Food ingredient · Oil / fat
Palm oil
Oil from the fruit of the oil palm, semi-solid at room temperature; used in spreads, baked goods, snacks and frying.
- Added oil or fat
- Palm oil
- Expert review pending
Concern level
A minor or very limited concern, such as being an ultra-processing marker only. The concern level sets how many points palm oil costs on a product’s receipt.
What the evidence says
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High in saturated fatStrong evidence
About half saturated fat; WHO recommends keeping saturated fat to 10% of energy or less. [1]
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Process contaminantStrong evidence
Refined palm oils had the highest levels of glycidyl esters among vegetable oils in EFSA's 2016 assessment; the EU sets maximum levels for them. [2][3]
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Palm oil (personal preference)Preference
Some people avoid palm oil because of deforestation linked to its production.
Evidence tiers say how sure the evidence is, separately from how much it matters. About evidence tiers.
Popular products that list palm oil
1,477 of the 17,000 most-scanned products in the US with a GoodSwap page list palm oil. The 12 most scanned:
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Ramen Noodle Soup Chicken Flavor Maruchan · 85 g Score 15 out of 100 Bad -
Nutella Nutella · 13 oz Score 28 out of 100 Poor -
Peanut Butter Spread Jif · 16 oz / 454 g Score 56 out of 100 Okay -
Peanut Butter Spread Jif · 40 oz Score 51 out of 100 Okay -
heavenly hunks RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING ORGANIC OATMEAL DARK CHOCOLATE Heavenly Hunks · 22 oz Score 7 out of 100 Bad -
Peanut Butter Spread Justin's · 16 oz Score 100 out of 100 Excellent -
Ritz Crackers the original Ritz · 13.7 oz (388 g) Score 12 out of 100 Bad -
Protein Peanut butter Dark Chocolate chewy bar Nature Valley Protein · 40 g Score 9 out of 100 Bad -
Peanut butter Jiffy · 440 g Score 95 out of 100 Excellent -
Fresh Stacks the Original Ritz · 11.8 oz Score 12 out of 100 Bad -
Natural Creamy Peanut Butter Spread Skippy · 40 oz Score 79 out of 100 Good -
Sweet & Salty Nut Peanut Chewy Granola Bar Nature Valley · 35 g Score 5 out of 100 Bad
Diets and allergens
- Vegan
- Yes
- Vegetarian
- Yes
- Gluten-free
- Yes
For the ingredient in general. Always check the package: a product’s own labels win.
Names GoodSwap recognizes on labels (44)
- palm
- palmol
- palm fat
- palm oil
- palm olein
- palm stearin
- red palm oil
- palm and shea
- palm oil rspo
- rspo palm oil
- huile de palme
- palm fruit oil
- palm olein oil
- aceite de palma
- palm shortening
- graisse de palme
- organic palm oil
- refined palm oil
- sustainable palm
- palm oil and shea
- palm oil fractions
- palm vegetable oil
- vegetable fat palm
- vegetable oil palm
- segregated palm oil
- vegetable fats palm
- vegetable oils palm
- organic red palm oil
- sustainable palm fat
- sustainable palm oil
- fractionated palm oil
- mass balance palm oil
- organic palm fruit oil
- huile de palme modifiee
- organic palm shortening
- rspo certified palm oil
- palm and palm kernel oil
- palm kernel and palm oil
- palm oil palm kernel oil
- sustainable palm fruit oil
- palm oil and palm kernel oil
- certified sustainable palm oil
- vegetable fat palm palm kernel
- palm oil from sustainable sources
Sources
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Saturated fatty acid and trans-fatty acid intake for adults and children: WHO guideline
“WHO recommends that adults and children reduce saturated fatty acid intake to 10% of total energy intake (strong recommendation).”
who.int
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Process contaminants in vegetable oils and foods
“The highest levels of GE, as well as 3-MCPD and 2-MCPD (including esters) were found in palm oils and palm fats, followed by other oils and fats.”
efsa.europa.eu
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“Glycidyl fatty acid esters, expressed as glycidol”
eur-lex.europa.eu