Palm oil free. What does that mean exactly?
Over the ten years that we have monitored the palm oil industry and developments in other vegetable oils especially soy, there's been a consistent use of the "palm oil free" claim in marketing and packaging. What exactly does "palm oil free" mean?
Smart marketing has recognized that the words "palm oil free" are useful in attracting the niche shoppers who could provide the necessary air for a brand or product to survive. It is a misleading or even deceitful marketing tactic to prey upon palm oil as these brands or products hope that their consumers do not ask the most important question that should follow i.e. What did you use in place of palm oil? Can you prove that it is better for human health? With everything that we know now about the destruction of the Amazon for soy, the importance of no-till agriculture for carbon sequestration and the threat to European biodiversity from intensive pesticide use in rapeseed and sunflower plantations, can the palm oil substitute claim it is not guilty of extinctions and climate change?
This is the question we will be asking of companies and brands that market themselves as palm oil free. Watch the space below to see which we catch using the phrase "palm oil free" and updates on their response on palm oil substitutes.
Smart marketing has recognized that the words "palm oil free" are useful in attracting the niche shoppers who could provide the necessary air for a brand or product to survive. It is a misleading or even deceitful marketing tactic to prey upon palm oil as these brands or products hope that their consumers do not ask the most important question that should follow i.e. What did you use in place of palm oil? Can you prove that it is better for human health? With everything that we know now about the destruction of the Amazon for soy, the importance of no-till agriculture for carbon sequestration and the threat to European biodiversity from intensive pesticide use in rapeseed and sunflower plantations, can the palm oil substitute claim it is not guilty of extinctions and climate change?
This is the question we will be asking of companies and brands that market themselves as palm oil free. Watch the space below to see which we catch using the phrase "palm oil free" and updates on their response on palm oil substitutes.
Palm Oil Free Challenge
The page format we will be using is to display the advertisement or press release that makes a claim to be palm oil free. We will ask the companies what substitutes were used in place of palm oil and if they can verify that the substitute is better for health and environment.
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June 2020 - Milkadamia recently paid Livekindly to run an advertisement in the guise of a news report. The advertisement titled "THESE PALM OIL-FREE VEGAN MILK AND BUTTERS ARE SAVING RAINFORESTS" preyed on the woke campaign that being palm oil free leads to the simple equation of saving rainforests.
This is misleading advertising as simply being "palm oil free" does not mean the brand is directly responsible for saving rainforests. There are plenty of supply options for deforestation free palm oil available in Australia or the US where the Milkadamia products are now being produced. There are a few questions we would ask of Milkadamia like where their source of macadamia nuts is from now that they've outgrown their Aussie roots but to address their palm oil free claim, we will be asking Milkadamia for their source of Vitamin A Palmitate. It is commonly known that the main source of Vitamin A Palmitate is from either animal products or palm oil. Updates will be published once we hear back from Milkadamia. Our question to Milkadamia will therefore be: What is the source of your Vitamin A Palmitate? 
Screenshot from Milkadamia website
July 04, 2020 - Barebells promotes itself as "The brand that never compromises with flavor.We believe in happy eating and healthy living. That’s why we offer a whole range of protein-enriched products – all equally Barebellicious."
Its products are not 100% vegan as they include milk protein and collagen. We can only assume the collagen is from bovine sources as the FAQ page on Barebells website does not reveal their sources for ingredients. An independent review of the new vegan bars has not been great but our concern is more on sustainability and less on taste. Our questions to Barebells will therefore be: 1. Since Barebells uses non-vegan ingredients in milk protein and collagen, are the production facilities for the Barebells Vegan Bars kept separate from the production of non-vegan products? 2. Are all your raw ingredients like cocoa certified as sustainable and free trade? |
Palm oil free, palm oil substitutes, soy lecithin, canola, rapeseed, sunflower, vegetable oil, lard
"Palm Oil Free" labeling violates EU regulations on food labels. TheBorneoPost
Milkadamia, Barebells
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