The following content originally appeared in the May 2016 issue of Food and Beverage International, which you can subscribe to here.
Phoenix Group technical manager Emma Woods spoke discusses the latest developments in the company’s production of healthy oils.
What ‘healthier’ oils does Phoenix offer?
With the largest cold pressing facilities in the UK, we can process almost any oil bearing seed, including chia, jojoba, linseed, pumpkin, sunflower and sesame. Our biggest growth area has been in coconut oil, and we’ve been packing cold pressed coconut oil for our client since 2014.
All oils contain three types of fats: monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and saturated, with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats commonly being known as ‘good’ fats; while saturated fat is known to increase levels of cholesterol in the blood. Rapeseed oil is considered ‘healthier’ as it contains the lowest saturated fat content of any oil – 50% less than olive oil. It also has a much higher burning point than other oils. Coconut oil – while higher in saturated fats – is made up of a blend of medium-chain saturated fatty acids that are believed to offer certain health benefits.
How has demand increased for these ‘healthier’ oils in the past year?
We’ve seen a huge demand for ‘healthier’ oils over the past year. According to Kantar Worldpanel data from September 2015, sales of coconut oil more than tripled last year, after being practically unheard of outside of health food shops just a few years ago. Similarly, the UK rapeseed oil market is now worth more than £14 million a year – its market share was up 40% in 2014 against other cooking oils year on year. And this growth is only going to continue to grow – with the market growing to maybe 10 times its current size over the next five years.
Which ‘healthier’ oil is proving most successful, and why?
Coconut oil is a health trend with people using it in their cooking and as a natural beauty product. Phoenix went from producing zero to almost one million units of coconut oil in 2015, and we’re on track to hit five million units a year by 2017. However, getting it to the point where it’s ready to be dispatched to the supermarket and put on the shelves is challenging: the oil melts at 24°C, which means Vita Coco’s product leaves the Philippines as a liquid but arrives in the UK as a solid. To preserve the product’s integrity, we gently heat the oil for 10 hours up to 30°C in order to melt the oil for filling without causing damage or risking its cold pressed status.
What examples do you have of companies innovating with more novel/healthier oils?
Vita Coco started life as a producer of coconut water, but as the coconut craze grew, its founders realised they could capitalise on consumers’ growing appreciation for the wellness properties of the fruit, and so their organic coconut oil range was born. The range includes three sizes: 250, 500 and 750ml jars, and is sold in Tesco, on Amazon and at Whole Foods Markets in the South East. We produced almost one million units of coconut oil for Vita Coco in 2015. In partnership with Hammond Food Oils , we’ve also helped UK retailer Aldi break into the cold pressed rapeseed oil market and we produced at least one million units in the first year the contract was awarded at the end of 2014.
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