Seed Oils: Health, Food Production and Politics

Seed oils are plant-based cooking oils derived from the seeds of various plants. These seeds are processed to produce oil suitable for cooking and baking. Such oils include canola (also known as rapeseed), corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, soybean, sunflower, safflower, rice bran and peanut. 

In restaurants, canola oil is the preferred choice for deep-frying, due to its versatility, while sunflower oil is a popular option for home cooking. Seed oils arrived in the 1900s as an alternative to partially hydrogenated oils. 

However, these oils are often used in the creation of ultra-processed foods, such as fast food burgers and fries. While seed oils are not inherently harmful, the primary concern surrounding them stems from their frequent use in these processed foods. 

As a result, seed oils are under attack, from American politics to TikTok.

Seed oils, public health and agriculture

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his independent presidential campaign in August to endorse Donald Trump.

“President Trump has promised me control of the public health agencies, which are HHS and its sub-agencies, CDC, FDA, NIH and a few others, then also the USDA, which is key to making America healthy. Because we’ve got to get off of seed oils, and we’ve got to get off of pesticide intensive agriculture,” Kennedy said.

Trump has announced during a campaign rally in New York that he would let Kennedy “go wild on food and go wild on medicines” if he wins the election.

Meanwhile, some TikTok health gurus have claimed that seed oils are toxic, causing a range of health problems, from acne to cancer. 

According to Jason S. Ewoldt, M.S., RDN, a wellness dietitian at Mayo Clinic and a member of the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program.

“There are no good or bad foods. It truly is the context of the entire diet,” he shared. “We do know that diets high in processed foods are linked to poorer health outcomes. The seed oil is not the likely driver for negative health effects. These processed foods also tend to have higher levels of refined carbohydrates, salt and sugar, which are all things we know in excess can impact health negatively.”

So what are seed oil manufacturers doing to sustain seed oil production?

Cargill and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) amplify seed oil production for home cooking and food manufacturers

Cargill is expanding its canola processing capacity with a new facility in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is set to open in 2025, where it will process 1m metric tonnes of canola every year.

Jeff Vassart, President of Cargill Canada, has emphasised the importance of connecting the Canadian canola industry with expanding domestic and global markets for vegetable oil, high-quality meal and biofuels.

“The addition of the Regina facility to the Cargill network will play a critical role connecting the Canadian canola industry to the expanding domestic and global market opportunities for vegetable oil, high quality meal and biofuels,” said Jeff Vassart, president of Cargill Canada. “The current construction environment is full of unique challenges and this project has faced many headwinds since we broke ground, but we are committed to becoming a best-in-class option for canola growers in the region, along with helping decarbonise the global food and fuel supply chain.”

Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) is another major processor of oilseeds, including soybean oil, canola oil and other vegetable oils. ADM has announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire Vandamme Hungaria Kft, a crushing and extraction facility, which manages 700 metric tonnes per day, in Hungary. 

The facility processes soybeans and corn germ into meal and oils, for customers in Europe and the Middle East. In 2023, the facility generated €114m (US$125m) in revenue.

“The enduring global trends of food security and sustainability are driving this demand, with 60% of European consumers in a recent survey expressing a preference for non-GMO labelling on product packaging,” said Sebastian Kuck, ADM’s General Manager European Soy Crush. "We are investing to ensure we can meet the growing needs of our customers for non-GMO products. This acquisition marks a significant step for ADM, further expanding its non-GMO soybean offerings, which currently come from facilities in Becej, Serbia, as well as Straubing and Mainz in Germany.”

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