Teaspoon of Palm OilWhen you’re working hard to ensure your diet is organic and non-toxic you want to make sure that whatever you’re cooking with will not jeopardize your health. What about palm oil? It’s natural, so why not use it as an alternative to other oils?

Palm Oil Isn’t Healthy?

Palm oil is a natural, edible oil! However, because palm oil has as much saturated fat as butter, it isn’t the healthiest choice. One study found it actually raised the bad cholesterol (LDL) in research subjects. That’s not good news when you want to stay heart-healthy. Palm oil is actually found in a lot of products. It is alarming! In an attempt by food manufacturers to avoid trans-fats they use palm oil. Many of the processed foods you may eat are loaded with it. According to the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) palm oil can be found in the following products:

  • Ice Cream
  • Pizza Dough
  • Cookies
  • Chocolate
  • Margarine
  • Biodiesel
  • Detergent
  • Lipstick
  • Shampoo
  • Instant Noodles
  • Soap
  • Packaged Bread

Because You Care

It can be very disheartening to find out that the products you thought were safe actually harm the environment.  The impact of palm oil production is damaging habitats. Entire species are being wiped out! Fifty million tons of palm oil is produced annually, supplying over 30% of the world’s vegetable oil. Remember ‘The Old Man of The Forest,’ the orangutans? Those beautiful creatures are losing their only habitat due to deforestation in order to plant oil palms. This means that commercial harvesting of palm oil within the rainforest results in other natural plants, trees, and animals being wiped out to make way for large scale planting. The statistics are staggering when you look at the short amount of time in which we could face extinction of several species. If the current practices of deforestation to harvest palm oil are not seriously changed we are looking at, within the next 5-10 years, orangutans only existing in zoos. There have been serious concerns raised about human rights also. This includes deplorable working conditions and child labor in remote areas – all while indigenous people are being displaced! Natural rainforests will be wiped out making a devastatingly negative impact on the world’s climate.

So Then Palm Oil is Out?

There is good news if you prefer palm oil and are also concerned about the global impact. With enough outcries there are ways to practice sustainable harvesting of palm oil. Right now there is an organization known as the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) that is looking into trying to connect commercial production with sustainable harvesting. However, the RSPO doesn’t still doesn’t solve the deforestation issue in their proposal. In order for things to change we have to:

  • Be aware of what we are using. Then we have to stop using products that include endangering the environment.
  • Let food manufacturers know that we don’t want to consume products that cost lives, cost the environment, and cost our own conscience.
  • Make a difference by contacting your state legislator or simply make a quiet difference by closely monitoring your everyday products.

Applications & Resources about Palm Oil

  • Read more on the impact of palm oil at Say No to Palm Oil
  • Go to the WWF website for information on your everyday products
  • Check out NPR’s take on palm oil and palm oil production
  • Take a look at DW and what the EU has begun doing about palm oil

 

iGOZEN is a not just a product – we are a people and a community. We care about our personal impact on our environment. We are just like you and wish for a safe, non-toxic, chemical-free world that treats all of creation with care and dignity. Our Food/Veg Wash, Fish/Meat Wash, and our Everyday Cleaner reflect our philosophy and way of life. We hope you enjoy our posts and articles and urge you to take a stand in your own way for the ingredients and sources you deserve.