Southeast Asians crave taste in new indulgence era - Cargill Indulgence Study

To advance insights-driven food innovation, Cargill has revealed findings from its first in-depth, category-focused Indulgence study for the Southeast Asia (SEA) market. The Cargill Indulgence Study SEA uncovers snacking attitudes and the consumption and purchase drivers of Southeast Asian consumers towards five categories of indulgent foods – sweet biscuits and cookies, sweet baked goods such as pastries and cakes, chocolate confectionery, ice-cream and café-style beverages.

“With rising incomes and a fast-growing middle-class population across Southeast Asia, consumers are increasingly seeking greater wellness, comfort, enjoyment and indulgence from food. Cargill regularly conducts proprietary research to ensure that we are supporting our customers in keeping pace with evolving consumer desires and preferences. This study is the first of its kind by Cargill looking at the indulgence category trends in the region to enable food companies to launch market-ready products that address growing demand for new flavors, formulations and menus,” said Kashan Rashid, Cargill’s Vice President and Managing Director, Food Southeast Asia, Australia & New Zealand.

Rise of the ‘Treat Yourself’ customer

Cargill's study has shown there is a concerted consumer shift towards indulgent food experiences, even as the region shows a strong trend towards health and sustainability with respect to food. With taste and satisfying cravings being the key drivers of indulgence foods consumption, SEA consumers are turning to food for their everyday “Treat Yourself” moment. For example, amongst those surveyed, nearly 40% of SEA consumers reported drinking indulgent café beverages at least once a day, 45% of SEA consumers reported eating cookies once a day and half of SEA consumers bought more ice cream in 2024 than 2023. Food manufacturers will have to find new formulations that meet this growing need for indulgence while ensuring health benefits remain a key consideration.

Indulgence Trends in SEA

Cargill’s study uncovered five key consumption and purchase drivers in Southeast Asia:

1. Taste is the top purchase driver, where 70% of consumers are willing to pay more for unique tastes, with innovative flavors driving increasing purchases.
2. Elevated sensory experiences. 82% of consumers value a 'super-sensorial' experience, and 79% are likely to pay a premium for distinctive textural experiences.
3. Willingness to pay for quality and sustainability. Dark chocolate is highly preferred, with 77% willing to pay more for gourmet ingredients. Additionally, 72% are willing to pay a premium for sustainably-produced indulgent foods.
4. Desire to eat healthy even while indulging. 69% of consumers prioritize health attributes, with low sugar being the most influential factor.
5. Preference for Local. 67% consider the country of origin important, with 65% willing to pay a premium for local Asian ingredients.

Furthermore, the study found key insights across various categories.

- Taste is paramount to Southeast Asian sweet biscuits and cookies consumers, but quality ingredients and an enhanced, multi-sensory consumption experience are also crucial. For example, in Indonesia, 2 in 5 consumers desire indulgent mix-ins and textures like fluid center fillings and chocolate coatings in their biscuits and cookies.

- 1 in 3 sweet baked goods, pastries, and cakes consumers seek health benefits, focusing on less sugar, fat, and clean labels.

- 7 in 10 chocolate confectionery consumers value country of origin claims, with a strong preference for ingredients from Asia.

- Ice cream is most enjoyed during lunch and afternoon, with consumers favoring nuts and white chocolate chip inclusions.

- Lastly, about half of SEA consumers increased their purchase of indulgent café-style beverages in 2024 compared to 2023, driven by new flavors and products.

Kashan Rashid, Cargill’s Vice President and Managing Director, Food Southeast Asia, Australia & New Zealand

Beh Kok Wei, Cargill’s Senior R&D Director, Food Southeast Asia, Australia & New Zealand

“The Cargill Indulgence Study SEA provides valuable insights that will drive our product innovation and co-creation efforts with customers – from food manufacturing and foodservice to retail. We look forward to leveraging our broad solutions portfolio, sourcing network, extensive manufacturing and innovation capabilities in the region to work with customers to create the flavorful, quality, healthier and exciting food and beverages which consumers want to experience and indulge in,” Beh Kok Wei, Cargill’s Senior R&D Director, Food Southeast Asia, Australia & New Zealand.  

Cargill's food manufacturing footprint in Asia comprises 20 state-of-the-art facilities, including a cocoa processing site, as well as two starches, sweeteners & texturizers plants in Indonesia, two edible oil plants in Malaysia and the Aalst Chocolate factory in Singapore. This allows Cargill to supply customers with high-quality solutions produced in Asia for Asian consumers. With cocoa and chocolate being popular ingredients and flavors in bakery, confectionery and ice-cream products, Cargill launched a new production line at its cocoa plant in Indonesia in October 2024 to produce specialty cocoa powders and liquors that can be customized for desired flavors and sensory profiles. The company is currently expanding its edible oil plant in Port Klang, Malaysia, to produce specialty fats which are widely used across the various indulgence product categories.

Cargill also has four food innovation centers across Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai and Gurgaon, besides a Lipid R&D Centre in Malaysia, and a Cocoa Development Centre in Indonesia that cater to Asia’s demand for innovative and indulgent food and beverages. In April 2025, Cargill re-opened its transformed Innovation Center in Singapore to facilitate greater product innovation and customer co-creation with the upgraded capabilities at the center.