to avoid products containing unsustainabley sourced palm oil?

[user1484226561]

its devastating the rain forest, the clearance for its production destroys ecosystems and pollutes a whole continent. But its a very valuable and productive crop, when sustainably grown.some companies, such as unilever, claim all their palm oil is sustainabley grown. more than half of processed products on the shelves seem to contain palm oil.

How to others feel about palm oil?

[gonetoflower]

Why would it be unreasonable?

[user1484226561]

I'm just confused abut the whole issue.

is palm oil basically "bad", with a few "good" suppliers.

Or is it the other way around.

And why are we so dependant on it? when did that happen?

[BlackCelebration]

I avoid all palm oil. Evil!

[user1484226561]

Blackcelebration, have you heard the arguement that you can grow far more food on the same unit of land if that food crop is palm oil, becase it is so productive, and so is a more efficient use of land, than for example oil seed rape?

How do you respond to that?

Also, how do you avoid it when it is in so many things?

[Cookingongas]

Yanbu- if only because I read my own confusion in your op , it's a minefield

[elQuintoConyo]

Palm oil makes everything taste like shite!

But i avoid it for ethical reasons.

Not sure what the aibu is

[Ta1kinPeace]

ALL Palm oil is unsustainable.

Orang friendly palm oil is based on the lie that because no orangs have been seen in the last 3 years its OK

Cornish fudge has palm oil
New Forest toffee has palm oil
Non animal soap has palm oil

and all of them kill Orangs

[hefzi]

There are allegedly sustainable palm oil groves in West Africa - the problem there is that it pushes people towards monoculture aimed at an international market, so has an impact on local food prices + farming practices etc. You need to decide what you can live with -palm oil products are not for me, though.

[Floggingmolly]

Just stop eating Cadburys chocolate. That should make a sizeable difference to the world's resources.

[RortyCrankle]

Firstly, I boycott all products that contain palm oil, no exceptions, purely on ethical/ecological grounds. Secondly, it makes stuff taste of shit so no loss.

[Nospringflower]

My problem is that it is hard to eat ethically! I have been tryng to be vegan but then if I also avoid palm oil and unethical suppliers I find myself with nothing to eat!

[Nospringflower]

So do all palm oil avoiders not have dairy which seems very unethical?

[user1484226561]

so. is there a list somewhere of common foods without palm oil? which margarine, for example, are you all eating?

[user1484226561]

yes, I'm worried about the ethics of dairy and beef too!

[MrsTerryPratchett]

which margarine, for example, are you all eating? Margarine tastes like arse. So, none.

[Weedsnseeds1]

Not all ethical palm oil is what it seems. Some schemes work on the "mass balance" principle. A company buys x amount of ethical palm oil and x amount of conventional. They can use either oil and mark products with the scheme logo up to the point where the total volume of oil used matches the volume of ethical purchased, so your marked item can contain conventional oil. Ethical and conventional can be mixed for shipping as well, so if you buy a 50/50 blend for example, 50% of products using that batch of oil can be marked ethical.

[Lostpangolin]

Hate the stuff and avoid wherever possible. The only marg type spread with no palm oil in the Sainsbury near us is lactofree

[Ta1kinPeace]

avoid processed food is the best bet

all marg is shite
just eat properly sourced uk butter

use olive oil

use proper ingredients, avoid buying anything with more than 10 ingrdients

[user1484226561]

just eat properly sourced uk butter I'm really not happy about the diary industry either, MASSIVE environmental damage.

[hefzi]

I don't have an issue with dairy (veggie here, but because I don’t like meat and am allergic to fish) because I get all my produce from a cousin, who's not an agribusiness - but it seems easier to find ethical dairy than ethical palm oil.

I also only buy bananas from the Windward Isles

[Ta1kinPeace]

So, no dairy, just veg oils then as pretty much all processed solid fats have shite in

I take it you are teetotal as very little alcohol is vegetarian

[SapphireSeptember]

I'm boycotting it, finding sliced bread without palm oil is ridiculously hard! I'm looking at you Sainsbury's! (Waitrose came up with the goods, and it's delicious.) But I find myself checking ingredients like a mad thing and realising what I can't eat makes me feel sad. I'm neither vegan nor vegetarian, but buy free range eggs and butter.

Tip for vegans, coconut oil that's solid at room temperature is a good butter substitute, and you can use it to make chocolate spread, according to the one vegan I know.

[user1484226561]

I'm teetotal yes, but not vegetarian. Just trying to choose the best food for the environment. I understand that sustainable fish, pork and chicken doesn't do anything like he damage that dairy/beef does.

I don't suppose that any two people will ever completely agree about what diet is best for the environment, but am interested to hear views and opinions, especially information about palm oil.

Why isn't alcohol considered vegetarian? Out of interest?

[Sojii]

Quite a lot of alcohol is filtered through fish scales or egg shells so they wouldn't be vegetarian.

I've been trying to avoid palm oil and now I'm realising how hard that is. It's hard to find bread without it. Anyone know of a brand that doesn't use it?

[Sojii]

Ps I read that that Guinness is going vegan. (No longer filters using isinglass)