(Food-Beverage-News.Com, February 22, 2021 ) The Specialty fats & oils market size is estimated to be USD 12.6 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 19.8 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 7.8% during the forecast period. The market is primarily driven by factors such as the increasing gap between cocoa butter demand & supply, increase in the consumption of confectionery and processed foods products and rise in demand for clean label food products.
Key players in this market includes such as Cargill, Incorporated (US), Wilmar International (Singapore), Bunge Limited (US), AAK AB (Sweden), Mehwah International (Singapore) IOI Loders Croklaan (Malaysia). Other players include Manildra (Australia), D&L Industries, Fuji Oil (Japan), Musim Mas (Singapore), and IFFCO (UAE). These major players in this market are focusing on increasing their presence through expansions & investments, mergers & acquisitions, partnerships, joint ventures, and agreements. These companies have a strong presence in North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe. They also have manufacturing facilities along with strong distribution networks across these regions.
The supply and demand for specialty fats & oils in the global market has shifted as a response to the coronavirus crisis, with an increasing uncertainty related to prices. Palm oil, which is the largest type of oil produced globally, faced the impact as demand dropped across the world, trade was disrupted, and production got hampered in Indonesia and Malaysia, according to the top producers of the vegetable oils such as Wilmar International and Mehwah Group that operate in the region. Efforts were being made in many countries to maintain stability in the market.
One of the driving factors for the increasing use of specialty fats is their enhanced rheological properties such as viscosity, which facilitates efficient production of confectionery products. Thus, specialty fats & oils contribute significantly to the overall acceptance of confectionery products, which has led to their increased popularity in chocolate & confectionery products. Owing to the wide functionalities of specialty fats & oils in chocolates & confectioneries, this segment is projected to dominate the market.
The Asia Pacific region is estimated to account for the largest share of the global specialty fats & oils market in 2020. The rising income, purchasing power, rapid growth of the middle-class population, and consumer demand for processed products present promising prospects for growth and diversification in the region’s specialty fats & oils sector. The application of specialty fats is estimated to increase at a higher rate due to the demand from the chocolate & confectionery industry. Countries such as China and India recorded the highest vegetable oil consumption. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in 2017, China consumed about 35 million tons of vegetable oil, whereas India consumed about 23.8 million tons.
