Australian cold-pressed oil manufacturer Plenty Foods says its latest release, a super high oleic safflower oil, will “shake up” the $920 million edible oil category with its superior cooking qualities and health credentials.
The safflower oil is the first food product made using Super High Oleic (SHO) safflower seeds that are grown exclusively in Australia. The safflower varieties were developed by CSIRO and Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) specifically for Australian grain growers.
SHO safflower seeds and contains 92 per cent oleic acid (omega 9), compared to 75 per cent for regular safflower oil.
Plenty Foods owner and managing director Josh Gadischke said Plenty Safflower Oil has the highest proportion of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid, and the lowest amount of saturated fats, of all common cooking oils.
“Our Safflower Oil will appeal to customers looking for a healthier, Australian made cooking oil for everyday use, as an alternative to imported Rice Bran oil and other high smoke point cooking oils,” said Gadischke.
The oil’s qualities help to keep the oil stable at high cooking temperatures making it a healthy choice for frying, roasting, barbecuing, baking and everyday cooking.
The oil is made using SHO safflowers, which are grown in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia. GO Resources owns the exclusive worldwide commercial license for the crop and supply of SHO safflower oil and supplies Plenty Foods with the raw materials to ensure that demand for edible oils and broader renewable oil uses are met.
Plenty extracts the oil from the SHO safflower seeds naturally with state-of-the-art presses that use pressure and heat. This specialised processing line is the result of a $7 million investment to create Australia’s leading seed and nut oil facility.
“It takes a little more time than other methods, but it doesn’t use any chemicals. Creating a high-quality oil naturally is important to us as a company and we know it matters to our customers too,” said Gadischke.
It is full of healthy monounsaturated fats (12.8g per 15ml serve) recommended by the Heart Foundation, and very low in saturated fats (0.75g per 15ml serve). It has a 4.5 Health Star Rating. As well as an ideal oil composition, Plenty Safflower Oil has a mild, neutral flavour and it is extremely versatile. It is a healthy choice for high temperature cooking with a very high smoke point of 266°C, compared to extra virgin olive oil at 191°C, canola oil at 240°C, and rice bran oil at 254°C.
“As well as being chemical-free, the process creates no waste by-products and even the ‘cake’ of leftover seed husks is used to feed livestock,” he said.
According to Nielsen, the cooking oils market is growing at steady rate of 8.6 per cent year-on-year.
“Given initial interest in the product and strong consumer conversion, we expect our Safflower Oil to be a $1.2 million product for Woolworths by the end of the year and grow steadily from there. We are confident the product will also help to lift our portfolio’s household penetration from 1.5 per cent to more than five per cent,” Gadischke said.
Plenty Safflower Oil is available in a 750ml recyclable bottle at Woolworths (instore and online) nationally and selected independents grocers at a RRP of $8.50. Restaurants can buy commercial quantities for from Plenty Foods online.
