Palm Oil
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil pressed from the fleshy fruit pulp of the oil palm, not the kernel. Food makers use it because it is semi-solid at room temperature, stable for frying, relatively neutral when refined, and useful for texture in spreads, baked goods, confectionery, shortenings, and packaged foods.
- Concern
- Moderate
- Function
- Oils
- Updated
- Apr 24, 2026
What this is
Palm oil is a conventional food oil rather than a synthetic additive. Codex describes palm oil as coming from the fleshy mesocarp of Elaeis guineensis; palm olein and palm stearin are fractions of palm oil, while palm kernel oil comes from the seed kernel and has a different fatty-acid profile. The main health context is not acute toxicity but composition and processing: palm oil contains substantial palmitic saturated fat, and clinical meta-analyses find it raises LDL cholesterol compared with low-saturated vegetable oils. Refined palm oil and palm olein can also carry process contaminants called 3-MCPD esters and glycidyl esters, formed during high-temperature refining. FDA and EFSA identify refined palm oil/palm olein among the highest-occurrence oils and encourage mitigation. Regulation is mixed: palm oil remains allowed as a food oil, EU food law sets contaminant limits, and EU deforestation rules create a broad market-access restriction unrelated to direct food toxicology.
Safety Review
The health areas reviewed when evaluating an ingredient. This does not mean the ingredient is proven to cause harm.
Clinical meta-analysis evidence links palm oil with higher LDL cholesterol versus low-saturated vegetable oils. Process contaminants are also relevant: 3-MCPD esters are associated with kidney/testis findings in animal data, and glycidyl esters can release glycidol, which agencies treat as genotoxic/carcinogenic.
Restaurant Usage
0 restaurants
Restaurants will appear here when their published menu information lists this ingredient.
State Policies
0 state policies
No current state policy is listed for this ingredient.
Federal Policies
0 federal policies
No current federal policy is listed for this ingredient.
Sources
10 sources