Survey: If vegetable oil were re-labeled as soybean oil, more people would buy it

If vegetable oil were re-labeled to say 100% soybean oil, about one-third of consumers say they would be more likely to buy it, according to a new survey.

Results from the 2012 Consumer Attitudes about Nutrition survey – an online poll of 1,000 adults conducted by the United Soybean Board (USB) – also reveal that almost half of consumers consider vegetable oil to be healthier after learning that most of it is made from soybean oil.

Meanwhile, 80% of consumers believe soy products are healthy overall while more than a quarter report they consume soyfoods or soy beverages at least once a week.

Fat confusion

While shoppers are increasingly aware that there are ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fats, however, they are still struggling to identify which are which, with just 29% agreeing that monounsaturated fats are healthy and not many more (32%) agreeing that polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) are healthy.