Natural_Health_June_2017

TREND
Palm oil
is popular
because it’s
cheap but it
can come at a
big cost to the
environment
Palm oil is the world’s most widely
used vegetable oil and is added to
a variety of goods, from spreads and
noodles to soaps and detergents. But,
despite its popularity, the oil has been
linked to environmental, animal and human rights issues.
Unsustainably sourced palm oil has become one of the
world’s leading causes of rainforest destruction and plays a
key role in human-induced climate change. In 2009, nearly 30
percent of Indonesia’s reported carbon emissions were caused
by deforestation, and according to the Say No To Palm Oil
campaign, every hour an area the size of 300 football pitches is
cleared in Idonesia and Malaysia to make way for plantations.
Unsustainable production of the vegetable oil is also driving
animals to extinction, in particular orangutans. Scientists
predict that they could become extinct within our lifetime if we
continue to destroy their homes for palm oil plantations and
the Orangutan Conservancy estimates that they have lost more
than 80 percent of their natural habitats over the last 20 years.
NH’s talking about:
PALM OIL
Is this vegetable oil
a friend or foe?
The industry is thought to be riddled with
human rights abuses too. Thousands of the
workers are child labourers, and according
to a report published in Business Week, a
lot of people are pulled into the industry
through debt slavery or by human traffickers.
Concerns have also been raised about the effects of palm oil
consumption on our health. It is often oxidised, i.e. processed, and
in this form it can pose dangers, including reproductive and organ
toxicity, especially to the lungs and kidneys. A lot of companies
began using palm oil as a ‘healthy’ alternative to trans fat, but it is
still high in saturated fats so should be consumed in moderation.
So, it seems that this oil’s bad reputation is warranted when
it comes to the unsustainable kind, but we shouldn’t avoid it at
all costs. Environmental experts have warned that palm oil is an
incredibly high-yielding vegetable oil which means that anything
replacing it will have to use more land, so the key is to pressure
companies to source it responsibly. As consumers, we arguably
have the most power when it comes to holding them to account.
NATURAL HEALTH 19