Hy-Vee Rolls Out Clean Honest Products
Demand for free-from products, considered by many to be healthier because they’re free of ingredients that are either artificial or perceived as unhealthy, continues to grow.
Such products are estimated to generate additional sales approaching $10 billion worldwide over the next five years.
Food manufacturers and retailers alike are responding with new or reformulated products aimed at meeting this demand and tapping this lucrative market segment.
Among them is Midwestern supermarket chain Hy-Vee Inc., where shoppers will have a lot fewer ingredients to read on store-brand brand food items as the retailer, known for its commitment to wellness, rolls out its Clean Honest Ingredients label initiative.
Hy-Vee will eliminate more than 200 artificial ingredients or synthetic chemicals in 1,000 Hy-Vee label products over the coming year.
A handful of these private label food items can already be found in Hy-Vee stores, and customers can look for the Clean Honest Ingredients logo to easily identify them.
“Hy-Vee takes great care to provide our customers with authenticity and transparency when it comes to the products in our stores,” said Jeremy Gosch, Hy-Vee’s EVP for strategy and chief merchandising officer. “As the demand increases for food products that contain natural, familiar and simple ingredients, we are doing our best to meet those expectations within our Hy-Vee label offerings.”
High-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and colors, and partially hydrogenated oils are just a few of the ingredients that won't be found in these products. Items will remain in current Hy-Vee brand packaging, with the addition of the Clean Honest Ingredients logo.
Currently available Hy-Vee products with the Clean Honest Ingredients logo include ketchup, almond butter, tortilla chips and bottled tea. The complete transition of all 1,000 items is scheduled for July 2018.
To learn more about the Clean Honest Ingredients initiative, view the complete list of excluded ingredients online.
West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee Inc. operates more than 240 retail stores across eight Midwestern states.