New Study Shows 41% of Consumers are Willing to Pay More for Healthier Ingredients
While many believe “salt is salt,” it’s apparent that shoppers see stark differences between different salt ingredients, and many are willing to pay more for the ingredient they desire.
In a new 2020 study conducted by Cargill, 41% of respondents revealed that they would be willing to pay a 10% premium for products with “healthier” ingredients. That number grew since 2019, when only 38% of respondents claimed they would pay more for healthier ingredients. The sample for this data included 10,643 consumers who do at least half of their household’s grocery shopping, indicating a very significant increase in shoppers who are willing to pay 10% or more for healthier ingredients.1
This is great news for food manufacturers who want to formulate their products with more premium ingredients. While the term “healthy” to each individual is subjective, this same study digs into health perceptions of specific ingredients in order to determine which ingredients could command premium prices.
For instance, different types of salts generate very different health perceptions. When asked, “how good or bad for you are each of these ingredients, in your own opinion?” respondents revealed that they do not believe all salts are equal.1
In terms of net health perceptions, certain ingredients scored low—sodium resulted in -30%, salt scored -15%, and potassium chloride scored -11%. In the positive range, potassium chloride plus sea salt as a combination delivered a score of 15%, sea salt came out at 36%, and potassium scored the highest at 55%.1
This data demonstrates the power of including ingredients on food labels that have more positive health perceptions. While many believe “salt is salt,” it’s apparent that shoppers see stark differences between different salt ingredients, and many are willing to pay more for the ingredient they desire.1
Sources:
- Cargill’s Proprietary 2020 IngredienTracker™ Survey