Palm Oil

What is it, where does it come from and why is it so bad?

Palm oil is the most widely consumed vegetable oil on the planet and is derived from a palm fruit, which is grown on an African oil palm tree. It grows in hot and moist climates throughout western Africa and the Middle East, predominantly in countries close to the equator, however one of the main places it is grown and harvested is the amazon rainforest. Most of the time, this oil is not obtained through sustainable ways, leaving a trail of destroyed plants, homes and extinct species in its wake.

According to the documentary ‘Cowspiracy’, to make way for the production of oil palm trees, an equivalent of up to 300 football fields of the amazon rainforest are chopped down at an hourly rate. Not only is this particular industry responsible for huge amounts of deforestation, which has a huge global impact on the air we breathe and the current issues regarding climate change. It is also destroying the homes of many different species of animals and indigenous people.

According to the ‘Say no to Palm oil’ website, a third of all mammal species in Indonesia are critically endangered as a consequence of the unsustainable palm oil industry. Tigers, elephants and rhinos are amongst the larger mammals that are affected by palm oil plantations. A statistic shows that 90% of the orangutan’s habitat in the amazon has been destroyed and there is no end to this in the foreseeable future unless we abstain from products that contain palm oil. With the increase in palm oil production, ‘Friends of the Earth’ have estimated that orangutans could be extinct in 12 years time.

Although this oil is healthy to consume, it is good to think beyond what is good and healthy for us as people and think beyond our plates to the origin of our foods. According to WWF Global the sales of palm oil have risen by more than 500% over the last five years.

Is this because food manufacturers are substituting palm oil for other ingredients in their products, even where it is not needed? Do most people remain unaware that this product is harmful to our planet, the animals and humans resident in production areas?

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