“South America has grown to become an important market for protein suppliers in recent years. Consumers in the region have good awareness and knowledge of protein and appreciate its benefits to their health,” said Anne Hoest Stenbaek, Senior Global Marketing Manager at Arla Foods Ingredients.
Data from 4,000 consumers in Argentina, Brazil and Colombia indicated that 39% of respondents were willing to pay up to 5% more, 17% said they would pay up to 10% more, and 5% admitted they would pay over 10% more.
Colombian respondents were most likely to be willing to pay more, according to the survey results, with 73% saying they would be “happy” to do so. The equivalent figure was 54% and 60% in Argentina and Brazil, respectively.
Survey
The survey was conducted by Researchers from Lindberg International and commissioned by Arla Foods Ingredients.
Results of the consumer survey also show that 80% of respondents believed they understood what protein is and how the body uses it. Again, awareness was highest in Colombia, where 87% expressed this view.
Arla in South America
The Danish dairy giant sees South America as an important market for protein, having recently completed the acquisition of shares in Arla Foods Ingredients S.A, its joint-venture in Argentina, that were owned by SanCor.
The company also recently launched a new website in Spanish dedicated to countries in the region.
“To serve these countries better, we are delighted to launch our new Spanish website, which will make it easier for us to deliver information to food and beverage manufacturers across the region,” added Stenbaek.