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Originally Posted by BonBon  I haven't been able to read all your links yet, so I focused on the RSPO's explanation of themselves and the list of their supporting companies/products, because I figure this is the are I can make the most impact in.
I'm not buying in to RSPO, but I would like to see a more complete list of other companies/products/foods containing palm oil that aren't associated with them. If I'm going to seriously consider switching so many items I use regularly, I want to make sure the switch is to something that does NOT contain palm oil. Otherwise, the effort is meaningless.
Your avitar pic brings tears to my eyes every time I see it. I wish we could make it larger to show the ropes, etc. in more detail. |
Bonny, here's a link with a list of products/companies, along with ways to detect palm oil whether it is labeled as such or not.
SAY NO TO PALM OIL
As you can tell from this list and the other I posted, it's very hard to avoid this stuff. It's almost like trying to shop without buying anything made in China.
Recently, our microwave broke and I decided to not replace it. It's probably one of the best decisions I've made lately. It has forced us to quit buying many processed, ready-to-eat foods. We are eating better and avoiding palm oil to a large degree. I can't say that I've eliminated it, though. I am still having to weed out some things, mostly non-food items. Researching this thread has given me more awareness that I now need to act on.
Generally speaking, avoiding processed foods will keep you away from palm oil. It's even in some minimally processed things so you have to watch out with most anything. We tend to buy fresh foods and buy frozen when fresh is not available.We use butter instead of margarine. I could go on but you get the picture. It really comes down to reading labels and knowing how to interpret them, much like we do for dog food.
I really don't buy into the RSPO, either. It's not responsible to say it's 'sustainable' if all you mean is that you're not cutting virgin forests for planting. The damage has been done, it is ongoing and the only repair is restoration of these lands. It's kind of like if Andrew Hunte acknowledged the problems with puppy mills but said "trust me, we are breeding responsibly...buy a pup from one of our certified breeders". Yeah, right.
Sorry if the list isn't truly complete. Basically, though, many companies are jumping onto the RSPO bandwagon, so a high percentage of products are listed with them. You can apply the other info (how to identify palm oil) to any product, whether it's on the list or not.
About my avatar pic: I figured it might bring a little more awareness. So few people visit 'down here' so it's something that's out there, no matter where I post. Anyone care to join me on this? After all, every picture tells a story.