Is Palm Oil Vegan?

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Palm oil is everywhere. It’s cheap, tasty, and extremely versatile. However, the growing global demand for palm oil and its continued mass production negatively impacts humans, animals, and the environment. With this in mind, is palm oil vegan? Here’s what you need to know.

What is palm oil?

Palm oil is an edible, vegetable-based oil derived from the Elaeis, or “oil palm.”

Humans have likely been harvesting palm oil for up to 5,000 years for dietary and culinary purposes. For much of that time, palm oil was used almost exclusively by people living in the central and western African countries where the Elaeis are native flora.

In the 1800s, colonizers from Europe recognized the ingredient’s versatility and potential and began exporting both palm oil and the palms themselves. (Learn more about the sector’s historical links to colonization and the Atlantic slave trade from Reuters here.)

Exported palm trees were planted ornamentally or used to establish plantations in other tropical areas, including Southeast Asia, where much of the global supply is grown today.

Indonesia alone now produces 57 percent of all palm oil, closely followed by Malaysia with 26 percent. Together, the two countries produce around 64 million tons per year, while the palm oil industry overall accounts for about 35 percent of the world’s vegetable oil.

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