Why Shouldn't Palm Oil be in Your Child’s Formula?

Ask the Dietitian - Why shouldn't Palm Oil & Palm Olein Oil be in Your Child’s Formula?

Plant-based vegetable oils are routinely added to toddler and infant formulas to meet the energy needs of the child and provide a dietary supply of the essential fatty acid requirements of a rapidly growing child.

Since plant-based vegetable oils are an essential ingredient of formulas on the market today, and with so many plant-based oils to choose from, how do you know that your child is being nourished with a formula containing a high- quality blend of organic vegetable oils that meet the energy and essential fatty acid needs of the child? Look to the ingredients list of your formula. If you see “palm oil,” you may want to look elsewhere.

Palm Olein Oil can cause constipation and lower bone mineralization

Palm olein oil is used as a part of the fat blend in many of the popular, name-brand baby formulas currently being sold to consumers, yet it is perhaps the most questionable fat of them all. Palm olein oil is made from refined palm oil.

During digestion of palm olein oil, a free fatty acid called palmitic acid, readily binds with calcium and forms an insoluble calcium-palmitate “soap.” Clinical studies have clearly demonstrated that when palm olein oil is used as a predominant fat source in infant formulas, it causes some babies to poorly absorb fat and calcium, which results in less absorbed energy and lower bone mineralization (bone density). Also, the formation of the insoluble calcium soaps in the gut can lead to harder stool formation or constipation. ^1-3

Palm oil impacts the environment

Almost 90% of all palm olein oil is produced in Indonesia and Malaysia at oil-palm plantations and there is some indication that palm oil production may soon occur in Africa. This has resulted in widespread deforestation, destruction of rain forests, and putting the survival of some endangered animals at risk. The clearing of tropical rain forests by burning of the vegetation to make way for palm olein oil plantations also results in the release of large amounts of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. ⁴

Baby’s Only® Organic Toddler Formulas and Baby’s Only® Organic Premium Infant Formula contain no palm olein oil. Instead,  Baby’s Only® Organic formulas contain a nutritious blend of organic plant-based vegetable oils. Baby’s Only® Organic vegetable oils are expeller-pressed, which is a squeezing process to extract the oil from the organic plants. No harsh chemicals like hexane are used.

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Every company, big or small, has the responsibility of sourcing quality ingredients and producing a quality finished product, especially when feeding children. We believe the integrity of a manufacturer and the product go hand in hand through the careful and thoughtful selection of ingredients. Nature’s One is committed to using only ingredients that have undergone great scrutiny to ensure they are the purest, and clinically safest for use in our formulas. Check out our  Purity Pledge too!

Click the link to learn more about Baby’s Only® Organic Formulas!

Toddler and Baby Formulas Without Palm Oil

Nature’s One commitment to creating the most nutritious formulas for your baby or toddler means we use only the best ingredients. You won’t find palm oil in any of our formulas. If you want to give your child a better start, start with our formulas that feature the nutrients they need to grow. Baby’s Only® Organic Premium Infant Formula gives your baby better ingredients, without inferior ingredients like palm oil.

**For specific medical care and nutritional advice on product usage, please see your healthcare professional

1. Koo, W.W.K., et al, "Reduced bone mineralization in infants fed palm olein-containing formula: A randomized, double-blinded, prospective trial." Pediatrics 2003; 111:1007-1023.
2. Kennedy, K. et al, "Double-blinded, randomized trial of a synthetic triacylglycerol in formula-fed term infants: Effects on stool biochemistry, stool characteristics, and bone mineralization." Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 70:920-927.
3. Nelson, S.E. et al, "Absorption of fat and calcium by infants fed a milk-based formula containing palm olein." J Am Coll Nutr 17: 327-332.
4. Brown, Ellie and Jacobson, Michael F. Cruel Oil. Washington, D.C.: Center for Science in the Public Interest, May 2005.