PALM OIL: FRIEND OR FOE?
Palm trees are often associated
with tropical beaches, sunsets and vacations, so you may be surprised to
learn some species produce an oily fruit, from which we extract palm
oil. Oil from oil palms (Elaeis guineensis, and Elaeis oleifera)
is the world’s cheapest and most popular vegetable oil. Its neutral
flavour and aroma, long shelf life and good shortening properties make
palm oil a common ingredient in many food products such as biscuits and
chips. Palm oil is also very versatile and used broadly across personal
care products such as laundry detergents, toothpaste and cosmetics, and
is also used in plastics and biofuels. In the EU and USA, if palm oil is
used it must be listed in the ingredients list but in Australia it can
fall under the more generic ‘vegetable oil’ label or technical names
like Palmitate, Sodium Laurel Sulphate or its botanical name E. guineensis. You may be consuming more palm oil than you realise.
Does palm oil impact the environment? On the plus side, palm oil production is the most efficient of all oil crops.
One acre of oil palm can produce up to eight times more than other oil
crops. This is an environmental benefit, however there are significant
down sides. There are millions of hectares of available cleared land
suitable for sustainable palm oil production in Indonesia. However,
businesses can make extra income from selling cleared timber to help
offset the costs of establishing a palm oil plantation and deforestation
is common adverse environmental result. This occurs in countries like
Indonesia and Malaysia where most of the world’s palm oil is produced.
The United Nations Environment Program estimates 7 million hectares of
forests are cut down every year – a massive area roughly the size of
Portugal. Deforestation destroys the habitats of animals such as
orang-utans, rhinos, tigers and elephants. The slash and burn method is
the fastest and cheapest method to clear land; sadly many animals lose
their homes or are burned alive. Displaced animals often wander back
into plantations where they may be stolen by poachers or killed by
plantation workers that consider them to be pests. Burning forests also
releases carbon dioxide into the air, contributing to global warning.
The bad news is forests in Malaysia and Indonesia often sit on carbon
rich peat lands and release even more carbon into the atmosphere when
burned – an environmental double whammy.
Unfortunately eliminating palm oil from the food supply won’t stop deforestation. Palm oil production generates more oil than any other major oil crop:
6 times more oil than rapeseed (canola) and 10 times more oil than soy.
If we switch to another oil this will worsen the deforestation issue.
Palm oil also generates much needed income for some of the poorest
people in the world, therefore ceasing production would have economic
ramifications.
Is palm oil good or bad for our health?
Palm oil is not a healthy choice. Palm oil contains a mixture of fats,
of which roughly 50% is saturated fat. This type of fat increases the
“bad” LDL cholesterol in the blood, which is a risk factor for heart
disease. The Heart Foundation recommends that less than 10% of your total daily energy intake should come from saturated fat.
However, trans fats are even worse and many (cheap) replacements for
palm oil are partially hydrogenated and contain trans fats. Trans fats
increase “bad” LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, but also reduce
the “good” HDL cholesterol. Palm oil is not a nutritional superstar, but
at least it doesn’t have trans fats and it contains less saturated fat
than coconut oil and butter. The best oil choices for health are more
unsaturated oils vegetable oils such as olive oil and canola oil,
however these are more expensive and do not provide the same technical
properties as palm oil.
The most sustainable choice While
it is not realistic to stop using palm oil, we should encourage food
companies to choose more ethically and sustainably produced palm oil.
There is Certified Sustainable Palm Oil
(CSPO) that does not involve clearing land where there are high
concentrations of endangered species or vulnerable ecosystems. Some
companies are making steps in the right direction toward being CSPO by
being members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
Palm oil in a nutshell:
- Palm oil is the most commonly used oil in the world, but its production contributes to global warming, deforestation and threatens endangered animal species.
- If using packaged products, look for Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO).
- For good health, choose products that contain healthier oils like olive, canola or sunflower oil.
Nicole Senior is an Accredited Nutritionist, author, consultant, cook, food enthusiast and mother who strives to make sense of nutrition science and delights in making healthy food delicious. Contact: You can follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or check out her website.
