What is
palm oil?
Palm oil is
extracted from the fruits of the oil palm. It originated in the rainforests of
West Africa before it came to Asia in the 19th century. Today, the
oil palm is mainly found in Indonesia and Malaysia as the tropical climate there
provides the ideal growing conditions for the oil palm.
The palm
can grow up to 30 meters high and has about 3,000 to 5,000 fruits. Due to their
perishability, the fruits of the oil palm are processed immediately after
harvesting. The pulp is separated from the stone seeds and pressed in so-called
palm oil mills, which produces the orange-red palm oil.
The most important importers of palm oil are mainly in Europe and Asia, where it is mainly used in food and cleaning products, cosmetics and as a source of energy.
Why we do not use palm oil at Verival
The oil
palm itself has many advantages. Compared to coconut, soy or rapeseed for
example, palm oil requires much less cultivation area for the same amount of
oil. Moreover, palm oil is also very versatile and is not only used for food,
but also in cosmetics and organic diesel.
Palm oil is the world’s most widely used vegetable oil due to its ease of use and low costs of production. Although it is so cheap and practical, palm oil production has a serious impact on the environment. Therefore, all Verival breakfast products such as our granolas, mueslis and porridges are 100% palm oil free.
Species extinction
Nowadays, more animals than ever lose their natural habitat due to the deforestation of the rainforest. Whole forests get lost due to the oil palm plantations and with them their inhabitants. Especially in Indonesia and Malaysia, one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, animals and plants are the victim of the greed for palm oil. Animal species such as orangutans, elephants and Sumatran tigers are being displaced from their habitats by the cultivation of palm oil plantations and are threatened by extinction.
Land conflicts
The spread
of palm oil plantations causes enormous problems: Residents are often dispersed
from their villages. Many try to fight for their land, but usually have no
chance. The palm oil business generates enormous profits and corruption is
therefore omnipresent.
In addition, palm oil plantations make the soil dry out all around. Traditional resources such as rice, fruit and vegetables can no longer be cultivated due to the destruction of the soil. Farmers and their families lose not only their source of income, but also their basic food security. Ultimately, they are forced to work in the palm oil plantations at a starvation wage.’
Working conditions
In the main cultivating countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, human rights violations such as forced labour or child labour are repeatedly observed. Hard work, inadequate protective clothing, inhumane working conditions and wage slavery form a vicious circle from which the workers can hardly escape.
Climate change
Although
palm oil plantations require less acreage for the same amount of oil, they have
the highest CO2 footprint per acre. Rainforests and peat forests store a huge
amount of carbon. Through the burning down and the draining of peat soils
therefore enormous amounts of CO2 are released. Due to the deforestation of the
rainforest, Indonesia is one of the largest CO2 emitters in the world.
For the cultivation of oil palms, fossil energy is also used for soil cultivation, fertilizers, pesticides, harvesting and processing. In addition, the methane escaping from production residues is a powerful greenhouse gas. If we consider the entire life cycle of palm oil, the energetic use of palm oil is by no means environmentally friendly and the organic diesel is no longer so organic.
Fires
During the dry season, fires occur again and again due to rainforest clearing and the draining of moors. These not only threatened animal species such as the orangutan and the Sumatran tiger, but also wrap entire regions in a toxic smog cloud.
Palm oil-free – organic products from Verival
Palm oil
consumption has increased massively in recent years. Nevertheless, more and
more people are becoming aware of the negative effects of palm oil. However,
the attempt to completely renounce palm oil is not so easy. If you visit a
supermarket, you will find palm oil in every second product. Even if the
proportion in each product is usually not very high, the total consumption of
palm oil is unfortunately too high.
We at
Verival make it easy for you to make your contribution to the environment with
your breakfast. That’s why all breakfast products from Verival you find on the shelves or order online are guaranteed
palm oil-free.
At Verival,
we consciously avoid the use of palm oil and place great emphasis on
sustainability and environmental friendliness. By treating the environment,
energy and resources with care, we want to make an active contribution to
environmental protection. Our granolas, mueslis and porridges are therefore 100% palm oil free.
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