Fertilisers are generally used for all crops but are relied upon least in the production of coconuts and palm fruit. The production of coconuts and palm fruit also requires extremely few pesticides. This explains why organic coconut is so widely available. As well as being a cupboard staple at home, sunflower oil can also be found in hundreds of products, from ready meals to crisps, and biscuits to mayonnaise. Olive production generally uses a notable amount of pesticide, but this figure is relatively low in comparison to the amount used in the production of rapeseed and sunflower oil. Organic rapeseed and sunflower oils are available but are less common than organic olive or coconut oils.

The only organic rapeseed oil grown and produced in the UK that we could find was Stringers Organic Rapeseed Oil, a venture between J Stringer & Sons and Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil. From the sales of its top three brands: Crisp ‘n Dry, Flora and Pura, it holds about 32% of the market for general cooking oils. Organic Rapeseed The following companies received Ethical Consumer’s worst rating for likely use of tax avoidance strategies: Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, KKR, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Mitsubishi, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, and Walmart (Asda).

In this guide we investigate, score and rank the ethical and environmental record of 31 cooking oil brands.

However, although a large amount of rapeseed is produced in the UK, organic rapeseed oil is thin on the ground. Supermarket own-brands make up the majority of the market, standing at 57% in 2016/17. The other major player in the market is Edible Oils, a company that is jointly owned by Princes (Mitsubishi), and the Archer Daniels Midland Company. The table above gives an idea of the typical environmental impacts in the production of five crops used to produce widely used oils.

Most oils are refined, meaning that the oil has been extracted through a process involving chemicals and high temperatures. However, recent years have seen the advent of cold-pressed oils, especially rapeseed, where oil is extracted by simply pressing the crop. Gary Lewis, of oil importer KTC Edibles, said that vegetable oil prices had eased off their recent highs but were still “way up” on before the war. Other factors, such as the crop problems linked to Covid and the climate crisis, as well as the competing demand for biofuels, were also underpinning the market, he said. “Prices are still extremely high and that will contribute towards the high inflation around the world.”Cold-pressing is not only a more ecological method of production but also creates a healthier oil, preserving the naturally occurring vitamins and anti-oxidants, which would be destroyed through the process of high-temperature refining. Many of big companies use their finances to gain political influence, something which we mark companies down for, under our Political Activities category. The following (and their employees) donated to political parties: ADM, The Co-op, KKR, Mitsubishi, Walmart (Asda). ADM jointly owns Edible Oils Ltd with Princes Ltd, a company ultimately owned by Mitsubishi. Edible Oils produces several big brands such as Crisp ‘n Dry, Mazola, Olivio, Pura, and Flora, a brand actually licensed by Upfield, the new name for Unilever Spreads. The company also owns 25% of Wilmar International Ltd, an agribusiness involved in palm oil that has been heavily criticised for land grabs and human rights violations.34

It could be deduced from this table that the oil with the least environmental impact is palm oil, due to its high yield and low amounts of fertilisers and pesticides used. There is some truth in this, and its high yield is one reason, alongside its versatility, why it has been favoured by so many companies. The EU produces most of the world’s rapeseed oil while the leading provider of sunflower oil is Ukraine, followed by Russia and the EU.