While social media debates rage over seed oils, Devin Mogler says it’s science and affordability that should guide food and fuel policy. The CEO of the National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) joined Shaun Haney to unpack what’s behind the U.S. administration’s increased scrutiny of seed oils and the broader implications for trade, biofuels, and cross-border supply chains.
Mogler, speaking from Washington, D.C., says that oilseeds such as canola and soybean have long played a healthy and economical role in North American diets. “We think the facts and the science are on our side,” he says. “Some of this anti-seed oil rhetoric is a bit of a food fad… we’re not taking chances. We’re engaging with the administration to explain how these oils are not only nutritious and safe, but also plentiful and affordable.”
Beyond food policy, Mogler points to the momentum in U.S. oilseed crushing driven by biofuel demand. With over US$6 billion in investment to expand soybean crush capacity by 25 per cent in recent years, the sector is pressing the EPA for a renewable diesel target of 5.25 billion gallons by 2026. Remarkably, that push now includes unlikely allies: “We’re working hand-in-glove with the American Petroleum Institute… it’s refreshing for the EPA and White House to see us aligned.”
Mogler also highlighted the integrated nature of the U.S.–Canada market, particularly when it comes to canola. He supports a “North American ring fence” for biofuel feedstocks, cautioning against displacement from South American tallow or used cooking oils from Asia. “We’re okay with Canadian canola qualifying for fuel credit here in the U.S.,” he says, reinforcing a continental approach to feedstock sustainability.
He adds that market opportunities for oilseed meal and a North American-wide biofuels policy is the tide that could lift all boats — including those carrying Canadian canola.
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