Ever wonder what all the fuss is about sunflower oil? In the last 2-3 years, the popularity of this oil has skyrocketed in the natural foods industry.
It just takes one stroll down the aisle of a Whole Foods Market — you’ll find tons of products that use sunflower oil as an ingredient.
The bigger question is why — what’s with the big push in popularity over the last few years? Well… lots of reasons.
The demand for non-GMO ingredients has been exponentially on the rise, and sunflower oil is one of few naturally non-gmo oils. It’s also priced reasonably, doesn’t have a strong flavor, and is considered by consumers to be one of the healthiest oil options out there.
That just briefly touches on why you might want to consider using it in your product. If you feel like you need a bit more convincing to make a smart decision for your company, just watch the videos below. They were created by the Sunflower Association, and who better to tell you why sunflower oil is great than them?
After you’re sold on the ‘why’, we’ll look at the practical reasons that manufacturers like you might choose this oil.
Non-GMO Sunflower Oil: The Best Choice For Food Manufacturers
Formulating Foods With Heart-Healthy Sunflower Oil
Creating Food Products with Non-GMO Sunflower Oil
The Benefits Of Using Sunflower Oil
These videos outline some pretty strong benefits for using sunflower oil. Here’s a brief overview:
- High in Vitamin E
- Good for heart health
- High smoke point
- Greater fry life stability
- Steady and increasing supply available
- Neutral taste (doesn’t affect the flavor of food)
- Lowers bad cholesterol, and supports good cholesterol
- It’s naturally non-GMO
- Low in saturated fat
- Trans fat free
- Made up of both poly and monounsaturated fats
- Ideal for natural food manufacturers
Why Are Food Manufacturers Going With Sunflower Oil?
A Case Study: Neal Brothers Foods
Neal Brothers Foods makes a strong case for why they use sunflower instead of any other oil.
“Many of our snack foods contain Sunflower Oil, since it provides a great clean and light taste. It is also very stable at the high temperature [which is] needed for cooking our kettle chips and popcorn. When our customers pick up a package of our kettle cooked chips, they’re looking for natural ingredients. Non-GMO Sunflower Oil assures them that we are creating premium snacks with the best quality ingredients.” - Neal Brothers Foods
This company has a strong understanding of what their target market is looking for: natural ingredients. They realize that sunflower oil meets this need; when consumers turn their package over to look at the ingredient list, they will be pleased.
Did you know that the demand for non-gmo products is expected to double over the next 4 years? Therefore, choosing sunflower oil is also a strong strategy for Neal Brothers Foods to boost long term sales as demand for non-gmo products continues to grow.
In conclusion, by going with sunflower oil, they believe that their brand image will be strengthened and sales will go up.
On a different note: one of the things that I have noticed wandering the grocery store is that one of the most common foods to find sunflower oil in is in the snack food/chip department, where products both use quality ingredients but are still fried. This has to do with the extended and stable fry life that sunflower oil provides.
A Case Study: Sol Cuisine
Sol Cuisine also makes a strong case for choosing sunflower oil. Because it has a mild taste, it doesn’t affect the flavor profile that their R&D department has worked so hard to create in their poducts.
“We’ve been using non-gmo sunflower oil for several years in our vegetarian burgers and entreés. Sunflower oil provides an excellent shelf life and also assists in creating the proper texture and flavor for our products. We like that sunflower oil has a neutral taste — it allows the true flavor of our ingredients to come through.” - Sol Cuisine
In Conclusion
In conclusion, sunflower oil is a popular choice for many organic and healthy food manufacturers (and is becoming more and more so).
Why? Neutral taste, high stability for frying, long shelf life, and positive customer interpretation are the top 4 key points.
Want to try it out in your product? Talk to us.
Topics: Sunflower/Safflower Oil
