World cooking oil shortage looms as biofuels gain global appeal
- Governments are embracing energy made from plants to move away from fossil fuels and cut emissions, but war and extreme weather are affecting supplies
- Demand is so high that producers are hunting for used cooking oil and sludge, a waste product from controversial palm oil, as feedstocks for biofuels
A global biofuel boom is set to drive a shortage of vegetable oils – used for cooking and now increasingly to power trucks and planes – intensifying a debate over food versus fuel.
From the US to Indonesia and Brazil, governments are embracing energy made from plants such as soybeans or canola, or even animal fat, to move away from fossil fuels and cut emissions.
This has created opportunities for vegetable oils, especially palm oil, a ubiquitous but controversial ingredient found in products including pizza dough, instant noodles, chocolate and shampoo.
Demand is so hot that producers are hunting for used cooking oil and sludge, a waste product from processing palm oil, as feedstocks for biofuels.
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Indonesians face soaring cooking oil prices as war in Ukraine disrupts global trade
These lofty ambitions may face challenges. War and extreme weather are limiting vegetable oil supplies. A severe drought has devastated production in Argentina, the top exporter of soybean oil.