Annalise Draws for Greenpeace
We should give up palm oil, because if our orange cousins are in danger of going extinct. Many orangutans are injured or killed (protecting their babies , who also are sometimes killed). In order to chop down forests, so industry can buy cheap saturated fat to put in junk food or bars of soap (‘sodium palmate’).
Aware that people are concerned of the issues, most companies these days either quote the ‘Round Table on Sustainable Oil’ (which has no legal protection – Greenpeace writes that products with ‘sustainable palm oil’ often involve orangutans still being killed, through burned forests). The only guarantee of welfare is certified organic palm oil, but at rates of western consumption, there is not enough land to go round.
If you eat processed food, look for companies that carry the Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark. Just ensure that if companies are using coconut oil instead, that it is not harvested by monkey slaves (terrified apes are sent up trees and not even given any coconut afterwards). Two better options are to use local rapeseed oil, use oil-free baking/cooking. Or simply to make your own meals, to naturally avoid palm oil.
- Seggiano Grissini Breadsticks are free from palm oil
- Chip shops can order wholesale rapeseed oil to avoid palm oil. If you cook chips at home, throw out the fire-hazard chip fat fryer, and use a safer air-fryer instead.
- For bread, find a real baker (two palm-oil free bread brands are Cranks Whole Lotta Organic and Biona Organic. Or bake your own bread (keep bread dough away from pets).
- Organic nut/seed butters are less likely to have palm oil. Good brands are Meridian Peanut Butter and Biona (avoid nut/seed butters for young children). If your dog likes peanut butter, save it for dog biscuit brands, it’s too rich to give alone).
- Nearly all supermarket/chemist soaps contain palm oil or beef fat (sodium palmate or sodium tallowate). Visit the health store or search online for palm-oil-free soaps.
Vegan Butters with No Palm Oil
Most vegan butters (margarine) are made with palm oil. Waitrose & Sainsburys’ sell Danish brand Naturli (made from coconut oil in a paper-wrapped block or plastic tub). Use a letterbox guard for online orders, as some of these contain pet-toxic ingredients like nuts:
- I Am Nut OK Truffle Gourmet Butter (London) is made from rapeseed and coconut oil, and has a cheesy flavour, due to nutritional yeast. Also in rosemary sea salt version.
- Mouse’s Favourite is is a rich vegan butter for mashed spuds, hot crumpets, beans on toast, warm scones and pie crusts.
- Plant-Based Artisan Honea But+er (London) is made from fruits. Keep it in the fridge and spread on sourdough bread or crumpets. The brandy but+er is good with mince pies.
- Mr Hugh’s Baking Oils (Norfolk) are made from local rapeseed oil, and comes in infused versions for baking and cakes (vanilla, orange, lemon or hazelnut). Just use like-for-like.