The Clean Fuels Alliance America celebrates National Biodiesel Day March 18 praising Rudolf Diesel’s commitment to farm-grown fuels when he invented the first compression-ignited engine in 1877.

“Diesel set out to change the world, and was a fierce advocate for the use of vegetable and nut oil as fuel,” says CFA’s CEO Donnell Rehagen. He saw the ability to harness the power of farm-grown fuels to break up the oil monopoly of the day, while boosting economic growth in rural communities.

Today annual biodiesel and renewable diesel consumption stands at 5 billion gallons in the U.S. and accounts for 9% of America’s diesel fuel supply. Feedstocks for both fuels include soybean and corn oil as well as recycled vegetable cooking oils and animal fats.

It would appear diesel’s dream has partially come to fruition, particularly with the possibility vegetable-based fuels could become a major feedstock for so-called sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) — a market that promises nearly unlimited potential in the future. While markets for biodiesel, renewable diesel, and SAF all trace some of their lineage to political actions, subsidies and lobbying, another force could come to play as U.S. consumers seem to be demanding significant changes in the content of their food as demonstrated by the popularity of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the new Secretary of Health and Human Services, has drawn a bead on food additives and drinking water standards, and likely it won’t be long until his HHS takes notice of the controversy over health concerns about fatty acids, Omega 6 and Omega 3. While both are necessary for human health, the amount of Omega 6 consumed in U.S. cooking oils is being called into question by some in the medical profession, while the benefits of Omega 3 oils (found in olive oil and many cold-water fish) are being touted for positive effects on heart health and the circulatory system.

This causes some market problems for most of the cooking oils found in supermarket aisles – mainly seed oils made from corn, canola and soybean, all high in Omega 6 fatty acids. It may seem far-fetched, but subtle changes in the American diet could drastically affect markets for significant portions of the seed oil crush.

I’m certainly not an economist, but it would seem negative changes in market share of the cooking oil portion of the seed oil crush would increase the feedstock supply for renewable diesel. The effects of a move away from edible “seed oil” consumption by consumers might be gradual, but it likely will occur. How that applies to commodity markets for the farm gate are anyone’s guess at this point.