7/12/2004 Food Ingredient News - Loders Croklaan (24708 W. Durkee Rd.,Channahon, IL 60410-5249; Tel: 800/621-4710 or 815/730-5200, Fax:815/730-5202) will expand its U.S. palm oil supply, by increasing thecapacity of its palm oil processing plant in Illinois to 250,000 tonsannually, along with its major storage capability in New Orleans.

The moves are designed to meet the increased demand for palm oil, whichwith worldwide sales of $13 billion ranks second only to soybean oil inconsumption. Palm oil is emerging as a solution for food manufacturersseeking to replace trans fats from partially hydrogenated vegetable oilsources, notes Mark Weyland, product manager.

Weyland explains, "This major investment links Loders Croklaan's vastsupply of palm oil from its plantations in Malaysia to the U.S. market.[The investment] substantially increases availability and drasticallyreduces shipping time to the marketplace."

Loders Croklaan is a member of the IOI Group, one of Malaysia's largestlisted companies. Nearly 97% of IOI's 100,000 hectares of plantations isdevoted to growing oil palm trees.