Natural: A $75 billion word with no definition—Why not?

Natural is a $75 billion word with no official definition in most countries. The United States Food and Drug Administration has given only an unclear guideline on what constitutes natural instead of an actual definition. Sensory and other scientists need to understand the motivations and attitudes of consumers about the products they use. “Natural” is a commonly used term on labels and advertising for food and other products. This research examined 30 ingredients used in food products to determine which ingredients consumers considered natural and why they consider certain ingredients as “not natural.” A national U.S. survey of 1,051 consumers (primary food purchases: 43% male, 57% female) was analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi‐squared tests. No ingredient, except for sea salt, was found to be natural by more than 70% of respondents. Familiarity with an ingredient was instrumental in consumers' determination of naturalness. Healthfulness and chemical sounding names also played a role in whether a product or ingredient was considered natural or not. “Natural” is not a single concept and, thus, is difficult to define. Practical applications Understanding how consumers make decisions about whether a food is “natural” or not is key to understanding how new products are formulated and then perceived by consumers. This study identifies several major issues associated with food ingredients making food seem “not natural.” Most of the issues are associated with a lack of understanding or knowledge or the perception that healthfulness drives naturalness (e.g., if I think it is “healthy” to eat, then it must be natural. The information will better help sensory and other scientists understand perception of their products in a time of consumer confusion.