INDIANAPOLIS – What could be more American than chicken tenders, hot dogs and Cracker Jack at a baseball game? How about cooking some of these foods in oil made from soybeans grown on Indiana farms?

From the fields of family farms to the fryers at your favorite stadium, Indiana-grown high oleic soybean oil is making its mark. The Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA) – the state’s soybean checkoff program – is proud to partner with top sports venues across Indiana to showcase this heart-healthy oil to thousands of fans.

ISA’s growing list of partners includes Victory Field, home to the Indianapolis Indians; Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home to the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and the WNBA’s Indiana Fever; and the Fishers Event Center, which hosts teams like Indy Ignite (volleyball), Indy Fuel (hockey) and Fishers Freight (indoor football).

Joel Zawacki, vice president and chief commercial officer of the Indianapolis Indians, said his team’s partnership with ISA and Indiana’s farmers is a home run.

“By using high oleic soybean oil in our concession stands, we’re not just enhancing flavor but also offering a healthier option for our fans,” Zawacki explained. “Partnering with the Indiana Soybean Alliance allows us to showcase a locally sourced, heart-healthy oil while celebrating the best of Hoosier agriculture at Victory Field.”

Why high oleic soybean oil matters

Unlike conventional cooking oils, high oleic soybean oil has a fatty acid profile closer to olive oil, with more monounsaturated fat and less polyunsaturated fat. This makes it more stable for high-heat cooking, with a longer shelf life and a cleaner taste – qualities that chefs and food vendors love. While both traditional and high oleic soybean oils are safe, healthy options backed by decades of nutritional science, high oleic soybean oil has a unique advantage that appeals to today’s chefs and consumers.

Although most don’t think of concessions at a baseball game as “health food,” high oleic soybean oil does make it better. The American Heart Association said seed oils contain unsaturated fatty acid and replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats is a heart-healthy choice, and there is no reason to avoid them. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also supports this, allowing a qualified health claim that replacing saturated fats with soybean oil may reduce the risk of heart disease.

“High oleic soybean oil is a win for everyone – it’s good for consumers, good for restaurants and good for farmers,” said ISA Chair Denise Scarborough, a farmer from LaCrosse, Ind. “These partnerships help show what we grow here matters, especially given the negativity surrounding seed oils these days. It’s rewarding to see the soybean checkoff dollars creating real opportunities and sharing the positive benefits of soybean oil.”

Michael Lake, senior sales director of corporate partnerships for Pacers Sports & Entertainment, agreed that working with ISA has been mutually beneficial. He said more than 600 jugs, or 21,000 pounds, of high oleic soybean oil will be used at Gainbridge Fieldhouse during a typical NBA season. Thanks to the Pacers’ extended playoff push, and Caitlin Clark packing the house for Indiana Fever games, even more high oleic soybean oil has been used in Gainbridge Fieldhouse concessions this year.

“To work with the Indiana soybean farmers, and to have them in action in our building, is very fitting,” Lake said. “We at Pacers Sports & Entertainment pride ourselves on looking for partners that we can set up relationships that are win-win, and this is truly that in every sense. To work with and use an amazing product that is grown in Indiana and even parts of the county we call home is so great.”

ISA has informational signage near the arena’s concession stands touting the health benefits of high oleic soybean oil and the farmers who grow it. High oleic soybeans are sustainably grown in Indiana on family-owned soybean farms and transformed into soybean oil at three facilities located around the state.

More high oleic soybeans are grown in Indiana than anywhere else in the world. In 2024, Indiana farmers planted approximately 500,000 acres of high oleic soybeans resulting in more than $50 million in premiums being paid back to farmers.

Victory Field, Gainbridge Fieldhouse and the Fishers Event Center aren’t the only places where fans can enjoy food cooked in high oleic soybean oil. Purdue University athletics, Indiana University athletics, the Indianapolis Zoo, Lucas Oil Stadium, the Fair Oaks Farms restaurant and some Indiana State Fair vendors also are using this oil. As more consumers realize its benefits, demand for this product will grow.

Most Hoosier consumers are unaware of the state’s soybean checkoff, ISA, what it does and how it operates. All Indiana soybean growers pay one-half of 1 percent of the net market price for soybeans to ISA. By developing new markets, creating new products, promotion and education, ISA puts these farmers’ investments into programs and projects that essentially expand opportunities for Indiana soybean farmers. Led by a board of 24 farmers elected to direct these funds, ISA looks for partnerships that will help all Indiana soybean growers.

For more information on high oleic soybean oil, visit: www.incornandsoy.org/higholeic.