Wandering the aisles at Coles and Woolworths, turning packets over and scanning the fine print, I see the same language repeated — “vegetable oil”, “vegetable fat”, “shortening”. Not occasionally. Consistently.
Many people ask us a version of the same question: “What brand of foods use palm oil?” We understand why. You want a clear list. A quick answer. A shortcut through the label-reading fatigue.
But here’s the tricky part: food brands change ingredients regularly. A product that’s palm oil-free today might quietly contain it next month. Another brand might avoid palm oil in one product, but rely on it heavily in another.
Why is it used in food?
Palm oil makes processed food easy and cheap to mass-produce. It creates structure in pastries and biscuits, keeps spreads smooth, and extends shelf life. It’s not there because it’s the healthiest or most responsible option. It’s there because it’s the cheapest and most convenient for manufacturers.
And palm oil is only “cheap” because the real price — accelerating climate change, destroyed rainforests, species loss and community displacement — is paid by the planet, not the brands.
Other oils like sunflower, olive, coconut or rice bran can do the job — but they cost more, and they aren’t yet the industry default.
What foods commonly contain palm oil
Palm oil turns up most often in processed, convenience foods — especially:
- Biscuits and baked snacks
- Chocolate and confectionery
- Instant noodles
- Chips and savoury snacks
- Margarine and spreads
- Frozen meals and packaged pastries
- Some breads and wraps
- Flavoured peanut butter and sweet spreads
In other words: many of the “quick and easy” foods lining supermarket aisles.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing a full-time job just trying to buy snacks and pantry staples, you’re not imagining it.
How to spot palm oil on food labels
Sometimes it’s listed clearly as palm oil or palm kernel oil. But often, it appears under broader terms that don’t tell you the source.
In Australia, ingredients must be listed — but manufacturers are not always required to specify which vegetable oil is used (unless it’s an allergen such as peanut or sesame). That’s why “vegetable oil” can become a common hiding place.
Palm oil can also appear indirectly in certain fats and emulsifiers — especially in chocolate and baked goods. When the source of the fat isn’t specified, it may be palm-derived.
Sometimes palm is named clearly in brackets after “vegetable fat” — for example, vegetable fat (contains palm). Sometimes it isn’t.
You may also see labels stating “certified sustainable palm oil.” This still refers to palm oil — the ingredient remains the same, even if the sourcing is described differently.
Palm Oil Label Checklist
Save this for your next shop.
Clear signals:
- Palm oil
- Palm kernel oil
Often palm (unless specified otherwise):
- Vegetable oil
- Vegetable fat
- Shortening
- Fractionated vegetable oil
- Hydrogenated vegetable oil
- Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (471)
- Emulsifier (source not specified)
If the oil or fat source isn’t clearly stated — for example, sunflower, olive or canola — it may be palm.
How is palm oil listed on food labels?
Look at a typical snack aisle at Coles or Woolworths and you’ll start to notice a pattern.
Here’s the kind of wording that appears:
| Product type | Example ingredient wording | What we noticed |
|---|---|---|
| Biscuits & baked snacks | INGREDIENTS: Wheat flour, sugar, vegetable fat (contains palm), raising agents (500, 503), emulsifier (soy lecithin), salt, flavours… | “Vegetable fat” sounds vague. In brackets, you’ll often see palm named — but not always. |
| Chocolate blocks & coated snacks | INGREDIENTS: Sugar, cocoa solids, palm oil, vegetable oil, emulsifier (476), flavour… | Palm shows up frequently in fillings and compound coatings, even when the front of the pack emphasises cocoa content. |
| Instant noodles | INGREDIENTS: Noodles (wheat flour, palm oil…), flavour sachet (salt, sugar, vegetable oil, spices, flavour enhancers…) | Palm often appears in both the noodle and the seasoning sachet. |
| Chips & savoury snacks | INGREDIENTS: Potatoes, vegetable oil, seasoning (salt, sugar, flavourings…) | If the oil isn’t specified — sunflower, canola, olive — it may be palm or a palm blend. |
| Frozen pastries & snack pies | INGREDIENTS: Wheat flour, water, vegetable fat, salt, raising agents… | Pastry frequently relies on palm-derived fats for structure and shelf stability. |
| Sweet spreads & flavoured nut spreads | INGREDIENTS: Peanuts (85%), sugar, palm oil, salt… | Palm oil is commonly used to stabilise texture and prevent separation in sweetened spreads. |
Sometimes it’s clearly named. Sometimes it’s folded into broader terms. Either way, it appears again and again.
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists change frequently and vary by store and region. Always check packaging directly.
So… what brands use palm oil?
The honest answer: most major supermarket brands use it somewhere in their range. That includes products marketed as “natural”, “plant-based”, or “better for you”. Palm oil is so embedded in processed food supply chains that it often becomes the default unless a brand explicitly commits to avoiding it.
At the time of writing, palm oil or unspecified “vegetable oil” appears in:
Disclaimer: According to the ingredients on the packaging we checked on 17 February 2026.
This reflects how normalised palm oil has become in large-scale food manufacturing.
Formulations change. Some brands reformulate over time. But as it stands, palm oil remains the industry default across much of the supermarket.
Rather than trusting a brand name, the most reliable way to reduce palm oil is to:
-
Check the label (every time)
-
Choose products that clearly state “palm oil free”
-
Favour simpler, whole-food ingredients where possible
When entire aisles rely on the same oil associated with large-scale deforestation, it stops being an ingredient choice and starts being an industry default.
This isn’t about one brand. It’s about a system that prioritises cost and convenience over ecosystems. And systems can change!
What you can do
If it feels overwhelming, keep it simple. Choose one category — biscuits, chocolate, spreads — and start there. You don’t need to overhaul your pantry overnight. One shelf. One product. One swap.
Small shifts, repeated over time, reshape demand. And demand reshapes systems.
If you’re ready to start with palm oil-free food options, at Biome every product we stock is selected without palm oil or palm oil derivatives. No decoding. No second-guessing. Just simpler shopping.
Explore Palm-Oil Free Foods
We can’t control what’s stocked on every supermarket shelf. But we can control what we put in our basket. And that’s where change quietly begins.
Why Biome is palm oil free
In 2017, Biome made the decision to remove palm oil and palm oil derivatives from all the products we stock. This wasn't a campaign or a trend response — it became a buying standard. 👉 Our stance on palm oil
Frequently Asked Questions
What is palm oil and why is it used so widely?
Palm oil is the most widely used vegetable oil in the world. It dominates because it’s cheap, scalable and performs well in mass-produced goods — not because it’s the best option for people or planet. That’s why it appears not only in food, but also in soap, shampoo, cleaning products and cosmetics — often under generic or chemical-sounding names.
Why does palm oil raise environmental and social concerns?
Palm oil expansion is a major driver of deforestation. Rainforests are cleared to establish plantations, contributing to climate change and biodiversity loss. Species such as orangutans, elephants, rhinos and tigers lose critical habitat. Local communities are displaced, and land rights are often contested. These impacts aren’t visible on a supermarket shelf — but they are part of the true cost behind the ingredient.
Is palm oil always labelled on food products in Australia?
Ingredients must be listed, but the exact oil source isn’t always specified. Palm oil may appear clearly as “palm oil” or “palm kernel oil”, but it can also be included under broader terms like “vegetable oil,” “vegetable fat,” or “shortening.”
Does “vegetable oil” mean palm oil?
Often, yes. In many processed foods, if the oil isn’t specifically named (such as sunflower, olive or canola), it commonly refers to palm oil or a palm blend.
If the source isn’t stated, it may be palm.
What foods commonly contain palm oil?
Palm oil is widely used in processed and convenience foods — especially biscuits, chocolate, instant noodles, chips, pastries, spreads, and some breads and wraps.
How can I avoid palm oil in food?
Check ingredient lists carefully for palm oil and related terms. Choosing products that clearly state “palm oil free” can make shopping much simpler.
Why don’t you publish a list of brands that use palm oil?
Formulations change regularly. Rather than publishing lists that quickly become outdated, we focus on helping you recognise palm oil yourself — so you can shop confidently anywhere.
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