The shortenings market has seen considerable growth due to a variety of factors.
• The market size for shortenings has been experiencing a consistent increase over the recent past. A surge from $4.41 billion in 2024 to $4.58 billion in 2025 is anticipated, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.0%. This growth during the historical period is due to factors such as traditional cooking methods, the expanding bakery and confectionery industry, increased demand for processed foods, the growing trend of fast-food consumption, efforts towards elongating shelf-life, and customer preference towards specific textures and tastes.
The Shortenings market is expected to maintain its strong growth trajectory in upcoming years.
• Anticipated to observe unwavering expansion in the forthcoming years, the market size of shortenings is predicted to hit $5.42 billion in 2029, scaling at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.3%.
Several factors are contributing to this predicted growth during the forecast period. These include the rise of health-aware consumer selections, inclination towards clean labels, plant-based and specialty fats, products free from gluten and allergens, and a global surge in culinary preferences. The forecast period is also likely to witness significant trends such as the introduction of novel ingredients to enhance texture, solutions for clean frying, innovative packaging for increased convenience, advancements in production technology, and strategic collaborations and partnerships.
The shortenings market is being propelled forward by the growing requirement for bakery items. This sector entails the distribution of baked goods like bread and cakes. Changes in dietary preferences and a growing desire for gourmet products have resulted in an increase in the popularity of bakery items. Shortenings enhance the quality of bakery goods by giving them a crumbly and crispy texture, and preventing them from becoming stretchy and elastic. For example, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, a department of the Canadian government, reported in November 2022 that the worldwide retail sales of baked goods totalled $425.7 billion in 2022, up from $407.2 billion in 2021. As such, the high demand for bakery products will undoubtedly boost the shortenings market.
The shortenings market covered in this report is segmented –
1) By Variant: Solid, Liquid, Cake Or Icing, All-Purpose
2) By Source: Vegetables, Animal
3) By Sales Channels: Direct Sales, Indirect Sales
4) By End User: HoReCa, Bakery, Confectionery, Processed Food, Household Retail
Subsegments:
1) By Solid: Butter Blends, Margarine, Shortening Sticks
2) By Liquid: Vegetable Oils, Liquid Margarine, Canola Oil Blends
3) By Cake Or Icing: Whipped Toppings, Cream Cheese Frosting, Specialty Cake Shortenings
4) By All-Purpose: Multi-Functional Shortenings, Bakery Shortenings
Leading firms in the shortening market are prioritizing the development of cutting-edge technological solutions such as Breeze AI. These advancements aim to heighten operational efficiency, augment product formulations, and furnish superior customer insights via sophisticated data analytics. Breeze AI is an artificial intelligence platform integrated by HubSpot, designed to simplify customer engagement and boost productivity among marketing, sales, and service teams. For example, Breeze was launched by the US-based software company, Hubspot, in September 2024. This embedded AI platform by HubSpot aims to upgrade customer interactions and streamline workflows for marketing, sales, and service teams, using smart automation and insights derived from data.
Major companies operating in the shortenings market include:
• Cargill Incorporated
• Bunge Limited
• Wilmar International Limited
• Archer Daniels Midland Company
• Ventura Foods LLC
• AAK AB
• Manildra Group
• International Foodstuff Company Holdings Limited
• Conagra Brands Inc.
• Stratas Foods LLC
• Premium Vegetable Oils Sdn Bhd
• Namchow Chemical Industrial Co. Ltd.
• Fuji Oil Co. Ltd.
• Kerry Group PLC
• Upfield Holdings BV
• NMGK Group
• BRF SA
• Yildiz Holding AS
• Mallet & Company Inc.
• Palsgaard A/S
• Walter Rau Neusser Öl und Fett AG
• Puratos Group NV
• Princes Limited
• Zeelandia International BV
• Olenex Sàrl
• HAS Group
• VFI GmbH
• COFCO Group Co. Ltd.
• Fine Organics Limited
North America was the largest region in the shortenings market in 2024. The regions covered in the shortenings market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa.