of ways they can participate. Among those are the Non-GMO Month Daily Giveaway Contest, hosting or attending local events, and purchasing Non-GMO Project T-shirts, hats, stickers and buttons.
Based on data from Nielsen, it seems as though more and more consumers are celebrating clean label. The market research firm notes in a consumer insights piece titled “Who’s buying clean label products?” that clean label has expanded beyond specialty and natural retailers.
“In fact, 93 percent of U.S. households have purchased a clean label product at grocery stores, while 70 percent have purchased at a mass merchandiser/supercenter and 31 percent at club stores,” Nielsen reports.
The market research firm credits this shift to varying demographics and generations. For instance, it found millennials and Generation X consumers place higher importance on products labeled organic, free of GMOs and no added hormones. Additionally, consumers 35 and younger with household incomes of $100,000 or more, and families with children all placed higher importance on clean-label attributes.
The clean-label movement continues to garner attention and it seems as though consumers and organizations are ready to celebrate as well.
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