Private Label Health Foods

3 ways
Irish Private Label food producers
can optimise your healthy eating category

With interest rising in food-related health issues such as diabetes, consumers are taking more interest in their nutritional health. Public health campaigns are helping to drive this trend, and shoppers are becoming more specific in their needs. Social media is a huge driver, with lifestyle, wellness and foodie blogs providing inspiration and engaging with a whole new generation of shoppers.

Retailers and FMCG manufacturers are aware of the need to continually improve the quality and nutritional make-up of their products. Irish PL producers have been making inroads into this important emerging market and they are to the fore in supplying healthier ranges, using the finest ingredients.

Below, we showcase three ways in which Irish food producers and exporters can benefit your category.

1. Ireland offers innovation and range

‘Free from’ is a massive food trend, as consumers seek clean, natural food.

Irish produced Private Label (PL) ranges have been responding to new health regulations in various export markets for some time and are making a big impact in offering innovative and affordable options to shoppers. Many also have clear messaging on health benefits, displaying details of recommended daily intake, and portion control.

Because around 20 percent of the Irish shopper base regularly purchases gluten-free products, Irish manufacturers have been responding to the gluten-free demand from the UK and Irish markets for many years.

As a result, Irish PL exporters have developed a wide range of offerings which compete with mainstream products on quality and taste. These products offer strong appeal to lifestyle shoppers who appreciate the strength of the range of options available to them. This means they don’t have to sacrifice quality, assortment or taste for their free-from requirements.

2. Ireland has proven expertise

Ireland’s long history in catering for its high level of coeliac customers has seen PL companies take this exemplary track record and use it to bring an equally innovative approach to other categories. Within health and fitness, for example, they are innovating with on-trend and in demand protein products.

Health and fitness-aware consumers and Millennials are driving interest and sales in high-protein products and products with healthy values. Their exposure to health and wellness influencers via social media and an emerging knowledge about food is driving consumer desire.

Due to the sustainability measures of the Origin Green programme, which measures Irish food producers under many targets, Irish PL producers meet and exceed the requirements of this discerning shopper group.

3. Ireland has unrivalled PL producers

Ireland has a growing number of companies which are offering really innovative products in the PL space, such as boutique dairies that put an emphasis on minimal processing and unrivalled authentic taste. Their artisan produce is finding its way onto the counters of leading baristas and the menus of top Irish and UK restaurants.

These higher margin premium products build and retain customer loyalty at a time when shoppers are increasingly fickle about where they spend their money and what they consume.

While consumers want wellness-focused foods for less outlay, many are also time poor. They are seeking healthy ready meals or quality fresh ingredients that will optimise taste when assembled, while at the same time, benefiting their health.

Many PL buyers are currently reviewing their category offerings in healthy eating. Now is the time to look to Ireland as a reliable source of quality and innovative products across multiple categories in the free from and health space.

These include dairy, bakery, chocolate, frozen and non-alcoholic drinks. As well as maintaining a strong presence in traditional categories such as beef and butters, Irish PL producers are also looking to expand into new areas such as healthy eating, bringing with it their reputation for unsurpassed flavour and quality.