Hi there
I'm sorry if I am asking a stupid question. I belong to the Vegan Society Facebook and a few folk have been flagging up certain products as having palm oil in them. This has come up once before when I was choosing between brands of oatcakes at my local health food shop and a lass who worked there suggested one over the others for a number of reasons... including that it doesn't contain palm oil. I've gone to the Vegan Society website and can't find any mention of palm oil, other than it being on their safe foods list.
Can someone please help me understand this question?
Ava x
The big problem with palm oil is the rain forests - they are burning an area the size of Wales each week I understand to plant monoculture palm trees and in the process destroying the indigenous jungle with thousands of species including the habitat of the orangutan. It is not the local people doing this but multinational conglomerates - for money, and to satisfy the world's hunger for edible oils.
For that reason I avoid palm oil as much as possible.
Caroline - Ah.... I see. I understand completely. Thank you for that explanation.
One of the problems folk on the Vegan Society Facebook group were saying is that palm oil is hidden amongst other ingredients... i.e. being called 'vegetable oil' and often not disclosed individually. Only by writing to the manufacturers can you find out if palm oil is an ingredient. 'Pure' brand margarine, for example, contains palm oil - but instead lists the generic 'vegetable oil' in its ingredients.
I'll certainly now avoid palm oil when I see it as an ingredient.
Ava x
Hi Ava
What Caroline is saying is true. But there palm products available that are eco and Orangutan friendly.
Best Wishes
RP
RP
That's interesting. How does the consumer know which palm oil products are ethical? Is there a symbol on the product? Or do you just get to know by word-of-mouth which are the ethical companies/products?
Ava x
The links below should answer you question and show ways in which you can help too 🙂
[url]The Orangutan Foundation [/url]
[DLMURL="http://savetheorangutan.org/splash.html"]Save the Orangutan[/DLMURL]
Palm oil is known to be high in cholesterol.
[url]Palm Oil & Cholesterol | LIVESTRONG.COM[/url]
Palm oil is known to be high in cholesterol.
[url]Palm Oil & Cholesterol | LIVESTRONG.COM[/url]
I think you'll find from the article quoted it says that palm oil is 99% fats - cholesterol is a steroid. Palm oil is a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fats, including 44% oleic acid and 10% linoleic (omega oils) found in the liquid part. So although it contains saturated fat which is involved with cholesterol, the unsaturated oils are beneficial and are thought to cancel out the negative effects. It also contains vitamins A and E sterols and CoQ10. It has a lot going for it!
The problem with palm oil is that so much jungle is being destroyed to plant this as a monoculture.