This programme was recommended to me yesterday and I've just watched it now. It is about the unsustainable industry of palm oil. For me, the programme drives home further how crazy the food industry is. How can it be possible that huge companies and even countries are destroying virgin rainforest and areas of deep peat, just to produce palm fruit to make the cheapest oil available? Products such as Haribo, Pringles, Kellogs Crunchy Nut, and Mr Kipling all use palm oil. Palm oil is usually unlisted on ingredients, it is considered part of vegetable oil - a blend of different oils including palm oil. Indonesia is the 3rd largest producer of greenhouse gases, behind America and China. Half of its orangutang population have died due to deforestation. Illegal deforestation is still happening there now, every day, even in areas of protected rainforest.
Palm oil is difficult to trace because many suppliers of palm oil mix deliveries from multiple companies. Only 3% is certified sustainable, globally. Sainsbury's currently sell own brand fish fingers that only use sustainable palm oil - but it took 10 years to get this product on the shelf. Unilever (flora, dove soap, etc) have made a commitment to make all their palm oil sustainable by 2015. But I feel that is a joke - by 2015 it will be too late, and the effects of the palm oil industsry will be irreversable! Many other companies have similar goals. However, I have to ask - do they not do any research at all when they make a new product? Surely they must decide where they are going to source each ingredient from? Sadly, this cannot be true, as if they did we would not now be in this situation. I am sure that palm oil is not the only ingredient that has serious ethical implications on a global scale. We just don't know about the others yet.
Watch the programme on BBC iplayer here (30mins).
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