It’s plant based, it’s natural, and it’s non-toxic. Yet, many are arguing that palm oil has to go leaving others perplexed and wondering why.
Palm oil is a vegetable oil produced from the fruits of the oil palm tree typically found in tropical areas. Palm oil is used in many of the products that we use everyday, some of which include processed foods, soaps, detergents as well as cosmetics and skincare products.
The reason for palm oil’s wide use is that it is an extremely high yield crop. According to Vegan Sustainability only 5-10% of the total farmland is dedicated to growing oil crops is under palm cultivation. Yet, it produces 35% of the world’s vegetable oils, thus making palm oil the cheapest vegetable oil available.
Hence, those who argue in favor of palm oil hold that aside from being the cheapest option, it’s also the healthier option. While palm oil still contains a lot of saturated fat, it does not contain hydrogenated oils, which has been linked to coronary heart disease. Moreover, countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, the largest producers of palm oil, have significantly benefited from palm oil production as a means to boost their economies.
Palm oil also offers the value of versatility in taste, texture, stability and shelf life that others don’t. Ultimately, those in favor of palm oil argue that any alternative to palm would merely shift, rather than counter, the loss of rainforests caused by agriculture. They believe that this may effectively worsen the state of our environment.
However, the argument that persists against the use of palm oil focuses on the massive deforestation and draining of peatlands that is underway towards the ends of palm oil production. Additionally, there have been cases where land has been seized from indigenous peoples and palm oil growers have been accused of using forced labor. Further, deforestation is resulting in many animal species losing their habitats or worse moving closer to extinction, particularly orangutans, tigers, rhinos and elephants.
Overall, there isn’t at present a perfect solution. Nonetheless, we all have a responsibility to consider what the future of palm oil or its alternative will be. Whatever the solution, it must be one that equally weighs the impact of the chosen agricultural practices on both humanity and the environment.
What do you think? Do you agree with the general consensus of why palm oil has to go or do you believe that it’s our best option at the moment?
