Responsible for massive deforestation, industrial oil palm monocultures threaten biodiversity – the disappearance of orangutans in South-East Asia sadly illustrates this – and directly contribute to worsening climate change in several regions of the world.
The social impact of intensive oil palm cultivation is disastrous: land grabbing and forced displacement of indigenous communities by lawless logging companies, human and labor rights violations for workers employed on plantations… The list of scandals is long.
On the health side, it’s not better: palm oil has a high content of saturated fatty acids, very unhealthy fats which contribute to increasing cholesterol and cardiovascular risks.
Despite these widely known and documented impacts, The food industry continues to use palm oil in many products, even where it is least expected, because it is practical, inexpensive and therefore helps boost their profits. We don’t want it! And all the more so since alternatives exist.
It even happens that manufacturers sell the same products with and without palm oil in the same aisle. Conversely, other companies have chosen to do without it completely, proof that it is possible.
Take action with foodwatch to say loud and clear to these brands: we do not want our food to be complicit in the environmental and social destruction in other regions, we do not want palm oil on our plates! Let us demand that manufacturers take their responsibilities and replace palm oil in their products with more responsible and sustainable alternatives, produced in Europe.
