Late Night Musings: Palm Oil

So, I recently discovered that the Girl Scout cookies I bought from my co-worker, that were marked 'vegan,' contained palm oil.

I was infuriated at myself for making the very false assumption that the buzzword 'vegan' automatically implied morality. After receiving my order, I vowed to not purchase those cookies again. I have already made mental plans to help organize an awareness campaign for my future children to spearhead if they ever join the scouts. But I digress.

One evening, my boyfriend and I were nomming a pack of Oreo cookies while I aired all of my grievances regarding Palm oil. He listened intently when he asked, "Do Oreos have it?" Of course! Why didn't I think to check? Such mindless and low-awareness snacking. I picked up the package and began to read the ingredients. Sure enough it read: "canola oils and/or Palm oil." WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? Does it or does it not contain Palm oil? Oreo, you grimy, son of a banshee.

That was our last pack of Oreos. We planned to find another brand. I wanted to boycott all items with Palm oil, and he believes in my cause and is supporting me.

Yesterday, while at the market, we spent a great deal in the cookie aisle looking for cookies without Palm oil. Literally every brand available had it! Even the "healthy" brands. I was both shocked and disappointed that there was no option. We finally found a Dutch, fig cookie brand that didn't have Palm oil and got those.

My BF and I have decided that the lack of available Palm-oil-free products is due to the lack of demand from consumers. The lack of demand from consumers is linked to the common state of unawareness. Much like we had only just been educated about Palm oil, so many people have yet to understand that it is even an issue.

More people should be aware of this, and companies should be held accountable and made to be more responsible. Surely there are other options available that Palm oil can be forgone altogether. I believe that with knowledge, this issue can be improved. Consumers are trying to be more conscientious, and this is yet another important issue to be made aware of.

I will do my part: for starters, I will not buy products with Palm oil, I will simply support unknown brands or bake my own. Markets provide what consumers demand; we have power. Much like vegetarian options are more commonplace thanks to demand, so can products free of Palm oil become more commonplace.


Source: http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/apr/01/indonesian-government-threatens-to-deport-leonardo-dicaprio-palm-oil-industry-criticism

Abso-fucking-lutely fuck Palm-oil

I am in the midst of conducting further research, and
I'm going to write the Environment Club on my campus to run an awareness campaign about the evils of Palm oil harvested in such a devastating fashion. I will watch this next:

@LillyPetal lemme know if you need anything- like Change.org style, signatures/ numbers or what ever...
I'll back it

Posted by wagtail
@LillyPetal lemme know if you need anything- like Change.org style, signatures/ numbers or what ever...
I'll back it

Thank you! I will, my friend. 👊ðŸ½ðŸ™ðŸ½

We'll never get rid of Palm Oil.

It's too productive and efficient of a crop. There's simply nothing else that produces the density of oil per acre as Palm.

It's not Palm Oil that's the problem it's how it's produced. Enough could probably be produced on land that's already turned into plantations. Regulating the industry is the answer.

Boycotting would do little or nothing to curb demand. Too many people in this world are not food-secure to begin with and if given the choice of their kids not going to bed hungry or saving orangutans, they're going to choose providing cheap food to their kids.

And yes, Palm Oil is that ubiquitous of a food ingredient. Anything that lists vegetable oil or vegetable shortening is probably Palm or at least partially Palm.

Oh and check your health and beauty products as well. Those are full of Palm Oil as well.

It really is a catch-22 with Palm Oil.

The fact that it IS such an efficient crop makes it possible to create a sustainable industry out of it.

But the plantations are poorly regulated and poorly ran. If the First World steps in to help modernize and manage the resource we get accused of meddling in the affairs of other countries.

I guess we could always genetically modify some other plant to produce and equivalent amount of oil.

But then...GMOs though 😢

I try to not buy products with it.. I try .

They try to make it so hard to be vegan& environmentally friendly out here