Caribou recently made the bold decision to use only clean label ingredients in its beverages, and created a list of more than 70 ingredients the company has blacklisted. Panera made a pledge to remove artificial flavors, sweeteners, colors and preservatives from its products, and to be more transparent by displaying calorie and sugar content information on signage for self-serve beverages. Chipotle declared it will remove all artificial colors, flavors and preservatives from food menu items. These are just a few of the more recent examples of leading fast-casual and quick service restaurants (QSR) that are publicizing their commitment toward cleaner label products.

Brands producing clean label products are just as pervasive in the ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage and packaged foods categories—and it should pay off. Euromonitor predicts the clean label market will be worth $180 billion globally through 2020, an estimate that the market research company considers conservative.

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