Minneapolis-based Cargill announced that its primary market research data FATitudes — the consumer perspective of fat and oils in North America — has found that after sugar, fat is the second-most important ingredient consumers are monitoring on food product labels. In addition, the health claims and the type of fat can impact the likelihood that consumers will purchase a product, the company says. “We know from FATitudes that 67 percent of consumers are checking for saturated fat in the products they buy,” said Mark Christiansen, managing director of Cargill Global Edible Oil Solutions for Global Specialties, in a statement. “About 50 percent of all consumers are likely to purchase a product with a No Saturate claim.”

Ganeden, Cleveland, recently renewed and added contracts with distributors in Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. Ganeden also is working with a distributor to provide additional support for growth in the Middle East. Additionally, the probiotics company increased its team of international sales managers with new employees in Thailand and Mexico. An additional team member soon will be starting in China. The employee expansion aligns with Ganeden’s goal of a hands-on approach — having local contacts to build relationships and oversee projects, it says.