Global trade shifts caused by the tariff decisions of the Donald Trump administration are gradually changing the structure of vegetable oil consumption in the food industry. In particular, the market is witnessing an active transition of mayonnaise and other processed products manufacturers from traditional sunflower oil to cheaper rapeseed oil. The reason for this was the changes in rapeseed export flows caused by tariff restrictions on Canadian products.

This was reported by Serhiy Repetsky, a partner of the Swiss company Sunstone Brokers, during an online meeting of the High Oleic Club 2025, to which AgroPortal refers. According to the expert, after the introduction of tariffs on Canadian rapeseed, the main flows of this crop shifted towards Europe. Canadian rapeseed began to arrive in the EU at lower prices, which dramatically changed the situation on the market.

The price attractiveness of imported rapeseed has become a determining factor for the food industry. Against the backdrop of the rising cost of sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, which is also not genetically modified, looks like an economically viable alternative for mayonnaise producers. According to Repetsky, an additional advantage was the ability to fix the price of rapeseed oil for six months in advance, which gives processors predictability and stability in costs.

The results were not long in coming: sunflower oil began to lose ground in the food processing market. This is especially noticeable in the production of mayonnaise, where sunflower raw materials were traditionally used. Now, due to the decline in the cost of rapeseed oil, manufacturers are reviewing recipes and technological processes.

According to the data provided, Canada has already exported about 2.5 million tons of rapeseed to the European Union, and these volumes continue to grow. Canadian rapeseed is sold at a significant discount of $40–50 per ton compared to European rapeseed, which has only intensified competition among suppliers and stimulated the transition to a new raw material base.

All this indicates the beginning of a systemic change in the structure of vegetable oil consumption in the European food industry. Ukrainian producers, for whom the export of sunflower oil is a strategic direction, are already feeling the consequences of such transformations and must adapt to the new realities of the global market.