Palm oil has been eliminated, in Italy, from many food products. The awareness campaign promoted by the writer collected nearly 180,000 signatures in 2014, and so did the following of industries and large-scale retail (GDO) brands closest to consumers.
The claim ‘palm oil-free’ has also garnered proselytes in Europe over the years, to the point of towering at the top of European consumAtors’ demands-along with ‘GMO-free‘ in 2018. Nevertheless, the shoddy tropical fat-which has found its primary outlet in ‘biodiesel’ -is still present in many foods. At the supermarket but also in cafes, bakeries, fast-food outlets and restaurants. Here’s how to avoid it.
Palm oil, the most voracious industries
An incomplete list of the most palm oil voracious industries has been compiled by WWF (1,2). Next is the ranking of tropical fat consumption above 10 thousand tons/year, reported to WWF by 173 Corporation in FY 2019.
Food industries
– Pepsi Co. (Frito-Lay, Doritos, etc. USA) 506,341 tons,
– Nestlé (Switzerland, CH), 425,514 tons,
– Yildiz Holding (Turkey), 309,627,
– Mondelez (USA), 294,726,
– Unigra (Italy), 262,699,
– Ferrero (Italy), 204,200 (accounting for 56 percent of Italian olive oil production, 365,641 tons), (4)
– Friesland Campina (Holland, NL), 137,691,
– Mars (USA), 80,087,
– General Mills (USA), 78,978,
– Barry Callebaut (CH), 71,853,
– Danone (France, F), 71,302,
– Puratos (Belgium), 69,000,
– Associated British Foods, ABF (UK), 63,435,
– Conagra (USA), 46,200
– Vandemorteele (Belgium, B), 43,264,
– Arla Foods (Denmark, DK), 36,955,
– The Hershey Company (USA, Twizzler brands, Kit-Kat), 31,235,
– Dragsbaek (DK), 29,020,
– Aigremont (B), 25,118,
– Cérélia (F), 22,736,
– Saputo Dairy (UK), 16,049,
– Lotus Bakery (B), 15,310,
– Bahlsen (Germany, D. Brand of the same name, as well as Leibniz and Pick up!) 13,958,
– Kerry Group (Ireland), 13,343,
– Froneri (Nestlé, UK), 12,581,
– Royale Lacroix (B), 12,050,
– Goodman Fielder (AUS), 11,530,
– The J.M. Smucker Co. (USA), 11,232.
Food service
– YUM! Brands (Kentucky Fried Chicken, etc. USA), 157,776
– McDonald’s (USA), 90,474,
– Krispy Kreme Doughnuts 20,199.
Retail
ALDI (Germany) 66,337+26,353 , TESCO (UK) 59,137, IKEA (Sweden) 31,826, Metro (Germany) 24,830, Jerónimo Martins (Portugal) 23,777, Edeka Zentrale AG (Germany) 22,974, Asda (UK) 16,705, Sainsbury (UK) 15,250, dm-drogerie markt (D) 11,270.
Cosmetics
L’Oréal (France) 71,727 tons.
Various industries
– BASF Personal care & Nutrition (Germany, D), 420,759 tons
– Henkel AG (D), 100,309
– DuPont (USA) 86,222.
The great absentees
– oil refineries,
– 2 of the 10 big sisters in food, Unilever and Kellogg’s. (3) In addition to Procter & Gamble and Reataurant Brands Int. (Burger King), to name a couple of other giants.
Labels to read
The labels to read are those of ultra-processed foods. Reference is made to themarket survey we conducted in July 2020. The more famous the brand, the higher the probability of finding palm oil in the ingredient list. Some examples:
– cookies, snacks and various sweets. Mars, M&M’s (also from Mars), Kinder, Nutella (Ferrero), Milka, Oreo (Mondelez),
– Salty snacks, chips, popcorn, breadsticks etc.
Chipsters and Fonzies
(Mondelez), Pringle ‘s (Kellogg’s), St. Charles and Crik Crok
– Prepared or semi-prepared foods. From SaiKeBonnoodles (Star, ABF) to Knorr (Unilever) risotto and cooking stock cubes.
‘Palm oil-free’
it is possible to produce all of these product categories, as evidenced by the experience of many industries and the supply of alternative foods to those mentioned. Which are always preferable from a nutritional point of view, as well as having less impact on the environment. (5) Because palm is bad for you, it increases abdominal fat and inflammation.
The hidden palm tree
Instead, the most significant dose of palm fat in food is found hidden in public establishments. Starting with croissant and pastry products sold in bulk in cafes. The list of ingredients should always be displayed on a sign or a special register, but no one observes the rules and no one ensures their enforcement. In fact, palm is almost always found in ‘vegetable margarine,’ which must in fact be mentioned with specification of the nature of the fats used.
Fast-food
, fry shops, eateries, and restaurants in turn routinely employ palm oil in their fried foods, which thus sadly become burdened with entirely avoidable saturated fatty acids. They could use high oleic sunflower oil, whose industrial technological performance (in addition to nutritional properties) is far superior. But they favor saving at all costs, so the unwitting consumer is always the one who pays.
Buycott!
We renew our call to boycott this tropical fat that is a primary cause of land robbery(land grabbing), child exploitation, deforestation and climate emergency. With invitation also to sign the petition Buycott! Palm oil, GMO soy and U.S. meats, launched by Égalité and GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade), with the support of No Pesticides, Legambiente, Associazione Comuni Virtuosi, Humus Network, European Consumers, Coalition Against Land Grabbing (CALG).
Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) WWF, it should be noted, is an organization so sensitive to the predations of industrial giants that it systematically betrays its own stated goals. As they demonstrate:
– the historic partnership with Coca-Cola (see https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade .it/consum-attori/coca-cola-obesità-e-diritto-all-acqua-studio-scientifico)
– collaboration with RSPO(Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil), the organization created by palmocrats to try to hide their environmental crimes. In vain, as seen repeatedly (see footnote 5)
(2) WWF(World Wildlife Fund). (2020). Palm Oil Buyer Scorecard. https://palmoilscorecard.panda.org/check-the-scores/all
(3) Kraft Heinz, the last of the 10 big sisters not mentioned in the list, claims to have consumed only 6,567 tons of palm oil in 2019 and has begun to move toward ‘palm oil free.’ It is therefore now being fought by Asian palmocrat lobbies. V. Apoorva Bansal. Kraft Heinz asked to withdraw ‘misguided negative campaign’ on palm oil. Interactive marketing. 6.8.20, https://www.marketing-interactive.com/kraft-heinz-asked-to-withdraw-misguided-negative-campaign-on-palm-oil
(4) ISMEA. Palm Sector sheet, olive oil. 7.4.20, %252FD.c89ec309a76d8e957037/P/BLOB%
(5) Lies about the supposed environmental sustainability of RSPO-certified palm oil emerge in numerous survey reports and independent studies. Those of:
– European Commission, EPA(Environmental Protection Agency, USA). (2016) https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/consum-attori/olio-di-palma-insostenibile-dalle-favole-dei-palmocrati-ai-dati-su-emissioni-di-gas-serra-e-cambiamento-climatico
– Amnesty International (2016), https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/idee/la-grande-bugia-dell-olio-di-palma-sostenibile-il-rapporto-di-amnesty-international-inchioda-big-food
– Zoological Society of London (2017) https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/idee/olio-di-palma-rapina-delle-terre-e-deforestazioni-un-milione-di-ettari-sfugge-ai-registri-di-rspo-denuncia-la-zoological-society-of-london,
– Roberto Cazzola Gatti et al, (2018-2020) https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/consum-attori/olio-di-palma-insostenibile-la-scienza-conferma,
– Greenpeace (2019) https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/consum-attori/indonesia-incendi-e-olio-di-palma-certificato-rspo-rapporto-greenpeace
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
