In the current offerings of plant-based foods available on the market we can find inclusion of tropical oils like coconut, palm and shea. Tropical oils have a higher content of solid fats compared to liquid oils (i.e. sunflower and rapeseed) and their inclusion in plant-based foods helps to recreate the same eating experience that consumers find in animal-based foods, and are used to substitute butter in plant-based dairy products, and lard or tallow in plant-based meat products.

Consumers are looking for food that is not only healthy, but also produced locally and sustainably.

Tropical oils have a greater carbon footprint than oils produced in Europe due to the transportation from tropical regions, where they are produced, to Europe.

A possible solution to include solid fats without the use of tropical oils would be to hydrogenate oils.

Hydrogenation is a technology used to convert oils into solid or semi-solid fats. Hydrogenation can be applied to partly or fully hydrogenate oils. Fully hydrogenated oils contain only saturated fatty acid (SAFA), while partly hydrogenated oils contain SAFA and Trans fatty acid. Trans fatty acids have been shown to be correlated with cardiovascular diseases and - as a result of their presence in partly hydrogenated oils - also the fully hydrogenated fats have been negatively affected.

Taken into consideration the lower carbon footprint of locally sourced oils, and considering the possibility to only use fully hydrogenated fats (no trans fatty acids): would the consumer be willing to reconsider hydrogenated fats and be willing to substitute tropical oils with hydrogenate oils?

Tropical oils have a greater carbon footprint than oils produced in Europe due to the transportation from tropical regions, where they are produced, to Europe. 

• Is there a different perception of hydrogenation in different generations?
• How do the younger generations perceive
• How to educate consumers?