Influence of ingredients on F&B purchases

Consumers across Asia–Pacific are more ingredient-savvy than ever before, with over 70% checking labels before purchase, according to a recent study by Cargill.

The company’s APAC IngredienTracker 2025 assessed around 2000 consumers across four markets in APAC (China, Indonesia, Australia and Japan) to determine their attitudes towards 91 ingredients across these four groups:

1. chocolate and cocoa
2. sweeteners
3. texturisers
4. fats and oils

The study also explored how consumer perceptions of these ingredients impacted purchase decisions in 13 food and beverage categories including dairy, ready meals, packaged beverages, salty snacks, bakery, chocolate confectionery, infant formula, etc.

Consumers are proactively seeking healthier and more familiar ingredients in their food, according to the study, with immune system-related concerns jumping 101% between 2017 and 2024. Ingredients that sound ‘natural’ or are plant-based are perceived as ‘good for you’. In contrast, unfamiliar or scientific-sounding ingredients are often seen as ‘bad for you’, showing stronger negative opinions than previous waves.

More than 58% of consumers are willing to pay 10% more for premium ingredients like dark chocolate; higher quality, more sustainable ingredients; and foods fortified with essential nutrients. Purchase decisions and health perceptions are closely linked, and more than half of the consumers like to share their knowledge of ingredients with friends or online.

Local sourcing

In the chocolate and cocoa category, the study highlighted that consumers are doubling down on products with a stamp of authenticity through local production and ingredient sourcing, often linked to local cultures and traditions. Organic and dark chocolates are perceived as the healthiest, with ‘high fat’ cocoa powder being seen as consistently the least healthy.

Lower sugar

Consumers most commonly associate sweeteners with beverage categories, especially when it comes to non-alcoholic and bottled drinks, and the preference is for reduced sugar content and products with functional claims, such as immune support and slimming effects.

Sugar-free and low-sugar claims are rising in product launches across Asian markets, especially in beverages. Use of additive sweeteners is rising, while use of traditional sugars is declining. The percentage of drink launches across APAC containing additive sweeteners has increased from 18% to 29%. Consumers are more inclined to purchase ‘natural’-sounding ingredients — like brown sugar, monk fruit and cane sugar, vs sweeteners with artificial or scientific names.

Plant-based texturisers

It is no secret that Asian-inspired textures like boba and mochi are going global. In fact, F&B brands in Asia are increasingly highlighting local textures to promote a premium image and sensory pleasure offered by their products.

Plant-based texturisers like pectin derived from fruit peels are popularly being used in fruit-based confectionery gums and jellies. Consumers are inclined to purchase products with more ‘natural/familiar-sounding’ texturisers like gelatine and wheat gluten, as well as natural proteins from plant sources like soy, chickpea and rice.

Sustainably sourced with functional benefits

When it comes to categories of ready meals, salty snacks and cooking ingredients, consumers pay most attention to the kinds of fats and oils used in these products. Consumers are increasingly interested in ingredients offering functional benefits, such as oils supporting cardiovascular health, bone health and immunity. A trend towards locally produced fats and sustainability in oils can be seen, with attention towards clean-label and sustainably sourced oils rising. Vitamin E and fats & oils from natural sources like sunflower, canola, coconut and soybean are rated the most familiar and healthiest, and have the highest purchase impact.

“Consumer choices today are increasingly shaped not just by taste, but by how ingredients are perceived across categories. Understanding ingredient perceptions across markets is critical to help food manufacturers better optimise product formulations. This means prioritising ingredients that Asian consumers demand and labelling to help them choose ingredients and health benefits they desire. This study helps understand ... the future of ingredients and aims to support our customers in their product innovation and strategic decision-making”, said Yuchu Zhang, Vice President, R&D Cargill Food APAC.

Image credit: iStock.com/Nadiia Borovenko