Palm oil, what's the deal?
What we all need to start understanding
about Palm Oil is that the stuff is in EVERYTHING. From biscuits to shampoo to
Hot Cross Buns. To make matters worse, it is also being used to produce
biodeisel, which is sustainable by definition (as in it can be reproduced as we
grow more plants that fruit, that then become processed refined, and turned
into oil products. Rather than, say,
pumping oil out of the ground and once it is gone, it's gone...). To
make matter even worse than this, we can't tell what products have palm oil in
them, as they are generally listed as something else to confuse consumers, because
who would buy a product that is killing Orang-utans, right? See below for a list of other names that Palm Oil can be
concealed as on a food ingredients label... It's really tough to get
around it, and my mission is certainly to reduce it rather my family's intake,
and look for finished products that use fair trade palm oil rather than rid
myself of it.
So what's the deal with the stuff, you
ask? Well basically in many parts of Indonesia it has become much more profitable to burn up existing old wood
rain forest, and (Orang-utan's only remaining natural habitat) and replant with
Oil Palms. These Oil Palms grow, then fruit and that is where the oil comes from, and
the farmers/investors then sell it more cheaply than our Fair Trade friends, so
the larger companies looking for a cheaper option always choose the cheapest
oil- no one gives a toss where it comes from,
or what Indigenous tribes or cute, fuzzy primates it's murdering...
It's
our job as a consumer to let them know by spending our dinero on companies that
share our values. I also must add here that there are several countries that
produce Palm Oil. Malaysia has even gone so far as in 1992 to declare that half of the rainforest's
would be protected, and they have built an economy and trade on the bi products
of the oil. So it's not all bad, all the time.
Some
other names or disguises for palm oil on product packaging:
PKO – Palm Kernel Oil
PKO fractionations: Palm Kernel
Stearin (PKs); Palm Kernel Olein (PKOo)
PHPKO – Partially hydrogenated
Palm Oil
FP(K)O – Fractionated Palm Oil
OPKO – Organic Palm Kernel Oil
Palmitate – Vitamin A or Asorbyl
Palmitate (NOTE: Vitamin A Palmitate is a very common ingredient in breakfast
cereals and we have confirmed 100% of the samples we’ve investigated to be
derived from palm oil)
Palmate
Sodium Laureth Sulphate (Can
also be from coconut)
Sodium Lauryl Sulphates (can
also be from ricinus oil)
Sodium dodecyl Sulphate (SDS or
NaDS)
Elaeis Guineensis
Glyceryl Stearate
Stearic Acid
Chemicals which contain palm oil
Steareth -2
Steareth -20
Sodium Lauryl Sulphate
Sodium lauryl sulfoacetate
(coconut and/or palm)
Hydrated palm glycerides
Sodium isostearoyl lactylaye
(derived from vegetable stearic acid)
Cetyl palmitate and octyl
palmitate
Vegetable oil
Vegetable Fat
Wow. So how do you navigate
that, right? My rule of thumb is this: If the packaging doesn't clearly state
that they are using Fair Trade Palm Oil, then they are not using Fair Trade
Palm Oil. It depends on how militant you really want to get. I am simple trying
to reduce my family's consumption of Palm Oil that isn't produced ethically- it
would be almost impossible to eradicated from your life until product labels
clearly identify it. I think this is where the argument is heading.
Here are a few sites to locate more information if you are
interested:
Found any great palm oil free or fair trade products? Let me know in the comments below!
Beauty Hippy- Ness
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