Why is Palm Oil So Bad?

Recently, I’ve tried to cut back on palm oil. The trouble is it seems to be in everything. Food, toiletries, cleaning products. Finding free from products is proving to be tough and the brands that I have found are often more expensive. If so many things contain it though, why is it so bad?

Well, it is bad for our environment. More awareness has been raised in recent years, especially with the likes of the banned Iceland Christmas advert. Despite countless reports though, mass production of items containing palm oil still takes place everyday and it needs to stop. These are just some reasons why.

Deforestation

Due to the demand for palm oil, forests are being destroyed to provide space to grow and farm trees for it. Recent figures suggest palm oil plantations cause 8% of the world’s deforestation.

Animal Endangerment

As a result of deforestation, natural wildlife habitats are destroyed, causing animals and plants to become endangered. Orangutans are one such species.

Pollution

Deforestation also creates air pollution as people will burn down forests to create a palm oil farm. This then creates higher CO2 emissions in the atmosphere.

Difficulties of Reducing Our Use

So yeah, palm oil is not good if it continues to be produced in the current way.

This issue is that it is hard to cut back as so many of our everyday products contain it.

What’s more, you may think you’ve found yourself a good eco-friendly brand, this might not be the case. There are over 200 alternative names for the substance, so it is hard not to get caught out.

The best thing to do is research. Find out what companies are using sustainably-sourced oil or are completely free.

If you’re concerned about food products, try cooking using fresh ingredients when possible, so you know what is going into your meals.

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Hopefully this helps cover some basic points on why palm oil is so bad. Let me know if you have found any good free from brands.