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Palm oil is one of the cheapest edible oils in the world, which is why it is so common in packaged food. Most of us eat it every day without knowing.
Where it is commonly found
- Biscuits, cookies and rusks
- Namkeen, chips and fried snacks
- Instant noodles
- Chocolates, wafers and cream fillings
- Vanaspati and many bakery fats
- Street food and restaurant frying
Names to look for on labels
- Palm oil, palmolein, palm kernel oil
- “Edible vegetable oil” or “vegetable fat” without the source named
- Hydrogenated vegetable fat / vanaspati
- Interesterified vegetable fat
If a label says only “vegetable oil” without naming the seed, it is worth asking which one.
Why people are cutting back
Palm oil is high in saturated fat, and heavily processed palm-based fats are common in ultra-processed foods. There are also environmental concerns about how some palm oil is grown. Many families simply prefer to know what oil they are eating.
Simple swaps
- Make snacks like chakli, mixture and murukku at home in groundnut oil.
- Choose packaged snacks that name the oil used.
- Use single-seed, unrefined oils for home cooking.
The bigger picture
You do not need to avoid every packet. Small, steady changes – a better oil at home, fewer fried packaged snacks, reading labels – add up.
Explore single-seed wood-pressed oils.
