Which Peanut Butter Is Palm Oil Free in the UK?

Peanut butter

The production of palm for use in food and personal care items is contributing to the destruction of rainforests around the world, particularly in Indonesia.

Around half of all the products in UK supermarkets contain palm oil or palm oil-derived ingredients, so it’s difficult to reduce your palm oil consumption.

Most peanut butters contain palm oil, but there are a few that don’t. In this article we’ll look at the palm oil free options available in the UK.

Palm Oil Free Peanut Butter Brands

Meridian Peanut Butter

Meridian Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter 1 Kg

No Meridian peanut butters contain palm oil, so you can buy from this brand without worrying about whether or not what you’re buying contains palm oil.

Meridian sell regular smooth and crunchy peanut butter as well as organic varieties in a range of jars and tubs.

Meridian peanut butters are made from 100% peanuts, with nothing added, so they’re one of the healthiest peanut butter brands.

 

Whole Earth 100% Peanuts

Whole Earth Organic Smooth Peanut Butter, 6 x 227 g Jars, 100% Peanuts, Unsalted, All Natural, No Added Sugar or Salt, Gluten Free, Vegetarian & Vegan, Multi Pack

Whole Earth sell a range of organic peanut butters, some of which contain palm oil and some of which don’t.

If you want to go palm oil free, look for their 100% Peanuts range, which is available in smooth and crunchy varieties. These peanut butters are made from 100% roasted peanuts, with no added ingredients, so they’re free from palm oil as well as other additives.

Some Whole Earth products do contain palm oil. At the time of writing, their Original Smooth Peanut Butter and Original Crunchy Peanut Butter contain sustainable palm oil.

 

Biona Organic Peanut Butter

Biona Organic sell a range of organic peanut butters that are all palm oil free.

Their peanut butters come in two main varieties: salted and unsalted. The salted variety contains a small amount of sea salt, while the unsalted variety is made from 100% peanuts.

 

The Foodie Market

This brand is available in Aldi. They offer a peanut butter that is made from 100% peanuts, with no added palm oil or sugar. As you’d expect from Aldi, it’s very reasonably priced.

 

Which Peanut Butters Do Contain Palm Oil?

Most supermarket own brands contain palm oil, as do several other popular brands:

  • Tesco own-brand peanut butter: Tesco’s peanut butter contains Certified Sustainable Palm Oil – see ingredients here.
  • Skippy peanut butter: Skippy peanut butter contains hydrogenated palm oil – see ingredients here.
  • Sainsbury’s own-brand peanut butter: Sainsbury’s peanut butter contains palm oil, which isn’t currently listed as sustainable – see ingredients here.
  • Morrisons own-brand peanut butter: Morrisons peanut butter contains palm oil, which isn’t currently listed as sustainable – see ingredients here.

 

Brands That May Contain Palm Oil

Sometime palm oil can be hidden in the ingredients list. For example, E471 is a stabiliser used in Sun-Pat peanut butter that can (but doesn’t always) come from palm oil.

Palm oil isn’t listed as an ingredient in Sun-Pat peanut butters, but at the same time, their products aren’t marketed as “palm oil free”, so it’s probably safe to assume that the E471 they use does contain palm oil.

 

Conclusion

If you’re looking for palm oil free peanut butter, the following brands are great:

  • Meridian
  • Biona Organic
  • The Foodie Market
  • Whole Earth (100% Peanuts range only)

If you’re a big fan of peanut butter, you might like this overview of which peanut butters are the healthiest.

3 thoughts on “Which Peanut Butter Is Palm Oil Free in the UK?”

  1. Good morning.
    The text here regarding the oil used in Sun-Pat peanut butter made no mention that whilst the additives list does not specify the use of palm oil in their peanut butters, it does specify the use of peanut oil. I think the best way to clarify this issue would be to directly ask the manufacturer to specify which oils are – or could be – present in their products.

    1. No one clarifies if they use palm oil if the palm oil is in a derivative such as E471. That’s how a lot of companies get away by saying they are palm oil free because the ingredient doesn’t specifically say “Palm oil”. E471 is also known as Mono and diglycerides of fatty acids. It’s usually, but not always, derived from palm oil because it’s cheap. Checking with the company to ascertain what their E471 is derived from is indeed the way to go.

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