Green brands more healthy, say shoppers

Brands that present themselves as green are also widely perceived by consumers to be more healthy, according to researchers at brand agency Dragon Brands.

Dragon chairman and co-founder Dorothy MacKenzie said that talking about sustainability, carbon-footprinting and other environmental issues all helped to create a positive halo around a brand.

"Our research suggests that if you're doing the right thing from an environmental point of view then, rightly or wrongly, people tend to assume that you are behaving responsibly in terms of health and nutrition."

Manufacturers looking for successful ways of communicating health messages should focus on health outcomes, rather than providing consumers with a shopping list of ingredients, said Dragon's director of consumer brands Claire Nuttall.

"Focus on what the benefit is, such as 'an easy way to get one of your five-a-day', or 'recharge your batteries'," she suggested.

New buzzwords that could help companies talk about the health credentials were 'pure', 'alive', 'wild', and 'artisan', added Nuttall. Emerging trends included beauty foods, gourmet non-allergenic foods and 'luxury naturals', she predicted.

"People don't want worthy and wholesome foods anymore. They want premium, aspirational natural foods."

Consumer research also showed that hard health claims were not the primary drivers of healthy brands, added MacKenzie.

Many firms were finding success without making hard claims based on clinical evidence but relying instead on clever packaging and 'folk' awareness, she added.

While more studies into the efficacy of ingredients were required, companies building an emotional connection with consumers were far more likely to be successful in this arena.

"All the research suggests that consumers are turned off by detailed scientific claims and explanations on packaging or advertising," she claimed.