What M&S’ New Packaging Says About Transparency
The grocery product launch that’s made the biggest impact so far this year is simple – in every way.
In March, UK department store Marks & Spencer (M&S) launched its new Only... Ingredients range, made up of products with six or fewer ingredients. Capturing the most attention is the Only 1 Ingredient Corn Flakes which are made from only one ingredient – corn.
To push the range’s point of difference, M&S has chosen to make the ingredients list, which is typically relegated to the back or side of packaging in small letters, the main feature. Customers can see at a glance what is – and what isn’t – in each product.
Based on comments from customers online, it seems people like this level of transparency. But is it really giving them the full picture?
Consumers Want to Understand What They’re Eating
M&S’s Only… Ingredients are born out of a pushback against ultra-processed foods (UPF).
Generally speaking, these are products that have more than one ingredient that wouldn’t be found in the average kitchen, as well as additives and preservatives. Examples are soft drinks, crisps, biscuits, mass-produced bread, ready meals, processed meats, and many breakfast cereals – hence M&S’ Only 1 Ingredient Cornflakes.
Consumers are looking to better understand what it is that they’re eating, so they can have more control over what they consume. We’ve seen the same thing happening in the beauty and personal care sectors with the rise of ‘clean’ beauty.
The simplicity of the M&S Only… Ingredients’ packaging – as well as what goes into the products – gives them that insight. It also helps to spark conversations about what actually needs to be in what we eat.
Fewer Ingredients Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Healthier
There’s another side to transparency that the M&S Only… Ingredients range is missing though. The overriding narrative behind the concept is that fewer ingredients are a good thing, the sign of a better – and better for you – product.
Psychologically the Only… Ingredients range makes consumers think that the products are healthier than the alternatives next to them on the shelf. There’s a sense of back to basics – no additives or preservatives.
However, not all processing is bad. And more than six things on an ingredients list doesn’t always mean a product is worse for you.
The breakfast cereal category is a prime example. Most cereals today are fortified with certain essential vitamins and minerals that are often lacking in modern diets. These cereals have a longer ingredients list than M&S’ Only 1 Ingredient Cornflakes, but they could also be better for the customer because of those additions.
It’s also interesting that a product with just one ingredient is priced significantly higher than alternatives in its category.
For some consumers, they may end up paying more for a product that isn’t doing as much for their health as a fortified breakfast cereal.
This is the element of transparency that is missing from M&S’ Only… Ingredients range.
Transparency Drives Trust
Clearly, consumers want transparency around what’s in their food so they can decide what is the best product for them.
Retailers who can give them that – like M&S with its Only… Ingredients range – are well-positioned to gain their trust.
But brands also need to be careful not to misrepresent the benefits of a product – just because it has fewer ingredients or is minimally processed.
Especially as some processing can be a good thing. For example, in the UK, new legislation will require non-wholemeal wheat flour to be fortified with folic acid from the end of 2026.
This will increase the ingredients in a loaf of white bread but hopefully provide greater health benefits.
The M&S Only… Ingredients concept resonates with consumers because it’s easy to grasp. The packaging tells the story in a brilliantly simple way.
But it’s also resonating across the wider grocery sector as a conversation starter around transparency. Because if consumers aren’t getting the full picture around what is – and is not – in a product, then their trust could be on the line.
By Jack Stratten, Director and Head of Trends at retail trends agency Insider Trends
