A to Q on palm oil

What if I say that we have the power to end one of the most destructive businesses in the history of times? 

It’s time for Mjau to shine the flashlight that is consumer awareness on palm oil.

Where’s all the palm oil at? I never bought any… Or did I?

Ice cream, lipstick, chocolate, skincare and soap are commonly said to be the worst villains when it comes to using palm oil as a main ingredient.

But it really does not stop there, in reality half the packed products in US grocery stores contain this environmentally devastating oil. So chances are good that at least a few things you picked up on your last trip to the store contained palm oil, even if you didn’t see it listed on the label.

Let’s break it down into facts. What’s the big deal with palm oil anyway?

To put it simply: rainforests and other lands are being burned down to make way for palm oil plantations. In fact, it is estimated that about 98 percent of Malaysian and Indonesian rainforests may be gone by 2022.

The rainforests and peatlands of Southeast Asia are very wildlife rich ecosystems and the destruction of these are making millions of animals homeless and native people forced off their own lands. Let’s put a face on it; already endangered species such as orangutans, elephants and tigers are being shot and killed as pests while entire tribes are losing their ancient land and history.

This is of course only part of the story; deforestation creates a chain reaction which includes massive loss of biodiversity, destruction of critical habitats, soil erosion, pollution, and climate change.

So yeah, IT IS A PRETTY BIG DEAL.

How the h*ll can the demand for palm oil be so high?

Unfortunately, palm oil is the most popular vegetable oil in the world, with around 54 million tons produced in 2011.

The reason? Namely, it’s cheap. It has a yield that is higher than any other vegetable oil crop, and production is less expensive. But as you can tell for all the information above, those low prices don’t come without a high cost.

How can we stop this?

By cutting down on your palm oil usage as much as possible. Let’s crush the demand for this product together! As the consumers, we hold the power.

Here’s how we are going to do it:

Check the labels – palm oil can hide under names such as:

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.

Know what companies to avoid by checking this the 10 worst list and this company palm oil score list out.

Go DIY when it comes to beauty products and your pantry! 

The best way to know what a product contains is to make it yourself. Say thank you but no thank you to pre packed food and be kind to your health and the planet at the same time! To use as an example, a dear ex of mine, Nutella, contain sugar, GMOS, milk and palm oil! I think i’ll make this mjautella instead 🙂

Speak up!

Share this article on social media, raise awareness by word of mouth and inspire others to take a stand! Check out the Rainforest Action Network’s Say No to Palm Oil challenge for a list of petitions and volunteer actions you can take to support the cause.

Eat a plant based diet.

But make sure to check where your meat substitutes are containing. A lot of the vegan brands out there creating butter and meat substitute are actually using palm oil and gmos as base ingredients.