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NO PALM OIL NOVEMBER - Week 3

Date: Monday 23 November

NO PALM OIL NOVEMBER - Week 3

The issue of sustainable palm oil has come up and I have to say I was unsure about the reliability of that labelling... back to ethicalconsumer.org and their really helpful publications - I plan to subscribe to the Ethical Consumer for their magazine, having got this far. Follow the link here to their twenty minute podcast to hear from experts, such as Dr Izabela Delabre - a research fellow at Sussex University, on the effects of palm oil farming on deforestation and biodiversity.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certifies and audits companies in the global supply chain, but is widely criticised for weak standards and failure to penalise. Other groups Palm Oil Innovation Group and High Carbon Stock are pushing for higher standards. Shall look at these.

It is important to recognise that many small holdings in Indonesia rely on palm oil production for their livelihoods, so best to look for a label – organic or orangutang friendly. On the other hand, I’m relieved to know that I have not needed to buy a lipstick to know that “I’m Worth It”. The same can’t be said for the many, many women in Indonesia who are exploited by the non-sustainable palm oil industry. A female worker apparently has to spray pesticide around 30 acres of rough jungle terrain to earn the price of a single tube of lipstick. Their story can be found here on apnews.com apnews.com

On a positive note, I also had a really lovely letter back from Graham’s Dairy on their various actions to make positive ecological changes and have made some big changes to increase their reducing, reusing and recycling targets. Definitely no palm oil there!

I was really surprised to see, while comparing spreadable butters and margarines, that rapeseed oil is replacing palm oil in the list of ingredients, so many are apparently good - though not Stork. The rapeseed oil thing is a whole new area of debate, though. We grow it here in Scotland, but pesticides are apparently used to control a wee beetle. Countryfile, I recall, did an article about companion planting which negated the need for pesticides for rapeseed. Good too, that this is an ingredient which is grown in Perthshire,- (Summer Harvest from Madderty) so hoping that further encouragement is given to them and other farmers for this.

A near miss, when I purchased a mini Panetone, checked out the ingredients and almost forgot about E471.

Food wise, this pledge is going well and thanks to all who have supported me – Just Giving – funds going to Friends of the Earth Scotland.

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