The EUDR (EU Deforestation Regulation) has been postponed again for another year

The European Union has announced that the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) will be officially postponed for another year. Following an agreement and vote by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, the new compliance timeline has been officially set: the compliance deadline for large companies is December 30, 2026, and for small companies, it is extended to June 30, 2027.

For the confectionery industry, which relies on cocoa, palm oil, and soy-derived ingredients as core raw materials, this postponement is seen as an important "compliance buffer window."

Confectionery is not an "exempt category," and raw materials remain under regulation.

Although confectionery is a highly processed food, the EUDR's regulatory logic does not target finished products but rather traces whether their upstream raw materials are linked to deforestation. Common affected raw materials include:

Cocoa powder, cocoa butter (chocolate, filled candies)

Palm oil and its derivatives (gummies, coatings, polishing agents)

Soy lecithin (emulsifier)

Wooden packaging materials

This means that even if confectionery manufacturers do not directly purchase agricultural products, they are still responsible for the compliance of their supply chain.

The one-year extension is for industry "catch-up," not "relaxation."

The EU emphasizes that this postponement does not mean a weakening of regulatory objectives, but rather an acknowledgment that companies are currently unprepared in terms of traceability data, geographical coordinate verification, and due diligence processes.

For confectionery companies, this year is best used for:

• Reviewing the proportion of EUDR-related raw materials in their formulations
• Requiring suppliers to provide traceability certificates in advance
• Assessing the long-term viability of their business in the EU market