From yeast‑based oils to CO₂‑derived fats, discover which next‑gen palm oil alternatives are closest to commercial scale and why 2026 could be a breakthrough year
Palm oil alternatives: Who’s winning the race? Summary
- Fermentation‑derived oils are emerging as the strongest palm replacement contenders
- Clean Food Group rapidly scales microbial oil production with major 2026 ambitions
- No Palm Ingredients builds demo facility to expand yeast‑based fat capacity
- Äio advances fermentation fats using wood by‑products for multiple applications
- Plant‑based and CO₂‑derived fats show promise but remain earlier in development
The European Parliament voted to postpone the launch of the EUDR regulation for one year. 405 MEPs voted in favor, 242 against, and 8 abstained. The changes were previously agreed with EU member states on December 4, 2025, the European Parliament said in a statement.
Until December 30, 2026, the new rules have been postponed for large companies that meet at least two of the following criteria:
- Over 250 employees
- Over €50 million turnover
- Over €30 million in assets
From June 30, 2027, the rules will apply to small operators, in particular individuals and enterprises with up to 50 employees and an annual turnover of less than €10 million in relevant goods.
The EUDR regulation, which is intended to address deforestation, applies to timber, rubber, palm oil, soy, beef, coffee and cocoa.
According to it, Ukraine has a “low risk” status regarding deforestation, and the main issues concern supplies from Brazil and Argentina. Therefore, its postponement will allow for increased supplies of South American soybeans to the EU in the coming months, which will negatively affect supplies of more expensive Ukrainian soybeans.
“Yes, it’s final. The European Parliament has approved a postponement for another year, and this is exactly the decision we were waiting for. The next and final stage is approval by the EU Council of Ministers and publication in the Official Journal of the EU,” Oksana Prosolenko, founder and head of IP Cert, told Latifundist.
The oilseed crop protection chemicals sector is expected to increase from US$5.2bn in 2024 to US$8.9bn by 2033 due to rising demand for high-yield crops, pest control needs and sustainable farming, according to new research by DataM Intelligence reported by EIN Presswire.
With the United Nations (UN) forecasting a rise in the global population to approximately 9.7bn by 2050, the demand for oilseed crops was expected to rise significantly, the “Oilseed Crop Protection Chemicals Market” report said.
Increased demand was primarily driven by the need for edible oils, protein-rich animal feeds and biofuels, EIN Presswire wrote on 6 December.
Consequently, the crop protection chemicals market was poised for a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 5.3% from 2022-2028, as reported by various industry sources.
“The oilseed crop protection chemicals market is expanding as farmers increasingly rely on advanced pesticides and herbicides to boost yields, protect crops from pests and meet global food demand,” DataM Intelligence was quoted as saying.
According to the report, market growth drivers include:
- A rise in global demand for vegetable oils and protein meals.
- Increasing pest, disease and weed pressure in oilseed farming.
- Expanding hectarage under oilseed cultivation globally.
- A need for yield stability and enhanced productivity.
- Regulatory and quality demands for consistent crop quality.
- Technological advancements in crop-protection formulations.
- Rising adoption of intensive and mechanised farming practices.
- Growth of downstream industries in edible oils, animal feed and biofuels increasing demand for oilseeds.
The lecithin supplements market is on track for significant expansion over the coming years, driven by evolving consumer preferences and technological advancements. As health and sustainability become increasingly important to buyers, this sector is positioned to experience robust growth fueled by innovation and demand for plant-based products.
Expected Growth and Size of the Lecithin Supplements Market by 2029
The lecithin supplements market is projected to reach $2.95 billion by 2029, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.2%. This upward trajectory is supported by several factors, including a growing consumer interest in plant-based options, an increasing demand for clean-label and non-GMO ingredients, the rising popularity of sunflower lecithin, the broadening reach of e-commerce sales channels, and heightened awareness around the cognitive health benefits associated with lecithin supplements. Key trends anticipated during this period involve breakthroughs in extraction methods, innovative lecithin formulations, personalized nutrition advancements, ongoing research in cognitive health supplements, and a surge in allergen-free and vegan lecithin sources.
SOFIA/KYIV. Coceral has published its initial forecast for EU sunflower seed production in 2026. Meanwhile, experts predict a larger crop in Ukraine than official figures suggest. Overall, the market appears to be relatively calm at the end of the year.
Coceral estimates higher crop for 2025
In their December report, Coceral experts revised their estimates for EU sunflower seed production in 2025 only slightly downwards compared to the previous report. In September, the forecast was still 8.779 million mt, while the current report puts it at 8.751 million mt. This is 233,000 mt more than the data published by the European Commission at the end of November. In some cases, the estimates for individual countries vary widely. Coceral estimates that Romania's sunflower seed crop in 2025 will be 2.023 million mt, while t
The global sunflower oil market is ending the year with a supply deficit, caused by falling exports from Ukraine and Russia, only partially offset by increased supplies from Argentina, according to Oil World (Germany).
A significant supply contraction is expected by the end of 2025, potentially down by approximately 2.4 million tons compared to last year.
Overall supplies are expected to be around 25.1 million tons, below the MY 2024/25 (25.3 million tons) and significantly below the MY 2023/24 (28.2 million tons).
Global exports will decrease by 2.7 million tons. The main contributors to this decline will be Ukraine (1.6 million tons) and Russia (1.4 million tons). Meanwhile, supplies from Argentina could increase by approximately 30%, to 1.6 million tons, but this will only account for about 12% of the global total.
Sunflower oil consumption is also declining in key regions. In the EU, a decline of almost 1 million tons is expected. In China and India, the decline will be approximately 0.5 million tons.
Analysts also note that prices have remained elevated in recent weeks compared to other major vegetable oils, indicating a persistent supply shortage.
The Vegetable Oil Price Index dropped by 2.6% in November compared to the previous month to average 165 points, down 4.4 points from the October figure and a five-month low, according to the benchmark United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Food Price Index (FFPI).
The FFPI tracks changes in the international prices of the most globally traded food commodities and the FAO’s Vegetable Oil Price Index illustrates changes in international prices of the 10 most important vegetable oils in world trade, weighted according to their export shares.
According to the 5 December report, the decline in the FAO’s Vegetable Oil Price Index was due to lower prices of palm, rapeseed and sunflower oils which more than offset a slight increase in soyabean oil quotations.
“International palm oil prices fell in November, resulting in a discount relative to competing oils, largely due to higher-than-expected production in Malaysia,” the FAO said.
Meanwhile, after several consecutive months of increases, rapeseed oil prices eased due to positive global production prospects, while sunflower oil quotations declined amid seasonally increasing supplies from the Black Sea region.
“Global soyabean oil prices remained steady and rose slightly, mainly supported by firm demand from the biodiesel sector, particularly in Brazil. Falling crude oil prices also contributed to lowering vegetable oil prices,” the FAO added.
The FFPI averaged 125.1 points in November, down 1.2% from the previous month’s revised value of 126.6 points, marking a third consecutive monthly decline.
Decreases in the prices for dairy products, meat, sugar and vegetable oils outweighed an increase in the cereal index.
Overall, the FFPI stood 2.6 points (2.1%) below its November 2024 level and remained 35.2 points (21.9%) lower than its peak in March 2022.
New Delhi: India's vegetable oil imports fell 28 per cent year-on-year to 11.83 lakh tonne in November, the first month of the 2025-26 oil year, driven by a sharp decline in refined, bleached and deodorised (RBD) palmolein shipments, industry body SEA said on Monday.
The world's biggest vegetable oil importer had brought in 16.50 lakh tonne of vegetable oils, including edible and non-edible oils, in November 2024.
Overall palm oil imports declined 25 per cent to 6.32 lakh tonne in November from 8.42 lakh tonne a year earlier, the Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA) said in a statement.
RBD palmolein imports plunged to 3,500 tonne in November from 2.85 lakh tonne a year earlier, while crude sunflower oil shipments fell to 1.42 lakh tonne from 3.40 lakh tonne in the same period a year ago.
Crude soybean oil imports declined to 3.70 lakh tonne from 4.07 lakh tonne, and crude palm kernel oil imports fell to 1,850 tonne from 10,147 tonne, SEA data showed.
However, crude palm oil imports rose to 6.26 lakh tonne from 5.47 lakh tonne, while canola oil imports increased to 5,000 tonne from 22 tonne in the year-ago period.
Non-edible oil imports declined to 32,877 tonne in November from 37,341 tonne a year earlier.
Indonesia and Malaysia are the major suppliers of RBD palmolein and crude palm oil to India.
In November, Malaysia supplied 3,01,273 tonne of crude palm oil, while Indonesia shipped 1,23,456 tonne of crude palm oil and 3,500 tonne of RBD palmolein.
India mainly imported crude soybean degummed oil from Argentina (2,35,680 tonne), Brazil (50,062 tonne) and China (69,919 tonne), while crude sunflower oil came primarily from Russia (74,020 tonne), Argentina (34,933 tonne) and Ukraine (20,000 tonne).
Sowing of rabi or winter oilseed crops increased 2.40 per cent to 84.14 lakh hectare as of December 5, compared with 81.75 lakh hectare a year earlier.
The area under rapeseed and mustard seed rose 3.45 per cent to 79.88 lakh hectare from 76.43 lakh hectare, the SEA said.
Total edible oil stocks stood at 16.23 lakh tonne as of December 1, lower than 17.31 lakh tonne in the previous month, SEA said.