{"id":783,"date":"2013-08-07T08:06:48","date_gmt":"2013-08-07T08:06:48","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2015-06-14T15:54:28","modified_gmt":"2015-06-14T15:54:28","slug":"looking-at-the-label-palm-oil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/articles\/looking-at-the-label-palm-oil\/","title":{"rendered":"Looking at the Label: Palm Oil"},"content":{"rendered":"

Looking At The Label: Palm Oil<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0The Intersection of Health and Sustainability<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Palm<\/p>\n

\u00a0You are casually strolling through the grocery store aisle and you flip a package to the list.\u00a0 There it is, palm oil.\u00a0 In your quest for healthy foods and traditional eating, can you partake with a clear conscience?\u00a0 \u00a0Chances are, you used something with palm oil in it today (it has approximately 30 names, you know).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0This blog is at the intersection of nutrition and sustainability<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Palm Oil and Health<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I first refer to Sally Fallon Morell\u2019s definitive work, \u201cNourishing Traditions<\/a>\u201d when I have a question as to the health of a particular food item.\u00a0 She mentions palm oil (p.20) as a tropical oil that is high in lauric acid.\u00a0 That is a good thing because it is a fatty acid, found in large quantities in mother\u2019s milk and coconut oil, that has antifungal and antimicrobial properties.\u00a0 In fact, Sally Fallon Morell suggests that traditional populations in tropical areas have been nourished and healthy because of things like these tropical oils.\u00a0 She does also specify that red palm oil is strong and not as popular in America as it is in Africa; but that the odorless and tasteless clarified version can be used as shortening.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Palm oil is a natural ingredient.\u00a0 Your body can digest it.\u00a0 Your skin can absorb it.\u00a0 It is \u201call natural\u201d and even \u201corganic\u201d sometimes.\u00a0 According to an Australian website (so not sure if this holds true in the U.S.), it is in 50% of all storebought products including baked goods, confectionary foods, hygiene products, and cleaning supplies.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Palm Oil On The Label<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

It appears that the usage of palm oil in the industrial food setting gave way to the hydrogentated crap<\/span>\u00a0 bad stuff<\/em> we most often see on the label.\u00a0 It does seem to me (anecdotally, mind you) that palm oil is making a comeback.\u00a0 Maybe it is not just anecdote; the Rainforest Action Network claims that the importation of palm oil to the United States has increased 485% in the last decade (\u201cThe Case Against Palm Oil: A Factsheet\u201d).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Does the label say \u201cvegetable oil\u201d?\u00a0 According to FoodNavigator.com<\/a> , \u00bd of all of the world\u2019s vegetable oil consists of palm oil. \u00a0Since it goes by 30+ names,\u00a0 it is nearly as difficult to eliminate from your diet<\/a> and skincare routine as corn.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0The Auckland Zoo has a great \u201cBuy Palm Oil Free Shopping Guide\u201d,<\/a> but it is Australian based and it took forever to download through my internet access. \u00a0Still, it is worth a read.\u00a0 This is what I learned:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Palm Oil can be listed on the ingredient label as:<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
Palm oil kernel<\/span><\/h6>\n
Anything containing the words \u201cPalmitate\u201d or \u201cPalmate\u201d<\/span><\/h6>\n
Elaeis guineensis (Scientific name for palm oil)<\/span><\/h6>\n
Hydrated Palm Glycerides<\/span><\/h6>\n
Hexadecanoic or Palmitic Acid<\/span><\/h6>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0Label ingredients likely to be palm oil:<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
Vegetable oil<\/span><\/h6>\n
Anything containing the words <\/span>\u201cstearate, stearyl\u201d<\/span><\/h6>\n
Anything containing the words <\/span>\u201ccetyl, cetearyl\u201d<\/span><\/h6>\n
Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS)<\/span><\/h6>\n
Sodium Laureth Sulphate<\/span><\/h6>\n
Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate (SDS or NaDS)<\/span><\/h6>\n
Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate<\/span><\/h6>\n
Calcium Stearoyl Lactylate<\/span><\/h6>\n
Steareth -2 and Steareth -20<\/span><\/h6>\n
Emulsifier 422, 430-436, 465-467, <\/span>470-478, 481-483, 493-495, 570<\/span><\/h6>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Do those names look familiar to you?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Is Palm Oil Ethical?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Only 4%<\/a>\u00a0 of the world\u2019s palm oil is produced in a sustainable manner.\u00a0 Some of that is even questionable.\u00a0 The Auckland, New Zealand z<\/span>oo says that there is no such thing as \u201csustainable\u201d palm oil.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Orangutans<\/p>\n

If it is not sustainable, then that means the ability to grow it is diminishing.\u00a0 What are the practical realities? Loss of viable palm trees, loss of natural habitat, loss of animal life.\u00a0 The leading cause of deforestation in Malaysia is the creation of palm oil plantations.\u00a0 Over 50 orangutans die every week, and there are as few as 500 Sumatran tigers and 3000 Sumatran elephants left in the wild (\u201cPalm Oil Action\u201d).\u00a0 \u00a0There are also land grabs, human rights abuses<\/a> , and even private militias.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\"Palm<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but that is somewhere else.\u201d\u00a0 What is the landscape of your home, what animal songs greet you in the morning when you step outside, and how would your local economy, agriculture, and life be radically altered if it were all bull-dozed?\u00a0 The temptation is to ignore this.\u00a0 I think we know better.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In my research of palm oil, I found that propaganda was thick on every side.\u00a0 I really want to give you a clear picture of this, but I am not sure that I can.\u00a0 I know that this is a hot button in Australia and New Zealand; there is a silence in the U.S. media.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Watch this:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n