Palm oil: What's the problem?

How to identify (and avoid) products containing palm oil

  • Only 3 vegetable oils must be labelled in food products in Australia. They are peanut oil, sesame oil and soybean oil.
  • All other vegetable oils can be labelled as vegetable oil. However, the label must declare the amount of saturated fat in the product.
  • Vegetable oil containing saturated fat is palm kernel oil, palm oil or coconut oil.
So the best way you can stay informed and avoid palm oil all together, is to know the jargon. The below list from AOP should assist.
Palm Oil Names
  • Sodium Laureth Sulphate (Can also be from coconut)
  • Sodium Lauryl Sulphates (Can also be from ricinus oil)
  • Sodium dodecyl Sulphate (SDS or NaDS)
  • Palmate
  • Palm Oil Kernal
  • Palmitate
  • Glycerine (can also be from other plants and animals)
  • Cetyl Alcohol
  • Certeryl Alcahol
  • Vegetable oil (can be from a number of plants but honest companies will label it)
Cosmetics
  • Elaeis Guineensis
  • Glyceryl Stearate
  • Stearic Acid
Chemicals
  • 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 (and anything with palmitate at the end)
Visit the Palm Oil Action Group shopping guide for more information on what products contain palm oil.


There is no such thing as sustainable palm oil

Whilst 7% of palm oil production is sustainable in production and methods (eg using old rubber tree palntations rather than clearfelling rain forests, which of course were cleared in the first place to grow the rubber trees), here are some things you need to know.

1) Being a member of the "Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)" does not guanrantee that those companies use other palm oil as well.

2) The RSPO board is made up of Palm Oil Tycoons, and just one environmental representitive from an NGO. It does not have a third party accreditation or auditing.

3) Palm oil is a viable crop for approximately 50 years - after which, the soil is depleted, soil structure destroyed, and the palm are no longer producing a viable crop. The notion of sustainablilty is about long term - being able to provide for future generations. 50 years doesn't even see out MY generation, let alone future ones.

This is why Chooktopia has a NO PALM OIL policy. None whatsover. From ANY source.

What common products contain palm oil?

Apart from the majority of soaps, cleaners and shampoos on the market containing palm oil, many people are shocked to learn that Arnott's Tim Tams also contain palm oil. In fact, palm oil is so widely used in consumer products that it is increasingly difficult to avoid.

What's worse, is FSANZ (Food Standards Australia and New Zealand) refuse to legislate that palm oil be labelled on products. Most products just state 'vegetable oil', which could be palm oil.

Across the media there has been a lot of pressure on Nestle to remove palm oil from Kit Kats - social pressure has resulted in Nestle now reviewing its palm oil policy. But the issue is far wider. The picture below gives you a snapshot of a few products that have been known to contain palm oil.
Chooktopia is a 100% Palm Oil (and derivitives) free store

Downloads

Zoos Victoria pocket ingredient card

Auckland Zoo palm oil free shopping guide

BOS Australia 
palm oil free list
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Resources

Dindi Naturals Palm oil blog on RSPO and greenwash - 
dindinaturals.com/blog/sustainable-palm-oil-lies-and-greenwash 

Occupy for Animals
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Australian Orangutan Project (AOP) - orangutan.org.au/

Zoos Victoria - Don't Palm us Off - zoo.org.au/PalmOil

BOS - orangutans.com.au