What can you do to support sustainable palm oil in products?
Look for products bearing the RSPO certified label. This means the product gets its palm oil from sustainable and certified growers.
Support companies with commitments to sustainable palm oil sourcing. The SPOTT assessment and WWF scorecard are a few sites that provide indication on how companies are performing in attaining responsible palm oil.
If your favourite brand is not supporting certified sustainable palm oil, write to them and ask them to.
The most direct and well-known use of palm oil is to make cooking oil. Cooking oil made from palm oil can take 2 forms:
Red palm oil, which, as the name suggests, is the oil palm fruit’s natural colour of red.
Refined bleached deodorised palm oil (RBDPO) is the more commonly found type of cooking oil as it does not turn food it comes into contact with red. Learn more about GAR’s range of cooking oil here.
Palm oil ingredient name: Palm olein
Baking & Bakery
Bread, Cakes and Pastries
It is likely that the bakery in supermarkets use palm oil and shortening to improve the spring, weight, density and texture of the products. Using it also means the food is vegetarian-friendly.
Margarine
Margarine is the non-dairy, vegetable oil substitute for butter that is suitable for vegetarians. Margarine is made from various types of vegetable oils, and differs in hardness depending on whether it is used as a spread or for cooking. Our range of margarine products caters to a wide variety of baking needs.
Palm oil ingredient name: Palm stearin
Shortening
You get palm shortening when some unsaturated fat is removed from palm oil. The solid and thick texture is perfect for baking, and is typically used for making puff pastries and cookies. Our extensive range of shortening can be found here.
Palm oil ingredient name: Palm stearin
Ready-made cake mix
Hydrogenated palm oil is one of the vegetable oil options that can be used for cake mix.
Palm oil ingredient name: Palm olein
Icing and frosting
Frosting that contains palm oil is able to maintain its properties even in high temperatures.
Palm oil ingredient name: Palm olein
Beverages
Packaged chocolate drinks
Palm oil is used in certain drinks because of its nutritional value which boosts our immune systems and lowers cholesterol. It also lends a creamy texture when added to drinks.
Palm oil ingredient name: Palm olein
Non-dairy creamer
Palm oil creates a smooth, creamy texture and keeps your coffee and tea vegetarian-friendly.
Palm oil ingredient name: Palm olein
Snacks
Chocolate
Palm oil creates a smooth creamy texture and keeps chocolate from melting in hot climates.
Palm oil makes chocolate spreadable at room temperature and gives it a smooth, creamy texture.
Palm oil ingredient name: Palm olein
Chips, cookies and nuts
Many store bought snacks such as chips and cookies contain palm oil because they have been cooked with it. It also has a natural preservative effect (due to the high amount of antioxidants) which extends the shelf life of these food products.
Palm oil ingredient name: Palm olein
Cereal
Palm oil is used in cereal to fortify them with Vitamin A.
Palm oil ingredient name: Vitamin A palmitate, Ascorbyl palmitate
Instant noodles
Palm oil enables noodles to be pre-cooked, dried and stored.
Palm oil ingredient name: Palm olein
Frozen
Ice cream
Palm oil makes ice cream smooth and creamy.
Palm oil ingredient name: Palm olein
Frozen pizza
Frozen pizza dough often contains palm oil to enhance its texture and prevent it from sticking together.
Palm oil ingredient name: Palm olein
Household items
Detergent
Palm oil is refined to create different types of washing products. Its derivatives such as sodium laureth/lauryl sulfate are good foaming agents, and glycerine gives products a thick viscosity.
Candles made with palm wax instead of paraffin wax (which is a waste by-product of petrochemicals) are more environmentally friendly, smokeless, and can last longer when lit.
Palm oil ingredient name: Palm wax
Personal Care / Health & Beauty
Toothpaste / Mouthwash
Palm oil derivatives such as sodium laureth sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate are often used because of their foaming properties.
Bar / Liquid soap, Facial cleanser, Shampoo & Conditioner
Palm oil can be found as different derivatives in different types of soaps and cleaning products because of its natural cleaning properties and foaming abilities. Derivatives like etyl palmitate and palmitoyl oxostearamide condition and smoothen hair.
Glycerine, which can be produced from palm oil and palm kernel oil, is used in pharmaceutical formulations because of its viscosity.
Palm oil ingredient name: Glycerine
Health supplements
Crude palm oil is high in Vitamin A, and is used to produce Vitamin A palmitate supplements in liquid, powder and pill form for treating Vitamin A deficiency.
Palm oil is high in palmitic acids, which is also found in breast milk. That is why palm oil is often used in infant milk formula as it most closely mimics the nutrition profile of breast milk.
Palm oil ingredient name: Palm olein
Pets
Animal feed
Palm kernel and derivatives of palm oil are used in animal feed because of its nutritional properties.
