I've sent them an email to ask for clarity and will update with their response.

Having a read of the food labeling standards (https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/food-standards-code/legislation) 1.2.2, 2.4, and schedule 10-2 any edible oil is only required to be identified as follows:

(a) The statement of ingredients must declare:

(i) whether the source is animal or vegetable; and

if the food is a dairy product, including ice cream—the specific source of animal fats or oils.

(b) This generic name must not be used for >diacylglycerol oil.

As such it turns out anything labelled as vegetable oil could contain palm oil, which is relatively likely given it's ~36% of global oil trade and the number 1 producer. https://ourworldindata.org/palm-oil

So I recommend that unless you have specific knowledge, if anything has a thick texture at room temp and claims not to be hydrogenated you should assume it is palm oil. Especially if it's quite low in saturated and polyunsaturated fats which is a bit of a coconut oil tell.

RIP to a delicious one.

  • A former sinner
  • NaevaTheRat@vegantheoryclub.org
    hexagon
    M
    ·
    edit-2
    23 hours ago

    It strongly implies palm oil is used in the original formulation, a popular vegan margarine in australia.

    Of course it is not actually vegan to clearcut rainforest for food oil, which is how a lot of palm oil harvesting is done. Because of the ethical implications of palm oil anyone actually buying the expensive and sustainable/more sustainable/more humane stuff would highlight it.

    edit: to be clear, palm oil isn't evil. It's actually better than other oils in a lot of ways. The issue is that because the environment it grows in competes with delicate and limited rainforest a lot of the cheapest ways to grow it destroys said rainforest.