The Difference Between Palm Oil and Palm Kernel Flakes

Palm oil and palm kernel oil may sound very similar and both come from palm trees – but they aren’t the same product.

Palm kernel flakes come from the seed or kernel of the palm fruit from the Palm tree. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the oil palm fruit.

Palm kernel flakes are a more environmentally friendly option because palm kernel doesn't take the life of the palm tree to make.

Palm kernel flakes are solid at room temperature, and is chemically similar to coconut oil.

Palm oil is a creamy liquid oil that’s semi-solid at room temperature. It's chemically similar to tallow or lard.

The demand for these oils is so high that many farms that produce them struggle to fulfill demand. As a result, landowners are burning back forests to make more space to grow palm trees. Many of these farms are in countries which have sensitive biomes, putting rare wildlife in severe ecological danger. Unsustainable farming creates a devastating ecological impact, not just for the countries involved in farming, but, globally.

As a consumer, choosing products that are sustainable helps, but this is becoming increasingly difficult to regulate.

Here, we tread the line between vegan and non-vegan options in our products. We try to create products that leave as small a footprint on the environment as we possibly can, while at the same time creating a superior product for our customers. This is often the more expensive way to produce our products, but we feel the short term cost is a better option than the long term cost.