What is the problem with palm oil? Palm oil has been and continues to be a major driver of deforestation of some of the world's most biodiverse forests, destroying the habitat of already endangered species like the Orangutan, pygmy elephant and Sumatran rhino.
When taken by mouth: Palm oil is commonly consumed in foods. But palm oil contains a type of fat that can increase cholesterol levels. So people should avoid eating palm oil in excess. Palm oil is possibly safe when used as a medicine, short-term.
This clearing has destroyed critical habitat for many endangered species—including rhinos, elephants and tigers. Burning forests to make room for the crop is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Intensive cultivation methods result in soil pollution and erosion and water contamination.
3 Palm oil does not contain trans fat, but it is high in saturated fat, which means it can boost unhealthy cholesterol and triglycerides and raise the likelihood of heart disease. Still, it is less saturated—or healthier—than oils and shortenings high in trans fat and butter.
Hence, replacing palm oil with other vegetable oils would lead to even higher losses of forest and other natural habitats. Conversion of natural land to agricultural land is the main threat to biodiversity, especially in tropical regions, and also accounts for 50% of all the greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.
The biggest impact of unsustainable palm oil production is the large-scale devastation of tropical forests. As well as widespread habitat loss for endangered species like Asian rhinos, elephants, tigers and orangutans, this can lead to significant soil erosion.
Palm oil is in around 50% of supermarket foods, but Australian law does not require it to be labelled as an ingredient. You can choose any product made by the brands featured in this guide knowing they either use no palm oil at all or 100% Segregated Certified Sustainable Palm Oil, the choice is yours.
Palm oil is the ingredient that ensures the smooth, creamy texture and unique stability of the Nutella® recipe. Because palm oil becomes semi-solid at room temperature, it allows us to avoid the fat hydrogenation process that would otherwise produce unhealthy trans fatty acids.
What is the problem with palm oil? Palm oil has been and continues to be a major driver of deforestation of some of the world's most biodiverse forests, destroying the habitat of already endangered species like the Orangutan, pygmy elephant and Sumatran rhino.
Labelling in Australia
Palm oil is most commonly labelled generically as 'vegetable oil' which can be any kind of oil like canola or soybean.
Furthermore, when ingested modestly daily, palm oils, especially RPO and POl, provide health benefits such as cardioprotective, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antithrombotic effects.
Imports of commodity group 1511 "Palm oil and its fractions, whether or not refined, but not chemically modified" accounted for 0.037% of total import flow to Australia (in 2022, total imports to Australia amounted to $ 309 billion).
Overall, the evidence regarding the link between palm oil consumption and cancer is inconclusive. While some studies have found an association, others have found no significant link.
If it is practically possible, avoid the use of palm oil, in the setting of hepatitis, as palm oil is one of the saturated fatty acids and which effect on cardiovascular health as well as liver health is not good.
Amnesty International found serious human rights abuses on the plantations of Wilmar and its suppliers. These included forced labour and child labour, gender discrimination, as well as exploitative and dangerous working practices that put the health of workers at risk.
Palm Oil is a conflict commodity that has to be grown in the ashes of dead rainforests. Species-rich ecosystems are destroyed simply for a constant stream of cheap consumer goods. This is what gives palm oil its evil reputation. There are many problems with palm oil that are outlined below.
The health and well-being of consumers is an absolute priority for Ferrero. Is the vegetable oil in Nutella® hydrogenated? No. The vegetable oil contained in Nutella® is palm oil, which is naturally extracted from the palm fruit and gives our spread its creamy texture.
You can be assured that the palm oil we use in Cadbury products is certified as sustainable.
At Ferrero, we use palm oil to help us achieve the right consistency in our products, and since it is odourless and tasteless after the refining process, it does not interfere with the taste of our iconic recipes.
All KitKat products containing Palm Oil contain RSPO responsiblly sourced, sustainable palm oil.
Does Cadbury Chocolate Contain Oil? Cadbury's confectionery is made with palm oil, which is one of the least expensive and most versatile vegetable oils. Mondelez, one of the world's largest palm oil buyers, now owns the Cadbury chocolate brand after it was sold by the Cadbury family in the 1950s.
Arnott's is one of only three companies in the world recognised for achieving the next step of using 100% segregated certified sustainable palm oil (which means that the CSPO is kept separate from uncertified palm oil all the way from the mill to the end user).