Coconut products catch fancy of US consumers

The US seems to have gradually succumbed to the health and wellness-conscious consumer preference, in favour of coconut products, if its growing demand for these products is any indication.

According to John Tucker, director of So Delicious Dairy Free, a US-company based in Springfield, Oregon, the perception of the American consumer has changed far in favour of coconut products and these items are gaining popularity in America. He also discussed the historical and projected global growth trends in dairy-free food and coconut-based food.

Coconut and its products had encountered a backlash in the1980s when it was wrongly vilified in the US as a leading cause of heart disease.

 

Tucker said that as health and wellness consciousness continued to play a strong role in the American diet, the consumer demands in that country also kept shifting. The present trends represent the role of a double -edged sword, one in favour of coconut-based foods due to several positive factors including evidences supporting the emerging perception of coconut as a health food, and the strong link between saturated fats and heart disease on the other.

Tucker, a delegate at the on-going 45th CocoTech-2012, made these observations during his presentation at its technical session on Thursday.

Interestingly, American representatives of the beverage giant Coca Cola have sought the support of the Coconut Development Board (CDB) for manufacturing tender coconut concentrate.

They have also evinced keen interest in buying private units producing tender coconut water products, set up in various states, with the CDB aid. This comes at a time when the board is trying to tap the potential of tender coconut water through different sources.

According to a top CDB official, the entry of the beverage giant will boost the demand for coconut and accelerate efforts of the board in creating a better market for coconut products in the country. People who have never tasted tender coconuts have now started realising its benefits and this changing trend in consumer preference would boost the morale of the coconut producing farmers in the country, he added.

The CDB had extended financial assistance to 10 units to process tender coconut water in the country – four in Tamil Nadu, three in Karnataka, two in Andhra Pradesh and one in Gujarat. The investment in these units vary from Rs 75 lakh to Rs.3 crore with a capacity to process around 10,000 coconuts per day.