If it seems as though what's not in a product these days is as important as what is, you're not imagining things. The insistence on "clean" and "simple" ingredients that began with a fringe of vigilant label readers has pervaded the marketplace.

When a gluten-free version of Sheila G's Brownie Brittle hit U.S. stores in 2017, JoAnn Rupp, global market insights manager, Corbion, Lenexa, KS, noticed something that distinguished the product on an increasingly crowded gluten-free shelf.