What is Palm Oil and why is it not a good option for us…
QUESTION:
What is palm oil and why is it not a good option for us? Is sustainable and segregated certified palm oil a better option?
ANSWER:
Palm oil is a bit controversial – both from a health and environmental perspective.
Palm oil comes from the fruit grown on the African oil palm tree. These trees are now also grown in Asia, North America and South America due to increased demand for the oil.
Palm oil has a high saturated fat content. This is thought to be harmful to cardiovascular health. However, some studies have found that if palm oil is consumed in a balanced diet there should be little incremental risk.
Environmentally the concern is deforestation…
Forests are burned to clear area where oil palms can be grown.
Once the trees grow too high and unable to reach the fruit, they are cut down to make space for new trees. This contributes to deforestation of the rainforest. Due to the increased high demand for this cheap oil, acres of rainforest are cut down. This results in loss of animal habitat for endangered species such as orangutans. It is estimated that we have lost over 100,000 orang-utans in the last 16 years as a result of these practices).
It is believed that converting rainforest into plantations also contributes to climate change as it results in higher amounts of carbon emissions being released.
To lessen the impact, sustainable and segregated certified palm oil is a better option.
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