Bakels removes palm oil from bakery range

By Noli Dinkovski

- Last updated on GMT

Palm Free Duo paste: was used by Morrisons in its hot cross buns in the run-up to Easter
Palm Free Duo paste: was used by Morrisons in its hot cross buns in the run-up to Easter

Related tags Palm oil Hot cross bun

A range of pastes, emulsifiers and caramels made without palm oil has been launched by British Bakels.

The outcome of two years of product development, the new range – which uses rapeseed oil – was created to find a long-term sustainable alternative to using palm oil, the company claimed.

Palm Free Duo paste was used by Morrisons in its hot cross buns in the run-up to Easter, and Bakels is hopeful other leading retailers will follow suit.

140M hot cross buns

The company estimated that 140M hot cross buns are made every year with its ingredients.

Greg Woodhead, product development manager at British Bakels, said the 60-strong range allows industrial bakers, biscuit makers and confectioners to remove palm oil without a detrimental effect on product quality or cost.

“Currently, products like caramels, toffee sauces and cupcake icings, are all produced with palm oil, so it really is endemic in bakery.

“However, we are removing palm oil because of its sustainability credentials.

“There are big questions on whether the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil certification really provides genuine sustainability.”

Product quality

Woodford conceded that the new formula is “slightly less process tolerant”​ than using palm oil, but it has led to a substantial improvement in product quality.

“We can’t deny that palm oil is very competitively priced, and it has been very challenging to replace.

“However, the palm-free mix gives much better volume to the finished product, which was a pleasant surprise for us.

“Rapeseed oil is also lower in saturated fat, so there are clear health benefits too.”

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1 comment

Bakel imbalance between sustainable and increased consumer health risk

Posted by erickmurrer,

From Dr. Mercola: Anytime you cook food, you run the risk of creating heat-induced damage. The oils you choose to cook with must be stable enough to resist chemical changes when heated to high temperatures, or you run the risk of damaging your health. One of the ways vegetable oils can inflict damage is by converting your good cholesterol into bad cholesterol—by oxidizing it.

When you cook with polyunsaturated vegetable oils (such as canola, corn, and soy oils), oxidized cholesterol is introduced into your system. As the oil is heated and mixed with oxygen, it goes rancid. Rancid oil is oxidized oil and should NOT be consumed—it leads directly to vascular disease.

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