Palm Oil: Health Risks, Environmental Damage, and Hidden Names

Palm oil is the world's most consumed vegetable oil, found in approximately 50% of all supermarket products. It's in bread, chocolate, margarine, ice cream, soap, shampoo, lipstick, and biodiesel. Yet most consumers have no idea how much they're consuming — because it hides under more than 200 different names on ingredient labels.

Health Concerns

Palm oil is roughly 50% saturated fat — significantly higher than olive oil (14%) or canola oil (7%). The specific saturated fat in palm oil, palmitic acid, has been studied extensively:

• Cardiovascular impact: A meta-analysis published in the Journal of Nutrition found that palmitic acid raises LDL cholesterol more than other fatty acids. Regular consumption is associated with increased cardiovascular risk.
• Inflammation: Palmitic acid has been shown to trigger inflammatory pathways in cells, contributing to chronic low-grade inflammation.
• Contaminants from processing: When refined at high temperatures (as most commercial palm oil is), it produces glycidyl fatty acid esters (GE) and 3-MCPD — both classified as potentially carcinogenic by the European Food Safety Authority.

The 200+ Names of Palm Oil

Food manufacturers rarely list "palm oil" directly. Instead, it appears under names like:

• Palmitate, palm kernel oil, palm fruit oil
• Palmate, palmolein, glyceryl stearate
• Stearic acid, steareth-2, steareth-20
• Sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate
• Sodium palm kernelate
• Elaeis guineensis (the scientific name for the oil palm)
• Vegetable oil (often a blend containing palm)
• Vegetable fat

Any ingredient containing "palm," "stear," "laur," or "glyc" in its name likely contains palm oil derivatives.

Environmental Devastation

Palm oil production is the leading cause of deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia, which together produce 85% of the world's supply. An area of rainforest the size of 300 football fields is cleared every hour for palm plantations.

This destruction has pushed orangutans, Sumatran tigers, and pygmy elephants toward extinction. It also releases massive amounts of carbon dioxide from peat forests, making palm oil production one of the largest contributors to climate change from agriculture.

Is "Sustainable" Palm Oil Better?

The RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) certification exists, but it's been criticized for weak enforcement. Investigations have found RSPO-certified plantations linked to deforestation and labor abuses. "Sustainable" palm oil is better than uncertified, but it's not without problems.

How to Avoid It

Complete avoidance is nearly impossible given its prevalence, but you can significantly reduce consumption by choosing products with olive oil, coconut oil, or butter as their fat source. When scanning labels, CleanLabel identifies palm oil under all its aliases — so you'll know exactly what you're getting even when the label is deliberately vague.