Palm oil in our food is causing huge areas of forrest to be cut down, will you stop buying these products?

Question

I see in Borneo huge areas of forrest are being cut down to grow plantations that produced Palm Oil. As i look on the ingreedients and see it is in many of many products the suppermarkets i wonder will people stop buying this as it's production is causing so much devistation around the world and it is bad for our health anyway. Will people reading this start boycotting such products, so we dont cause exstinction to many of the speciese that used to live in areas where such products are being dished out from and will be dished out from if we continue to buy.

Answer 1

I already do but as well as doing that I complain to the supermarket about it and I'm doing voluntary work next year with Orangs and helping re-plant trees that have been devastated.

Answer 2

It might be worth thinking about what happens to the regions that are currently palm oil plantations should you succeed in getting rid of palm oil in North American food products.

If those areas would be returned to pristine, untouched forest, it might be worth while. However, in many cases, those palm oil plantations are the only livelihood those people have. If the plantations are shut down, they may have burn down the whole forest region to grow low quality subsistence crops and livestock in order to feed their families. So getting rid of the palm plantations could actually be worse for the region than it is now.

I'm not saying that's what will happen, but it's an example of what might happen. Few issues are black and white, especially when you're dealing with the environment. What looks like it should be a good idea can end up causing far more environmental damage than the problem it was trying to solve. Simply boycotting palm oil may not be the solution to this problem.

Answer 3

I agree but there is only a small minority of us humans that really give a damn about this kind of thing - the phrase out of sight out of mind springs to mind. More importantly, it should be the big players like Tesco and other major supermarket chains that try and do something about it like stop using this type of oil in the products they sell. You asked why people buy it? Why do people smoke/drink? Also, most people are maybe not even aware of the destruction your describing and don't know what palm oil really is or where it comes from. As others have stated, it's all very well for us to complain about the forests being destroyed because we do not earn our living from these plantations. If it's a case of having money to feed and clothe yourself and your family or having to struggle to provide but having a nice big forest to live in I think we all would pretty much opt for the money. it's sad but in this day and age money is everything and you just cannot live without it...

Answer 4

It is good to know that you care about our world, and you would like to do something about it, but most agriculture impacts on the environment in some way. Many rainforest areas in the far east are also being affected to grow soy beans - just one of the many reasons I refuse to eat tofu. In reality, even locally grown vegetables are growing on land that was probably once a forest.

However, as that is long gone, and our landscape has now adapted, consider buying local wholefoods where ever possible. they will not contain additives such as oils, colouring, flavourings and salt. They also help provide local jobs, and cut down on food miles.

Answer 5

Don't appeal to the ecologists that will only catch you a fragment of the possible people you should reach.
Palm oil is really, really bad for our health! It is a killer!!!
That is the idea that you need to be selling to people. The byproduct would be no more palm oil plantations!
I suggest you check it out on the Net and ask another question

Answer 6

I went to Borneo years ago and they told us that it was a problem then, so I'm surprised it is still such an issue. I think, with anything, it depends what products people will have to give up but I like your thinking honey

Answer 7

Yeah, that is really important. I'll get right on that, right after I solve the Arab - Israel situation, global warming, aids and a few other minor matters. Then I'll convince those evil palm oil dealers to produce cocaine and heroin instead. They can make the same amount of money while using far less land. Everybody wins! The growers get more money, fewer trees are cut and drug prices fall!

Answer 8

Yes, i always check for palm oil in the ingredients and dont buy the product if it is there. I have also complained to Waitrose (my local Supermarket) about the amount of products they sell containing palm oil (so many things!).

Some companies (Nairns in particular) are only using palm oil that is sustainably produced.

Answer 9

Very often it is only listed as vegetable oil, in the ingredients bit.

Answer 10

Yes What kind of product should we be looking for?