What's in my food?!

Consumer Sentiments on Artificial Dyes, Ingredients, & Political Pressure

As the conversation around food additives and artificial ingredients intensifies, consumers are no longer satisfied with surface-level claims — they want proof. This report unpacks how ingredient awareness is evolving in 2025, revealing what shoppers really think about dyes, preservatives, and brand transparency — and how policy pressures are accelerating the clean-label movement from the margins to the mainstream.

What’s Included

This report brings together quantitative and qualitative insights to illuminate how Americans are thinking, feeling, and acting when it comes to what’s in their food. It begins with a foundational look at how family health and personal well-being are driving ingredient scrutiny, then explores the behavioral changes that follow, including shifts in brand loyalty and purchase intent. Through a combination of survey data and real consumer video narratives, the findings trace an emotional throughline — from concern about artificial dyes to the deeper fear of being misled by brands.

Readers will also find insights into the language of trust, showing how specific, verifiable label cues outperform vague marketing claims, and how credibility now depends on both transparency and consistency over time. Finally, the report offers actionable guidance for brands navigating this new landscape: how to communicate reformulation as leadership, not compliance, and how to build lasting confidence through clarity, empathy, and authenticity.

Together, these insights map a new standard for ingredient transparency — one defined not by the removal of dyes alone, but by the rebuilding of trust.