Cooking oil brands

How to find an ethical and sustainable cooking oil

This guide covers brands selling sunflower, vegetable, rapeseed, coconut, and sesame oil. Our separate guide to olive oil will be updated very shortly.

We discuss the environmental impact of different oils, GM and pesticide use, and look at which type of packaging is best.

Which brands are in the guide?

We've included big and well-known brands of oil such as Crisp 'n Dry, Flora, Fry Light, and Pura (three of which are owned by the same company), as well as specialist oil companies, UK oil producers, and small organic brands.

You'll find that not only is there a difference in taste between the different types of oil, there's also a big difference between the scores in this guide. 

The big brands are owned by multi-national companies who generally score very poorly, and smaller and specialist brands score better.

And if you're like the majority of UK consumers and buy your oil from the supermarket, we've got some recommendations for you. 

Who makes which type of cooking oil?

If you're interested in a particular type of oil, see which brands in this guide make it. 

We have a separate guide to olive oil which will be updated shortly.

Is your cooking oil GMO free?

Most of the cooking oils we look at in this guide are made from plants which have no commercial GMO varieties on the market. This means when buying coconut, olive, or sunflower oil you can be fairly certain you are not buying anything made with GMO crops.

The same cannot be said for rapeseed oil. In the US and Canada, the vast majority of rapeseed grown is Roundup Ready, the genetically modified varieties created by Monsanto (now Bayer).

It's been modified to be resistant to glyphosate, a broad-spectrum herbicide used to kill competing plants. This means it is designed to be a monoculture and is bad news for biodiversity. It became so dominant in these countries not just because it was chosen by farmers, but because rapeseeds can easily spread and it's very difficult to get rid of a variety that has been genetically engineered to be more resistant.

Luckily for those in the EU and, for now at least, the UK, regulations have prevented GMO crops being grown for food in much of Europe. In February 2019, the French authorities found minute quantities of GM seeds in batches sold by Dekalb, a brand owned by Bayer. The product was recalled, but some of the seed had already been sown, resulting in farmers digging up thousands of hectares of contaminated land: about 8,000 hectares in France and 3,000 hectares in Germany.

So, while there is not much evidence that consuming GMO crops will cause you direct harm, they are inherently linked to monocultures, heavy chemical use, and those sinister “Big-Ag” companies. You don’t have to be that in touch with mother nature to admit that Bayer’s DK401TL of the DEKALB 400 Series does not sound particularly appetising.

If you are buying rapeseed oil, it's good to opt for ones sourced from the UK or the EU which are certified organic or clearly labelled as GMO free.

All of the rapeseed oil brands in this guide are GMO free.

Organic oils

While crops other than rapeseed are unlikely to be GM, they might still be farmed with chemicals – including pesticides. While this is true of all oil crops, sunflower and rapeseed oil (and also soya bean oil) are likely to have higher pesticide use. This guide contains plenty of organic options for both sunflower and rapeseed oil as they are available from many of the organic brands listed below.

One of the most harmful classes of pesticides, neonicotinoids, have been banned for outdoor use in the UK since 2018 due to their impact on bees and other pollinators. While the previous government repeatedly granted “emergency” authorisation for their use on sugar beet, the current government recently turned down such an application, moving closer towards a complete and total ban. The EU banned countries from authorising emergency use in 2023. Laws in the US and elsewhere are more patchy so to avoid neonicotinoids it’s best to choose brands sourcing from the UK and the EU.

Of course, there are plenty of other harmful chemicals that are still in use including other pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides. All of which can have a hugely damaging effect on ecosystems. The simplest way to avoid this is to choose organic oils.

Oils from the following brands are all organic: 

• Biona
• Clearspring
• Essential
• Organico
• Mr Organic
• Lucy Bee
• Organic Kitchen

Suma also offers a significant range of organic oil as well as some non-organic.

Refined, cold-pressed, or extra virgin?

Most cooking oils are refined, meaning that the oil has been extracted using solvents, heat, and bleaching agents.

Cold-pressed oils on the other hand are extracted mechanically without heat or chemicals and as a result preserve more beneficial nutrients. Cold pressing gives a lower yield which means that oils extracted in this way are likely to be more expensive.

The term “extra virgin” is an official and regulated standard in the world of olive oil and refers to the very highest quality of cold-pressed olive oil. So, you’re much less likely to see the term used to describe other types of oil, although some brands use it to market their cold-pressed oil, for example British rapeseed oil brand Hillfarm uses the term and Organic Kitchen describes its sunflower oil as “virgin”.

If you are buying rapeseed oil, it's good to opt for ones sourced from the UK or the EU which are certified organic or clearly labelled as GMO free. All rapeseed brands in this guide are GMO free. 

Where does our oil come from?

Most of the UK’s oil is imported, even oil made from crops which can and do grow here.

Rapeseed oil mainly comes from mainland Europe, with Belgium and Germany leading the way. Rape grows well in the UK but production is declining and accounts for less than half our consumption.

The UK produces a very small amount of sunflower oil but, as we discovered when Russia invaded Ukraine and stocks were rationed, Ukraine is our leading supplier of sunflower oil, followed by France.

Olives aren't grown here as a crop so all of our olive oil is imported. Our top supplier of olive oil is Spain, followed by Italy, then Greece. 

Our coconut oil mostly comes via the Netherlands which imports more than half of Europe’s coconut supply, mainly from the Philippines and Indonesia. Multinational food giant Cargill imports most of that to its refinery in Rotterdam but, apart from KTC, the brands in this guide sell organic, cold-pressed coconut oil which is unlikely to have come via that route and more likely to have come from Sri Lanka.

Sesame oil imports to the UK are increasing as more people are cooking Asian food at home. The largest supplier of sesame oil to the UK is Mexico, followed by France, then China.

Can I buy local/UK cooking oil?

If you want to support local produce, rapeseed oil is the main option, with Farrington’s, Borderfields, Hillfarm, and Yorkshire Rapeseed all growing and pressing rapeseed oil in the UK. 

However, none of these are organic and the organic brands in this guide appeared to be more likely to source from Europe. But you may be able to find very small-scale options in your local area.

Packaging: glass, plastic, or metal?

Storage of oil

Cooking oils can deteriorate over time through a process of oxidation, affecting taste and nutritional value. Exposure to light and heat accelerate this process so it’s best to store oils in a cool and dark environment. 

Metal cans provide the best protection from light according to research conducted on olive oil and vegetable oil, with dark glass also performing well and plastic performing worst.

Environmental impact of packaging materials

The higher-scoring brands in this guide tend to use glass and the lower-scoring ones mainly use plastic. But glass isn’t necessarily the ethical choice. It’s easily and endlessly recyclable and if discarded is less likely to pollute than plastic, however, both recycled and virgin glass bottles have a high environmental impact because glass production is extremely energy-intensive.

And, because we tend to use glass oil bottles only once before recycling, the carbon footprint of each bottle remains high. Glass is also heavier than plastic or metal so creates more transport emissions.

While plastic may have the benefit of being light, it’s derived from petroleum and can break down into polluting microplastics. 

The metal containers that cooking oil sometimes comes in are normally made from steel with a tin lining. Steel production has a higher carbon footprint than plastic but is more easily recyclable and less polluting.

What is the best oil packaging to buy?

So, when it comes to cooking oil, from both a storage and environment perspective, it’s probably best to bulk buy it in metal containers and transfer it to a dark glass bottle that you never throw away. 

But among the brands in this guide, tins aren’t that common and if they are used it’s mainly for olive oil. 

The next best option is to refill your glass bottle from a bulk buy plastic bottle or refill pouch. The British rapeseed oil brands Mellow Yellow (Farrington), Hillfarm, Yorkshire Rapeseed, and Borderfields all offer this. Essential also offers this for sunflower oil.

You may also be lucky enough to live near a refill shop which sells ethical oil to you in your own reusable containers.

In the future, it would be good to see more of our Best Buys offering tin, bulk, and refill options.

Which type of oil should you choose?

There isn't really one type of oil that is significantly worse or better in terms of environmental or carbon impact.

A 2021 study looked at the average carbon footprints of producing six oil types (this doesn’t include the impact of transporting oils to the final consumer). It found that olive and coconut oil had similar carbon footprints as did sunflower and rapeseed, with the latter two being lower. However, it also presented the same data split by country which created a more complex picture.

For example, olive oil from Greece had a similar carbon footprint to the rapeseed average and rapeseed oil from China had a similar footprint to the olive oil average. Other studies have also suggested that coconut actually has lower carbon emissions than other oils.

The different oils all have their pros and cons – for example, if looking at deforestation risk coconut oil is more of a concern, however it's much less of a concern for pesticide use. 

So, when it comes to choosing an oil with a lower environmental impact, it's the company you buy from and how that oil has been sourced rather than the type of oil itself that has the biggest impact.

Our climate and agriculture ratings show how companies score for their environmental impacts, and are explored a little more below.

Fair trade oil

Depending on what type of oil you are buying and where it is from you might also want to consider buying fair trade.

The vast majority of the world’s coconuts are sourced from small-scale farmers in Indonesia and the Philippines. It has been estimated that around 60% of coconut farmers in the Philippines live below the poverty line. Of the coconut oils in this guide, only Lucy Bee is certified Fairtrade.

Climate impact of cooking oil brands

Our climate rating places a lot of emphasis on Scope 3 emissions (emissions from a company’s supply chain) as this is their biggest impact. Suma was the highest scorer because it is 90% vegan and therefore most of its products were considered to be lower carbon alternatives. It also measures its carbon footprint and is reporting on its activities to reduce it.

None of the larger companies scored very highly, often because they were not adequately reporting on or addressing emissions from their supply chains. Some also lost marks due to being criticised for poor climate practices or for having links to fossil fuels in the wider group.

Some of the smaller companies also had quite low scores as they did not have clear, publicly available policies and did not report emissions. However, their overall Ethiscores were still generally significantly higher than those of larger companies.

Animal ratings of the oil brands

Our Animal Products rating looks at the activities, policies, and practices of the company closest to the brand in the guide and also takes into account what’s happening in the wider company group. 

Only three companies scored full marks: 

• Clearspring
• Lucy Bee
• Organic Family Limited (Mr Organic) 

These three were explicitly vegan across the whole company.

Essential, Farrington’s, Suma, and Windmill Organics (Biona) were all explicitly vegetarian companies and also had adequate policies ensuring higher welfare for the animal products they did sell.

Edible Oils (Crisp ‘N Dry, Flora, Iliada, Mazola, Olivio, Pura) scored points for not appearing to sell any animal products but lost marks due to the activities of its wider company group joint venture partners: Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and NewPrinces. ADM had no animal welfare policies despite selling meat and dairy. NewPrinces, which also owns Napolina, owned a number of dairy and fish brands without adequate policies and had been criticised by the Blue Marine Foundation for its fishing practices.

Two companies scored zero for animal products.

Saputo Inc (Fry Light), a major dairy company, sold significant quantities of non-organic dairy products and was subject to criticism for its animal welfare. And Breckenholme Trading Company which has two brands, including Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil, that sell a range of mayonnaises made with non-organic eggs. Although these were free range, Ethical Consumer did not consider this to provide high enough welfare standards to receive points.

Israel-Palestine

Our new Israel-Palestine rating gives points to companies that have no connections with the Israeli government or related bodies. To score 100, as well as having no connections, a company must have a policy on the issue, for example against sourcing from illegal Israeli settlements, or working with Israel-based organisations, institutions, or companies.

Most companies in the guide scored 80 as they had no connections with the Israeli government or related bodies but did not have a policy.

Essential and Suma scored 90 because of their support for Zaytoun (olive oil producer linked to Palestine). Lucy Bee also scored 90 as it stated it did not engage with suppliers or partners involved in the illegal occupation.

Archer Daniels Midland and NewPrinces who jointly own Crisp ‘N Dry, Flora, Pura, Iliada, Mazola, and Olivio both scored 40. Archer Daniels Midland lost points as it owns subsidiaries in Israel whose operations would result in tax revenue to the Israeli government.

NewPrinces lost points as it recently acquired the Italian operations of the Carrefour supermarket chain. Carrefour is the subject of a boycott call by the BDS movement. It also lost marks as Carrefour Italy sources products from Israel.

Tax conduct

The worst scoring companies for tax are large multinational which make popular brands.

Edible Oils Ltd, the maker of Crisp ‘N Dry, Flora, Iliada, Mazola, Olivio, and Pura, is a joint venture between NewPrinces S.p.A and Archer Daniels Midland, both of which score 0 for Tax Conduct. NewPrinces (Napolina) is an Italian company but is owned by a holding company based in the tax haven of Switzerland. Archer Daniels Midland owns subsidiaries based in the tax havens of Gibraltar and Cayman Islands.

CVC Capital Partners which owns Bertolli scored 0 as its ultimate parent was based in Jersey and it owned subsidiaries in the Cayman Islands. 

Owner of Fry Light, Saputo Inc, wasn’t found to own any subsidiaries in tax havens but it lost marks as, in 2023, it was criticised by a Canadian research organisation for transferring profits to the tax haven of Luxembourg.

All other companies scored 100 in this category.

Price of ethical cooking oil

We looked at the prices of the different oils made by some of the high scoring brands.

Sunflower and rapeseed are the cheapest types. 

Essential Trading (Sunflower oil £3.79 for 500ml) and Mr Organic (Sunflower/Rapeseed oils for £5.60 for 750ml – equivalent to £3.73 per 500ml) are the cheapest brands when buying smaller amounts. 

But you can get better value for money if you buy in bulk, for example, five litres of Mellow Yellow (Farrington) costs under £23 (equivalent of £2.25 per 500ml).

Of the coconut oils, Clearspring was a little more expensive at £8.59 for 400ml, with Mr Organic and Lucy Bee offering bigger jars (500ml) for £9.05 and £9.50, respectively. We also found that Lucy Bee coconut oil was available at a significantly reduced price at some UK supermarkets.

Additional research by Francesca de la Torre.