Study shows consumers want more omega-3

At least 98 percent of consumers have now heard of omega-3 oils. An increasing number are more likely to purchase products containing ALA, EPA or DHA omega-3 oils. This is according to Cargill’s Fatitudes™ research, which provides a look at how consumers perceive a variety of oils and fats in packaged goods. 

“The Fatitudes research will help our customers better understand opportunities specific to fats and oils”, said Kristine Sanschagrin, marketing manager at Cargill Specialty Seeds and Oil. “It provides consumer insights to help develop or reformulate products and grow market share.” 

The study’s look at how consumers view omega-3 oils, in particular, could help food and beverage manufacturers develop products with messaging that is meaningful to grocery shoppers. Specifically, DHA omega-3 has the most impact of purchase intent (23 percent) followed by EPA (16 percent) and ALA (11 percent). 

Earlier this year, Cargill introduced IngreVita™, a drop-in oil ingredient to help food manufacturers boost the nutritional benefits of their products. IngreVita is a combination of high oleic canola oil, fish oil and proprietary antioxidants, and contains EPA and DHA omega-3s, which are long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids that play an important role in heart health and brain development. Cargill will showcase IngreVita at its booth during the SupplySide West Global Expo and Conference this week in Las Vegas. For more information on IngreVita, visit www.cargillfoods.com/ingrevita.

The Fatitudes study was conducted in 2013 and repeated in 2014 with a representative sample of more than 500 U.S. consumers age 18-68, who are grocery shoppers for their household. Cargill is sharing detailed results of the proprietary research with select food and beverage manufacturing or foodservice customers. Contact your Cargill sales representative for more information. 

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Cargill provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services to the world. Together with farmers, customers, governments and communities, we help people thrive by applying our insights and nearly 150 years of experience. We have 143,000 employees in 67 countries who are committed to feeding the world in a responsible way, reducing environmental impact and improving the communities where we live and work. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center.