The Prevalence and Distribution of Palm, Soy and Coconut Oils in Australian Food: Implications for Planetary and Human Health

Scout Impact

This study examines palm, soy, and coconut oils in Australian packaged foods, confirming their prevalence in ultra-processed, nutritionally poor products. These oils are linked to environmental harm and poor nutritional profiles. Scout penalizes products containing these oils due to their association with unsustainable practices and negative health impacts.

Key Findings

• Finding 1: 10% of 26,831 products contained palm, soy, or coconut oils.
• Finding 2: 25% of bread and bakery products contained these oils.
• Finding 3: 16% of snack foods contained these oils.
• Finding 4: Products with these oils were mostly ultra-processed and nutritionally poor (p < 0.001).
• Finding 5: Less than 5% of products with these oils were sustainably certified.

Limitations

• Limitation 1: The study is observational and does not directly assess health outcomes.
• Limitation 2: The focus on Australian products may limit generalizability to other regions.