Food Ingredients: Retailers′ Response to Consumer Concern Available to Purchase

Concentration in food retailing has swung the balance of power away from food manufacturers. This not only affects margins, it also affects product ingredients. Retailers are employing increasing numbers of qualified food scientists and technologists to develop high quality own label products which can be used as a competitive weapon to gain market share. This has serious implications for branded products. A history of the campaign to remove contentious food additives is presented and retailers′ and manufacturers′ responses are reported as a cautionary tale for those who try to resist rather than respond to consumer concern.