Double emulsions have potential for the production of low calorie food products, encapsulation of medicines and other high value products. The main issue is the difficulty to efficiently produce double emulsions in a well controlled manner due to their shear sensitivity. In membrane emulsification only mild shear stresses are applied and it is therefore expected that this process is very suitable for the production of double emulsions. In this review an overview is given of the state of the art; the advantages and disadvantages of membrane emulsification in relation to the production of stable double emulsions are summarized and compared. Finally an outlook on further research in this field is given. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.