Sweetgreen Is Dumping “Seed Oils.” Here’s the Frying-Fat Math Nobody Does (and the one switch that can quietly raise your saturated fat by 2–3×).
Sweetgreen’s EVOO shift started as a precise kitchen policy—then morphed into “seed oil-free” marketing. The catch: what counts as “seed oil-free” depends on the component, and oil swaps change trade-offs rather than erasing them.
By TheMurrow Editorial
May 23, 2026
Key Points
- 1Track the timeline: Sweetgreen’s 2023 EVOO cooking shift became 2025 “seed oil-free menu items” marketing—two very different claims.
- 2Interrogate the components: proteins may be EVOO-cooked while dressings, sauces, and supplier items can still contain seed oils.
- 3Do the fat math: oil swaps change trade-offs; replacing vegetable oils with animal fats can raise saturated fat 2–3×, unlike EVOO/avocado.
A salad chain doesn’t usually end up at the center of America’s loudest nutrition argument. Yet over the past two years, Sweetgreen has managed to turn a back-of-house procurement decision—what oil hits the pan—into a culture-war keyword: seed oils.
Part of the intrigue is timing. In October 2023, Sweetgreen announced it would cook proteins, vegetables, and grains nationwide exclusively in extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), effective October 24. That was a concrete operational shift, framed as ingredient standards “down to its cooking oil,” and backed by named suppliers like Bari Olive Oil Company (family-owned, operating since 1936) and Texas Olive Ranch for the Texas market.
Then the language changed. In January 2025, Sweetgreen’s own press materials began explicitly marketing “seed oil-free menu items.” The phrase is catnip for a certain slice of the wellness internet—simple, declarative, moral. It also invites a sharper question: what does “seed oil-free” actually mean in a restaurant where so much comes from dressings, sauces, and prepared components?
“The most consequential nutrition claims often start as supply-chain decisions—and end as marketing slogans.”
— — TheMurrow Editorial
Sweetgreen’s oil story is worth reading closely, not because it settles the seed-oil debate, but because it reveals how quickly a nuanced operational change becomes a broad health claim—and how the fat math can shift depending on what, exactly, gets swapped.
Sweetgreen’s oil shift, in real dates (and real language)
Sweetgreen’s first big move came with unusual specificity. On October 18, 2023, the company announced it would begin cooking proteins, veggies, and grains nationwide exclusively in extra virgin olive oil, effective October 24, 2023. The framing was supply-chain oriented: tighter standards, higher-quality inputs, and a clear signal that “fast casual” could behave like a more ingredient-driven kitchen.
Sweetgreen also named partners. The press release identified Bari Olive Oil Company, describing it as family-owned and operating since 1936, and positioned its oil as California-grown/produced. For Texas, Sweetgreen named Texas Olive Ranch. These details matter: they indicate the company wanted credibility rooted in sourcing, not just a generic “better oil” message.
The 2023 announcement included a second thread that would become central later: Sweetgreen said it was exploring implementing avocado oil as an additional cooking oil. That line reads like a hedge—operational flexibility, perhaps—but it also set the stage for 2025’s “seed oil-free” push.
By January 7, 2025, a Sweetgreen investor-site release promoting new menu items described “seed oil-free menu items” as a selling point. Later media coverage summarized the messaging as Sweetgreen having “removed seed oils,” pointing to CEO/co-founder Jonathan Neman describing a shift to extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil.
A gap opened between two claims:
- 2023: a defined change—cooking proteins/veg/grains in EVOO.
- 2025: a broader promise—“seed oil-free menu items,” language that can sound like a blanket policy.
Sweetgreen also named partners. The press release identified Bari Olive Oil Company, describing it as family-owned and operating since 1936, and positioned its oil as California-grown/produced. For Texas, Sweetgreen named Texas Olive Ranch. These details matter: they indicate the company wanted credibility rooted in sourcing, not just a generic “better oil” message.
The 2023 announcement included a second thread that would become central later: Sweetgreen said it was exploring implementing avocado oil as an additional cooking oil. That line reads like a hedge—operational flexibility, perhaps—but it also set the stage for 2025’s “seed oil-free” push.
By January 7, 2025, a Sweetgreen investor-site release promoting new menu items described “seed oil-free menu items” as a selling point. Later media coverage summarized the messaging as Sweetgreen having “removed seed oils,” pointing to CEO/co-founder Jonathan Neman describing a shift to extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil.
A gap opened between two claims:
- 2023: a defined change—cooking proteins/veg/grains in EVOO.
- 2025: a broader promise—“seed oil-free menu items,” language that can sound like a blanket policy.
Oct 24, 2023
Sweetgreen’s EVOO-only cooking policy for proteins, vegetables, and grains took effect nationwide on this date.
1936
Sweetgreen cited Bari Olive Oil Company as family-owned and operating since this year, anchoring the EVOO move in sourcing credibility.
Why the wording matters to readers
Restaurant nutrition debates rarely hinge on a sauté pan alone. Customers experience a “menu item” as the sum of components: dressing, sauce, crunchy topping, protein, and any pre-prepared element. That makes “seed oil-free” either a tight claim (this specific item contains none) or a confusing one (the brand is free of them). Sweetgreen’s later marketing leaned into the phrase that invites the broader interpretation.
“A pan can be seed-oil-free while a salad dressing quietly does the heavy lifting.”
— — TheMurrow Editorial
“Seed oils” isn’t a regulated category—and that’s the point
The phrase seed oils travels as if it’s a scientific classification. It isn’t. There’s no single regulatory definition in consumer nutrition guidance that cleanly draws a boundary around “seed oils” as a category the way “added sugars” or “saturated fat” are typically discussed.
In popular discourse, “seed oils” generally refers to industrial refined vegetable oils—often oils derived from seeds and produced at commodity scale. Common examples in the public imagination include soybean, canola, sunflower, corn, cottonseed, and grapeseed oils. The debate tends to bundle all of them together, regardless of differences in fatty acid profiles or processing.
Sweetgreen’s replacement choices—extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil—fit neatly into the counter-narrative because they’re commonly described as pressed from fruit, not seeds, and frequently marketed as more “minimally processed.” That makes the switch symbolically powerful, even before any nutrition panel is examined.
In popular discourse, “seed oils” generally refers to industrial refined vegetable oils—often oils derived from seeds and produced at commodity scale. Common examples in the public imagination include soybean, canola, sunflower, corn, cottonseed, and grapeseed oils. The debate tends to bundle all of them together, regardless of differences in fatty acid profiles or processing.
Sweetgreen’s replacement choices—extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil—fit neatly into the counter-narrative because they’re commonly described as pressed from fruit, not seeds, and frequently marketed as more “minimally processed.” That makes the switch symbolically powerful, even before any nutrition panel is examined.
The labeling problem customers keep tripping over
A restaurant can swap its primary cooking oil and still serve seed oils in other forms. That’s not a loophole; it’s how modern food supply works. Seed oils can appear in:
- Dressings and sauces (including mayo/aioli-style bases)
- Pre-made or frozen items that may be pre-fried during manufacturing
- Packaged components sourced from suppliers
This is why online discussions repeatedly circle the same question: how can any chain claim “seed oil-free” if some components still contain them? Even when the company is careful to say “seed oil-free menu items” (not “seed oil-free restaurant”), the phrase is doing more emotional work than its literal wording.
A more honest reading is also the more practical one: oil policy in a chain is often layered, not absolute. Sweetgreen’s 2023 announcement was explicit about where EVOO would be used—proteins, veggies, grains—leaving the rest of the menu as a separate, more complicated equation.
- Dressings and sauces (including mayo/aioli-style bases)
- Pre-made or frozen items that may be pre-fried during manufacturing
- Packaged components sourced from suppliers
This is why online discussions repeatedly circle the same question: how can any chain claim “seed oil-free” if some components still contain them? Even when the company is careful to say “seed oil-free menu items” (not “seed oil-free restaurant”), the phrase is doing more emotional work than its literal wording.
A more honest reading is also the more practical one: oil policy in a chain is often layered, not absolute. Sweetgreen’s 2023 announcement was explicit about where EVOO would be used—proteins, veggies, grains—leaving the rest of the menu as a separate, more complicated equation.
The “frying-fat math” behind Sweetgreen’s Ripple Fries
Nothing tests an oil claim like fries. They’re a universally understood baseline: hot, starchy, and typically associated with deep-fry vats and commodity oils. Sweetgreen’s answer arrived on March 4, 2025, with a national launch of Ripple Fries.
Sweetgreen described the fries as air-fried, “prepared without seed oils,” and made with five ingredients including avocado oil. Axios coverage reinforced the positioning, describing fries aimed at customers who want the experience of fries while avoiding “seed oils and deep frying.”
The claim is carefully built:
- Air-fried signals “less greasy” to many consumers.
- Avocado oil signals “better fat” and “no seed oils.”
- Five ingredients signals simplicity and control.
The product becomes a case study in modern health marketing: take a food most people file as “junk,” then reframe it with technique (air-frying), sourcing (avocado oil), and ingredient count (five). None of those claims are inherently misleading. Yet the nutrition question isn’t solved by swapping one oil for another; it merely changes which trade-offs apply.
Sweetgreen described the fries as air-fried, “prepared without seed oils,” and made with five ingredients including avocado oil. Axios coverage reinforced the positioning, describing fries aimed at customers who want the experience of fries while avoiding “seed oils and deep frying.”
The claim is carefully built:
- Air-fried signals “less greasy” to many consumers.
- Avocado oil signals “better fat” and “no seed oils.”
- Five ingredients signals simplicity and control.
The product becomes a case study in modern health marketing: take a food most people file as “junk,” then reframe it with technique (air-frying), sourcing (avocado oil), and ingredient count (five). None of those claims are inherently misleading. Yet the nutrition question isn’t solved by swapping one oil for another; it merely changes which trade-offs apply.
Mar 4, 2025
Sweetgreen’s national launch date for Ripple Fries, positioned as air-fried and prepared without seed oils.
5
Sweetgreen framed Ripple Fries as made with five ingredients, including avocado oil—simplicity as a health signal.
Air-fried isn’t “fat-free,” and “no seed oils” isn’t “low calorie”
Sweetgreen’s framing also reveals a subtle consumer misconception. Many people hear “air-fried” and mentally erase the oil. But air-fried products can still include added oils—often applied before cooking to improve texture and browning.
Likewise, “no seed oils” is not a synonym for:
- fewer calories,
- less saturated fat,
- or a better overall diet.
It’s a category exclusion, not a guarantee of nutritional superiority.
Likewise, “no seed oils” is not a synonym for:
- fewer calories,
- less saturated fat,
- or a better overall diet.
It’s a category exclusion, not a guarantee of nutritional superiority.
“Switching oils changes the trade-offs; it doesn’t cancel them.”
— — TheMurrow Editorial
The one swap that can quietly triple saturated fat
The loudest “seed oil” narratives online often bundle multiple oil swaps into one moral story: “seed oils bad, alternatives good.” Yet nutritionally, the biggest swing doesn’t come from replacing seed oils with olive oil or avocado oil. It comes from replacing them with animal fats like tallow—a different trend with a very different saturated-fat profile.
Here’s the useful mental model:
- Many commodity vegetable oils are higher in polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs).
- Animal fats like tallow are generally much higher in saturated fat.
- Fruit oils like avocado oil and olive oil are typically higher in monounsaturated fat, with saturated fat present but not dominant.
So when people talk about “the switch that can raise saturated fat 2–3×,” they’re usually describing a move from a PUFA-heavy vegetable oil to a saturated-fat-heavy animal fat. Sweetgreen is not marketing a tallow switch. Its fries messaging emphasizes avocado oil, which tends to raise saturated fat more modestly compared with some vegetable oils—depending on what the baseline oil was.
Here’s the useful mental model:
- Many commodity vegetable oils are higher in polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs).
- Animal fats like tallow are generally much higher in saturated fat.
- Fruit oils like avocado oil and olive oil are typically higher in monounsaturated fat, with saturated fat present but not dominant.
So when people talk about “the switch that can raise saturated fat 2–3×,” they’re usually describing a move from a PUFA-heavy vegetable oil to a saturated-fat-heavy animal fat. Sweetgreen is not marketing a tallow switch. Its fries messaging emphasizes avocado oil, which tends to raise saturated fat more modestly compared with some vegetable oils—depending on what the baseline oil was.
A concrete number readers can anchor to
For avocado oil, one straightforward reference point comes from Food Network’s dietitian-led explainer: 1 tablespoon of avocado oil contains about 1.6 grams of saturated fat.
That’s not a verdict—just an anchor. For a consumer trying to evaluate a “seed oil-free” claim, the question becomes: what oil did the food previously use, how much oil ends up in the final serving, and what else is in the meal?
A salad plus fries can still be a calorie-dense lunch. A “cleaner” oil can still be an oil. And in a culture trained to treat nutrition as a villain-of-the-week story, saturated fat often sneaks back in through the side door when seed oils are kicked out the front.
That’s not a verdict—just an anchor. For a consumer trying to evaluate a “seed oil-free” claim, the question becomes: what oil did the food previously use, how much oil ends up in the final serving, and what else is in the meal?
A salad plus fries can still be a calorie-dense lunch. A “cleaner” oil can still be an oil. And in a culture trained to treat nutrition as a villain-of-the-week story, saturated fat often sneaks back in through the side door when seed oils are kicked out the front.
1.6 g
Food Network’s anchor figure: about 1.6 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon of avocado oil.
EVOO and avocado oil: better ingredients, messier implications
Sweetgreen’s move to extra virgin olive oil for cooking proteins, vegetables, and grains is easy to understand as an ingredient-quality upgrade. EVOO carries cultural credibility. It’s familiar to home cooks who associate it with Mediterranean eating patterns and less industrial processing.
Avocado oil carries a different kind of credibility: modern, neutral-tasting, and widely marketed as a “good fat.” Sweetgreen signaled interest in avocado oil as early as October 2023, and by 2025 it had become a central part of the “no seed oils” story, especially with fries.
Still, “better oil” is not a universal constant. It depends on what problem a person is trying to solve.
Avocado oil carries a different kind of credibility: modern, neutral-tasting, and widely marketed as a “good fat.” Sweetgreen signaled interest in avocado oil as early as October 2023, and by 2025 it had become a central part of the “no seed oils” story, especially with fries.
Still, “better oil” is not a universal constant. It depends on what problem a person is trying to solve.
If your goal is “less processed,” the swap makes intuitive sense
EVOO is often framed as less refined than many commodity oils. Sweetgreen’s messaging leans into that sensibility: ingredient standards, sourcing partners, transparency. For readers who care about the industrialization of food, the move can feel like a meaningful alignment between brand and practice.
If your goal is “better macros,” you need more than slogans
A menu can be “seed oil-free” and still be:
- high in calories,
- high in sodium,
- low in fiber,
- or dominated by refined carbs.
The oil debate can distract from the basics that dietitians repeatedly emphasize: overall dietary pattern, portion sizes, and the balance of protein, fiber, and micronutrients.
Sweetgreen’s smartest readers already know this. The question is whether the marketing encourages that sophistication—or encourages people to outsource judgment to a single ingredient category.
- high in calories,
- high in sodium,
- low in fiber,
- or dominated by refined carbs.
The oil debate can distract from the basics that dietitians repeatedly emphasize: overall dietary pattern, portion sizes, and the balance of protein, fiber, and micronutrients.
Sweetgreen’s smartest readers already know this. The question is whether the marketing encourages that sophistication—or encourages people to outsource judgment to a single ingredient category.
The controversy: when a precise kitchen policy becomes a sweeping claim
Sweetgreen’s 2023 announcement was narrow and operational: proteins/veg/grains cooked in EVOO. The 2025 “seed oil-free menu items” language is broader and more consumer-facing. That’s exactly where controversy tends to bloom.
Critics argue that broad “seed oil-free” messaging risks overreach if any meaningful portion of the menu still relies on seed oils in dressings or prepared components. The skepticism isn’t pedantic; it reflects how restaurants actually work. Chains assemble meals from a supply web, not a farmhouse pantry.
Supporters, meanwhile, argue that incremental change is still change. A nationwide fast-casual chain committing to EVOO for core cooking functions is not nothing. It’s a cost, a sourcing commitment, and a set of operational constraints many competitors avoid.
Critics argue that broad “seed oil-free” messaging risks overreach if any meaningful portion of the menu still relies on seed oils in dressings or prepared components. The skepticism isn’t pedantic; it reflects how restaurants actually work. Chains assemble meals from a supply web, not a farmhouse pantry.
Supporters, meanwhile, argue that incremental change is still change. A nationwide fast-casual chain committing to EVOO for core cooking functions is not nothing. It’s a cost, a sourcing commitment, and a set of operational constraints many competitors avoid.
A fair way to read Sweetgreen’s position
The most charitable interpretation is also the most literal: Sweetgreen is making specific items seed oil-free and promoting those items. That’s consistent with the January 2025 phrasing. The risk is that consumers hear “seed oil-free menu items” as “seed oil-free restaurant,” especially in a social media environment built to compress nuance into a two-second takeaway.
Sweetgreen has also tried to thread the needle between two audiences: diners who simply want tasty food, and diners who treat ingredient lists like moral documents. The company’s oil strategy signals it wants both.
Sweetgreen has also tried to thread the needle between two audiences: diners who simply want tasty food, and diners who treat ingredient lists like moral documents. The company’s oil strategy signals it wants both.
Practical takeaways: how to read “no seed oils” like an adult
Oil talk gets emotional because it sounds like purity. A more useful approach is closer to consumer literacy: treat oil claims as one data point, not a halo.
Use a simple checklist when you see “seed oil-free”
- ✓Which components does that apply to? Cooking oil only, or dressings too?
- ✓What’s the replacement fat? EVOO, avocado oil, butter, tallow?
- ✓What problem are you solving? Less processed food, fewer calories, different fats?
- ✓What else is in the meal? Sodium, added sugars, fiber, protein.
Real-world example: building a Sweetgreen meal under different priorities
A diner trying to reduce exposure to seed oils might:
- choose an item explicitly marketed as seed oil-free,
- ask for dressing on the side,
- and favor simpler builds where ingredients are less likely to be pre-processed.
A diner focused on saturated fat might evaluate the meal differently. Avocado oil has a measurable saturated fat content (again: ~1.6 g saturated fat per tablespoon, per Food Network), and the total matters more than the label. A diner focused on calories might decide fries—air-fried or not—are an occasional add-on, not a daily staple.
None of these approaches requires ideology. They require specificity.
- choose an item explicitly marketed as seed oil-free,
- ask for dressing on the side,
- and favor simpler builds where ingredients are less likely to be pre-processed.
A diner focused on saturated fat might evaluate the meal differently. Avocado oil has a measurable saturated fat content (again: ~1.6 g saturated fat per tablespoon, per Food Network), and the total matters more than the label. A diner focused on calories might decide fries—air-fried or not—are an occasional add-on, not a daily staple.
None of these approaches requires ideology. They require specificity.
Key Insight
“No seed oils” is a component-level claim unless explicitly stated otherwise. The real question is which parts of the item the promise covers.
Where Sweetgreen’s oil story leaves the rest of the industry
Sweetgreen’s October 2023 move was a procurement statement: a national chain committing to cook core ingredients in EVOO, with named partners like Bari Olive Oil Company (operating since 1936) and Texas Olive Ranch. That alone set a benchmark—operationally and reputationally.
The January 2025 messaging shift toward “seed oil-free menu items” shows where the market is moving: diners increasingly want shorthand. They want a binary they can live by. Brands are eager to supply it.
The risk is that we end up with a nutrition conversation that’s easy to market and hard to live with—where people treat one ingredient category as destiny. The opportunity is more promising: a restaurant environment where sourcing gets transparent, cooking fats become a real choice rather than a commodity default, and customers learn to ask better questions.
Sweetgreen didn’t invent the seed oil debate. It simply proved how quickly the debate can be monetized—and how badly it needs grown-up scrutiny.
The January 2025 messaging shift toward “seed oil-free menu items” shows where the market is moving: diners increasingly want shorthand. They want a binary they can live by. Brands are eager to supply it.
The risk is that we end up with a nutrition conversation that’s easy to market and hard to live with—where people treat one ingredient category as destiny. The opportunity is more promising: a restaurant environment where sourcing gets transparent, cooking fats become a real choice rather than a commodity default, and customers learn to ask better questions.
Sweetgreen didn’t invent the seed oil debate. It simply proved how quickly the debate can be monetized—and how badly it needs grown-up scrutiny.
“Sweetgreen didn’t invent the seed oil debate. It simply proved how quickly the debate can be monetized—and how badly it needs grown-up scrutiny.”
— — TheMurrow Editorial
T
About the Author
TheMurrow Editorial is a writer for TheMurrow covering food & recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Sweetgreen switch to extra virgin olive oil?
Sweetgreen announced on October 18, 2023 that it would cook proteins, vegetables, and grains nationwide exclusively in extra virgin olive oil, effective October 24, 2023. It also named sourcing partners including Bari Olive Oil Company and Texas Olive Ranch for Texas.
Does Sweetgreen claim its whole menu is seed oil-free?
In January 2025, Sweetgreen promoted “seed oil-free menu items,” which implies specific qualifying items—not necessarily the entire menu. Seed oils can still appear in components like dressings or sauces even if core cooking oil changes.
Why do people argue about the phrase “seed oils”?
“Seed oils” has no single formal regulatory definition in consumer nutrition guidance. In popular use, it generally refers to industrial refined vegetable oils (often from seeds), but people debate processing, fatty-acid profiles, and industrial food distrust under the same label.
What are Sweetgreen Ripple Fries, and what oil do they use?
Sweetgreen launched Ripple Fries nationwide on March 4, 2025, describing them as air-fried, “prepared without seed oils,” and made with five ingredients including avocado oil.
Does switching away from seed oils automatically make food healthier?
Not automatically. “No seed oils” is a category exclusion, not a full nutrition profile. Calories, sodium, fiber, protein, portion size, and the replacement fat (EVOO, avocado oil, butter, tallow) still determine the nutritional trade-offs.
How much saturated fat is in avocado oil?
A practical anchor: Food Network’s dietitian-led explainer lists about 1.6 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon of avocado oil. The total saturated fat in a serving depends on how much oil is actually used.
