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
  • Alliegaytor[she/her]@vegantheoryclub.orgM
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    6 hours ago

    Palm oil doesn’t contain animal products, so it’s vegan. Full stop.

    This is a misleading argument to make. Plenty of things can be nonvegan even if it doesn’t contain animal products (slave labor, horse riding, drug testing, etc.). Whether or not something merely contains animal products is not a measure of somethings vegan status. Please see the definition of veganism here: https://www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/definition-veganism

    • enkers
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      5 hours ago

      Yeah, fair, as Naeva also said, that was overly reductive.

      Palm oil is still a grey area, though, as is pointed out in the VS quote I posted lower in the comment chain.