Research from Cargill shows consumers value snacks sustainability claims

Key research from Cargill has revealed that consumers have placed an increasingly high value on sustainability considerations on their purchasing habits of foods including crisps and cookies, writes Neill Barston.

The company conducted its recent global FATitudes survey that found 55% of shoppers indicate they’re more likely to purchase a packaged food item if it includes environmentally mindful claims – representing a four-point jump since its previous research three years ago.

In response, the business has continued to drive its own sustainability measures including sourcing oils from regenerative agriculture initiatives for row crop oilseeds, as well ensuring its palm oil is certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). As Confectionery Production has previously reported, the key ingredient is used widely with confectionery, yet has attracted criticism from campaign groups over delivery of high environmental standards surrounding its processing.

Furthermore, In the coming year, the company confirmed it will expand its North American portfolio of RSPO-segregated palm oil to include palm stearin and palm olein (liquid extract) products, positioning the company to support customers in this geography with a full portfolio of sustainable palm-sourced products. RSPO-segregated palm products are also available in Europe, Russia, Australia/New Zealand and Malaysia.

As the business noted, it has also improved its operations through creating a new palm oil refinery in Indonesia and upgrading capabilities at its specialty fats facilities around the globe. In addition, last December, the company  became the first edible oils supplier to commit to removing industrially-produced trans-fatty acids (ITFAs) from its entire global edible oils portfolio, in line with the World Health Organisation’s best practices.

“Our latest findings clearly demonstrate that messages surrounding sustainability are having an impact on consumers,” said Nese Tagma, managing director of strategy and innovation for Cargill’s global edible oils business. “Insights like these help guide our consumer-focused approach to innovation, enabling us to partner with customers to co-create new products and solutions that reflect current consumer trends and ingredient preferences.”

Cargill’s global FATitudes survey is pivotal to these efforts as it provides a window into consumers’ awareness, perceptions and behaviors around the fats and oils found in packaged food. The latest global survey, conducted in summer 2021, included approximately 6,000 primary grocery shoppers in 11 countries.

In this most recent round of research, an increased interest in sustainability was the most notable change from the previous survey’s results. More than half of the countries surveyed showed an increase in the influence of sustainability claims, with the change most evident in these countries:
• Brazil and Mexico, which both saw 13 point increases in the purchase impact of sustainability claims between 2019 and 2021. Sustainability claims now drive purchase decisions for 74% of consumers in Brazil and 66% in Mexico.
• India posted double-digit increases, too, with 67% of consumers indicating they were more likely to purchase packaged food with sustainability claims, up 11 points from 2019.
• In the U.K., Cargill found 51% of consumers now say they place a greater emphasis on sustainability, an 8 point jump in just two years.
• U.S. consumers were also more attuned to sustainability claims; 37% indicated they were more likely to purchase packaged food with a sustainability claim, a 6 point increase compared to 2019 results.

Notably, for the first time, the survey also asked consumers what type of sustainability claim they were seeking in their shopping.

“Sustainably sourced” and “conservation of natural resources” topped the list, ranking well ahead of more specific claims such as Fair Trade, reduced packaging and fair/living wages in most every country included in the survey.

“These insights further affirm our commitment to embed sustainable practices into every aspect of our operations,” said Florian Schattenmann, chief technology officer and vice president of innovation and R&D for Cargill. “This includes everything from our sourcing practices to processing facilities, and even extends to new product development, where decisions to commercialise innovations now consider sustainability alongside performance and cost.”