Clean label colors: US retailer introduces on-pack code system for dietary restrictions

10 Jul 2023 --- US-based supermarket Southeastern Grocers (SEG) has launched a store brand product line named Know & Love, with new packaging for clean labeling.

The range will be rolled out gradually through the year in SEG’s subsidiaries Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores. Once fully launched, the Know & Love line will offer over 1,000 clean label products – including dairy, fresh produce, ready-made foods, beverages and household items. 

The supermarket says the Know & Love line is evolving the company’s overall approach to packaging design. It features color-coded packaging to help customers with dietary requirements easily find products suited to their needs. Dark purple packaging indicates gluten-free items and dark green packaging denotes plant-based options.

“Our customers and associates are the driving force behind every decision we make, and as they began to express an increasing desire for products with simple ingredients, we set out to create a budget-friendly, clean label line centered around two fundamental traits: Trust and transparency,” says Brooke Rice, senior director of the own brands’ division at Southeastern Grocers. 

Clean label focus
SEG says the F&B and household products are free from nearly 100 “undesirable” ingredients, such as certified color additives, partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup and sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin and sucralose.

SEG color codes new packaging to provide clarity to consumers who have dietary restrictions. The packaging leverages neuroscience and neuromarketing techniques to “create a clean, visually appealing packaging design that aligns with the principles of clean labeling, while also conveying a sense of trust, reliability and affordability,” says the supermarket. 

It adds that Know & Love’s packaging design mirrors the simplicity and quality of its products, enhancing the overall shopping experience. 

“Know & Love encapsulates this ideal and reflects our steadfast commitment to providing quality products at an affordable price. Our Know & Love Goodness Guarantee upholds this standard by offering customers a benchmark for excellence across the product line,” adds Rice. 

Grocery innovations 
Recently, grocery stores have been focusing on creating environmentally sustainable bagging solutions. Notably, companies such as Hillex, Closed Loop Partners and Kroger have reported developments in their bags to reduce waste in the sector. 

Hillex revealed new size options for its ProWave Tote, a recyclable, reusable tote bag. Hilex states the tote simplifies deliveries and carry-out for supermarkets, restaurants, retailers and customers. 

The Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag, managed by Closed Loop Partners, launched a pilot dubbed “Bring Your Own Bag” across retail shops in Denver and Tucson, US. Over 150 stores joined the pilot to determine whether collective retailer action can advance a broader reuse culture. 

Additionally, Kroger’s recycling program achieved its milestone of recycling more than one million pieces of its Our Brands flexible plastic product packaging range in May. The packaging was recycled through its US program in collaboration with TerraCycle. 

Edited by Sabine Waldeck