Palm oil is the most widely consumed vegetable oil on the planet. In India it is most commonly used as a cooking oil as well as an ingredient in a wide range of consumer goods. In fact, India is the largest user of palm oil products, capturing over 20 percent of global supply.
Oil palm grows in tropical rainforests, and the uncontrolled clearing of these forests for plantations has led to widespread loss of forests and the habitat destruction endangered species, including orangutans, tigers, elephants and rhinos.
The good news is you don't have to give up products containing palm oil! It can be produced in a responsible manner that respects the environment and the communities where it is commonly grown.
Peel back the label and learn more about which products contain palm oil and why.
Why?Palm oil is the base of many of our blended cooking oils. It is the largest consumed vegetable oil in India.
Why?Palm oil is added to both frozen and fresh pizza dough to stop it from sticking together and to enhance texture.
Why?Palm oil is up to 20% of the weight of a pack of instant noodles. It's used to pre-cook the noodles so that all you have to do is add hot water.
Why?Palm oil is used as a conditioning agent that helps restore the natural oils of the hair that are stripped away by most shampoos.
Why?Palm oil makes ice cream smooth and creamy.
Why?Palm oil is refined to create soaps, washing powder and other cleaning products.
Why?Palm oil is used in lipstick as it holds color well, doesn’t melt at high temperatures, and has a smooth application and virtually no taste.
Why?Palm oil helps create a smooth and shiny appearance in some chocolate and keeps it from melting.
Why?Semi-solid at room temperature, palm oil is used to give baked goods a creamy taste and texture.
Why?Palm oil is used for its ability to remove oil and dirt from hair and skin as well to moisturize.
Why?Palm oil is now widely used to make bread because it is solid at room temperature, easy to bake with and inexpensive.
Many products that use palm oil aren't clearly labeled. Palm oil and its derivatives can appear under many names, including:
INGREDIENTS: Vegetable Oil, Vegetable Fat, Palm Kernel, Palm Kernel Oil, Palm Fruit Oil, Palmate, Palmitate, Palmolein, Glyceryl, Stearate, Stearic Acid, Elaeis Guineensis, Palmitic Acid, Palm Stearine, Palmitoyl Oxostearamide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Kernelate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Lauryl Lactylate/Sulphate, Hyrated Palm Glycerides, Etyl Palmitate, Octyl Palmitate, Palmityl Alcohol
CONTAINS: Palm oil
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was established by NGOs like WWF and responsible companies to find ways to address the environmental and social problems by unsustainable oil palm cultivation.
Many companies around the world have committed to sourcing only palm oil produced under the principles of the RSPO.
Sadly, in India, despite our huge appetite for palm oil, there are very few RSPO-certified products available.
You can help by contacting companies to urge them to use only certified sustainable palm oil in your favourite everyday products.
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See how different food brands, globally, are doing in the quest for sustainable palm oil in WWF’s 2016 Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard. |