Broilers were fed a high fat diet containing 11% oil (9% rapeseed oil, 2% soya bean oil) and the oil was given either as fresh (peroxide value of 1 meqv. O(2)kg(-1) oil) or as highly oxidised (peroxide value of 156 meqv. O(2)kg(-1) oil). Diets were supplemented with 46 mg all-rac-α-tocopheryl acetate kg(-1) diet, resulting in a tocopherol content of 80.8 mg α-tocopherol and 58.6 mg γ-tocopherol per kg diet in the fresh oil diet and of 44.0 mg α-tocopherol and 18.3 mg γ-tocopherol per kg diet in the oxidised oil diet, respectively, reflecting the degradation of the natural occurring tocopherols in the oxidised diet. Only minor differences were seen with respect to fatty acid composition in muscles from birds fed the two diets. The oxidation of the dietary oil lowered lipid stability significantly (p < 0.01) in both raw and precooked meats during chill storage, whereas only minor effects on the stability of frozen meat were seen. Tocopherol levels were significantly lower (p < 0.01) in muscles from birds fed the oxidised oil diet, explaining the decreased lipid stability of meat from these birds. Thigh meat was more susceptible to lipid oxidation during storage than breast meat, regardless of dietary treatment, although thigh meat had markedly higher tocopherol levels than breast meat. The molar ratio of PUFA>> 18:2 (polyunsaturated fatty acids with three or more double bonds) to α-tocopherol was significantly (p < 0.01) higher in thigh meat compared with breast meat, explaining the lower stability of the former during storage.