The video clip ends with Iceland telling viewers they are chopping out from their shelves all products which contain
palm oil.
Why?
The implication was, that to obtain palm oil it costs the planet the lives of 25 orangutans every day.
The orangutans are three extant species of great apes native to Indonesia and Malaysia.
Orangutans are currently only found in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. Classified in the genus Pongo, orangutans were originally considered to be one species. Not so.
Below are 10 things that contain
palm oil that most of us probably buy without realising this fact:
1. BREAD
Most loaves of bread you buy at the supermarket will contain palm oil (or one of the many other names palm oil is referred to as – see the link at the bottom of this post!). Next time you go for your weekly shop, check the ingredients carefully, or even better – buy bread from the counter or a local baker and check what ingredients they use!
2. CRISPS
It makes sense that making crisps requires some kind of oil, but sadly most of them use palm oil. The packet will likely say ‘vegetable oil’ though, so be aware (this is another commonly used name for Palm Oil). The best thing is to look for crisps that expressly use an oil like olive, sunflower or coconut, or find savoury crunchy snacks that don’t contain any oil at all!
3. MARGARINE
Margarine is a commonly used substitute for butter and dairy spreads, but even though you’re doing a good thing by avoiding the dairy industry, most of these products contain palm/vegetable oil. Try substituting margarine in recipes with coconut oil, olive oil, or even apple sauce for baking. (And if anyone ever finds a margarine that doesn’t contain palm oil, please let me know – because I can’t find one!)
4. VEGAN CHEESE
Same as above, many of the dairy substitutes sadly seem to contain palm oil in some form. Keep an eye out on the ingredients and shop sustainably; many vegan cheeses come in plastic packaging and contain loads of random additives anyway, so maybe try making your own vegan cheese sauces and trying out recipes!
5. SOAP
Random isn’t it? Many supermarket soaps seem to contain palm oil for some reason, but good to buy from local artisans, or brands that use only natural ingredients who don’t test on animals, anyway.
6. ICE CREAM
I have no idea why there needs to be palm oil in ice cream… weird! Not all brands do, so always check the label. I would say try making your own (vegan or not ), and props if you have time for this, but to me it seems like too much effort (but hey, I’m not a huge ice cream fan anyway!).
7. PIZZA BASES
Many supermarket oven pizzas or readymade pizza bases contain palm/vegetable oil in the base. I know, it made me sad too. But again, check the label because not all will – just something to be aware of!
8. INSTANT NOODLES
Noooo! A staple for all budgeters and quick-lunch-addicts alike, vegan or otherwise :( We all know they’re probably not great for our health anyway, but it is disappointing. And yes, this includes Supernoodles, Pot Noodles and Tesco Instant.
9. SHAMPOO
As with the soap mentioned above, it’s a great idea to try and support ethical/environmental brands when buying personal care/beauty products anyway. Places like Lush and the Body Shop are good places to start.
10. CHOCOLATE
Palm oil in chocolate is a more rare occurrence, but still something to check on the ingredients labels. It can be easy to avoid, so why buy it by accident right?
Palm oil and its derivatives can appear under many names. For consumers concerned about the catastrophic ill effects of the palm industry, here’s what to look for.
Palm oil is the most popularly used vegetable oil in the world. It is remarkably versatile and is used in everything from snack food and shampoo to biofuel.
It is so prevalent that it can be found in around half of packaged items in most supermarkets.
Palm oil and its derivatives can appear under more names than just “palm oil.” While some of these ingredients listed by WWF – like vegetable oil – aren’t always made from palm oil, they can be:
1. Elaeis guineensis
2. Etyl palmitate
3. Glyceryl
4. Hydrogenated palm glycerides
5. Octyl palmitate
6. Palm fruit oil
7. Palm kernel
8. Palm kernel oil
9. Palm stearine
10. Palmate
11. Palmitate
12. Palmitic acid
13. Palmitoyl oxostearamide
14. Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-3
15. Palmityl alcohol
16. Palmolein
17. Sodium kernelate
18. Sodium laureth sulfate
19. Sodium lauryl lactylate/sulphate
20. Sodium lauryl sulfate
21. Sodium palm kernelate
22. Stearate
23. Stearic acid
24. Vegetable fat
25. Vegetable oil