Groundnut Oil | whatsinit

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Groundnut oil (also called peanut oil or arachis oil) is an edible vegetable oil derived from the seeds of Arachis hypogaea L., widely used for cooking, frying, and food manufacturing due to its high smoke point and mild flavour. It is composed primarily of oleic acid (monounsaturated) and linoleic acid (polyunsaturated) fatty acids.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Properly refined groundnut oil is broadly safe for the general population; however, it is a major peanut allergen vehicle and can trigger life-threatening anaphylaxis in sensitised individuals. A key secondary risk is aflatoxin contamination from Aspergillus flavus in raw groundnuts — IARC classifies naturally occurring aflatoxin mixtures as a Group 1 human carcinogen, with AFB1 strongly linked to hepatocellular carcinoma. Regulatory bodies globally set maximum aflatoxin limits (4–20 µg/kg) to mitigate this risk, and refining significantly reduces but may not fully eliminate residual aflatoxins in crude oil.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) (Australia)	Approved	Permitted edible oil under FSANZ Food Standards Code. Total aflatoxin maximum level for peanuts and peanut products is 15 µg/kg. Peanut is a mandatory allergen declaration.source
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Approved edible oil under EU food law. Peanuts and peanut products are mandatory allergen declarations under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. Aflatoxin B1 maximum level for groundnuts for direct human consumption is 2 µg/kg and total aflatoxins (B1+B2+G1+G2) is 4 µg/kg per Commission Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006. EFSA confirms aflatoxins are genotoxic and carcinogenic.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Approved	Permitted as an edible vegetable oil under FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, Chapter 2.2. Standards prescribe maximum acid value, moisture, and aflatoxin contaminant limits (lead max 0.1 mg/kg for crude and edible groundnut oils). Solvent-extracted oil must be refined before human consumption and contain ≤5 ppm hexane. Nutritional claims norms notified in 2020.source
FAO/WHO (Codex Alimentarius Commission) (International (Codex Alimentarius))	Approved	Defined in Codex Standard for Named Vegetable Oils (CODEX STAN 210-1999, amended 2015) as 'Arachis oil (peanut oil; groundnut oil)' derived from groundnuts (Arachis hypogaea L.). No food additives are permitted in virgin or cold-pressed oils. Products must comply with CODEX STAN 193-1995 for contaminant (including aflatoxin) maximum levels.

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Nut Allergy — Peanut (groundnut) is one of the eight major food allergens; crude and unrefined groundnut oil retains allergenic proteins that can trigger life-threatening anaphylaxis in sensitised individuals, and even highly refined oil should be avoided by those with severe peanut allergy unless confirmed protein-free.

Infants — Aflatoxin exposure in groundnut products has been linked to immune suppression and stunted growth in children per IARC and peer-reviewed literature; additionally, early introduction of peanut products should follow clinical guidelines for allergy prevention.

Children — Children are particularly vulnerable to both aflatoxin-induced liver damage and peanut allergy; IARC evidence shows chronic low-level aflatoxin exposure is associated with stunted growth and immune dysfunction in children.

Liver Disease — Individuals with pre-existing liver disease face an elevated risk of hepatocellular carcinoma from aflatoxin exposure; aflatoxin B1 risk is multiplicatively increased when combined with hepatitis B virus infection, warranting caution with crude or unrefined groundnut oil.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1EFSA. Aflatoxins in Food – EFSA Topic Page. efsa.europa.eu
2FSSAI. Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations – Chapter 2.2: Fats, Oils and Fat Emulsions (Version 3, 2024), 2024. fssai.gov.in
3FSSAI. Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations – Compendium Version V (2020), 2020. fssai.gov.in
4PubMed. Mitigating Aflatoxin Contamination in Groundnut through A Combination of Genetic Resistance and Post-Harvest Management Practices, 2019. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5FAO/WHO. Standard for Named Vegetable Oils (CODEX STAN 210-1999, amended 2015), 2015. fao.org
6PubMed. Global Risk Assessment of Aflatoxins in Maize and Peanuts: Are Regulatory Standards Adequately Protective?, 2013.

Independently researched7 citations