In the latest animal fats study from Coast Packing, a leading supplier of animal fat shortenings in the Western United States, roughly half of the more than 1,000 Americans sampled like what animal fats do to the taste of various dishes.
The Coast study posed these questions:
How much do you agree or disagree with each statement about food made with animal fats, like lard and beef tallow?
- Animal fats like lard and beef tallow are easier to work with
- Food made with animal fats, like lard and beef tallow, tastes better/improves the flavor of specific dishes
- I have proven/standby recipes that use animal fats
- Friends/family prefer food made with animal fats
- I eat food made with animal fats, like lard and beef tallow, due to health/diet concerns
Among the survey’s key findings:
- More men than women (32 percent men to 17 percent women) agree that animal fats like lard and beef tallow are easier to work with.
- More men than women said that friends and family prefer food made with anima fats (40 percent to 28 percent) to those without.
- People with children in the household described animal fats as easier to work wit versus people without children (35 percent to 19 percent).
- Less than half of those 18-34 count friends and family that prefer food made with animal fats. On the other side of the age spectrum, 10 percent of those age 55 and over consume food made with animal fats due to health/diet concerns.
- More Black Americans and Hispanic Americans agree that animal fats are easier to work with; both groups citied health/diet concerns as the reason they prefer food made with animal fats like lard and beef tallow.
“With the pandemic fading as a concern for many Americans, this latest Coast consumer survey suggests that the things we’ve always prized about food – taste and flavor – have returned to center stage,” says Eric R. Gustafson, chief executive officer, Coast Packing. “Consumers continue to understand that animal fats are a net positive for health and well-being. They value authenticity and want food that is made with integrity and respect for culinary traditions.”
