Miller Magazine Issue: 147 March 2022

58 MILLER / march 2022 NEWS More than half of global consumers say they’re more likely to purchase products with a sustainability claim. Sustainability considerations now influence the majority of the world’s grocery shoppers when buying packaged foods such as potato chips and cookies, according to Cargill’s most recent global FATitudes™ survey. The pro- prietary research finds 55% of consumers indicate they’re more likely to purchase a packaged food item if it includes a sustainability claim, a four-point jump since the company last fielded this research in 2019. “Our latest findings clearly demonstrate that messages surrounding sustainability are having an impact on consum- ers,” said Nese Tagma, managing director of strategy and innovation for Cargill’s global ed- ible oils business. “In- sights like these help guide our consumer-fo- cused approach to in- novation, enabling us to partner with customers to co-create new prod- ucts and solutions that reflect current consum- er trends and ingredient preferences.” Cargill’s global FATitudes survey is pivotal to these ef- forts 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 gro- cery 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 in- creases 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 sus- tainability claims, up 11 points from 2019. • In the U.K., Cargill found 51% of consum- ers now say they place a greater emphasis on sustainability, an 8 point jump in just two years. • U.S. consumers were also more at- tuned to sustainability claims; 37% indicated they were more likely to purchase packaged food with a sustain- ability claim, a 6 point increase compared to 2019 results. For the first time, the survey also asked con- sumers what type of sustainability claim they were looking for. “Sus- tainably sourced” and “conservation of natural resourc- es” 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 technol- ogy 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 com- mercialize innovations now consider sustainability alongside performance and cost.” Research finds more consumers weighing sustainability claims on packaged food choices