A customer mentioned the environmental impact of palm oil yesterday. If you're unfamiliar with the problems surrounding palm oil and its' production; in a nut shell, it is a leading cause of deforestation in the tropics. Palm oil itself turns up in countless things - read some ingredient labels and you'll likely see it there. Not just foods, either; it is used in the production of soap and similar items.
Of course, this ubiquity means that the demand for palm oil is ever-increasing, as the global population creeps ever-upwards. This, in turn, means that oil palm farmers are under pressure to produce more product, which drives some of them to expanding into the tropical rainforests, irretrivably damaging the ecosystem and further endangering countless already vanishing species. Besides the environmental issues, the production of palm oil has (in some cases) a negative social impact, affecting the local populations.
Thankfullly, though, this has not gone unnoticed.The Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil held its first meeting in 2003 and has subsequently made great leaps in ensuring the sustainability of palm oil production. While clearly there is still much work to be done to ensure all palm oil is sustainably produced, progess is being made.
As mentioned before, palm oil appears in countless products, but the customer who raised the issue specifically mentioned Nairn's oatcakes. I'm sure she, along with other Nairn's consumers, will be somewhat relieved to learn that Nairn's have a strong environmental policy, including only using certified sustainable palm oil, so I can continue to recommend their dark chocolate oat biscuits with a clear conscience!
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